Clean & Simple Cards Using Magicals & Versamark

Hi - just dropping by to share 3 super clean and simple cards, all based on the one layout and all using the same products - though in different colours and with slightly different techniques.  Now I'm warning you all these are way more simple than my usual stuff and once you get started making these it's difficult to stop since they are so much darn fun!  All 3 cards use Versamark Watermark ink and Lindy's Stamp Gang products - Magicals and Starbursts to be exact.  I'm starting with the easiest of the 3 cards....  

Card 1 - Blue Flower

Lindy's Stamp Gang Products

• Starbursts: Tibetan Poppy Teal, Tiffany Lou Blue

 Other Products:

• Prima Flower:  Regency - White II
• White Velvet Ribbon
• Heidi Grace Epoxy Words: So Sweet
• Spellbinders Corner Die: Fantastic Flourish Two
• Kraft card stock
• Black Eclipse 100 Cardstock 
• Versamark Watermark Stamp Pad

This cards' background was created by inking a text stamp with the Versamark ink and stamping directly onto 1/2 the background.  I sprayed the flower with 2 colours of Starburst Spray and left it to dry overnight and I used the same colours of spray to colour the velvet ribbon - though a little trick, if you want to add the colour but no sparkle, flip the ribbon over and spray the back.  This works particularly well with thicker ribbon like velvet, then when dry flip it back over and you have colour but no shimmer.

The colours on the flower seem to glow!

I think the black really makes the colours pop.

Card 2 - Purple Flower

Lindy's Stamp Gang Products

• Magicals: French Lilac
• Starbursts: Winter Jasmine Gold, Wisteria Purple Blue, Mountain Lavender Gold

Other Products:

• Prima Flowers - Recency White I and Candy Gems (Melon)
• Stamp: Hero Arts - Antique Background
• Distress Stickles - Crushed Olive
• Kraft card stock
• Versamark Watermark Stamp Pad

This cards' background was created by inking a background stamp with the Versamark ink and stamping directly onto 1/2 the background, then while ink is still damp brush Magicals powder over the top, gently tap off any excess powder.  Spray flower with multiple colours of Starburst Spray and leave to dry. Ribbon then coloured with Magicals and Magicals added to flower in certain sections, in differing strengths to create multi-tonal effect.

Adding Magicals to the flower really made it special.

The Magicals are so crisp over the Versamark.

Card 3 - Red flower

Lindy's Stamp Gang Products

• Magicals: Tiger Lily Orange, Autumn Maple Crimson 
• Starbursts:  Autumn Maple Crimson, Red Hot Poker Orange

Other Products:

• Prima Flower:  Regency - White II
• Stamp: Hero Arts - Classic Fabric Design
• White Ribbon
• White Lace
• Gala Glitz: Gold
• Kraft card stock
• Versamark Watermark Stamp Pad

This cards' background was created by inking a background stamp with the Versamark ink and stamping directly onto 1/2 the background.  Then while ink is still damp brush Magicals powder over the top, gently tap off any excess powder and spritz lightly with water to create a slightly shabby aged appearance.  You will notice that the water activates the dye in the Magicals and this then bleeds onto the surrounding card - a little water = a little colour bleeding, a lot of water = a lot of colour bleeding.  Spray flower with multiple colours of Starburst Spray and leave to dry. Ribbon and lace coloured with same Starburst Sprays as flower, but due to the higher polyester content in the ribbon and lace, the colours are much more muted. 

Didn't these 2 colours go well together!

You can see the soft edges on the spritzed Magical pattern.

 Basically the formula is as follows:

1. Stamp with Versamark = subtle
2. The next step-up is to brush over Magicals = bling
3. Then the next step-up is to spritz with water = shabby or vintage

So simple - but with just these small changes you will be able to get 3 very different effects.  I hope that you may have learned a new technique here today and don't forget you can use this idea for cards, pages or layouts - the only limit is your imagination!  And don't forget to check out the LSG YouTube channel tomorrow as I'll be posting a video clip showing you how I made these backgrounds.

