BLENDING BRUSH BACKGROUNDS & EASTER FRIENDS

Hi Stampers!

When it comes to creating backgrounds for cards the possibilities are endless! Patterned paper, watercolor washes, sponging, brayering, stencils, masks, stamped images, embossed images, die cuts, and more can all be used to create great backgrounds. Today I am sharing cards I made using four backgrounds created with blending brushes. Lets’s take a look at the cards!

The backgrounds for these cards are created using the same basic blending brush technique. Masks, stencils, and embossing folders were used to step up the background a bit.

VIDEO TUTORIAL

FOUR SIMPLE WAYS TO CREATE GREAT BACKGROUNDS WITH BLENDING BRUSHES

EASTER FRIENDS STAMP SET

BLENDING BRUSHES

For the backgrounds I used one blending brush for each color ink. I do not have one blending brush for each color of ink in my collection. I have assigned one blending brush to each colors groups - reds, blues, greens, etc. After each use I brush on scrap paper to get rid of extra ink. Prior to using the brush I repeat the the process to make sure any residual ink is off the brush. From time to time I wash the brushes in warm water, lightly tap the brush against the side of the sink to get rid of excess water, then allow to dry over night.

INKS

 

For the backgrounds I used these ink colors from Stampin’ Up!®️ - Polished Pink, Pale Papaya, Soft Saffron, Soft Seafoam, Balmy Blue, and Fresh Freesia. 

TOOLS

To help create the backgrounds I used a piece of grid paper as a mask, an embossing folder, and a decorative mask (stencil).

CUTTING DIMENSIONS & SUPPLIES FOR ALL CARDS 

* Easter Friends Stamp Set

* Card base -Gorgeous Grape cut at 8 1/2” x 5 1/2” scored and folded at 4 1/4”

* Basic White cardstock - two pieces cut at 5” x 3 3/4” (one for inside and one for background)

* Inks - Polished Pink, Pale Papaya, Soft Saffron, Soft Sea Foam, Balmy Blue, Fresh Freesia, & Gorgeous Grape

* Blending Brushes

* Adhesive & dimensionals

FREE HAND BACKGROUND CARD

OTHER SUPPLIES FOR THIS CARD

* Pieces of Basic White cardstock for greeting and to stamp rabbit

* Gorgeous Grape sheer ribbon @ 6” for bow - attach with glue dot

* Ink - Crumb Cake and Stampin’ Blends - Crumb Cake  (light & dark)

* 2021-2023 In Color Jewels - 3

* Picture This Dies - Rectangles (sentiment)

MASKED STRIPES BACKGROUND CARD

OTHER SUPPLIES FOR THIS CARD

* Pieces of Basic White to stamp chicks (Use reverse /mirror stamping technique for one chick.)

   To learn the Reverse Stamping Technique see this POST

* Inks - Memento Tuxedo Black, Granny Apple Green (for grass); Stampin’ Blends - Daffodil Delight (light & dark),

Pumpkin Pie (dark)

* Scissors for fussy cutting chicks

* Piece of grid paper or scrap paper with straight edge to use as mask for stripes pattern.

Note - the center chick is adhered to the card with adhesive. The other two are adhered with dimensionals.

   DECORATIVE MASK (STENCIL) BACKGROUND  CARD

OTHER SUPPLIES FOR THIS CARD

* Scrap of Basic White and scrap of Gorgeous Grape for greeting

* Butterflies & Flowers Layering Decorative Masks - “Daisy” pattern

* Picture This Dies - Rectanglesfor greeting

* 2021-2023 On Color Jewels - 3

EMBOSSING FOLDER BACKGROUND CARD 

OTHER SUPPLIES FOR THIS CARD

* Ornate Floral 3-D  Embossing Folder

* Tasteful Labels Dies

* 2021-2023 In Color Jewels -3

Note - Use Reverse / Mirror stamping technique for one duck image (See link under Masked Stripes Card above.)

