ThePowerOfACard

Tuesday, October 27, 2026

Welcome to Paper Piecing!

Paper piecing is a fun technique where you stamp an image on patterned paper, then cut out part of the image and adhere it to the unadorned stamped image that you stamped for your card. Think of it like playing with paper dolls where you can add different parts of an outfit to mix and match. You do need stamps with line art, not solid images. When you trim the design, you will want to cut right on the line so it fits perfectly within your other stamped image. While it seems a little fussy, the result is really worth it!

You can also do a variation where you use die cuts and then combine different colors or patterns of the same die together to yield a very fun and colorful shape. For both of the variations, you will need detail scissors and adhesive. I like to use my fine tip glue bottle to get precision placement of my adhesive. Let's dive into the first method where we stamp on paper.

I am using the Pretty Poinsettia Bundle for this one. First, I cut a label using the Nested Essentials Dies from Basic White. Then I stamped the Christmas Joy sentiment onto a scrap of paper from the Timeless Christmas DSP, as well as on the label, in Memento Black ink. I really liked the scale of the red paper with white dots - it works quite will with the small space needed to fill the JOY letters. Trim the inside of the letters from the DSP, then glue what you've cut out to the label. I find it helps to use my Take Your Pick tool to assist in placing the paper. Then because you're using glue, slide the pieces into exact place.

To finish out my card, I started with a Crumb Cake base and added a layer of the gorgeous Shimmering Stripes Specialty DSP. I cut out three sets of petals from Poppy Parade and leaves from Garden Green (and used the Impressions plate for great detail). The flower centers are cut from Daffodil Delight. After popping up the label, I popped up the assembled poinsettia. Then I cut apart the leaf die cut and tucked the parts under the flower petals. While I wouldn't make all my Christmas cards this way, I will make some for the my family!

My second sample features the Cutest Crew where I stamped the three little birds on the Beautiful Ordinary Life DSP. I chose the paper that had colors all swirled and blended together, then selected which part of that would be used for each bird. I stamped the birds again on Basic White, then cut them out with the 2-1/4" circle punch. I used a blending brush to add Pool Party to the sky and Pretty Peacock to the grass. I colored the beaks in with a Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blend, then glued on my bodies cut from the paper. I also added some color to the grass with a Light Pretty Peacock Blend. Then I punched a 2-3/8" circle from Daffodil Delight and matted my birds. I used another piece of the paper, cut into a triangle and added that to my Crumb Cake base. My sentiment was stamped in Pretty Peacock and matted with the same. I really love the coloring of those adorable birds, don't you?

My last card features a retired stamp set I've used many times for this paper piecing technique. It's called Press On and the coffee cup is super easy to decorate the band with paper! I selected the Sunflower Fields pack of paper and two of the patterns to make my card. I matted my focal piece with Old Olive and added a splash of Cajun Craze behind the sentiment. On the inside, I added a pocket for a coffee gift card (so perfect for this card!) and stamped my sentiment with Cajun Craze. I adore this stamp set because it's just so easy to add the paper band and you can easily make it fit any occasion or season.

Switching gears to doing paper piecing with die cuts, I'm starting with the Poetic Petals Bundle. First, I taped two dies together (the square with the dotted edge and the single flower) so that I could cut them out to make a flower frame. I used paper from the Autumn Opulence pack for this (the small pattern tiny flowers on Cajun Craze worked perfectly). Then I cut out the flower and leaves again - this time from two different patterns of paper (the reverse side of my first paper from Autumn Opulence and Valley in Bloom for the leaves). When cutting these, make sure you leave a little extra room around the die because when we trim out the parts, we will cut out where they go over the frame. Trim the pieces to finish the points of the leaves and the petals. I also trimmed out a little from the frame where there is gap between the flower and the edge - we don't want to see the underlying paper of Cajun Craze! Adhere the leaves first, then the flower with glue.

To finish the card, I added dimensionals behind this pieced together flower frame and added it to a Very Vanilla square cut with the Tile Garden Dies. I selected Petal Pink as my card base, and added an embossed rectangle (using the about to be released folder called Timeless Herringbone) to the card front. I popped up my squares and stamped my sentiment in Cajun Craze ink. My final touch is from another product coming out in November called Pearl Adhesive-Backed Faceted Dots.

