Make it Monday #264 - Die Cut Stencil Shapes

This week on Papertrey Ink's Make it Monday, Melissa Phillips showed us how to use die cuts as stencils.  I've done this on occasion previously but a reminder of techniques can always be a good thing.  We have so many little tips and tricks in our arsenals that we sometimes forget some of the classics.

For my card, I die cut a snowflake and used that as my stencil.  Melissa showed how she uses a paper towel to gently sponge on color.  I used a stencil brush with Lavender Moon Ink, moving the stencil around until I had the background pretty full, but still soft.  Lavender Moon Ink and Cardstock, despite the name, is more of a mauve than a lavender.  I hadn't actually realized that until I ordered the card stock for the first time. The stencil brushes give a softness that I don't think could possibly be achieved with a mini ink blending tool.  Melissa is an expert at delicate, vintage and shabby chic projects.  She often incorporates all three of those things into one project. You can find her beautiful projects on her blog here or regularly at the Papertrey Ink Blog.  

Once my stenciling was complete, I set out to create my card.  I wanted to use lavender/pinks and even the softer greens to make this card for a girlfriend. It's just ultra feminine which describes my friend to a "T".  The What The Doodle: Ornament was stamped in Versamark and heat embossed using Simon Says Stamp Antique Gold Embossing Powder .  I cut it out with the coordinating dies then colored it with Hibiscus Burst Reinker.  I went over the top of the color using a water brush with Interference Red Perfect Pearls which gives it a somewhat deeper color and, depending on the light, a bit of a Sugarplum color. While the ornament finished drying, I stamped the rest of my card front using Holiday Greens Borders which is one of my current favorites.  I love that the border is the entire width of a card so I am not having to stamp a single branch over and over. I do stamp multiple times to get the fullness of an actual Christmas Tree but it is super easy - about three rounds makes it as full as you'd like.  For this card, I inked up the stamp in Versamark first and then also inked it up with Ocean Tides which is a soft green, and then stamped. While the inks were still wet, I sprinkled WOW! Neutral Ultra Shimmer Embossing Powder on the branches and heat set them.  This is what gives the branches their iridescent look.

For the greeting, I used Fancy Pants: Holiday Sentiments with WOW! Metallic Gold Sparkle Embossing Powder.  There are coordinating dies for these stamps, but I did not purchase them. Except for the ones I put on a banner, I mostly do sentiments directly to the card front like I did here.  Everything is attached to a top folding card base that I made with Lavender Moon Cardstock.

Since there's a video tutorial over at the Papertrey Ink Blog, I'm going to spare you all the details. If you have a question, be sure to send a contact me form and I will get back to you right away! Thanks so much for popping in today.