 

BLENDING BRUSH BACKGROUND CARDS

Using the free hand technique, masking technique, decorative mask (stencil) technique, and embossing folder technique with blending brushes gives you lots of options for great backgrounds! I hope you give one or all four of these backgrounds a try!

That’s all for today. Until next time…

Stamp Happy!

Kim

All stamps and stamped images ©️1990-2022 STAMPIN’ UP!®️

CREATE PRETTY CARDS IN NO TIME USING THE EMBOSS RESIST TECHNIQUE & BLENDING BRUSHES

 Hi Stampers!

Today’s cards were made using the emboss resist technique and blending brushes. The emboss resist technique is easy to do, but it adds a whole lot of  “WOW” to a card. Using the blending brushes to add color to the focal panel adds another little bit of pizzazz! 

The cards were created using the PRIZED PEONY stamp set. This stamp set is found in the Stampin’ Up!®️ 2021-2022 Annual Catalog. The cards have the same layout; the focal panel dimensions are a bit different from card to card, and one card is in portrait orientation. I have listed the supplies and cutting measurements for each card below the individual card’s picture. Page down for the Emboss Resist Video Tutorial.

PRIZED PEONY 

MELON MAMBO CARD

SUPPLIES FOR THIS CARD:

* Melon Mambo card base

* Basic White for focal panel - 4 3/4” x 3 1/2” and a piece cut at 5” x 3 3/4” for inside the card.

* Basic Black cut at 5” x 3 3/4” for mat

* Inks: Granny Apple Green, Melon Mambo, Balmy Blue, Memento Tuxedo Black, Versa Mark and white embossing powder

* Blending brushes 

* Adhesive

* The greeting is from the BIGGEST WISHES stamp set. (Annual Catalog)

SOFT SEA FOAM CARD

SUPPLIES FOR THIS CARD:

* Soft Sea Foam card base

* Basic White cardstock - 2 pieces cut at 5” x 3 3/4” one for the focal panel and one for inside the card.

* Pale Papaya cut at 5 1/4” x 4” for mat

* Inks - Soft Sea Foam, Petal Pink, Pool Party, Versa Mark and white embossing powder.

* Blending brushes

* Adhesive

FRESH FREESIA CARD

SUPPLIES FOR THIS CARD:

* Fresh Freesia card base

* Basic White cardstock cut at 4 3/4” x 3 1/2” for focal panel and a piece cut at 5” x 3 3/4” for the inside of the card.

* Basic Black cardstock cut at 5” x 3 3/4” for mat.

* inks - Soft Sea Foam, Fresh Freesia, Pool Party, Memento Tuxedo Black, Versa Mark and white embossing powder.

* Adhesive

* The greeting is from the PANSY PATCH stamp set. (Annual Catalog)

EMBOSS RESIST + BLENDING BRUSHES TECHNIQUE VIDEO

The card made in the video is the Melon Mambo card  except the focal panel (Basic White cardstock) is cut at 5” x 3 3/4” and the Basic Black mat is 5 1/8” x 3 7/8”.

I have one more version of this card to share with you. I added ribbon to two corners of the card. Why? Well…I dropped a blending brush, and it left a spot of Bumblebee ink right on the top left corner of the focal panel! The ribbon covered up that little issue perfectly!

OLD OLIVE CARD

SUPPLIES FOR THIS CARD:

* Old Olive card base.

* Basic White cardstock - 2 pieces cut at 5” x 3 3/4” one for the focal panel and one for the inside.

* Bumblebee cardstock cut at 5 1/8” x 3 7/8” for mat.

*Inks - Old Olive, Bumblebee, Balmy Blue, Versa Mark and white embossing powder.

* Blending Brushes

* Ribbon - 2 pieces 4”-5” long (the Old Olive ribbon I used is retired). I used Scotch tape to hold the ribbon in place.

* Adhesive

* The greeting is from BIGGEST WISH stamp set. (Annual Catalog)

That’s all for today. Thanks so much for stopping by. Until next time…

Stamp Happy!

Kim

All stamps and stamped images ©️1990-2021 Stampin’ Up!®️

USING MASKS FOR NO LAYER CARDS WITH AN OCEAN VIEW

 Hi Stampers!

