Creating a Grungy Floral Card with Fresco Paints

 

Hello crafty friends! Ericka from Strangely Creative here, and today I'm sharing a card that embraces all the things I love about mixed media: layers of paint, plenty of texture, and a beautifully distressed finish.

Sometimes the most interesting backgrounds come from simply experimenting with color and letting the layers build naturally. For this project, I reached for my PaperArtsy Fresco Paints and some beautiful Alison Bomber designs to create a card with a vintage, weathered feel.

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Building a Grungy Background

I started by creating the background with a combination of PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Acrylic Paints in Beach Hut, Mud Splat, Mulled Wine, and Pumice.

Using a brayer, I rolled the colors across my cardstock, allowing the layers to overlap and peek through one another. I love how this technique creates an imperfect, textured look that feels naturally aged and full of character.

 

Once the first layers were dry, I reached for the PaperArtsy Alison Bomber PS523 stencil and added even more texture by pouncing paint through the design with a dauber. Those extra marks brought movement and depth to the background and helped tie all the colors together.

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Adding Layers of Detail

With the background complete, I stamped one of the beautiful images from the PaperArtsy Alison Bomber 59 stamp set using Lavinia Truffle Ink.

 

These subtle details add another layer of interest without overwhelming the background. One of my favorite things about distressed projects is how each layer peeks through the next, creating little surprises as you look closer.

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Creating the Focal Point

For the focal image, I stamped the rose from the same stamp set onto a separate gel print and carefully fussy cut it.

To give the flower a bit more dimension, I pulled out my colored pencils and added shading to the petals along with touches of green on the leaves. I love how just a few extra strokes of color can bring a stamped image to life and help it stand out against a busy background.

Once the rose was finished, I added a sentiment stamped in Versafine Clair Twilight and began assembling the card.

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Finishing Touches

To complete the design, I added:

• Gold and white paint splatters for a little extra contrast
• A hand-drawn frame to define the composition
• Simple layering that lets the rose remain the star of the card

 

Those final details brought everything together and added just the right amount of grungy charm.

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Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope this card inspires you to pull out your paints, experiment with texture, and create something beautifully grungy.

 

Have a wonderful day and happy crafting! 🌹✨

  

 

Topflight Stamp Supplies 

PaperArtsy - Alison Bomber 59 Shop at: CSTP	PaperArtsy - Alison Bomber PS523 Shop at: TP	WOW! Embossing - Clear Shop at: TP	WOW! Embossing - Clear Embossing Pad Shop at: WOW US | TP	Lavinia - Elements Dye Ink - Truffle Shop at: TP
Tsukineko - VersaFine Clair - Nocturn Shop at: AZ | TP	Tsukineko - Versafine Clair - Twilight Shop at: TP	PaperArtsy - Fresco Chalk Paint - Beach Hut Shop at: TP	PaperArtsy - Fresco Chalk Paint - Mud Splat Shop at: TP
PaperArtsy - Fresco Chalk Paint - Mulled Wine Shop at: TP	PaperArtsy - Fresco Chalk Paint - Seth Apter Pumice Shop at: TP	Speedball - 2" Brayer Shop at: TP

Steampunk Card with AALL & Create

Hello, Lisa Hoel here! This week at Topflight Stamps our theme is Anything Goes. I went steampunk with my choice of the AALL & Create Gearlight Glow stamp set.

I used Sepia Dinkles ink powder and stamping for the grungy background. The AALL & Create Quirky Post die set frames everything nicely.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the Topflight Stamps store for a wide selection of different and hard to find stamps, stencils and other paper crafting supplies from all around the world! Also keep an eye here on the Topflight Stamps blog. There is new inspiration posted often!

Topflight Stamps Supplies Used:

AALL & Create stamp set - Gearlight Glow

AALL & Create die set - Quirky Post

Lavinia Dinkles ink powder - Sepia

Lavinia Elements Ink - Russet Orange, Sundance

Versafine Clair ink - Nocturne

 

All Geared Up to Celebrate

 Greetings! It's Tuesday which means you've got Kathi here to share a project with you! This is an "Anything Goes" week, so I decided to try a new technique and to use some of my new stamps! 

Here's a Steampunk-themed card created with the Precision Paws Clear Stamp Set 1373. the Time Tinkerer Clear Stamp Set 1374, and the Steamheart Gears Stencil PC-270 — all by AALL and Create. 

