Under the Sea with PaperArtsy & Lavinia

Hello, Lisa Hoel here. This week at Topflight Stamps our theme is "Beach/Ocean". This is always a fun theme that puts me in a summer mood! I used a variety of stamps and stencils to bring my "under the sea" card to life.

The base is a round Gel Press print I made using Lavinia Elements inks and the Coral stencil. Over that I layered 7 Seas washi tape and used the Under the Sea stencil to add some fish. Lastly, I stamped and watercolored the super fun fish from Kate Crane's Mini 007 stamp, then fussy cut them out. So cute!

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:

PaperArtsy Kate Crane stamp - Mini 007 Fish

Lavinia stamp set - Friendship

Lavinia stencil - Coral

AALL & Create stencil - Under the Sea

AALL & Create washi tape - 7 Seas

PaperArtsy Fresco paint - Dusty Teal

VersaFine Clair ink pad - Nocturne

Gel Press print

watercolors

 

Voyage of Discovery

It's Tuesday which means that you have Kathi here to share a project with you! This week's theme is Beach/Ocean. 

Here's a card created with the Voyage of Discovery Unmounted Rubber Stamp by Crafty Individuals, the ScrapCosy ESC11 Cling Rubber Stamp Set by PaperArtsy, the Retro Summer 6x6 Patterned Paper Pad by Craft Consortium Ltd, and Cactus Gold from the Glitz Spritz Spray Set by Lindy's Stamp Gang. Tuxedo Black Memento Ink and Sand Dune VersaFine Clair Ink were used for stamping.

Here's a photo that shows a bit more of the shimmer created with the Glitz Spritz Spray.

 

Use Tuxedo Black Memento Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko to stamp Voyage of Discovery Unmounted Rubber Stamp by Crafty Individuals onto Bristol Paper. Heat set.

Use Copic markers to color the image. Add white caps to the ocean with a white Gelly Roll Gel Pen. Use a Black Gelly Roll Glaze Pen to fill in the open letters of "Discovery". Trim the image panel and edge with a black marker. Set it aside.

Select a piece of patterned paper from the Retro Summer 6x6 Patterned Paper Pad by Craft Consortium Ltd to use as a background panel. Trim it to 5.25" square.

Use Sand Dune VersaFine Clair Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko to stamp the Counting Down tide chart (no longer available at TFS) along the right hand side if the patterned paper. 

Use Sand Dune VersaFine Clair Ink to stamp both the Compass and the anchor stamps from the ScrapCosy ESC11 Cling Rubber Stamp Set by PaperArtsy along the left side of the patterned paper. Heat set the ink. Edge the background panel with Sand Dune VersaFine Clair Ink. Heat set the panel.

Spray Cactus Gold Glitz Spray from the Glitz Spritz Spray Set (Cactus Gold) by Lindy's Stamp Gang over the stamped background panel. Heat set.

Adhere the image panel to the background panel as shown, then adhere the background panel to a 5.5" square kraft 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:

Voyage of Discovery Unmounted Rubber Stamp by Crafty Individuals 

ScrapCosy ESC11 Cling Rubber Stamp Set by PaperArtsy

Glitz Spritz Spray Set (Cactus Gold) by Lindy's Stamp Gang

Retro Summer 6x6 Patterned Paper Pad by Craft Consortium Ltd.

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko

Sand Dune VersaFine Clair Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko

Thanks for visiting today!

One Stamp, Two Styles

Hello friends! Ericka from Strangely Creative here, and today I'm sharing a fun creative challenge I gave myself: one stamp, two completely different looks.

When I first saw The Crown from IndigoBlu, I immediately fell in love with the beautiful detail in the bird image. The elegant crown, the delicate feathers, and the whimsical feel made it the perfect stamp to experiment with.

 

So naturally, I couldn't stop at one card.

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✨ Card One: Clean, Simple & Elegant

Sometimes it's fun to let a beautiful image do all the work.

For my first card, I pulled out a page from the Craft Consortium Test of Time paper pad and trimmed it to fit my card base. The vintage background provided just enough interest while still allowing the focal image to shine.

 

To add a little movement, I lightly splattered the background with Lindy's Gang Tiffany Lou Blue Magicals. I love how a few splatters can instantly bring a background to life. Next, I stamped the bird image onto separate cardstock using Versafine Clair Twilight Ink, then fussy cut it out and added a touch of paint to bring out the details.

 

I finished the card with the sentiment included in the set, keeping everything clean, simple, and focused on the beautiful bird.

Sometimes less really is more.

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🎨 Card Two: A Little More Mixed Media

Of course, I couldn't resist taking the same stamp in a completely different direction.

For my second card, I stamped the bird onto a gel press print using the same Twilight ink and clear heat embossed the image. To make her feel a little more regal, I heat embossed her crown in gold.

As I looked around my desk, I spotted a leftover blue gel print from a previous project and knew it would be the perfect backdrop.

