ACETATE & TISSUE
Stamp on window sheet with Stazon Ink. Dry. Turn over. Apply crystal effects. Add drops of classic reinkers and spread. Add glitter or Pearl X. Crumple tissue paper and smooth. Place over glue and press. Dry, cut out and mount.
BABY WIPE TECHNIQUE
Fold a baby wipe into a manageable size. Alternate several colors of reinker drops in a row. Swipe across glossy cardstock. Dry and stamp. This makes a great sunset. Or, dab around for a more splotchy background.
BLEACH STAMPING
Soak a piece of felt or folded paper towel with bleach. Use as an ink pad and stamp on colored cardstock. Watch as the bleach removes color leaving a beautiful faded image.
BRUSHED BLEACHING
Emboss colored cardstock with black (or other color) embossing powder. Using a synthetic paintbrush or aquapainter, paint bleach onto a portion of the image between the embossed lines. Different colors (and lots) of cardstock will give different bleached effects. If desired, color the bleached portions with Stampin’ Pastels.
Clean brushes immediately and discard bleach.
CHALK DRAGGING
Apply pastels to the edge of a torn piece of scrap paper. Place chalked side up on cardstock. Using your finger, drag the chalk onto the cardstock. Move the scrap slightly and repeat.
CRAYON RESIST
Stamp images on glossy cardstock using Basic Black Classic Ink. With a white crayon, color in areas that you wish to remain white. Sponge or bray classic ink over the images. Use multiple colors or a spectrum pad. After the ink has dried, wipe off the crayon with a tissue.
DIRECT TO PAPER
This technique works with any ink, but is fabulous with Petal Point Chalk pads. Dab and blend ink directly on any type of cardstock. Work in lines, splotches, swirls or any pattern. Start with the lightest colors and move to the darkest. Blend as you go. Add some edge marks if desired.
DRY EMBOSSING
Place a brass template on a light table. Place cardstock on top. Rub cardstock with waxed paper. Trace inside the template with a stylus. If you can’t see through a darker cardstock, rub gently over the entire surface with the stylus to expose the outline of the template. You can add color with pastels by placing the template back over the pattern.
FAUX DIAMOND DUST
Decorate (stamp, brayer, DTP) a piece of glossy cardstock, dry. Cover with a generous layer of Versamark ink. Cover with iridescent ice glitter, remove excess and heat.
FAUX POSTAGE
Print faux postage template on cardstock. Make an acetate mask with an opening for each postage stamp. Sponge, then stamp each opening. Sponge additional color if desired. Cut around faux postage piece with decorative postage scissors.
GHOSTING (VERSAMARK RESIST)
Stamp images with Versamark ink. Dry. Ink brayer with a single color of classic ink, or a spectrum pad. Roll brayer over the cardstock. You can follow up by stamping with another color or by embossing.
KISSING
Ink a background stamp with classic ink. Press a solid type stamp onto the background stamp to pick up the ink and then onto cardstock. You can also press inked stamps onto a background stamp and then stamp either stamp for an interesting effect.
LABEL CARD
Stamp image (s) on a section of adhesive labels. Color if desired. Peel up a section of the labels and adhere to desired position on card. Let the rest of the label adhere. A small space between each label gives this an interesting look.
PENCIL OVER INK
Stamp a bold image using craft white (pigment) ink on dark cardstock. Let dry. Color over the image using colored pencils or metallic pencils.
MARBLES
Place several marbles in a plastic stamp case. Add a few drops of coordinating ink refills. Roll marbles. Attach cardstock with Scotch DS removable tape to the lid of the case. Close lid, flip and swirl.
MASKING
Stamp your foreground first and stamp it again on some scrap paper or a sticky note. Trim the image on the scrap exactly, or slightly smaller. Layer this mask on top of the foreground image. Stamp your background on top. The background will appear behind the foreground image
MASKING TAPE
Tear pieces of masking tape and layer onto cardstock, overlapping torn edges. Rub a light color classic inkpad over the tape. Sponge on some darker colors. Use shades of brown for a faux leather look. For a brighter look use bold colors and cover with Versamark ink and then clear embossing powder. Heat with heat tool.
MISTING
Gently spray cardstock using a spritz bottle of water. Immediately stamp using classic ink pads. Another option is to ink up the stamp and spray the rubber before stamping. Or, spray the paper immediately after stamping.
MIRROR IMAGE
Select a large shadow stamp such as the rectangle from Great Shapes. Ink the stamp you wish to mirror and stamp it onto the clean shape stamp. Stamp the shape stamp onto the cardstock for a backwards image. Re-ink the stamp and stamp it next to the backward image using a Stamp-a-ma-jig to line up the images exactly.
MOTHER OF PEARL
Dip a crumbled piece of plastic wrap in Luminere. Pounce lightly on glossy cardstock, leaving open areas. Dry. Brayer Classic Ink. Stamp with StazOn ink or heat dry after stamping with Classic Ink. Or use as a background paper.
