Soft Layers & Shimmer: A Moody Mixed Media Card with Lindy’s Gang

 

Hello crafty friends! Ericka with Strangely Creative here and I’m back after a relaxing spring break where I had time to just play in my craft room… no pressure, no plan, just color and texture.

If you know me, I usually reach for bold, bright colors. But this time I pulled out the beautifully moody Boho Dreams Magicals from Lindy's Gang, and those soft, cloudy layers completely won me over.

---

🎨 Building the Background (The Magic Happens Here)

I started with watercolor paper and gave it a light mist of water. This helps the powders move and blend as soon as they hit the surface. Then I sprinkled on several colors from the Boho Dreams set and added a bit more water to let everything flow naturally.

 

Here’s the key: don’t rush it.

I let that first layer dry completely before going back in with more powder and water. Building in layers is what gives you that soft, dimensional look instead of muddy color.

The result?
Beautiful washes of pink, yellow, and teal that feel airy but still rich.

---

🌸 Adding Texture & Sparkle

Once my background was dry, I started layering in texture.

• I used Pink Lemonade Stencil Butter for a soft pop of pink

• Paired it with the PS427 Stencil for pattern

• Then added a sprinkle of WOW! Embossing Powder in Gold Vintage Lace for subtle shimmer

That combination adds just enough contrast without overpowering the soft background.

 To bring in even more depth, I stamped using the Ink & Dog Mini 124 with Versafine Clair Morning Mist. It gives that quiet, layered texture that makes you look twice.

---

💫 Creating the Focal Point

For the focal image, I wanted something soft but still eye-catching.

I stamped the Kate Crane Mini 013 onto blue vellum and heat embossed it with the same Gold Vintage Lace powder to tie everything together.

Vellum adds that dreamy, slightly translucent effect that works perfectly with this color palette.

I finished the card with:

• A sentiment from the Uplifting Collection

• A simple hand-drawn frame to ground the design

  
   

---

💛 Why This Card Works

• Soft layers keep it calming and cohesive

• Gold embossing adds just enough light and contrast

• Vellum creates depth without heaviness

• Repeating elements (like the embossing powder) ties everything together

This is one of those cards that feels peaceful just looking at it.

 

---

If you’ve been stuck in a creative rut, try switching up your color palette like I did here. It might surprise you.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you get a little time to create something just for fun this weekend.

 

Topflight Stamp Supplies

 

PaperArtsy - Ink and the Dog Mini 124 Shop at: TP	PaperArtsy - Kate Crane Mini 013 Shop at: TP	PaperArtsy - Kate Crane PS427 Shop at: TP	WOW! Embossing - Clear Embossing Pad Shop at: TP	WOW! Embossing - Tracy Scott Gold Vintage Lace Shop at: TP
Lavinia - Sentiment Stickers - Uplifting Collection Shop at: TP	Tsukineko - VersaFine Clair - Morning Mist Shop at: TP	Lindy's Gang - Magical Shakers - Boho Dreams Shop at: TP

Beautiful Blackthorn

Hello there!  This week at Topflight Stamps, it's Anything Goes.  I pulled out the PaperArtsy Alison Bomber Blackthorn Edition stamp set to play with.  I stamped the branch twice with WOW! Embossing Ink, then used WOW! Weathered Gold embossing powder and hit it with a heat tool.  It's such a beautiful shine, hard to capture in photos.  The same was done to a postmark from the Blackthorn stamp set.  To color the images, I used Lavinia Spun Candy, Green Parrot and Truffle dye inks and a small detail brush.  I added Hunkydory Classic Pearls along the flowers.

The background images are from the Blackthorn stamp set, stamped in Truffle ink here and there.  I added a sentiment from same set near the bottom of the card, stamped in Versafine Onyx Black ink.  Final touch was a piece of crochet lace from my stash.  Hope you have a wonderful day! ~ Colleen

Supplies From Topflight Stamps:

PaperArtsy - Alison Bomber - Blackthorn Edition

WOW! Embossing Powder - Weathered Gold

Hunkydory Diamond Sparkles Precious Pearls

Lavinia Dye Ink - Green Parrot

Lavinia Dye Ink - Spun Candy

Lavinia Dye Ink - Truffle

WOW! Embossing Ink Pad

Versafine Onyx Black Ink

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Well, it's a day late but that's okay. ;-) Hello, Lisa Hoel here. This week at Topflight Stamps our theme is Anything Goes! My Mom's birthday is on St. Patrick's Day so I always make her an appropriately themed card to mark the occasion. This year's features the Grungy Birthday Words stamp from Visible Image and a host of AALL & Create die sets.

I stamped the background with Queen Bee Shimmer Pearl Ink and then embossed it with clear embossing powder. After that, I spritzed the background with Lindy's Rusty Lantern Lime and Steampunk Sepia from the Industrial Chic Starburst Spray Set. When it was all dry, I placed a clean piece of absorbent newsprint paper over the top and ironed it with my craft iron. This melts the embossing powder which wicks into the paper. (You have to peel the paper off quickly or it will stick!) This is a great technique to achieve a faux batik look.

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:

Visible Image stamp - Grungy Birthday Words

AALL & Create die set - Counting Circles #38

AALL & Create die set - Garden Grace #55

AALL & Create die set - Rustling Retreat #54

AALL & Create die set - Furry Forest DI-95

Lindy's Stamp Gang Starburst Sprays - Industrial Chic

Spectrum Noir - Shimmer Pearl Ink Pad - Queen Bee 

WOW! clear embossing powder

Celebrate! It's St. Patrick's Day!

 Greetings! It's Tuesday so you've got Kathi here! There's an "Anything Goes" theme this week, so I've made a St. Patrick's Day card to celebrate!