One of my favorite things about mixed media is letting scraps and leftovers inspire the next project.

I grabbed the PaperArtsy Tracy Scott PS519 stencil and traced portions of the design with a Posca pen, filling in the shapes to create bold leafy elements around the bird.

 

To add even more depth, I stamped the PaperArtsy Ink & Dog Mini 124 over the leaves. The script pattern added just the right amount of texture and interest.

Then came the sparkle. I heat embossed the script using WOW! Embossing Powder in Vintage Lace Gold, creating beautiful highlights that catch the light without overpowering the design.

To finish the background, I added:

• White gel pen highlights
• Soft ink blending around the edges
• Water splatters to lift some of the ink and create additional texture 

 

Finally, I added the included sentiment and clear heat embossed it to tie everything together.

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💡 Same Stamp, Different Story

This project was such a great reminder that you don't always need new supplies to create something fresh.

 

One stamp can feel completely different depending on:

• Your background
• Your color palette
• The amount of layering
• The techniques you use

The clean and simple version lets the artwork shine.

The mixed media version tells a completely different story with texture, shimmer, and layers.

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💛 Your Turn

I'd love to know...

Are you Team Clean & Simple or Team Mixed Media?

Leave a comment below and let me know which card is your favorite. I always love seeing how different styles speak to different makers.

Thank you so much for stopping by today. I hope this inspires you to look at your stamps in a new way and maybe even challenge yourself to create two completely different cards with the same image.

Have a wonderful weekend and happy creating! ✨🐦💛

 

 Topflight Stamp Supplies

 

IndigoBlu - The Crown Shop at: TP	PaperArtsy - Ink and the Dog Mini 124 Shop at: TP	PaperArtsy - Tracy Scott PS519 Shop at: TP	WOW! Embossing - Clear Shop at: TP	WOW! Embossing - Clear Embossing Pad Shop at: TP
WOW! Embossing - Metallic Gold Rich Pale Shop at: TP	WOW! Embossing - Tracy Scott Gold Vintage Lace Shop at: TP	Craft Consortium - Test of Time Shop at: TP	Tsukineko - VersaFine Clair - Nocturn Shop at: TP
Tsukineko - Versafine Clair - Twilight Shop at: TP	Lindy's Gang - TiffanyLou's Blue Starburst Shimmer Spray Shop at: TP	Gel Press - Reusable Gel Printing Plate Shop at: TP	Speedball - 2" Brayer Shop at: TP

IndigoBlu Christmas Card

Hello!  You've got Colleen here for Topflight Stamps - and this week our focus is on the brand, IndigoBlu!  I used their Christmas Dictionary stamp - fabulous background.  Love the old font.  I stamped it in VersaFine Onyx Black on a neutral colored panel, and layered this panel on a red card base.  The focal point is a trio of holly leaf postage stamps from AALL & Create's Carols and Cancellations, carefully trimmed and colored with alcohol markers.  I created garlands with PaperArtsy Alison Bomber Mini 92 stamp, which features sprigs of mistletoe.  I trimmed out the mistletoe from four stamped images, then touched them with various shades of brown inks and added a touch of glimmer from Lindy's Stamp Gang Pixie Dust.

Hope you have a wonderful week! ~ Colleen

Supplies Used From Topflight Stamps:

IndigoBlu - Christmas Dictionary

PaperArtsy - Alison Bomber - Mini 92

AALL & Create - Carols and Cancellations

Lindy's Stamp Gang - Pixie Dust

VersaFine Onyx Black Ink

Winner 2026 Spring Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

 

Hello everyone, just a quick post to announce the winner of the 2026 Spring/Summer Coffee Loveers Blog Hop. Sorry for the late notice things were a bit crazy as we were wrapping up the school year. Thank you to everyone who commented. I love reading them all! The winner of the $25 gift card to Topflight Store is VonMaire! 

 

Please email strangelycreativecards@gmail.com with the subject: 2026 Spring Summer Coffee Lovers BLH and we will get you the gift code.

Thank you to everyone who participated! 

Steampunk Father's Day Card with IndigoBlu

Hello, Lisa Hoel here. This week at Topflight Stamps our brand focus is on IndigoBlu! I appreciate the variety of detailed stamp designs they have. I created this steampunk card to use as a Father's Day card. (It will be here before we know it!)

The base is a grungy Gel Press print from my stash. The focal image is the Steam Cottage stamp.

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:

IndigoBlu stamp - Steam Cottage

IndigoBlu stamp - Wrapped

Lavinia stamp set - Light Bulbs

AALL & Create die set - Holey Fun

Lindy's Stamp Gang Starburst Sprays - Industrial Chic

AALL & Create stamp set - Everyday Sentiments

Paper Rose die set - Cog Frame

VersaFine Clair ink pad - Nocturne

Gel Press print

watercolors