Every year about this time I hear the ocean calling! While a trip to the seashore is not in “the cards” this year, ocean themes can be featured in “my cards.” 😁 Today I have four cards with ocean themes to share.  The cards are no layer cards. I used masks to allow me to apply ink for the focal point. Along with the masks I used blending brushes to create the background for the focal point.

Here are the cards:

And here are my masks!

For three of the masks I used 5 1/2” x 4 1/4” (1/4 sheets) pieces of  printer paper. I used dies to cut out the desired shapes. For the fourth mask I just tore pieces of scrap grid paper, and placed them over my cardstock. As you can see I used Washi tape to hold the masks in place.

Here are the stamp sets I used; WHALE DONE, SEASCAPE,TIMELESS TROPICAL, and FRIENDS ARE LIKE SEASHELLS.

For each card I used a Basic White card base that measured 11” x 4 1/4” scored and folded at 5 1/2”. To create the focal points I put the cardstock flat on my stamping surface (a grid paper pad in my case), positioned the mask over the card front, and taped the mask in place with the Washi tape. I also covered up the back half of the card base with scrap paper to make sure there were no ink accidents.

Next I stamped and inked the focal point, removed the mask, and stamped the greeting. 

SUPPLIES FOR THIS CARD: Basic White card base, Layering Circles Dies (largest one) for mask, TIMELESS TROPICAL stamp set, TIMELESS TULIPS stamp set (for greeting), Shaded Spruce and Early Espresso Stampin’ Write markers, Sahara Sand, Pool Party, Balmy Blue, and Shaded Spruce inks, blending brushes.

ASSEMBLY: Place the  mask over the card base. Begin adding color to the area with Sahara Sand ink on a blending brush, next add Pool Party ink, and finish with the Balmy Blue. Using the Stampin’ Write Markers, add color to the stamp. Stamp the palm trees image. Remove the mask. Stamp the greeting with the Shaded Spruce ink.

This card is very similar to a card I created for another post (8 April 2021). This masking technique results in a torn paper look (Faux Torn Paper Masking Technique). See page 26 of the STAMPIN’ UP!®️ 2021-2022 ANNUAL CATALOG for another example of the technique.

SUPPLIES FOR THIS CARD: Basic White card base, two pieces of torn grid paper and Washi tape for masking, WHALE DONE stamp set, HAPPY THOUGHTS stamp set (Mini Catalog - retiring) for the sentiment, Soft Succulent, Flirty Flamingo, Highland Heather, Calypso Coral, Pool Party, and Balmy Blue inks, blending brushes.

ASSEMBLY: Position the masks over the card front, and secure with Washi tape. Stamp the seaweed, stamp the remaining images, using the blending brushes and Pool Party and Balmy Blue inks cover the exposed cardstock. It is okay to go right over the stamped images with the blending brush. remove the masks and stamp the greeting with Soft Succulent ink.

SUPPLIES FOR THIS CARD: Basic White card base, SEASCAPE stamp set, WHALE DONE stamp set, Layering Diorama Dies (3rd largest) - for mask, Granny Apple Green, Mango Melody, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Pool Party, and Balmy Blue inks, and blending brushes.

ASSEMBLY: Create the mask and position it over the card front, secure with Washi tape. Stamp the seaweed and the fish. Create the water by starting at the bottom of the piece with a bit of Crumb Cake ink on a blending brush. Next add Pool Party and Balmy Blue inks. Remove the mask. Stamp the greeting with Soft Suede ink.

This card is just a bit different from the other three. It is still a one layer card, but I added some die cut images.

SUPPLIES FOR THIS CARD: Basic White card base, Pearlescent Specialty Paper, FRIENDS ARE LIKE SEASHELLS stamp set, HAPPY THOUGHTS stamp set (Mini Catalog - retiring) for sentiment, Seashells Embossing Folder, Seaside Seashells Dies, Flirty Flamingo, Calypso Coffee, Pale Papaya, Sahara Sand, Gray Granite, Pool Party, and Balmy Blue inks, and Granny Apple Green (dark)and Mint Macaron (dark) Stampi ‘ Blends, Stitched Rectangles Dies (3rd largest). 