PSA: Topflight Stamps is running a St. Patrick's Day Flash Sale! Pop on over to indulge your wish list! There are lots of great new and old products available. But you'd better hurry! 

Here's my card!

Place the outside part of the Sticker Stencils 6 - Bottle Collection by Lavinia Stamps onto a piece of Bristol paper so that the bottle shaped aperture is in the center of the paper. Place one of the Mini Hills Masks - Stencils by Lavinia Stamps across the bottom of the bottle.

Temporarily place the cauldron stamp from the Bubbling Cauldron Clear Polymer Stamp Set by Lavinia Stamps so that it's sitting on the Mini Hills Mask. Use a rainbow cutting die to cut repositionable sticker paper, then place the rainbow sticker so that it's adhered to the Sticker Stencil 6 and will end in the cauldron. Remove the cauldron stamp.  

Brush Della Blue Elements Ink by Lavinia Stamps from the edges of the stencil's bottle aperture towards the center. Concentrate the ink so that it's heaviest around the outlines of the bottle.

Trace the Mini Hills Masks - Stencil onto cardstock and fussy-cut along the tracing lines to create a negative area of the mask. Label the two sections so you know the top and the bottom. Place the top portion over the blue-inked area. Brush Green Parrot and Lime Punch Elements Inks over the paper mask and the Sticker Stencil to create a grassy hill.

Use magnets and/or low-tack tape to secure the image panel to the base of a stamping platform being sure to keep the Sticker Stencil and the rainbow mask in place.

Position the cauldron stamp from the Bubbling Cauldron Clear Polymer Stamp Set facedown on the hill. Ink the stamp with Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko and stamp. 

Position the fairies from the 3 Dancing Fairies Clear Polymer Stamp Set by Lavinia Stamps in the bottle's sky area. Ink the stamps with Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko and stamp.

Remove the rainbow mask and color the rainbow with Copic markers. Use a gold acrylic paint pen and a gold glitter pen to create the pot o'gold. Use Sparkle Clear Overlay Brush Pens by Spectrum Noir to add some sparkle to the fairies' wings. Remove the Sticker Stencil and place it back on its carrier sheet.

Heat set the image panel. 

Secure the image panel onto a magnetic craft mat. Place the bottle sticker mask from the Sticker Stencil used previously over the stamped and colored bottle. 

Place the same Mini Hills Masks - Stencil used previously to cover the bottom of the image panel.

Place the Sun and Clouds 6x6 Stencil by Carla Creaties/Vaessen Creative towards the top part of the image panel. Brush Della Blue Elements Ink over the top of the stencil onto the image panel. Rotate the stencil and move it downwards and brush Della Blue Elements Ink over the top of the stencil. Repeat this process until you have a cloudy sky.

Place the home-made mask over the sky area of the image panel. Brush Olive Elements Ink over the stencil onto the image panel. Brush Pine, Green Parrot, and Lime Punch Elements Inks to fill in the grassy area of the image panel. Tear a piece of scrap cardstock, place it onto the grassy area, then brush Olive Elements Ink over the torn cardstock to create shading and detail. Use a white chalk pencil to add highlights to the bottle and to the cauldron. Use green chalk pencils to add shading to the grassy areas. Set the image panel aside.

Cut a piece of Bristol paper to 5.25" x 8.25". Center a rectangular cutting die facedown on the paper, secure with low-tack tape, and run the combination through your die-cut machine to create a frame.

Brush Pine, Green Parrot, and Lime Punch Elements Inks over the frame and heat set. Randomly stamp the Mini Lucky Clover Clear Polymer Stamp onto the frame using Grass Green, then Green Oasis VersaFine Clair Inks. Add second generation stamping with both greens to fill the frame. Edge the interior and exterior of the frame with Green Oasis VersaFine Clair Ink. Heat set the frame. Splatter gold acrylic paint over the frame.

Adhere the frame over the image panel.

Brush a small scrap of Bristol paper with Green Parrot and Lime Punch Elements Inks. Heat set. Pounce an anti-static pouch onto the piece of cardstock. Place the inked scrap of Bristol paper onto the base of a stamping platform. Ink the "Celebrate" stamp from the Classic Sentiments Clear Stamp Set by Heffy Doodle with Green Oasis VersaFine Clair Ink. Pour clear detail embossing powder onto the wet ink, pour the excess powder back into its container, and heat set. Use a cutting die to cut the sentiment. Ink another piece of Bristol paper with Green Oasis VersaFine Clair Ink, heat set it, cut with the matching cutting die, and use it to mat the sentiment die-cut. Adhere the complete sentiment nameplate to the bottom as shown.

Create a 5.5" x 8.5" card from white cardstock. Sponge Green Oasis VersaFine Clair Ink around the outer .5" of the card. Heat set.

Adhere the framed image panel to the card. Use gold epoxy stickers to finish the card.

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

Topflight Stamps Products Used:

Sticker Stencils 6 - Bottle Collection by Lavinia Stamps

Mini Hills Masks - Stencils by Lavinia Stamps

3 Dancing Fairies Clear Polymer Stamp Set by Lavinia Stamps

Bubbling Cauldron Clear Polymer Stamp Set by Lavinia Stamps

Mini Lucky Clover Clear Polymer Stamp by Lavinia Stamps

Della Blue, Olive, Pine, Green Parrot, and Lime Punch Elements Inks by Lavinia Stamps

Sun and Clouds 6x6 Stencil by Carla Creaties/Vaessen Creative

Grass Green, Green Oasis, and Nocturne VersaFine Clair Inks by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko

Classic Sentiments Clear Stamp Set by Heffy Doodle

Sparkle Clear Overlay Brush Pens by Spectrum Noir

Thanks for visiting today!