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

Brand Focus on PaperArtsy!

Hello, Lisa Hoel here. This week at Topflight Stamps our brand focus is on PaperArtsy. I have to admit, PaperArtsy is one of my favorite brands! I appreciate that they have such a variety of styles showcased by their different designers. For this card, I chose stamps and a stencil from Mags Woodcock.

I glued some torn pieces of Gel Press prints onto the card base for the background. Over that I stamped and stenciled to add to the collage. (Mags Woodcock sets EMW006 and PS517) I also fussy cut some stamped/watercolored flowers to add and attached them with glue and vintage cello tape stickers.

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 stamp set - EMW006

PaperArtsy stencil - PS517

PaperArtsy Fresco chalk paint - Wintergreen

Lavinia Elements Ink - Paprika

Versafine Clair ink - Nocturne

Craft Consortium paper pad - Leather Bound

watercolors

Gel Press prints

 

Attitude is...

It's Tuesday! This week's team focus is on PaperArtsy's wonderful products! Here's my encouragement card created with their LPC066 Cling Rubber Stamp Set by Lynn Perrella, the Small Backgrounds Large Stencil PS133 by Scrapcosy, the Large Stencil PS317 by Scrapcosy, and the Tracy Scott Mini TSM23 Cling Rubber Stamp by Tracy Scott.

Here it is!

Use Tuxedo Black Memento Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko to stamp one of the images from the LPC066 Cling Rubber Stamp Set by Lynn Perrella for PaperArtsy twice — once onto Bristol Paper and once onto repositionable sticker paper. Heat set the Bristol Paper version to set the ink to avoid ink transfer to alcohol markers. 

Color the image on the Bristol Paper panel with Copic markers. Fussy-cut the image stamped onto repositionable sticker paper and place it atop its counterpart on the image panel as a mask. 

Brush light grey dye ink over the masked image panel to color the background. Place the circles portion on the Large Stencil PS317 by Scrapcosy for PaperArtsy towards the top of the image panel. This stencil has a repeating pattern which makes it easy to cover larger areas with the stenciled pattern. Brush the same light grey dye ink over the stencil's circles onto the image panel. 

Move the stencil to cover more of the image panel, taking care to line up the circles and diamonds. Continue to brush light grey dye ink over the stencils circles onto the image panel. 

Remove and clean the stencil.

Place the border from the Large Stencil PS317 by Scrapcosy for PaperArtsy so that the base of the border is even with the bottom part of the stamped and colored image. Brush light grey ink over the stencil onto the image panel. Brush light blue dye ink over the stencil to differentiate the border design from the stenciled circles. Keeping the stencil in place, brush sparkly gold pigment ink over the stencil onto the image panel.

Place low-tack tape or scrap paper horizontally onto the image panel, covering the top part. Brush grey ink, then blue ink over the the stencil to color the bottom part of the image panel.

Remove the stencil and heat set the panel. 

Spray the image panel with Gossamer Gold from the Moon Shadow Mists Spray Set by Lindy's Gang to add some shimmer. Heat set the image panel. 

Remove the masks. Use the fourth largest die from the Crea Nest-Lies XXL Double Stitched Rectangle Die Set by Crealies to cut the image panel. Use the sparkly gold pigment ink to edge the image panel die-cut. Heat set the wet ink. 

Cut blue/purple cardstock 1/8" larger than the image panel die-cut and use it to mat it. Cut aqua cardstock 1/4" larger than the image panel and use it to mat the matted image panel. Set the double-matted image panel aside.

Sponge or brush the light grey dye ink used earlier onto a strip of Bristol Paper. Heat set the ink. 

Use Adriatic Sea VersaFine Clair Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko to ink the Tracy Scott Mini TSM23 Cling Rubber Stamp quote stamp by Tracy Scott for PaperArtsy and stamp onto the grey-inked Bristol Paper strip. Heat set the ink. Cut the quote image apart, edge the phrase pieces with Bali Blue VersaFine Clair Ink and heat set them.

Adhere the double matted image panel to a textured blue 5" x 7" card. Adhere the sentiment quote strips to finish the 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:

LPC066 Cling Rubber Stamp Set by Lynn Perrella for PaperArtsy

Small Backgrounds Large Stencil PS133 by Scrapcosy for PaperArtsy

Large Stencil PS317 by Scrapcosy for PaperArtsy

Tracy Scott Mini TSM23 Cling Rubber Stamp by Tracy Scott for PaperArtsy

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko

Moon Shadow Mists Spray Set by Lindy's Gang

Gossamer Gold Moon Shadow Mist by Lindy's Gang is also available individually.

Crea Nest-Lies XXL Double Stitched Rectangle Die Set by Crealies

Adriatic Sea and Bali Blue VersaFine Clair Inks by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko

Thank you for visiting today!