ASSEMBLY: Make your mask with the Stitched Rectangles die. Use a 5 1/2” x 4 1/4” piece of the Pearlescent paper and the Seaside Seashells die to cut out the images. Stamp the images. Place the piece in the Seashells embossing folder and run it through the Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. Snip the images you want for the card from the die cut. Color the sea plants with the Stampin’ Blends and set the die cuts aside. Position the mask over the cardstock. Secure in place with Washi tape. Use the Sahara Sand and a touch of Gray Granite inks and blending brushes to create the base for the sand. Use the Pool Party and the Balmy Blue inks to create some water. With Sahara Sand ink and “sand” stamp add some texture to the “sandy area” of the card. Remove the mask. Arrange and adhere the sea plants and seashells on the card front. Stamp the greeting with Sahara Sand ink.

These card were easy to make, and best of all went together quickly. I do enjoy making no layer cards. These types of cards help me to reach a little bit beyond my usual routine, and forces mr to come up with creative ways to create interesting, but simple cards. I hope you give the masking techniques to create some no layer cards.

* The printer paper and grid paper are interchangeable, actually any thinner paper will do. If you do not have Washi tape, no problem. You can use masking tape, painter’s tape, or even Scotch tape. 

That’s all for today. Thank you for stopping by. Until next time...

Stamp Happy!

Kim

All stamp and stamped images ©️1990-2021Stampin’ Up!®️

 

CREATE PRETTY CARDS IN NO TIME WITH GARDEN BIRDHOUSES + BLENDING BRUSHES

 Hi Stampers!

Today’s cards are quick and easy to make, perfect cards for busy summer days! With some stamping, a bit of coloring, and adding a sky for the background with ink and blending brushes you can put these cards together in no time. The featured stamp set is GARDEN BIRDHOUSES.

Here is a look at the cards:

And here is a look at the stamp set:

SUPPLIES NEEDED TO MAKE THE CARDS

* 2 Crumb Cake card bases 

* 2 pieces of So Saffron cardstock cut at 5 1/4” x 4”

* 2 pieces of Basic White cardstock cut at 5” x 3 3/4”

* Ink pads - Crumb Cake, Granny Apple Green, Pool Party, and Balmy Blue

* Stampin’ Write Markers - Fresh Freesia, Flirty Flamingo, and Granny Apple Green

* Stampin’ Blends Markers - Crumb Cake (light and dark), So Saffron (light and dark), Balmy Blue (light), Old Olive (light and dark), Gray Granite (light and dark), Pale Papaya (light and dark), Color Lifter

* Blending brush(es)

* Stampin’ Seal or adhesive of choice

TO ASSEMBLE THIS CARD

* With Crumb Cake ink on one of the pieces of Basic White cardstock, stamp the branch, the string for the birdhouse, and the birdhouse. 

* Color the leaves with the Old Olive Stampin’ Blends. Color the branch with the Crumb Cake Stampin’ Blends. Color the roof, perch, and bottom of the birdhouse with the So Saffron Stampin’ Blends. Use the Balmy Blue Stampin’ Blend outline the inside lines on the main part of the birdhouse. Use the color lifter over the Balmy Blue to move the color toward the center of the sections.

* Ink up a blending brush with Pool Party ink and begin applying ink around the tree branch and birdhouse. Move out and up from the images keeping the ink coverage light. Allow the ink to tapper off in a bit of a diagonal line toward the right bottom of the focal point. Clean the Pool Party ink off the blending brush by rubbing it over a piece of scrap paper. 

* Ink up the blending brush with Balmy Blue ink. Blend in Balmy blue along the tree branch and around the bird house.

* Stamp the sentiments in the lower right hand side of the card panels using Crumb Cake ink.

* Center the focal panel on the So Saffron cardstock, and adhere this piece to the Crumb Cake card base.