My last card is a lovely quilted Christmas stocking. I again used the Timeless Christmas pack of paper and cut the pieces from the Stitched Stocking Bundle. I started by cutting the stocking base in Basic White, then cut off the top square. The bottom part was decorated with squares, triangles and other shapes of dies. I adhered them over the top of the base stocking and when they were all in place, I trimmed the parts that extended beyond the edge of the stocking. The card front is covered in a panel embossed with the Softly Woven folder and the stocking was finished with a little piece of Peaceful Pine Bordered Ribbon and the Adhesive-Backed Christmas Buttons.

I love how adding little pieces of patterned paper to stamped images or dies can really elevate the look of your cards. It's a great way to use scraps and it adds a WOW factor. Give it a try in your craft room!

Karen

ThePowerOfACard@gmail.com

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Product List

Pretty Poinsettia Bundle (English)

[168147]

$50.25

Timeless Christmas 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[168537]

$13.00

Shimmering Stripes 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper

[168197]

$10.50

Nested Essentials Dies

[161597]

$34.00

Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[120953]

$14.00

Poppy Parade 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[119793]

$14.00

Garden Green 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[102584]

$14.00

Daffodil Delight 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[119683]

$14.00

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[166780]

$14.00

Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad

[147094]

$11.00

Poppy Parade Classic Stampin' Pad

[147050]

$9.00

Poetic Petals Bundle (English)

[168271]

$41.25

Autumn Opulence 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

[168336]

$17.00

Valley In Bloom 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[167935]

$13.00

Tile Garden Dies

[168573]

$37.00

Petal Pink 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[146985]

$14.00

Very Vanilla 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[166784]

$14.00

Cajun Craze Classic Stampin' Pad

[147085]

$9.00

Detail Scissors

[170902]

$10.00

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

[110755]

$6.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Paper Trimmer

[152392]

$28.00

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

[149653]

$140.00

Tuesday, October 13, 2026

White Ink Techniques

Using white ink, whether it's from an ink pad and refill, or from a gel pen, is a great way to add texture, interest, color and fun into your card making repertoire! I will demonstrate eight techniques in my video, and then show you the card I made using that technique. I will be using the Whisper White Ink pad (which comes un-inked but with a refill bottle) and a White Gel pen (comes two to the pack). I love the un-inked pad because you can fill it with any ink and my particular favorite is Memento Black ink. Along the way, I have plenty of tips to help you - everything from clean-up to drying time to pen usage tips. I really hope you try some of these techniques and have fun too!

1. Ink Pad Direct to Embossed Paper

For this technique, I embossed a piece of Pretty Peacock cardstock with the Fern & Flora embossing folder. I recommend using a larger piece than you need and then trim it to the exact size after adding the white ink. Turn the ink pad upside down and lightly swipe it over the raised parts of the embossed paper. Change your direction frequently and keep swiping until you get the coverage you want. The ink stays wet quite a while, so give it time to dry before trimming and remember to wipe any ink off your fingers or work surface before continuing.

I matted the trimmed square with white and then a Pretty Peacock square cut from the Tile Garden dies. I added this to a belly band. The gate fold card is decorated with the Whispering Woods DSP. I used a panel of Pool Party for the inside, decorated with a strip of DSP and an embossed sentiment from the Soiree Salutations stamp set.

2. Ink Pad and Blender Pen

A Blender Pen can be used with watercolor pencils, regular inks and with the white ink pad. It really looks great when you apply it to a darker colored cardstock. For my sample, I stamped the Sweet Foliage background stamp in Mossy Meadow ink on the same colored cardstock. Then, using the Blender Pen, pick up ink from the stamp pad and color the leaves. It is a simple way to brighten up the dark image and make the leaves pop.

In my card, I added the colored strip of leaves to a base of Crumb Cake and tied the Mossy Meadow/Vanilla Gingham ribbon around front of the card. The same stamp/ink was used on white, but stamped off to make the pattern lighter. After punching it out with the 2-3/8" Circle Punch and matting it with the Spotlight on Nature dies, I added the sentiment from Words & Wishes and some Natural Matte Dots.

3. Ink Refill and Water Painter

This is a fun technique with any color, but it can be a little messy and unpredictable! I suggest using a large piece of grid paper to cover your work area before spritzing. Take the white ink refill and place a small amount on a block. The ink is quite thick and may be difficult to squeeze out of the bottle. Next, squeeze a little water from the pen next to the ink. Start mixing with your brush tip until you get a loose mixture of white ink. Then tap the Water Painter against something hard (like a bone folder) to splatter paint across your cardstock. I suggest more splatter than you think at first because I find it dries a little lighter.