A Funny Little Romance

Hey there, friends!  It's another Monday and another post with Walter.  This week's theme is PaperArtsy and I was so torn between a serious card or one with lots of whimsy since they offer so much of both.  Ultimately, something fun and whimsical won out - but I did throw in a touch of some serious elements.  I fell in love with these Zinis characters as soon as I saw them on the Topflight Stamps website - they're just so cute and fun.  The way that the little guy looks so adoringly off to the side while the little woman throws her hands up in the air (waving them like she just don't care!) looked to me like two people in love.  That's exactly what my design this week celebrates . . . a funny little romance.

I began this scene by deciding where to place my two Zinis, PaperArtsy - Zinski Mini - ZINI 36 & PaperArtsy - Zinski Mini - ZINI 37, and stamping them.  I knew that I wanted to put a stenciled heart between them and wanted to leave enough room between for that.  I then grabbed some masking paper, stamped both onto it, and fussy cut my masks.

I was ready to begin on my background once the masks were applied.  A really simple way to color a background without ink blending is to apply the ink with a baby wipe.  I pressed by inkpad onto my glass surface, grabbed a baby wipe, picked up some ink with it, and began to press the wipe against card panel.  You may swipe it across, gently rub in circles, or simply press & apply as I did to create a more gradient look.  I believe this a great technique to use in this design since it is so whimsical.  I then grabbed my pouncer brush with some white pigment ink and just lightly pounced around the panel.  This step serves two purposes - it lightens up the color a bit and also helps to give a blended look to the panel.

Lots of repeat stamping was done to finish off the design before adding the stenciled heart.  I used several stamps from PaperArtsy - Mags Woodcock - EMW004 to add in background text and a couple of floral elements.  With the stamping finished I could now move on to stenciling.  Rather than simply ink blending the heart, I thought it would be more fun to use some acrylic paint to form the shape using PaperArtsy - Stencil - Mags Woodcock - PS515.  This definitely didn't give me an exact replica of the heart on the stencil since I applied the paint with a palette knife rather than a brush.  I am okay with that though because it gave me a more imperfect & whimsical looking heart that truly goes so well with these characters.  I did one last thing to add a little more character to it - used a small sanding disk to gently sand away some of the paint & distress it.  I love the result!

I finished up by coloring these two little love birds and florals with alcohol markers and then adding in some bling using Hunkydory - Diamond Sparkles Glitter Gemstones - Amber Sparkles.

What do you think of my funny little romance?  Do you enjoy designs like this?  Let me know in the comments!  I'll see you again on the blog next Monday with another project.  Until then . . . be well!

Topflight Products Used:

PaperArtsy - Zinski Mini - ZINI 36

PaperArtsy - Zinski Mini - ZINI 37

PaperArtsy - Mags Woodcock - EMW004

PaperArtsy - Stencil - Mags Woodcock - PS515

Hunkydory - Diamond Sparkles Glitter Gemstones - Amber Sparkles

Beautiful Bits: Turning Gel Print Scraps into Art

 

Hello friends! Ericka from Strangely Creative here, and today I'm sharing one of my favorite ways to stretch my supplies and make the most of every creative session.

If you've been following me for a while, you already know I have a hard time throwing away anything colorful that comes off my gel plate. Every little strip, corner, or leftover piece finds its way into a small container on my craft desk. Today, that little container became the inspiration for three completely unique cards.

Sometimes the smallest scraps hold the biggest creative possibilities.

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🎨 Building Backgrounds from Leftovers

Instead of starting with a fresh sheet of paper, I reached into my stash of gel print scraps and began creating small collage panels.

Using a square piece of cardstock as my base, I simply glued down the colorful scraps until the entire panel was covered.

There was no plan.

No pattern.

Just color, texture, and intuition.

One of the things I love most about this process is that every panel tells a different story. Even though they're made from leftovers, each one becomes a one-of-a-kind background.

Once the adhesive dried, I added a few random paint marks across the panels to bring in another layer of texture and movement. Sometimes those final little marks are what make everything come together.

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🍃 Creating Three Different Focal Points

While the paint was drying, I reached for the beautiful PaperArtsy JOFY mini 103 leaf stamp and challenged myself to stamp it three different ways.

I created:

• A classic version stamped on white cardstock using Versafine Clair Twilight ink. 

 

• A soft, translucent version stamped on blue vellum and heat embossed in white. 

 

• A second vellum version heat embossed in gold for a little extra elegance.

 

It's amazing how changing just the paper and embossing color can completely transform the same image.

 

Once each leaf was finished, I paired it with the collage panel that complemented it best.

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✨ Finishing Touches

To complete each card, I added:

• A simple hand-drawn frame
• A short sentiment
• Minimal embellishments to let the colorful backgrounds remain the star of the show

The result is three completely different cards, all created from pieces that could have easily ended up in the trash.

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope this project inspires you to dig into your scrap bin, embrace a little creative play, and discover the beauty hiding in those leftover pieces.

Happy creating! 💛🌿

 

Topflight Stamp Supplies 

 

PaperArtsy - JOFY Mini 103 Shop at: TP	Embossing - Bright White Ultra Fine 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
Tsukineko - Versafine Clair - Twilight Shop at: TP	Gel Press - Reusable Gel Printing Plate Shop at: TP	Speedball - 2" Brayer Shop at: TP