Topflight Stamps

Friday, June 19, 2026

One Stamp, Two Looks: Summer Watercolor Play with Tracy Scott 108

Hello friends! Ericka from Strangely Creative here, and today I'm sharing a project that combines two of my favorite things: summer crafting and watercolor play.

One of the things I love most about summer break is finding a little extra time to experiment in my craft room. Between running kids to activities and enjoying the slower pace of the season, I've been spending some time practicing watercolor techniques and exploring different ways to use my supplies.

For today's project, I pulled out the beautiful PaperArtsy Tracy Scott 108 set and challenged myself to create two completely different cards using the same image and the same Lindy's Gang Magicals.

🎨 Card One: Soft & Dreamy Watercolor

For my first card, I stamped and heat embossed the floral image using white embossing powder.

I wanted a soft, flowing look, so I used a simple wet-on-wet watercolor technique. First, I applied clean water to each petal, then dropped in color from my Lindy's Gang Magicals and let the pigments move naturally across the image.

This technique is one of my favorites because it creates beautiful blends without requiring a lot of effort. The colors soften into one another and create a delicate, almost dreamy effect.

Once the flower was dry, I added a sentiment from the PaperArtsy Sara Naumann 41 set and finished the card with splatters of gold acrylic paint.

There is something so satisfying about those final splatters. They always seem to bring everything together.

✨ Card Two: Bold & Bright

For my second card, I wanted to create something with a little more contrast and drama.

This time, I heat embossed the floral image using gold embossing powder, which immediately gave the design a warmer and more elegant feel.

I used the same watercolor technique but reached for slightly brighter, more vibrant colors. It's amazing how simply changing the embossing color and increasing the color intensity can completely transform the look of a project.

To finish the card, I added a sentiment from the PaperArtsy Sara Naumann 51 set and repeated the gold paint splatters to tie everything together.

🌿 Same Stamp, Different Results

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

By changing:

The embossing color
The intensity of the watercolor
The sentiment

you can create a completely different mood with the exact same stamp.

One card feels soft and peaceful.

The other feels bright and bold.

And honestly, I love them both.

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I'd love to know which version you prefer: the soft white embossed flower or the bold gold embossed one?

Have a wonderful weekend filled with creativity, sunshine, and a little time to play.

Topflight Stamp Supplies

PaperArtsy - Sara Naumann 41 Shop at: TP	PaperArtsy - Sara Naumann 51 Shop at: TP	PaperArtsy - Tracy Scott 108 Shop at: TP	Embossing - Bright White Ultra Fine Shop at: TP	WOW! Embossing - Clear Embossing Pad Shop at: TP
WOW! Embossing - Metallic Gold Rich Pale Shop at: TP

Thursday, June 18, 2026

AALL & Create Quirky Post Birds

Hello! You've got Colleen here for an Anything Goes week at Topflight Stamps! I had fun with AALL & Create Quirky Postage die set to create a backdrop for little bird postage stamps from PaperArtsy Scrapcosy ESC19 set. I used two shades of purple cardstock with the postage dies and stacked them, arranging in sort of a quilt style. The birds were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, trimmed and colored with alcohol markers. I layered some of the stamps with foam adhesive tape to pop them up.

Have a wonderful day! ~ Colleen

(The photos below were taken with my iPhone in the light tent and the purples just look so different than the pic above!)

Supplies used from Topflight Stamps:

AALL & Create Quirky Postage die set

PaperArtsy - Scrapcosy ESC19 stamp set

Memento Tuxedo Black ink

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Mixed Media Father's Day Card

Hello, Lisa Hoel here. This week at Topflight Stamps our theme is Anything Goes! I made a Father's Day card to give to my husband. Blue is one of his favorite colors. Surprisingly, I used no stamps for this card – just stencils and die cuts. ;-)

Lisa Hoel for Topflight Stamps #creativejuicefreshsqueezed #topflightstamps

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 on the Topflight Stamps blog. There is new inspiration posted often!

Topflight Stamps Supplies Used:

AALL & Create stencil - Components

AALL & Create die set - Skycrossed Paradise

Studio Light Grunge mask - X background

PaperArtsy Fresco paint - Twilight

Creative Expressions Wordies Sentiment Sheets - Birthday

texture paste

Tuesday, June 16, 2026

Waiting for Karma

It's Tuesday so you've got Kathi here today to share a project created for an "Anything Goes" theme this week. I've been in an odd mood so I created an odd card with two of the critters from the Sea Creatures Unmounted Red Rubber Stamp Set KTZ226 by Katzelkraft, a sentiment from the No Regrets Clear Polymer Stamp Set by Visible Image, and patterned paper from the Ombre 6x6 Patterned Paper Pad by Craft Consortium Ltd. I also used Bermuda, Blue Atoll, Della Blue, and Confetti Elements Premium Dye Inks by Lavinia Stamps!

Here it is!

Use Tuxedo Black Memento Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko to stamp the startled-looking odd creature and the pelican from the Sea Creatures Unmounted Red Rubber Stamp Set KTZ226 by Katzelkraft twice — once onto white Copic friendly cardstock and once onto repositionable sticker paper.

Fussy-cut the sticker versions of the stamped creatures and set them aside to be used as masks.

Use Copic markers to color the creatures.

Place a piece of clear acetate horizontally across the image panel right above the bottom of the critters, being sure that the acetate is covering the top of the image panel.