I used the framed Violets bundle for my sample. I spritzed the smaller oval cut from Highland Heather. The larger oval was also the same color, but I used a Blending Brush to add more Highland Heather ink to darken it slightly. I colored the violets (stamped in Basic Gray ink) with Blends (Highland Heather, Lemon Lolly and Granny Apple Green). The background panel of Lemon Lolly was embossed with the Rustic Check embossing folder (which looks way better than it looks in the catalog!).

4. Ink Pad and Sponge (or Dauber)

By using a sponge or dauber, you can add clouds or uneven texture to your paper. You can pick up ink directly from the ink pad, or do the same thing as we did with spritzing and pick it up from the block. Simply dab your sponge on the paper to get the desired effect. This would also be a fun way to add foam to waves.

My sample is CASEd from the catalog and modified slightly, and features the Welcome Noel bundle and Noel Tidings stamp sets. I used Pool Party and Garden Green Two Tone cardstock for the sky and trees. The houses were stamped in Secret Sea on Basic White and sentiments were stamped in Garden Green and Secret Sea. The Adhesive-Backed Snowflakes add a little touch of sparkle.

5. Gel Pen - Drawing Lines and Dots

Before starting to draw with the pen, start the flow of ink on a piece of scrap paper. Hold the pen more vertical than you might normally write and go slowly! You will definitely get better lines when you take your time. This ink also takes a little time to dry, so be mindful not to touch your lines and get unwanted smears. If you like to doodle, you are going to love using this pen! You can add lines of all sorts and patterns to just about anything. Think Zen Doodle - the possibilities are endless.

6. Ink Pad to Paper Edges

This is probably the simplest technique to use. Once you have your layer ready, just rub the sides over the ink pad to get a soft white edging. Not only does this add some color (almost like a mat without the addition of more paper), but it also adds dimension. I like to do this to my sentiments, but it could be used for any layer on your card.

My sample for the previous two techniques uses the Simply Leaves bundle. I started out by adding splotches of color (Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green, Real Red and Pumpkin Pie) to a piece of white cardstock. Then I punched out the leaves and drew patterns with the Gel Pen. I added some lines around the edge of my Crumb Cake card base and popped up the leaves. My sentiment was stamped in black and edged in white.

7. Gel Pen and Swiss Dots

This is really a subset of number 5, but I gave it it's own technique number because making Swill Dots is just so much fun! I particularly love adding them to small shapes or letters. Draw little circles in a fairly regular pattern, being careful not to smear when you are getting close to being done and have little space to hold your piece.

I cut out the letters using the Party Alphabet dies in Old Olive and Cajun Craze. After adding my dots to the Old Olive letters, I popped them up using the Cajun Craze ones as a shadow. I added them to a white panel embossed with the Softly Woven folder (such a simple texture that's not too busy adds so much texture), along with strips of the Sunflower Fields DSP, then added it all to a card base of Golden Glow. The sentiment is from Poetic Petals and stamped in Early Espresso (fussy cut to only have the word incredible). This would be a fantastic way to add titles to your memory keeping pages!

8. Ink Pad and Embossing Powder

Most of the time, I use Versamark ink when heat embossing. But you can use the white ink pad to do it too! Simply stamp with white and apply your powder - it sticks the same way. What's nice about doing this is that you have a layer of white even before you add your powder and this may often yield a more solid white sentiment than if you had used Versamark. I recommend using an old toothbrush or a Stampin' Scrub to clean your stamp because the white ink really gets into the crevices.

My last sample is a fun fold I learned from Demonstrator Wendy Lee. I used a Garden Green Base and the Swirls of Magic embossing folder for the card base. The inside panel of DSP is from the Timeless Christmas pack. While I glued two pieces of paper together because I wanted the same design on both sides, you don't have to do that. My sentiment and tree is from the Holly Jolly Branches Bundle (Garden Green tree on white and white embossing on Poppy Parade) and the label is from the Scalloped Blooms dies.

There are so many fun and easy ways to add white ink into your craft room! Which one will you try first? Do you have a favorite, or one that is new to you? I'd love to hear what you think of this video - please leave me a comment!

Karen

ThePowerOfACard@gmail.com

Shop my Store! (or use the QR code below)