Monday, March 23, 2026

FRIENDLY FOLIAGE & MASKING TAPE

Rather than featuring a specific product, this week I am going to have some fun playing with techniques.

I love learning and experimenting with techniques.  So, today I decided to use the Masking Tape Technique but thought I would add a twist by spritzing it with water and see what happened.  It was a happy discovery!


I was in the mood for something bright & colorful. So I laid down 3 strips of cheery ink colors (Calypso Coral, Bermuda Bay & Daffodil Delight) with Masking Tape on watercolor paper and then spritzed them lightly with water to see what would happen.  It took some experimenting to figure out how much water to spritz.  I wanted to keep the "texture" that is created with the Masking Tape Technique, but I wanted the edges of the color to run just a bit--but not so much that they ran into each other.

It was kind of like the story of the 3 bears:  too much water, too little water, and finally it was "just right".

One hint:  Keep some clean paper towels handy.  When you add too much water, and it starts to run all over trying to make an inky mess, just absorb some of the excess with a paper towel!

Once I was happy with the background, I adhered the die cut image from Friendly Foliage.  The foliage was stamped with Garden Green ink.

I added several layers of Basic White cardstock to provide dimension and texture while keeping the focus on my pretty background and image.  Texture was provided by embossing the first Basic White layer with the Beautiful Pattern embossing folder.  This embossing folder has a simple all-over pattern but provides a nice amount of texture without becoming its own focal point.

A simple sentiment and 3 Calypso Coral Pearls complete the card front.

The inside of the card was kept clean and simple.  There are two layers of Basic White cardstock.  The left edge of the top message layer is embossed with the same Beautiful Pattern embossing folder.  I then used the score blade on my trimmer to add a couple of score lines next to the embossing to create a finished look.

The list of required supplies is untypically short (for me).  All sentiments are from the Friendly Foliage Stamp Set.  All you really need is some white cardstock, ink, a stamp set and some masking tape to create your own version of this card.  I do recommend using watercolor paper for the technique background, but you could also try using white cardstock -- just be careful not to get it too wet.

You can download the tutorial with all the details at this link.

The list of products I used is shown below, but remember, this card is easily duplicatable using whatever supplies you have.

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Location: Commerce Township, MI, USA

Thursday, March 19, 2026

GEAR & TEXTURES BANNER SHAPED CARD

I've mentioned previously that I belong to a "Coffee Club" where each month we have a card challenge.

This month our challenge was to make a shaped card.  This was not the card I made for our club challenge, but I decided to use the "shaped-card" idea for today's card.


I used the Banner Dies to create my shape.  You can use any large die you may have to create your own shape.  

If you want to make a SHAPED CARD watch this week's video to see how I did it.  I'll also show you how I created a few of the Gears & Texture elements using various techniques.


This card uses several different techniques like water coloring, dry & heat embossing, ink blending and more.  As a result it definitely is not a card to make when you are in a hurry.  Make it when you have time to enjoy just playing with ink and paper.   Personally, I think it is worth the time as I really like the end result.  


The Banner card base is made using one of my favorite "neutral" colors, Blackberry Bliss.  It seems work with almost any other color!  In addition to Blackberry Bliss, colors used in the collage are Basic Beige, Pool Party, Smokey Slate and white (embossing powder), and various colors or "silver" foil.  It's also a great way to use those tiny foil scraps we paper crafters tend to hoard!


This Gears & Textures Bundle is perfect for making masculine cards.  Since the stamp set does not include sentiments, I used this great greeting from Natures Symphony.  


For the inside of the card I created a small collage in the lower left corner of the flag and used several of the same stamps that were used for the background on the card front.

Since the greeting "to a great guy" could easily be used for many different occasions, I purposely left the inside sentiment free.  I'll add one when I determine what it will be used for.  

Be sure to watch the video if you decide to make a shaped card and to learn more about which techniques I used for the elements.

For all the dimensions and detailed step-by-step directions use this link to download a PDF Tutorial that you can "save for later".  It also includes the link to the video.

Don't let the long list of supplies scare you off from trying a Shaped Card.  Obviously my card does use a variety of tools and supplies, but remember, substitute what you have to create your own version.  A list of the products I used is shown below.


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Monday, March 16, 2026

LIGHT UP GEARS & TEXTURES

I have totally "switched gears" this week as I move from last week's Easter Baskets to Gears & Textures.  This fun bundle makes this engineer's heart go pitter-patter!

Today's card is made with Cloud Cover (a color I haven't used much) and Secret Sea (a color that I seem to use on every card lately).

There are so may fun elements in this bundle that it was difficult to choose which ones to use.  So I used a LOT of them.

Creating collages is something that I definitely need some practice doing.  Often collages tend to be associated with "grungy" or "distressed" cards which are not my forte, but I'm going to keep trying.

However, today's card has a crisper and cleaner look.  The Secret Sea frame was made with the Boho Vibes Designer Series Paper (DSP).  I used a Textured Notes Die (which is on the Last Chance List at a nice discount) to cut the center of the frame.

The framed collage was stamped with stamped-off Cloud Cover ink which keeps it very subtle.  If you want a more distinct collage, don't stamp-off.

The large gear was made with 3 different dies from the bundle and 4 die cuts.

But I think my favorite part of this card are the two hanging lights.  When I first looked at the stamp and the two dies that are used to make these, frankly, I was a little confused about how they were supposed to work.  But I love them, and they were so easy to make!

For all the details to make today's card use this link to download a PDF TUTORIAL.


For the inside of the card, I created a version of the collage that is very similar to the design framed on the card front.

Since the Gears & Textures Bundle does not include any greetings, I used sentiments from the Banner Sayings Stamp Set which has recently been a go-to stamp set.

A list of the products used is shown below.

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