One Horse Open Sleigh

Happy Monday, crafty friends!  Walter here on the blog with you today with a card that has art coming to life.  Our theme this week is Christmas/Winter and I created a card that checks off both.  It was inspired by an old Christmas movie playing on a black & white television.  You see such a small part of the scene and miss out on the rest of it.  However, to the side of the television, you see the remaining part of the scene in beautiful full color.  I thought it seemed like an interesting concept . . . one that I wanted to create.

I began by stamping and coloring the television set from the Aall & create Retro Treasures Stamp Set.  I colored it with small tipped detail alcohol markers due to the small details of the stamp design.  Once done coloring, I fussy cut the image and then used an exacto knife to remove the center screen.

I then stamped the sleigh ride image from the Creative Expressions A Vintage Christmas stamp set - ensuring that I placed it where I could easily put the television over part of it.  I love the nostalgia of the scene and it was the perfect image to use in my project.  I also colored this image with the small detail markers - again because of the small details in the stamp design.  I used the television window to determine the section that I wanted to be in black & white (aka colored in shades of gray) and started with it.  The rest of the image was colored with various colors.

The Paper Artsy PS073 stencil was perfect for adding some design to the rest of the card panel.  I stenciled the dots and snowflakes in a light blue ink.  I then blended a slightly darker shade of blue around the edges of the panel.  A pouncing brush and white pigment ink toned down the crispness of the images and softened up the overall appearance.

I wanted to have more than just the snowflakes in the background.  Paper Artsy EM90 and JM07 stamps were stamped with Versafine Clair Morning Mist ink to add in the remaining part of the design.  I really like the look of having the text running at different angles and a different style of snowflakes.  It makes it look like they were stamped on printed paper!

I finished off the card by putting a small piece of acetate on the back of the television and then adhering it down to the card with double-sided foam tape strips, which give it the appearance of the movie playing on the picture tube of the old set.

I love how the design turned out!  It's fun, it's whimsical, and it's quite different.  The transition from black & white to color is such a fun design concept and the stamped gray details make it so much more interesting than if I had left it plain.

I hope that you enjoy today's project!  Do you like the transition from black & white to color?  Or do you prefer a more uniform design?

I'll see you again here on the blog next week.  Until then . . . be well!

Topflight Stamps Products Used

Aall & Create Retro Treasures Stamp

Creative Expressions A Vintage Christmas

Paper Artsy PS073 Stencil

Paper Artsy EM90 Stamp

Paper Artsy JM07 Stamp

Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink

Versafine Clair Morning Mist Ink

 

 

Vintage Layers: Creating with PaperArtsy Tissue & Mattints

 

What if one product could add color, create layers, and help hold your collage together at the same time?

Hello friends! Ericka from Strangely Creative here, and today I’m sharing a quick mixed media journal page featuring a leftover gel press print, PaperArtsy Printed Tissue, and one of my favorite products to play with, PaperArtsy Mattints.

I love projects like this because there really wasn’t a complicated plan. I started with a background from my stash, added a few translucent layers, and let the vintage look develop as I went.

Starting with a Leftover Gel Print

As usual, I started by digging through my stash of leftover gel prints. I love keeping these backgrounds because so much of the creative work has already been done. They’re full of interesting colors, marks, and textures, and sometimes all they need is the right image or technique to give them a completely new life. For this page, I paired my gel print with PaperArtsy Printed Tissue.

Adding Color with Mattints

Here’s where the PaperArtsy Mattints really came into play. I used Mattint Glow with my printed tissue. Mattints work beautifully for collage because they can help adhere the tissue while also adding a transparent layer of color. I love that you can still see all the details underneath. Instead of covering the gel print, the Glow tint changes the mood of the background while allowing those original colors and textures to remain part of the finished page. It’s an easy way to add another layer without hiding everything you’ve already created.

Highlighting the Birds

Once the tissue was in place, I wanted to bring a little more attention to the birds. I added Mattints in Foxglove and Shark, using the transparent colors to highlight the images without losing the beautiful printed details.

 

This is one of my favorite things about working with translucent products. You can add color exactly where you want it while still allowing the imagery underneath to show through. Those subtle layers helped the birds become more of a focal point while keeping the soft, vintage feeling of the page.

Adding the Sentiment

While everything was drying, I stamped an Alison Bomber sentiment onto cardstock. Adding the sentiment separately gave me the freedom to move it around the page before deciding exactly where it belonged. Sometimes I know immediately where a sentiment should go and sometimes it travels around the entire project several times before finding its home!

