Lace & Layers: A Vintage-Inspired Mixed Media Card

 

Hello friends! Ericka from Strangely Creative here, and I hope you've had a chance to hop along with us for our 8th Birthday Hop! If not, no worries—there’s still time to join the fun and enter for a chance to win some fabulous prizes.
👉 [Click here to join the hop!]

Today I’m sharing a card close to my vintage-loving heart—filled with texture, earthy tones, and a lace-like layered background that all started with a bit of Gel Press playtime!

Earlier this week, I got into full-on experiment mode with the DIY & Cie Spring Break Texture Plate and my Gel Press. I decided to shake things up by using the plate horizontally (instead of the usual vertical layout), pairing it with the dreamy PaperArtsy Bermuda Fresco Paint.

That color alone is enough to make me swoon… but then I had a fun idea: vintage lace vibes! Enter: PaperArtsy Mattint in Nutty. These Mattints are so translucent on the Gel Press that I decided to build it up slowly— One layer of Nutty, dry. Another Nutty layer, dry. Then I pulled the print... and wow! It gave me the most beautiful aged-lace effect—soft, subtle, and oh-so-vintage.

To complement the old-world charm of the background, I reached for Tracy Evans’ Garden Delight stamp set. It was a match made in mixed media heaven! I stamped both the floral image and the sentiment using Versafine Clair Pine Cone and gave them a clear heat emboss to make them stand out. I also added a touch of subtle texture by stamping an additional floral image in Sand Dune and embossing it—it's hard to catch on camera, but it gives the card that quiet richness you feel more than see. 

 

To add a final layer of vintage flair, I used bits of AALL & Create Washi Tape in Cobalt Swallowtail. The muted blues against the warm browns worked beautifully together. I then reached for my trusty ivory and brown Posca pens for a few sketchy highlights, and blended in some Lavinia Truffle Ink for that perfect aged finish around the edges.

This card was such a joy to create—from the playful Gel Press experimentation to the final vintage-inspired details. I hope it inspires you to dig into your stash and try something new—maybe even turn a happy accident into a beautiful background!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Be sure to hop along with us and don’t forget to check out the awesome birthday sale going on now.
Happy creating! 💕

 

Topflight Stamp Supplies 

DIY & Cie - Texture Plate - Spring Break Shop at: TP	Tracy Evans - Garden Delight Shop at: TP	AALL & Create - Washi Tape Cobalt Swallowtail Shop at: TP	WOW! Embossing - Clear Shop at: TP	WOW! Embossing - Clear Embossing Pad Shop at: TP
Lavinia - Elements Dye Ink - Truffle Shop at: TP	Tsukineko - VersaFine Clair - Pine Cone Shop at: TP	Tsukineko - Versafine Clair - Sand Dune Shop at: TP	PaperArtsy - Fresco Chalk Paint - Bermuda Shop at: TP
PaperArtsy - Mattint Nutty Shop at: TP	Gel Press - Reusable Gel Printing Plate Shop at:  TP	Lavinia 5/8 Stencil Brush Shop at: TP	Speedball - 2" Brayer Shop at: TP

Reindeer Head Birthday

Hello!  It's Colleen with you again during the Topflight Stamps Celebration Week!  I've got a masculine birthday card to share.

I started with this realistic brick background paper from Craft Consortium Brick Textures pad, and pulled colors from it for the rest of the card.  This paper pad has a lot of different brick textures, in all kinds of colors, so versatile.  This cute Dixi Craft Reindeer Head die became the focal point of the card.  I die cut multiples and stacked several on top of one another, to give dimension.  The sentiment is from Visible Image Go To Words, a staple in my stamp stash.  After stamping it, I fussy-cut and lightly inked the edges with light brown.  The final touch was some burlap ribbon trim I had on hand.

Supplies Used From the Topflight Stamps Store:

Dixi Craft Reindeer Head Die

Visible Image Go To Words Stamp Set

Craft Consortium Brick Textures Paper Pad

 

Keep on Hopping & A Stampotique Butterfly Birthday Card

Hello, Lisa Hoel here. Have you participated in our annual Topflight Stamps Birthday Blog Hop? You'll find loads of inspiration and a chance to win a prize! Check out the main post HERE. I made an additional card for the week and chose the Butterfly & Dragon stamp set to use for this birthday card:

The background is a Gel Press print and I embossed the sentiment with Opaque Bright White embossing 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 on the Topflight Stamps blog. There is new inspiration posted daily!

Topflight Stamps Supplies Used:

Stampotique by Katzelkraft stamp set - Butterfly & Dragon

Visible Image stamp set - Go To Words

WOW! embossing powder - Opaque Bright White

WOW! embossing ink pad

Gel Press Plate

Topflight Stamps 8th Birthday Hop & Celebration!