Cut a piece of 9" x 12" Mixed Media paper in half. Place it onto a craft mat. Use a small spatula to place a pile of Yesteryear Yellow Magical Powder from the Steampunk Soiree Magical Pigment Powder Set by Lindy's Stamp Gang onto the craft mat. Fold a baby wipe and press the top part of it into the pigment powder. Drag the baby wipe vertically on the Mixed Media paper, working from the outside edges towards the center. Dip the wipe into the powder and apply it again. Continue until the powder pile is gone. Clean your craft mat.

Place a small pile of Apothecary Azure Magical Powder from the Steampunk Soiree Magical Pigment Powder Set onto the craft mat. Use a clean baby wipe to repeat the process described above. The pigment powders will blend and start to create layers as you work.When the powder is gone, clean your mat.

Place a small pile of Pocket Watch Pewter Magical Powder by Lindy's Stamp Gang onto the craft mat. Use a clean baby wipe to add additional color to your background. When done, clean your craft mat, then heat set the background panel.

Place the Steamheart Gears Stencil PC-270 by AALL and Create over the background panel. Brush or sponge Graphite Elements Premium Dye Ink by Lavinia Stamps over the stencil onto the background panel to enhance the background panel.

When done, trim the background panel to 5 5/8" square and edge it with Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko. Use stipple brushes to add speckles of yellow, orange, turquoise, and blue chalk ink. Heat set the panel and set it aside. 

Use Tuxedo Black Memento Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko to stamp the cat and the dog from the Precision Paws Clear Stamp Set 1373 by Janet Klein for AALL and Create onto white Copic-friendly cardstock. Use the same ink to stamp the Time Tinkerer from the Time Tinkerer Clear Stamp Set 1374 by Janet Klein for AALL and Create onto white cardstock. Fussy-cut all three images, color with Copic markers, and edge with a black marker. Use a white gel pen to add highlights to the Time Tinkerer's eyes. Use a white pencil and add highlights to the cat's eyes (I wanted them to be fainter as his eyes are covered by glasses) and to the watchface. Set the characters aside.

Use Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko to stamp the sentiments from the Precision Paws Clear Stamp Set 1373 by Janet Klein for AALL and Create onto the remaining piece of the Mixed Media paper. Add clear detail embossing powder to the wet ink, dump the excess powder back into its container, and heat set the powder. 

Use sentiment strip dies to cut the three sentiments, trim them horizontally, then edge them with the Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink.

Adhere the three sentiments to the reserved 5 5/8" square background panel. Adhere the dog, cat, and the Time Tinkerer atop the sentiments as shown to create the card front.

Cut a piece of copper metallic cardstock to 5.75" square and use it to mat the card front. Use a sentiment die (or alphabet dies) to cut copper metallic cardstock. Adhere the sentiment as shown. Adhere the card front to a 6" square black card.

Please pop over to my blog, Kat's Tales of Stamping, for step-by-step instructions and complete supply lists.

Topflight Stamps Products Used:

Precision Paws Clear Stamp Set 1373 by Janet Klein for AALL and Create

Time Tinkerer Clear Stamp Set 1374 by Janet Klein for AALL and Create

Steamheart Gears Stencil PC-270 by AALL and Create

Steampunk Soiree Magical Pigment Powder Set by Lindy's Stamp Gang

Graphite Elements Premium Dye Ink by Lavinia Stamps

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko

Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko

Thanks for visiting today!

Dreams Come True with L'Encre et l Image

Happy Monday, friends!  It’s Walter on the blog with you today and the theme this week is Anything Goes.  My mind immediately turned to another my favorite brands, L’ENCRE at l image, and one of their recent releases, Arsene my Sweetheart.  This character is adorable and so versatile – he can be royalty, a clown, a magician, or just a simple boy like I portrayed him this week.  I paired him with elements from another L’ENCRE product, Imminent Departure, to create a wonderful, inspirational card.

 

I began by deciding on the placement of my paper airplane, boy, and paper boat.  I then stamped those images onto an A2 sized piece of watercolor paper and then stamped them again onto masking paper.  I created masks to protect my images and make it easier to watercolor the background.  Once the masks were fussy cut, I covered my images and got ready to color the panel.

 

I used colors from Lindy’s Magicals Nantucket Pearls (Whale Watch Blue & Salt Water Taffy) to watercolor a blended evening sky.  The Lindy’s Magicals blend so easily, and the bits of mica give such an amazing shimmer.  I started by misting my panel and then sprinkling a little bit of Whale Watch Blue at the top of it.  I used a paint brush to move the color around while spraying with additional mists of water as needed to move & lighten the color.  I continued adding blue and then started to mix in a little Salt Water Taffy about 2/3 of the way down the panel before switching to just the pink to finish it off.

