I finally gave in… and decided to try out gel press. So I made a video of me creating gel press backgrounds.
Lately I have been seeing so many other card makers using this jelly feeling block to create some really interesting backgrounds with so much colour and texture. So I made an Amazon purchase and quickly had a gel press in hand.
Watch as I use a bunch of Distress Oxide inks, some card stock and a gel press to create a whole bunch of different coloured card panels.
The links I included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission, but there is no additional charge to you!
I recently watched a video from Mindy Eggan where she took a stencil, dry embossed it on card stock then added some colour to really make it wow. I was inspired to make my own version of Mindy’s card with this Simon Says Stamp floral trio stencil. You can watch Mindy’s video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krw6QGVAFyc
It’s difficult to photograph the texture that the embossing gives, but it’s such a nice soft touch to a card. I feel like it really intensifies the colour because there is that extra bit of height to the flowers. While I had the stencil still in place I covered it with my favourite shimmer spray to give the card the most amount of sparkle.
The links I included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission, but there is no additional charge to you!
I felt like doing some colouring of a floral image. I was reviewing my Instagram feed when I was deciding on what to create, and realized I had not made anything floral in quite sometime. With Valentine’s Day and the holiday season in the rear view mirror, it was nice to not have a specific season or holiday to make a card for. Instead, I was able to create something on my own terms.
I pulled out a retired stamp set from The Stamp Market and used my ZIG clean colour real brush markers, which have been a staple in my craft room for a number of years. I like them because they’re easy to lay down colour and they are super vibrant. I am not an expert so I simply choose a colour (or two) that I love, pop down some pigment and use a water brush to spread the colour around.
Have a look at this card being made:
Supplies
The Stamp Market – Friendly Bunch Stamp Set (retired)
The links I included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission, but there is no additional charge to you!
In my last blog post and YouTube video I played with some alcohol ink products from Ranger and made a bunch of bright and colourful backgrounds – perfect for a Valentine’s Day card. Today, on Valentine’s Day, watch me take one of those backgrounds and turn it into a sparkly Happy Valentine’s Day card.
The card came together relatively fast once the alcohol ink background was fully dry.
Want to see the alcohol ink backgrounds being made? Click here:
The links I included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission, but there is no additional charge to you!
Alcohol ink backgrounds are just plain fun! Alcohol inks can be somewhat unpredictable, but fun nonetheless!
I pulled out every single Valentine’s alcohol ink colour I had in my stash and set out to make a bunch of backgrounds. I love how the ink reacts with the Yupo paper, and the effects you get when you add in more colour and more of the alcohol ink blending solution. It is mesmerizing to watch as the ink moves around and blends with the other colours.
Click to watch me make a bunch of backgrounds. And stay tuned for Part 2 where I take one of the backgrounds and make my final Valentine’s Day card for my 2021 Valentine’s Day series.
The links I included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission, but there is no additional charge to you!
When I first got into card making a lot of the folks I was watching on YouTube or following on Instagram had these fancy alcohol markers to colour their stamped images. There are a lot of brands out there, some more expensive than others, and me, needing to have all the things, I purchased a fews to try out – one of the popular (very expensive) name brands and another brand from a local art supply store. Unfortunately I didn’t purchase enough colours to allow for clean blends.
One of the great advantages of alcohol markers, the more you layer and overlap colours, you can get gorgeous shading and very vibrant gradients of colour. The paper I was using also didn’t help me out, I was finding the juicy inks would bleed out over the lines I had stamped and I did not like that look, felt messy to me. So I gave up!
Fast forward to recently, I started to notice other brands of markers show up in my YouTube feed. I felt inspired to try out alcohol markers again, but this time leaned to a more affordable full set, that gave me a full spectrum of colours to work with.
I decided to give the 72 piece Bianyo Alcohol Dual Tip Marker Pens a try. These pens have a chisel tip on one end and a beautiful brush tip on the other end. I really love the full array of colours that this set comes with and it includes a colourless blender – which helps you get smooth blends and can act as an eraser if you make a small mistake.
Check out my video where I give show off the markers and take them for a spin. Disclaimer: I am not a pro with these markers, I’ll need a lot more practice, but I’m having fun!
My Final Review
These markers are a great value. They’re an affordable price and offer a wide spectrum of colours including warm and cool greys and a colourless blender (which some sets require you to purchase this separately). When I used a high quality card stock I got fantastic results. The paper does get very saturated and will bleed through to the backside, something to keep in mind, depending on your project. I did not experience any of the bleeding beyond the stamped lines that I had in the past. I love that the markers come in a carry case, makes for very easy storage, and its portable so I can have my markers with me at all times.
The dual tips seem very durable, you can use varying pressure when using them and they responded well for me. The chisel tip is great for large coverage areas and you can even use the tip for some finer details. The brush tip feels luxurious and made me feel like I was a real artist. The pens themselves are easy to hold and felt comfortable in my hands. The way the barrel is shaped means they do not roll around on your work surface, which is a plus.
All in all I had a great experience with trying out these markers, and I actually look forward to colouring images. I would 100% recommend these markers for anyone who wants to get into some higher end colouring.
The links I included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission, but there is no additional charge to you!
A friend reached out looking for a card to give to a friend to celebrate a new home, a big life purchase. Fortunately, I had just received the Poppy Stamps Winter House Pop Up Easel Card die set from Simon Says Stamp. (You can read about the haul here). I purchased this set while watching a Jennifer McGuire video, and this set has been a hot item to get! Sold out almost all of the time (currently sold out at the time of writing this post). So I feel pretty lucky I was able to score this set!
Watch how the house comes together die-cut piece by die-cut piece! I didn’t use the dies to create the pop up function this time, but will definitely try out that piece on another card. There’s a lot to cut and assemble, but it was worth it in the end. I love how this set will allow for constant customization based on the house of the recipient.
The links I included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission, but there is no additional charge to you!
Thank you for being my friend!! And thanks for reading my blog.
I made a similar card to this one and posted it to Instagram and I had a lot of people asking how I made the colourful floral falling background, so I decided to make another version using a slightly different colour scheme and a completely different sentiment. I am in love with these stencils from Pink Fresh Studios. They make creating colourful backgrounds easy peasy. I can’t wait to make a ton more…as they are easily mass produceable as well. Pink Fresh Studios FOR THE WIN!
The links I included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission, but there is no additional charge to you!
I took advantage of a Boxing Day Sale over at Simon Says Stamp and purchased some fun new supplies to add to my stash. Thanks to cross border shipping and terribly slow Canada Post deliveries, my order finally arrived this week. Presenting my card making supply haul, the first (of many, I’m sure) of 2021!
Honey Bee Stamps
I LOVE the Honey Bee Stamps buzz word stamp and die sets. They are more often then not my go-to for sentiments. Here’s what I added to my stash on this order.
Pink Fresh Studios has been coming out with some pretty amazing and inventive layering stencil sets. Here are the three I was able to order before they sold out. I cannot wait to start using these!
Poppy Stamps is a new brand to me. I watched a YouTube video of Jennifer McGuire’s who made some adorable cards with these Poppy Stamps dies. I love all of the customization of houses you can do with this clever set. Can’t wait to try out the interactive feature as well.
The links I included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission, but there is no additional charge to you!
I was feeling inspired by Pantone’s 2021 Colour of the Year: Ultimate Gray and Illuminating and I’m always in an Altenew state of mind. I really like the juxtaposition of the pretty cartoon floral against the grittier background. The label sentiments also add to the grungy look feel.
Affiliate Disclosure: The links I included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission, but there is no additional charge to you!