PARTIAL/DOUBLE EMBOSSING
For Partial Embossing, stamp image with Craft (Pigment Ink). Cover only part of the image with Embossing Powder. Tap off excess powder and heat with heat tool. For Double Embossing, add a second color of Embossing Powder before heating.
PAPER PIERCING
Using the paper piercer and template from the Crafter’s Tool kit, pierce cardstock in a straight line, diamond, or other interesting pattern. The needle and linen thread can be used to stitch in the pierced holes using a cross stitch, straight stitch or other pattern.
PAPER TOLE
Stamp background images including focal point image. Stamp extra focal point image on a scrap of cardstock and trim. Shape with fingers to give dimension. Mount with glue dot. Add additional layers of images or partial images if desired.
PEARL EX AND FUTURE
Stamp image in permanent ink (Basic Black or Basic Brown Classic Ink). Using an aqua painter or paintbrush, fill with Future Floor Wax. Pick up a small amount of Pearl Ex and color image. The Future will act as both medium and sealant.
POLISHED STONE
Drench a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol. Add small drops of coordinating classic ink refills and Encore gold or silver metallic ink. Tap the cotton ball over glossy cardstock, allowing the inks to spread and vein.
POPPIN’ PASTELS
Stamp image on cardstock with Versamark, white Craft or vanilla Craft ink. Rub cotton ball into pastels and then pounce over image to see the colors pop.
PULLED PASTELS
Rub Stampin’ Pastels all over a dark piece of cardstock using a cotton ball. Ink a stamp with the Versamark pad and stamp onto the chalked cardstock. The stamp will “pull” off the chalk, leaving a negative image. This works best with a bold image.
RETIFORM GRID
Mask cardstock into grids using scratch paper or post it notes, one section at a time. Sponge each section and stamp, using different colors and images.
ROCK & ROLL
Choose two coordinating colors of classic ink. Ink the stamp in the lighter color. Roll the edges of the stamp in the darker color of ink. Then stamp the image onto cardstock for a two-toned effect.
RUBBER BANDS AND BRAYER
Cover the acrylic brayer attachment with rubber bands in an interesting pattern. Ink with a single color or Spectrum ink pad. Roll onto glossy cardstock in a single direction, or 2 directions to form a plaid. For a Resist effect, ink rubber bands in Versamark and then go over the cardstock again with rubber brayer inked in single color or Spectrum ink. White craft ink on black cardstock gives a nice effect as well.
RUBBER CEMENT
Dribble rubber cement onto glossy paper in a striped pattern. Let dry. Bray with classic ink. Remove rubber cement by rubbing. Repeat if additional colors are desired.
SERIGRAPH
Choose 3-4 coordinating colors of classic ink pads. Use a brayer to partially cover white cardstock with the lightest color. Repeat with the second color, leaving some white showing. Emboss stamped images in white. Bray with the final, darkest colors(s), filling in remaining white areas. Stamp more images using the darker colors of ink.
SHAVING CREAM
Spray shaving cream into a pan. Add several drops each of 2-3 classic ink refills. Swirl colors with a plastic knife or skewer. Place cardstock on top of the shaving cream. Press down gently. Remove card, scrape off excess shaving cream and dry for a fun background of color.
SHATTERED GLASS
Stamp image on piece of cardstock. Dab piece with Versamark inkpad. Cover entire piece with glassy glaze (ultra thick embossing enamel). Heat from bottom with heat tool. While still melted, add additional layers of enamel and heat. Cool and crack.
SMACKIN’ ACETATE
Scribble with different colors of Stampin’ Write Markers on a Window Sheet, covering the surface that will contact your cardstock. Spritz very lightly with water. Lay cardstock down on top, followed by scrap paper, followed by another sheet of acetate. Smooth with brayer. Remove, let dry, and stamp
SPOTLIGHTING
Stamp the image onto the card and again onto an extra piece of cardstock. Trim the extra piece to a small circle or square to become the spotlight. Color it and mount on a colored cardstock mat. Mount this, lining up with the first stamped image on the card.
STAMP POSITIONING
Place imaging sheet (or vellum cardstock) in corner of stamp positioner. Align stamp in the corner and stamp the image on the sheet. Position the sheet where desired. Place the positioner snugly in the corner. Remove imaging sheet and stamp onto the paper using the positioner as your guide.
WATERCOLOR STAMPING
Wet cardstock with water using aquapainter or mist bottle. Stamp once or twice with dye ink (single color or spectrum pad). Dry cardstock. Stamp once again over the previous “watercolored” image.
WOOD GRAIN
Cut a sponge into quarters. Ink the pointed edge with Vanilla Craft (pigment) Ink. Lightly brush in one direction along the cardstock. Repeat with Close to Cocoa Craft Ink. Mask sections or use markers to simulate boards/nails if desired. Try different colors of cardstock, ink.