Brush or sponge Bermuda Elements Premium Dye Ink by Lavinia Stamps over the acetate onto the bottom part of the image panel so that it's covering the bottom portion of the creatures. Brush or sponge Blue Atoll Elements Premium Dye Ink over the acetate to complete their watery background.

Remove the acetate. Clean and dry it. Place the sticker paper versions of the critters over their counterparts on the image panel. Place the acetate panel so that it's sitting on the horizontal inked line covering the bottom part of the image panel.

Brush or sponge Della Blue Elements Premium Dye Ink onto the image panel, working horizontally from the top of the panel down to the acetate to create a sky background. Brush or sponge Confetti Elements Premium Dye Ink over the image panel to add some pink hues to the sky.

Use an alcohol filled Fine Spray Misters by Spectrum Noir to mist the background. This will blend and mottle the ink.

Remove the masks and the acetate from the image panel. Use a N6 Copic marker to increase the size of the worried-looking creature's pupil. Use a white gel pen to add a highlight to its pupil.

Use Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko to stamp the "Karma" sentiment from the No Regrets Clear Polymer Stamp Set by Visible Image.

Trim the image panel and edge with Bermuda and Della Blue Elements Premium Dye Inks.

Select a piece of patterned paper from the Ombre 6x6 Patterned Paper Pad by Craft Consortium Ltd. to match the image panel. This will be the background panel.

Adhere the image panel so that it's centered on the patterned paper, then trim the background panel so that there are even borders around it.

Use Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink to edge the patterned paper, then adhere the card front to a 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:

Sea Creatures Unmounted Red Rubber Stamp Set KTZ226 by Katzelkraft

No Regrets Clear Polymer Stamp Set by Visible Image

Ombre 6x6 Patterned Paper Pad by Craft Consortium Ltd.

Bermuda, Blue Atoll, Della Blue, and Confetti Elements Premium Dye Inks by Lavinia Stamps

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko

Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko

Fine Spray Misters by Spectrum Noir

Please Note:

Katzelkraft is no longer in business, but Topflight Stamps still has a nice selection of their wonderful stamps in stock!
The No Regrets Clear Polymer Stamp Set by Visible Image has been retired, but it's still available at Topflight Stamps!
The new colors of VersaFine Clair Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko can be purchased at Topflight Stamps!

Friday, June 12, 2026

Swimming in Color: A Mixed Media Ocean Card

Hello friends! Ericka from Strangely Creative here, and today I'm sharing a project that feels perfectly suited for summer. When I think of summer, I immediately think of sunshine, beach days, and of course, the ocean. So I couldn't resist pulling out one of my favorite fish stamps from PaperArtsy Tracy Scott 79 and creating a colorful underwater scene filled with texture and layers.

🎨 Starting with Gel Prints

One of my favorite ways to create unique cards is by digging through my stash of gel prints. Every print has its own personality, and it's always fun finding new ways to use them.

For this card, I selected one gel print for my background (using Lavina Inks and Lindy's Gang Sprays) and two additional prints for my fish. The variety of colors and textures gave the project an instant underwater feel without requiring a lot of extra work.

That's one of the things I love most about gel printing—the background is already doing a lot of the heavy lifting.

🐟 Building the Ocean Scene

After choosing my prints, I stamped the fish images onto the gel prints and began creating my focal point. To help the main fish stand out, I added color with colored pencils. The extra shading and highlights brought the image to life and created a beautiful contrast against the printed background.

This is one of my favorite tricks when working with gel prints. Even a small amount of coloring can completely transform a stamped image and make it the star of the card.

✂️ Layering for Dimension

Once everything was colored, I fussy cut the fish and began arranging them across the background.

Layering multiple fish instantly created movement and made the card feel more like a lively underwater scene. It's amazing how a few simple layers can add so much depth and interest. To help frame the design, I added one of my signature hand-drawn borders around the card.

✨ Finishing Touches

No summer card is complete without a little sparkle.

To finish the project, I added:

Sentiments from the Lavinia Sentiment Collection
A few gems for shine and dimension
Final details to help guide the eye around the design

The result is a bright, cheerful card that captures everything I love about summer creativity.

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope this project inspires you to dive into your stash, play with your gel prints, and create something colorful this weekend.

Have a wonderful crafty weekend and happy creating! 🌊🐟💙

Topflight Stamp Supplies

PaperArtsy - Tracy Scott 79 Shop at: TP	Lavinia - Sentiment Stickers - Uplifting Collection Shop at: TP	Lavinia - Elements Dye Ink - Blue Atoll Shop at: TP	Lavinia - Elements Dye Ink - Mermaid Shop at: TP
Lindy's Gang - Glitz Spritz Set 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

Thursday, June 11, 2026

Seashell by the Seashore

Hello friends! You've got Colleen here today - this week at Topflight Stamps our theme is Beach / Ocean! I used several items to create a moody ocean themed card. On a couple of pieces of watercolor paper scraps, I sprinkled PaperArtsy Infusions Dye Sleight Blue powder then spritzed with water liberally. Once dry, I used Studio Light Scenery Borders Waves die set to cut out some waves. I set those aside and used the PaperArtsy Sara Naumann Mini 118 seashell stamp to create a focal point on ivory cardstock, stamped with VersaFine Onyx Black Ink. On the card base, I used a PaperArtsy Alison Bomber Summer Edition sentiment stamp and Lavinia Dye Ink Soft Cygnet, stamped repeatedly across the background. Final touches were some enamel dots from my stash, and Hunkydory Classic Pearls.

Hope you have a wonderful week! ~ Colleen