Once dry, I stamped the compass image behind the paper airplane and my sentiment with clear embossing ink.  I sprinkled silver embossing powder over the compass and removed the mask.  I then sprinkled white embossing powder over the sentiment and heat set both images.

 

I was now ready to add color to my stamped images.  I removed the remaining masks and started coloring them with alcohol markers.  I used two light shades of cool gray color the paper airplane and boat.  I chose colors for the rest of the boy image that would allow me to use just a few to not overwhelm the scene.  I have a tip for you for coloring hair – especially curly hair – that a friend passed along to me.  I began by uniformly coloring his hair with a darker shade of brown.  I then used the fine tip end of a lighter brown to add little dots to lighten up portions of the darker brown.  The final step was to use a darker shade of orange and add more dots.  Coloring hair this way gives it the illusion of texture and highlights that make it more interesting than just one color.

I finished off the scene using a silver metallic marker to add varying sizes of dots in the sky to represent stars and then adding three Hunky Dory Diamond Sparkles Silver Pearls.  This scene is so charming and cute!  The sentiment, which translates to “I want my dreams to come true,” is so fitting and is certain to inspire and encourage someone.

I hope that you enjoyed this creation and post.  I’ll see you here again next week.  Until then . . . be well!

Topflight Products Used:

Arsene My Sweetheart

Imminent Departure

Lindy's Magicals - Nantucket Pearls

htHunky Dory Diamond Sparkles Precious Pearls Silver & Gold

Bright, Bold & Beautiful: A Mixed Media Floral Card

Hello Topflight friends! Ericka from Strangely Creative here, and today I'm sharing a bright, colorful card that combines some of my favorite things: gel printing, embossing powder, texture, and lots of sparkle!

One of the things I love most about mixed media is discovering new ways to use the supplies already sitting on my craft desk. This project not only added beautiful shimmer to a gel print, but it also gave new purpose to a well-loved embossing pad that was almost ready for retirement.

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🎨 Starting with a Colorful Gel Print

Every great mixed media project starts with an interesting background, and for this card I chose one of my vibrant gel press prints.

 

It already had plenty of color, but I wanted to add another layer of texture that would catch the light and make the background feel even more dynamic.

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✨ Adding Texture & Sparkle

To create that extra dimension, I reached for the PaperArtsy Tracy Scott PS519 stencil and my trusty WOW! Embossing Pad.

If you're trying this technique, the safest way to apply embossing ink through a stencil is with an ink blending sponge or dauber. It helps protect your embossing pad while giving you great control over the design.

But here's where this project took a slightly different turn...

I have an old WOW! embossing pad that's been on my craft table for well over ten years. It's definitely showing its age, but it's still just juicy enough to be useful. Rather than throwing it away, I've officially promoted it to my mixed media embossing pad!

Since it's nearing the end of its life anyway, I simply pressed it directly through the stencil before sprinkling on WOW! Blue Diamond and Cerulean embossing powders.

 

The result is a beautifully textured background with layers of shimmer that change as the light hits the card. Sometimes our oldest supplies still have plenty of creative life left in them.

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🌸 Creating the Focal Point

For the focal image, I stamped the beautiful PaperArtsy Tracy Scott 108 bloom onto another gel print that featured Nuvo Drops, creating a soft, sparkly texture behind the flower. Using Versafine Clair Twilight ink allowed the detailed lines of the bloom to stand out beautifully against the colorful background.

Once everything was trimmed, I layered the flower onto the embossed background and finished the card with a sentiment from the Lavinia Uplifting Collection.

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💌 Finishing Touches

This card came together with just a few simple elements:

• A colorful gel print background
• Embossed texture through a stencil
• Sparkling embossing powders
• A bold floral focal image
• A simple sentiment to finish the design

It's proof that layering color, texture, and shine can create plenty of impact without adding lots of embellishments.

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Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope this project inspires you to experiment with texture, embrace a little sparkle, and find new ways to enjoy the supplies you already own.

Have a wonderful weekend, and happy creating! ✨💙🌸

 

Topflight Stamp Supplies 

PaperArtsy - Tracy Scott 108 Shop at: TP	PaperArtsy - Tracy Scott PS519 Shop at: TP	WOW! Embossing - Clear Embossing Pad Shop at: TP	WOW! Embossing - Tracy Scott Pea Coat Shop at: TP	Lavinia - Sentiment Stickers - Uplifting Collection Shop at: TP
Tsukineko - Versafine Clair - Twilight Shop at: TP	Gel Press - Reusable Gel Printing Plate Shop at: TP	Speedball - 2" Brayer Shop at: TP