Hi there, I hope you’re having a great day!
It’s hard to believe that after such a stamp-packed STAMPtember, the Simon Says Stamp October release is already here!
Today I’ve got a pair of cards using the new Outline Christmas Bulbs Background Cling stamp which I paired with some Distress Ink-blended and Perfect Pearl-ized backgrounds.
I started by using Post-It Tape to mask off the borders of two A2-sized pieces of Neenah Solar White 80# Classic Crest cardstock. Then I used foam blending tools to ink blend Picked Raspberry, Abandoned Coral, and Candied Apple Distress Inks onto one panel. On the other panel, I took Cracked Pistachio, Peacock Features, and Mermaid Lagoon Distress Ink cubes directly to paper for a slightly rougher blend. I did find that I had to use foam blending tools to tamp color close to the mask since the direct-to-paper technique didn’t give the crisp edge I was looking for.
Then, while the panels were still a little bit damp with ink, I sprinkled a little bit of Ranger Perfect Pearls (in the original Perfect Pearl color) over the ink blends. I spread them around a bit with a brush and then used a clean paper towel to gently spread and buff the powder over the panel. This technique, which I learned from an older video by Jennifer McGuire, gives a beautiful and subtle shimmer.
I let the panels dry overnight before attempting to heat emboss over them. To heat emboss, I placed the panel into a Misti and then stamped the background stamp onto them (having inked the stamp up with Wow! Embossing Pad). Usually when I use large background stamps I simply leave the stamp, impression side up, on my desk, ink it up, and then take my paper to it. But, I found that the Perfect Pearls made my backgrounds a little slick and, as careful as I was not to shift my paper, it shifted anyway. The Misti really came to the rescue!
I sprinkled white Hero Arts embossing powder over the backgrounds and then hit them with a heat gun. I did find that letting the panels dry overnight led to less stray embossing powder, even though I’d used an anti-static powder tool (sparingly though, to preserve the Perfect Pearls).
For the sentiment, I stamped “Merry” (from the Tiny Words Christmas set) and “Christmas” (from the Stained Glass Greetings set) onto scrap Neenah Solar White and then trimmed them down, backed them with foam tape, and adhered them to the backgrounds.
To finish, I adhered the card fronts to A2-sized card bases.
Thank you very much for visiting!
SkyPaperScissors 