* Stamp the poles and birdhouses with Crumb Cake ink on a piece of Basic White cardstock. Color the poles with Crumb Cake Stampin’ Blends.

* Color each birdhouse with Stampin’ Blends markers. From left to right - I used So Saffron with Balmy Blue, for the next one - Gray Granite for the roof, Crumb Cake (light) and Gray Granite (light) for the rest of the birdhouse, and for the last birdhouse - for the roof I used Crumb Cake (light) with the Color Lifter, on the main part of the birdhouse I used Pale Papaya (light and dark), for the door and area directly above it I used Balmy Blue (light).

* For the flowers I used Fresh Freesia and Flirty Flamingo Stampin’ Write markers to color directly on the stamp, and used Granny Apple Green for the stems. Stamp across.

Use the grass stamp and Granny Apple Green ink and stamp twice, reink stamp twice, across.

* Ink up a blending brush with Pool Party and rub it lightly over the cardstock to create the sky. 

* ink up the blending brush with Balmy Blue ink and apply ink along the poles and above the birdhouses.

* Stamp the “hello” in the upper left corner of the panel with Crumb Cake ink.

* Adhere the focal piece to the So Saffron card base, then adhere the piece to the crumb cake card base.

These cards do go together quickly I made both of these from start to finish in just under 30 minutes. I really like the way the blending brushes can be used to create a soft colored sky. I hope you give the blending brushes a try.

That’s it for today. Thank you for stopping by. Until next time...

Stamp Happy!

Kim

All stamps and stamped images ©️1990-2021 Stampin’ Up!®️

CREATING CARD BACKGROUNDS WITH DECORATIVE MASKS AND BLENDING BRUSHES

Hi, Stampers!

Today I am sharing a quick and easy way to create great background panels for cards! All you need is cardstock, ink, decorative masks (stencils), blending brushes (you can use sponges or sponge dauber), and some washi tape or painter’s tape.

Here is one of the cards I made using the blending brushes and the polka dot decorative mask. I also used the Kangaroo & Company stamp set and the Kangaroo dies. These items are found in the Stampin’ Up!®️ January - June 2021 Mini Catalog.

Kangaroo & Company Stamp Set and Kangaroo Dies

Below are the Basic Pattern Decorative Masks. They can be found on page 146 in the Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog.The set of masks includes 4 designs.

The blending brushes are a new product found in the new mini catalog on page 70. They come in a set of three brushes. 

Here is a card made with the leaf print mask. The greeting comes from a stamp set found in the beginner brochure and the online store. The stamp set is called Four Season Floral.

This card was made with the damask pattern from the mask collection. I used three colors of ink (Balmy Blue, Highland Heather, and Rococo Rose) with the blending brushes, and worked my way up the cardstock. The flower is from the Hydrangea Haven stamp set. (mini catalog)

Lastly, here is the card I made using the winter tree mask. The sentiment is from the Enjoy the Moment stamp set. (mini catalog) I also use the Stampin’ Chalk Marker and Wink of Stella to create snow on the trees. (See annual catalog pages 146 - 147.)

Here is a video demonstrating the technique for making these background panels. I hope you will give this technique a try!

That’s all for today.  Thank you for stopping by. Until next time...

Stamp Happy!

Kim

greatinkspirations.stampinup.net

greatinkspirations@gmail.com

* All stamps and stamped images ©️1990-2021 Stampin’ Up!®️

SAND AND SEA SUITE - ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES FOR BEAUTIFUL CARDS

Hello Stamper! Happy New year!  I think we are all happy to put 2020 behind us, and welcome all the wonderful possibilities 2021 has to offer! With that thought in mind, I hope all of you are looking forward to a terrific year of paper crafting! Of course it just would not be a new year of paper crafting without new Stampin’ Up! products!

Tomorrow (5 January2021) the new Stampin’ Up!®️ January - June 2021 Mini catalog goes live! Yay!  I want to show you a suite of products featured in the new mini catalog, and I am almost certain it is my favorite. The Sand & Sea Suite is found on pages 40-42 of the mini catalog. A suite of products is simply a group of coordinating products usually consisting of a bundle (stamp set and a tool - usually dies or a punch), Designer Series Paper (DSP), and a few other items like specialty paper, ribbon, or other embellishments. A suite of products can be purchased using one item number! Let’s take a look at the components that make up the SEA & SAND SUITE.

