Sometimes it amazes me how everyday items can be used when you make cards. In this video, I show how you use rubber bands and a block to make a unique and graphic background design. It has been a while since I've made cards with this technique, so I had lots of fun revisiting it. I hope you learn something new and stretch your stamping skills just a bit!
Gather your supplies:- Cardstock: Daffodil Delight 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" plus a scrap; Basic White 3-3/4" x 5", 3-1/2" x 4-3/4", 3/4" x 2", 3" x 5" (petals and leaves); Fresh Freesia 3-5/8" x 4-7/8"; Polished Pink 3-3/4" x 5"
- Stamp set: Pansy Patch (bundle)
- Ink: Polished Pink, Fresh Freesia, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green
- Block D (but you could use other sizes
- Rubber Bands, preferably in a variety of widths
- Blending Brushes
- Adhesive and Tools
The first thing you'll need to do is wrap your rubber bands around your block. Try to position your rubber bands so that they cross all over the block, criss crossing them so that you don't have any large open areas on the block that might pick up ink when you stamp on the ink pad.
Stamp with the banded block onto the smaller white rectangle (the larger piece is for the inside of the card) in Fresh Freesia. It's up to you how much coverage you desire, but I chose to keep this one fairly sparse. Adhere the two layering pieces (Fresh Freesia and Polished Pink) and set this aside.
Using the Stampin' Cut and Emboss machine and the dies from the Pansy Patch bundle, cut out several leaves (I used two large and one small) and the flower petals from the 3" x 5" rectangle of white. These are beautifully embossed with details that give the flower and leaves a realistic look.
Protect your work area with scrap paper and use the blending brushes to add color to your die cut petals and leaves. I used Polished Pink for the flower - blending from the center of the petals toward the outside edges, but leaving the petals mostly white. The leaves were colored with Granny Apple Green and had a full ombre look. To clean your brushes, wipe them on your scrap paper until you see no more color coming off on the paper. If desired, you can also add a little rubbing alcohol to a paper towel and rub the brushes again. I find this to be a very effective way of removing any color that remains without soaking the brushes in soapy water.
Assemble the flower pieces with glue and attach to the layered piece with dimensionals. Keep the dimensionals a little away from the outside edges so you have space to tuck under the leaves. Add the leaves, making sure you have space for the sentiment. Stamp the sentiment on the small strip of white in Polished Pink and trim the right side with your paper snips. Adhere this flat to the card, tucking it under a leaf. The final step for the card front is to add dimensionals to the the layered piece and attach it to the card base (which you've folded and burnished with the bone folder).
For the inside of the card, stamp your sentiment in Granny Apple Green. Then take a scrap piece of paper to mask off most of the inside panel (I left about 3/4" showing at the bottom). After cleaning your banded block, stamp in Daffodil Delight along the bottom. While you have the block inked, stamp the flap of your envelope to match.
As I mentioned in the video, I had lots of fun making more samples for you to see. The first one is super simple and would make an awesome birthday card for a guy. I used Basic Gray, Real Red and black StazOn. The background is very sparse and the words are from Biggest Wish. Quick and easy, but still impressive.
This next one is my favorite, even though it is super simple! I stamped Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green and Pacific Point onto 1" x 3" strips of Basic White. After adding them to a layer of white, matted in black, the final touch is a popped up sentiment strip with flagged ends. I used another new stamp set called Create with Friends. I really love the intensity of the colors and it was simply attained by stamping a few more times.
So far, all of my samples have been made using one color of ink. Time to branch out! This adorable card started with Pool Party, followed by Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay and a touch of Pacific Point. The Party Puffins, which aren't too difficult to fussy cut, and a simple label make this card a winner.
The remaining two cards use two colors each. For my tree card, I used a strip of basic white and stamped with Granny Apple Green and Garden Green. Using my snips, I cut the piece into a wavy section to resemble the grass under the trees (which came from the Beauty of Friendship bundle). I used the part I cut off for the inside. The dog card features Hot Dog (which sadly, is retiring this month), the Scalloped Contours dies and Heart Punch Pack. I used Bumblebee and Cinnamon Cider as my color palette.
I hope you have enjoyed this technique. If you need any of the supplies for these cards, please shop in my on-line store. Your support of my business helps me to provide videos and I truly appreciate that! I also am thankful for you sharing my videos with others, commenting and giving me a thumbs up. Until next time,
Karen
ThePowerOfACard@gmail.com
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