TECHNIQUES

FROSTED WINDOW TECHNIQUE:

WHAT YOU NEED:

• vellum
• inks or copics
• white cardstock, and dp or other cardstock for frame and card base
• stamps
• tacky tape or dimensional foam adhesive

1. Stamp the background image in a bright dark colors.

2. Stamp the image in black (memento tuxedo black)on vellum and wait for it to dry completely.

3. Flip the vellum over and color it in in soft inks.  I used Copics and they worked wonderfully!

4. Use tacky tape or foam dots to adhere the vellum to the white cardstock bg.

5. Frame the image to cover the taped areas.

6. Mount your image onto card base.

VERSAMARK RESIST TECHNIQUE (ghosting)

WHAT YOU NEED:

Versamark Ink

facial tissue  or t paper

dye ink(s) of choice

glossy white paper (must be glossy)

1. Stamp image in versamark ink.  Let set for a few minutes.

2. Using facial tissue dab onto ink pad to pick up the ink and then rub over and around the image.   You can use a brayer to add the ink too if you like. You can also layer on colors for a variation.

3. With a clean tissue rub gently over the image to buff and remove any wet ink that may remain.

BABY WIPE COLOR TECHNIQUE

WHAT YOU NEED:

1. Baby wipe

2. re-inkers (stampin’ up re-inkers come in all the colors of their ink pads)

WHAT YOU DO:

Fold in the four sides to create a smaller square. Drop 2-3 drops of at least 2 different colors onto the square. Gather up the corners to make a handle for yourself and dab, swirl, pounce away on your paper!

You can create some beautiful patterns and color combos with this technique! For the card above, I simply swirled my wipe in circles, and in real life you can see the circular pattern much better!

HINTS:

* Vellum WILL curl! Cardstock will too, but I found by heating slightly with my heat gun it flattened out. I heated on both sides. I kept a bit of curl and used it for this shabby chic look on my card.

* Start with a larger piece of cs or vellum than you intend to use and use up your wipe. Depending on how wet your brand of wipe is, you may get a lot of coverage, from dark to light. You can then cut your paper to size for more than one card!

* Use a glossy paper or vellum. The wipe glides across the paper smoothly.

* Try embossing an image first, or stamp your image after. Either way you will get a lovely effect!

Links: Playing with Vellum part 1

NEGATIVE EMBOSSING

Here’s How:

1. Open up your cuttlebug folder so the negative side is facing down on your table. This is the side where the CB logo is.

2. Choose your colour of ink, ink up the negative side using either a sponge, brayer or the ink pad itself if you are using spots or the petal chalk inks. The brayer works best for with the large ink pads.

3. Lay your cardstock , close the folder and run it through your CB. Done! The color should be in the background and the raised images should be the original color of the cardstock.

4. Wash your folder with warm water to avoid any staining from the ink, OR place a baby wipe in the folder and run it through your cuttlebug, the same as you would with the cardstock . This cleans it very well, and may only need an additional swipe of the baby wipe to get it perfectly clean!

TIP: If you have used pigment or chalk inks, let them dry well before using the cardstock to complete your project.

Sample Links: Blue Winter

NEGATIVE EMBOSSING WITH VERSAMARK (WATERMARK)

Here’s How:

1. Open up your cuttlebug folder so the CB logo is facing down on your table. This is the side where the color or versamark goes. (negative side)

2. Using your Versamark ink, coat the negative side direct from the versamark pad. Do not push down into the recessed parts. You want the versamark on the flat surface only.

3. Lay your cardstock face up inside the folder and close it. Run it through the cuttlebug.

4. Carefully remove the cardstock. The raised parts should be clean, and the recessed layer should be wet with versamark.

5. Sprinkle your choice of embossing powder on the cardstock . If you find some powder sticks to the raised images, use a small point paintbrush to carefully flick off.

6. Heat emboss.

7. Wash your folder or use a baby wipe to clean it.

TIP: Use a clear embossing powder for some dimension and shine. This will darken the negative areas of cardstock color slightly, leaving the raised areas in the original color.

Sample Links: Every Minute is a Possibility

PAPER PIERCING

• Tools-
• hole piercing tool or needle
  
• tracing paper
• stamps or patterns for tracing
  
• pencil, eraser

You do not need fancy templates to paper pierce. If you are good at doodling, draw a light pencil marked doodle where you want the piercing, then pierce holes app. 1/8 inch to apart following the marking.  Erase the marking and you’re done.

If you are not good at freehand doodling you can make your own templates! All you need is some tracing paper and a fun pattern; your swirly stamps or faux stitch style stamps would work well.

If using a stamp, stamp the pattern on heavy duty cardstock so you can reuse the pattern several times.  Using the pattern as a guide, pierce holes at 1/8 intervals along the lines of the pattern. I would go through the holes a few times so they are slightly wider than you would want on a card.   Once the holes are clearly marked, you can use this as a template to place on your card and  making sure not to move it, go back through the holes, making sure to go deep enough to pierce your underlying paper/card.  You can use repositional tape or adhesive to make sure it does not move while you are doing this.

If you have a picture or pattern from some other source that you think would work well as a piercing template, then simply trace the pattern first. Then, go through the same steps as above.

Once you have transfered your tracing paper pattern to a sturdier piece of card stock, and pierced the pattern on the card stock,  you will have a reusable piercing template!

Have Fun!

Sample Links: A latte love

BLACK MAGIC TECHNIQUE 

Materials List

• Stamp
• white craft ink
• pencil crayons
• heat tool (optional if you want to speed dry ink)

HOW TO:

1. Stamp image in white craft ink on dark or black card stock.  Heat dry to make sure it is set before coloring, or wait until it is completely dry. Craft ink takes a little longer than others to dry.

2. Using pencil crayons, color in your image, leaving white highlights where you want them to show through. Do not be afraid to press hard to color.  You really want your colors to pop!

If you like, you can add extra white highlights using a white gel pen!  Have fun!

SAMPLE LINK:  Black Magic Fabric Flower Sympathy Card