FRIENDS ARE LIKE SEASHELLS STAMP SET

SEASIDE SEASHELLS DIES

The stamp set and the dies can be purchased separately, or purchased together in a bundle for a 10% savings. The 10% savings is reflected in the total price of the suite.

SEASHELLS 3-D EMBOSSING FOLDER

SAND AND SEA DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (DSP)

SEASIDE SHELLS STICKERS AND OPAL ROUNDS

PEARLESCENT SPECIALITY PAPER

I really like this suite of products the stamp set, dies, and embossing folder all work so well together, and that means lots of option for card designs. The DSP is so pretty: lots of  seashell, sand, and surf patterns in Flirty Flamingo, Melon Mambo, So Saffron, Sahara Sand, and Seaside Spray.

Here are some cards I made using products from the SEA & SAND SUITE:

For the card below I used a piece of DSP and stamped shell images from the stamp set directly onto the DSP using Flirty Flamingo, Sahara Sand, and So Saffron inks. The stamped DSP was adhered to a Flirty Flamingo mat. The piece was mounted on a Sahara Sand card base. This is a quick and easy card that shows off the realistic stamped images and lets the DSP do all the work for a sand-like background.

The card below uses the stamp set, the dies, the embossing folder, and two patterns of the DSP. For the background I used a piece of DSP (Seaside Spray and white) that mimics waves along the shore and another piece of DSP that mimics the sand along the shore (Gray Granite). For the focal image I used a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock with the large die and ran it through my  Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. Next I stamped the detail on the shells. The stamps are photopolymer, so very easy to line up on the die cut image. You can also use the Stamparatus to perfectly stamp the images onto the die cut. I stamped the shells with Flirty Flamingo, Sahara Sand, So Saffron, and Calypso Coral ink. I colored the seaweed with the Soft Seafoam Stampin’ Blends (combo). Next, I placed the entire die cut in the Seashells 3-D Embossing Folder. The die cut fits perfectly in the embossing folder! It makes embossing the die cut super easy! I used my paper snips to cut the shells and seaweed from the larger die cut, and put the card together.

This is my favorite card. I used the Pearlescent Speciality Paper for the focal image, and it is gorgeous! It is also very easy to work with. When I stamped on it I did give the inks a couple extra seconds to dry. The first thing I did was die cut the image, then I stamped the detail on the shells, and finally I colored the seaweed with the Soft Seafoam Stampin’ Blends.  The card base is Whisper White, but I added a bit of color to it by using Pool Party ink and the new blending brushes also offered in the new mini catalog. The greeting is cut out with the Double Oval Punch - another item offered on the new catalog.

BLENDING BRUSHES

DOUBLE OVAL PUNCH

The STAMPIN’ UP! JANUARY - JUNE 2021 MINI CATALOG sales period begins tomorrow (5 January 2021). If you do not have a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator, and would like a copy of the catalog you can request one by emailing me at greatinkspirations@gmail.com. In the subject line type - catalog. In the body of the email include your name and mailing address.

Tomorrow (5 January 2021) SALE-A-BRATION (SAB) begins. This promotion runs through 28 February 2021. For every $50 or $100 of Stampin’ Up! products purchased (excluding shipping and tax) you can select a free price point item(s) from the SALE-A-BRATION BROCHURE.

I think you will be amazed at the variety of stamp sets and other products in the new mini catalog. There is truly something for everyone! The SAB choices are just as amazing as the products in the mini catalog. I truly believe we are going to experience a terrific card making year. Any of the products in the mini catalog and in the SAB brochure will certainly get your stamping year off and running!

That is it for today. Until next time...

Stamp Happy!

Kim

greatinkspirations.stampinup.net

greatinkspirations@gmail.com

All stamps and stamped images ©️1990-2021 Stampin’ Up!®️