Finishing with a Little Gold

For my final details, I added touches of gold pen and foil throughout the page. The metallic accents catch the light and create a beautiful contrast against the muted, vintage layers underneath.

I kept the finishing touches fairly simple because the combination of the gel print, printed tissue, transparent color, and gold already gave the page plenty of interest. And just like that, a leftover gel print became a quick vintage-style journal page!

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope this quick journal page inspires you to pull out those leftover backgrounds, experiment with translucent layers, and see what you can create with supplies already waiting in your stash.

Have a wonderful week and happy creating! 🐦✨

 

 Topflight Stamp Supplies

PaperArtsy - Alison Bomber 07 - Dreaming and Doing Shop at: TP	Tsukineko - VersaFine Clair - Nocturn Shop at: AZ | TP	PaperArtsy - Mattint Foxglove Shop at: TP	PaperArtsy - Mattint Glow Shop at: TP	PaperArtsy - Mattint Shark Shop at: TP
PaperArty - Printed Tissue - Birds Shop at: TP	Gel Press 6x6 Plate Shop at: TP | Misc	Speedball - 2" Brayer Shop at: TP

AALL & Create Mixed Media Birthday Card

Hello, Lisa Hoel here. This week at Topflight Stamps our theme is "Mixed Media". It's always fun to pull out different supplies and play around. I started off with a gel print for the background (it's good to have a print stash on hand!) I covered an AALL & Create stencil with watered down black paint to create a monoprint over that. I then added some texture paste through another AALL & Create stencil and covered it withWOW! Weathered Gold embossing powder. When the paste was dry, I heat embossed the powder.

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:

WOW! Seth Apter embossing powder - Weathered Gold

AALL & Create washi tape - Burlap Black #16

AALL & Create stencil - Nodes

AALL & Create stencil - Microscope Views

Gel Press print

texture paste

black paint

AALL & Create stamp set - Everyday Sentiments

 

Mixed Media Fun: A Faux Cyanotype Christmas Card

Hello, friends!  It's Walter on the blog with you today.  Do you like trying different techniques?  I do.  I like to experiment with different techniques to create and see where it takes me.  Sometimes they work out and sometimes . . . well . . . I'm glad that it's only paper since it didn't work out!  Our theme for the Topflight Design Team this week is "mixed media", and I wanted to try something different.  I've always loved cyanotype images - those beautiful blue & white pictures that are so bright and rich in color.  I don't know the first thing about actually trying to create a real one.  It got me to thinking of how I might replicate one using stamping.  I played around a bit and found a faux version that I really like.  I used it in creating today's mixed media card and will walk you through it.

The first thing that I tried was painting an A2 card panel with a navy acrylic paint.  I really didn't like the way it looked and the white pigment ink that I used to stamp just didn't settle onto the paint all that well.  It then dawned on me - blue tissue paper!  I have some for filling gift bags but also save any that comes as packaging with orders.  I took a small piece and tried stamping on it with the white pigment ink.  It looked much better than my prior attempt!  I cut a piece down to an A2 size and used double-sided tape to adhere it to a white card panel.

I then used a foam brush to apply Lavinia Snow White Acrylic Chalk Paint to the bottom of my card panel (in a landscape position) to create a snow-covered ground.  I applied two coats to make sure that I had good coverage.  I then applied some Tim Holtz Rock Candy Clear Glitter over the white panel to add a little sparkle.

The panel was ready for stamping as soon as the paint & glitter was dry.  I aligned my panel & Indigo Blu Festive Village stamp in my Misti, inked the stamp with white pigment ink, and stamped.  I removed it and dried it with my heat tool on low.  I then put the panel back in my Misti, aligned the stamp to the left of where I already stamped, and stamped it again with white pigment ink.  The scene looked great!  I adhered the panel to my A2 card base.

Next up was creating my sentiment.  I grabbed a scrap of white cardstock and added a layer of PaperArtsy Blue Smoke Fresco Acrylic Chalk Paint with a sponge brush.  I then went over that layer with some of the Lavinia Snow White Acrylic Chalk Paint using a sponge brush.  I made sure to press the sponge hard enough to mix with the blue and lighten it up.  Once dry, I aligned PaperArtsy Stencil PS073 and stenciled the words Let it Snow and two snowflakes using Chipped Saphire Distress Oxide ink.

