Hi friends! I was brainstorming some idea with REbecca over at Rubber Stamp Tapestry the other day and she suggested trying a project with the color of the year and I thought that was a great idea as purple is a color I don’t use very often.
Since it is not one of my go to colors I didn’t have any cardstock, pattern paper or ribbon that was that particular shade of blue-violet so I grabbed my media and got to work!
I am a bit embarrassed to admit that it took the course of 2 days to make the backgrounds, create the cards and clean up after myself (which, truth be told happened several days after the mass creation!) In fact I walked down to my studio yesterday forgetting the state I left it in and just about had a heart attack thinking someone came in and ransacked the place LOL! I didn’t use all of the supplies I grabbed but it did get me looking at and using stuff I had forgotten about. I am going to show you the process of making the backgrounds I used in these cards and I urge you to try something similar with the media you have on hand. Don’t feel like you must have the exact stuff I used, feel free to substitute, we are not making a souffle, substitutions will be just fine:) And, hey, if you mess up, keep adding more layers til you like it!
Video!
This video is sponsored by Rubber Stamp Tapestry! Use coupon code FRUGALJANUARY18 on all stamp orders over $10, expires 1/31/18
Supplies for Rubber Stamp Tapestry!
- Petit Poppies Peg Stamp Set
- Watercolor Garden Peg Stamp Set
- Dye ink in shades of Purple
- Clear embossing ink
- Silver embossing powder
- Embossing folder
- Blending brushes
Other Supplies
- 9″x12″ Bristol Board
or Thick white cardstock
- Gel Press printing plate
: You can use any size for this but I love how the 12″x14″ size keeps my space neater (and I need all the help I can get!) It is pricy tho so if you are not sure you want to invest you can always brayer your paint on a craft mat for a similar effect or make a gelatin plate with unflavored gelatin
.
- Acrylic paint
- Gelatos
, Gel Sticks
or water soluble oil pastels
- Seam binding
*Buy in white or natural and dye to match ANY project with spray inks, reinkers, watercolor or thinned acrylic
- Pigment powders like Colorburst
- Metallic acrylic paint
and or Precious Alloys
- Square dies
or you can use a punch or craft knife to make the windows
- Spray ink
or make your own with liquid watercolor
and water in a spray bottle
- Soft rubber brayer
*I like the tan soft rubber Speedball brayer better than the red Gelli Arts one I used in today’s video as I get marks from the edge of that brayer.
- Manual die cutting machine:I recommend the Big Shot
because I’ve been using the same one daily for 10+ years and it has never failed me!
- Stencils
The only rule here is to have fun! Don’t worry if your paper warps as you work because using it later in the die cutter will flatten it right out. Also make sure you cut your window before you emboss it so you don’t squash out the texture. You really can’t go wrong, just keep going until you like how it looks!
Exciting Announcement!!!!
I have a new line of stamps coming out with Rubber Stamp Tapestry! If you want to get your hands on them make sure you sign up for their VIP newsletter so you will be the first to know when they are available! My samples just came in the mail today and I can’t wait to play with them! I hope you like them:)
I hope this post inspired you to dig out that messy media and play! I have a couple of tutorials if you want to make your own gelatin printing plate. I have a traditional plate and a permanent plate. Make sure you refer to the recipes in the video descriptions of the videos for the most tried and true recipe. Either of the homemade plates can be remelted if you want a different size or if it gets scratched. Due to the expense of the glycerin needed for the permanent recipe I am not sure if you save much in making one over buying a gel plate so I’d probably recommend making a traditional plate and freezing it between uses so it doesn’t get moldy. Wow, that’s a lot of info! Don’t get overwhelmed, just grab supplies and play…yeah, I could have just said that from the start huh? Til next time happy crafting!