May your day sparkle,

Kate

Create your own photo props with Jessica Griffin

One of my favorite hobbies is photography. I've recently started photographing newborns but found it's a very expensive hobby to keep up with, much like paper crafting! I really like incorporating a solid color into each photo, having Lindy's Stamp Gang sprays really helps me add variety to my bucket of props, with out costing me a fortune. 

I started thinking about the several ways I can use my LSG products and remembered I have a bunch of Dritz Cheesecloth! I started by putting the Cheesecloth in a bowl of cold water, just to rinse it out, wash it off. Really, just to saturate it before adding the color. Once the cheesecloth is saturated, I added my choice of color to the bowl of cold water. Usually I determine the color I'm going to use, by matching it to the props I'll be using. 

If I'm using a blanket, I'll put the colors on the blanket to see what matches best.  

The green I choose matched the ornaments perfectly! I had originally picked the green based on the blanket, but, it looked so great with the ornaments, I couldn't pass the opportunity for a Christmas shot. Especially since this little guy IS a Christmas baby! 

How do you use your Lindy's Stamp Gang products?

Thanks for stopping by! 

Jessica Griffin
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Art to the Eggstreme with Jessica Griffin

Remember last month when I did the video tutorial on how to make your own Washi Tape? Well, I couldn't resist using the same technique to create my eggs for the Art to the Eggstreme contest. 

I used the same techniques featured in the video, I just wrapped the tape around a papier-mâché egg. 

I used a variety of Embossing Powders, Starbursts, and Flat Fabios. 

I look forward to seeing all the entries into the Art to the Eggstreme contest! And if you give the Washi Tape tutorial a try, I'd love to see what you create! 

Jessica

Multi-colored Flower

Happy Sunday! This is Jo and I'm going to show you step by step how to create this multi-colored flower. The photo above was taken in natural light and the shimmer just pops.

The three colors that I used are:

Starburst - Fuzzy Navel Peach

Flat Fabio - Plumeria Pink

Starburst - Ramblin' Rose Pink

I start off with this white paper flower and had separated the leaves that came with it.

I took my first color, Ramblin' Rose Pink, and sprayed it in the center of the flower. It's okay if it gets on other parts of the petals.

My second color is the Fuzzy Navel Peach. This was sprayed around the center, trying to avoid the first color sprayed.

The last color, Plumeria Pink, I sprayed on the outer edges of the flower. This particular spray is a Flat Fabio, which contains no shimmer. The previous sprays are Starbursts and they are full of shimmer and I didn't want to add too much. GASP!! Did I just say that? LOL

I just repeated all three colors again to saturate the flower. I love how these sprays blend so well together when they overlap each other. You can see that the shimmer from the Starburst sprays settled in the grooves on the petals. 

I took my heat gun and dried the flower. I also wanted to spray the leaves that I initially separated from the flower. They were already a green color but I wanted the color to be intense and have shimmer. The color I used was Starburst - Ponderosa Pines Olive.

I glued the leaves back underneath the flower and I'm done. I just love how each color adds dimension to the flower. I hope you liked my little tutorial for you guys.

Thanks for stopping by and if you haven't tried this yet, you should. The color combos are endless. It was really fun and the flower came out beautiful. All Lindy's Stamp Gang products/links are listed below. Have a great day!

~Jo

Lindy's Stamp Gang Products (links provided):
Flat Fabio Plumeria Pink
Starburst Fuzzy Navel Peach
Starburst Ramblin' Rose Pink
Starburst Ponderosa Pines Olive
Other Supplies:
I Am Roses Flower (R50)

Make your own washi tape with Jessica Griffin

I'm so excited to share some washi tape I've made using my Lindy's Stamp Gang products! 

Here's what you'll need...

Scotch Masking Tape, Gesso and a paintbrush

Versa Mark and Staz-On

Stencils (I've used The Crafter's Workshop)

heat gun, stamps

Magicals, Sprays, and Embossing Powder.

After working with the tape so much, it lost it's stick, so I used a Glue Dots Dispenser to adhere the tape to the paper and it worked great! Once the tape was down, I die cut the front of the card, using a star die. Then, using Staz-On, I stamped a star onto a clear piece of plastic. I adhered that to the inside of the card using my Glue Dots Dispenser, stamped a sentiment inside and it's done!