As a final touch, I mixed a drop of the Snow White paint with a little water and added splatter to the sentiment strip.  I also added a few clear gems to it and then cut it down to size.  Some foam tape was added to the back and I centered it towards the top of the panel.

I am thrilled with how well this turned out!  It really does resemble a cyanotype print.  What do you think - does it look like one to you?  Do you think you'll give this a try?  Let me know in the comments!  Here are a couple of closeups for you:

I hope that you enjoyed today's post and card.  I'll see you back here again next Monday.  Until then . . . be well!

Topflight Products Used:

Indigo Blu Festive Village Stamp Set

PaperArtsy Scrapcosy PS073 Stencil

Lavinia Stamps Snow White Acrylic Chalk Paint

Paperartsy Blue Smoke Fresco Acrylic Chalk Paint

 

Gel Printing with Lavinia Inks

 

Hello crafty friends! Ericka from Strangely Creative here, and today I’m sharing a journal page that started with one question: What happens when you put those gorgeous, juicy Lavinia Dye Inks on a gel plate?

The answer? Lots of vibrant color, beautiful blending, and a background that was so much fun to make that I couldn’t stop at just one!

For this page, I combined a bright gel print with layers of stamping, washi tape, and a dramatic black-and-white bloom. I love the contrast between all that bold color and the detailed flower sitting on top.

Starting with Lavinia Inks on the Gel Plate

I started with my 6x6 gel plate, a brayer, and Lavinia Dye Inks in Sundance, Pink Elephant, Violet Chalk, and Blue Lagoon.

I love working with the Lavinia inks because they’re so juicy and the colors are absolutely gorgeous. I added the inks to my gel plate, used my brayer to move the colors around, and then lightly spritzed the surface with water to encourage them to blend.

 

For my print, I experimented with a piece of glossy recycled paper. And this is where things got interesting!

Why Glossy Paper?

Because the paper has a glossy surface, the inks don’t immediately soak into it. Instead, they have a little more time to sit on the surface, move, and blend together before drying. That gave me those wonderful transitions from sunny yellow into bright pink, purple, and blue.

I loved the result so much that, naturally, I had to make a few more backgrounds while the gel plate was out! You can never have too many colorful backgrounds waiting in your stash, right?

Adding Layers of Texture

Once my print was completely dry, I started building additional layers using the same Lavinia inks.

I reached for an older AALL & Create Background Noise stamp set and added bits of numbers, text, circles, and other marks across the page.

Using the same inks helped all those extra details feel like they belonged in the background rather than sitting on top of it.

I love this part of mixed media—the background starts with beautiful color, but every additional stamp and mark gives you something new to discover.

Creating That Bold Contrast

With such a colorful background, I decided my focal image didn’t need any more color. Instead, I added this beautiful AALL & Create bloom in black and white.

 

I love the contrast! The detailed flower really stands out against all those vibrant pinks, blues, purples, and yellows without competing with them.

Sometimes leaving an image uncolored can actually make it more dramatic.

I also added pieces of AALL & Create Heritage Scroll washi tape around the page. The black-and-white details help connect the flower to the background while adding another layer of texture.

Finishing Touches

To finish the page, I added a sentiment from the Lavinia Uplifting Collection along with my signature hand-drawn frame.

The simple “follow your path” sentiment felt perfect surrounded by all those free-flowing colors and layers.

 

And with that, my journal page was complete!

Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope this page inspires you to pull out your gel plate, experiment with your Lavinia inks, and see what happens when you let those beautiful colors play together.

Have a wonderful weekend and happy creating! 

 

Topflight Stamp Supplies 

AALL & Create - 92 - Anemone Whispers Shop at: TP	Lavinia - Sentiment Stickers - Uplifting Collection Shop at: TP	Lavinia - Elements Dye Ink - Pink Elephant Shop at: TP	Lavinia - Elements Dye Ink - Blue Lagoon Shop at: TP	Lavinia - Elements Dye Ink - Sundance Shop at: TP
Lavinia - Elements Dye Ink - Violet Chalk Shop at: TP	Tsukineko - VersaFine Clair - Nocturn Shop at: AZ | TP	AALL & Create - Washi Tape Heritage Scroll Shop at: TP	Gel Press 6x6 Plate Shop at: TP
Speedball - 2" Brayer Shop at: TP