 

It's Topflight Stamps' 8th birthday and to celebrate, we’ve teamed up with some great designers to showcase celebratory projects using the unique products available at Topflight Stamps. Please hop along with us and see all the beautiful talent from this group of amazing designers! (List of Hop stops below!) We are also Hopping on Instagram! You can start at the Topflight Stamps account @topflightstamps .

Did we mention there will be prizes?

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Of course, it wouldn’t be a birthday celebration without prizes! Topflight Stamps is giving four lucky winners $50 Gift Certificates to the store. Two winners will be chosen from commenters below on the blog hop and two will be chosen from commenters on the IG hop. For a chance to win, make sure to visit the stops on the hop and leave a comment by April 1st. Winners will be announced on the Topflight Stamps blog on Thursday, April 3rd. U.S.A winners only due to shipping issues. Good Luck!

Check out this beautiful art from two of our talented designers! This is just a taste of the inspiration in store for you! Follow the links below to see it all and comment for a chance to win a prize.

Art by Connie Mercer

Art by Esther Asbury

Kathi Rerek

Dina Kowal

Esther Asbury

Annette Allen

Rachel Kleinman

Connie Mercer

Lisa Hoel Gwen Lafleur Colleen Dietrich

Ericka Strange

Autumn Clark

Natasha Vacca Colleen Balija

Alanna Moses Sara Naumann

Don't forget we're also having a SALE in the store during the celebration. Check out the selection of stamps and other goodies sourced from all around the world!

Celebrate!

 Greetings! This week's theme over at Topflight Stamps is Celebrations! 

Greetings! You've got Kathi here today to share a card with you. Our theme this week is Celebrations! 

Here's a card that could work with many occasions that was created with the Pandamonium Party Clear Stamp Set by Time for Tea Designs and the Celebrate Strip Red Rubber Cling Stamp by Darkroom Door.

Use Tuxedo Black Memento Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko to stamp one of the pandas from the Pandamonium Party Clear Stamp Set by Time for Tea Designs twice — once onto white cardstock and once onto repositionable sticker paper. Stamp the balloons from the Pandamonium Party Clear Stamp Set twice as well. Fussy-cut the sticker paper versions of the panda and balloons and place them over their counterparts as masks.

Position the small rounded rectangle from the Bubble Talk Die Set 72 by AALL and Create over the masked Panda and balloons and use low-tack tape to secure the die to the image panel. Run the image panel/die combination through your die-cut machine. 

Carefully flip the die and use low-tack tape to attach the reverse of the die-cut to the reverse of the mage panel. Flip the the panel right-side up keeping the cutting die in place. 

Lightly brush Della Blue Elements Ink by Lavinia Stamps over the die and the masked images onto the image panel to create a sky background.  Tear a piece of Repositionable sticker paper and place it horizontally, slightly below the Panda's feet. Lightly brush Pine Elements Ink over the sticker paper onto the the image panel to create a grassy lawn.

Remove the low-tack tape, the cutting die, and the masks. Color the images with Copic markers.  Set the image panel die-cut aside.

Choose a piece of patterned paper from the Retro Summer 6x6 Patterned Paper Pad by Craft Consortium Ltd to use as a background layer. Place it onto the base of a stamping platform, secured with low-tack tape and/or magnets. Position the Celebrate Strip Red Rubber Cling Stamp by Darkroom Door so that it aligns to the top and left of the 6x6 patterned paper. Ink the stamp with Blue Belle VersaFine Clair Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko and stamp. Re-ink and stamp again if needed to attain a good impression. Remove the stamped patterned paper from the stamping platform and heat set.

Trim the background panel to 4.125" wide and pat it with an anti-static pouch. Use magnets and/or low-tack tape to secure the panel to a magnetic mat. Use magnets and/or low-tack tape to secure a confetti or other festive stencil over the stamped patterned paper panel. Use magnets or a ruler (or a panel of masking paper) to cover the stamped portion on the left. Sponge embossing ink over the stencil. Add clear glittery embossing powder to the inked and stenciled area, dump the excess back into the container, and heat set.

Remove the ruler, stencil, and low-tack tape from the background. Heavily edge the panel with Blue Belle VersaFine Clair Ink and heat set. Adhere the panel to a white textured A2 card. Adhere the image panel die-cut 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:

Pandamonium Party Clear Stamp Set by Time for Tea Designs

         Celebrate Strip Red Rubber Cling Stamp by Darkroom Door

Bubble Talk Die Set 72 by AALL and Create

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

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko

Della Blue and Pine Elements Inks by Lavinia Stamps

Blue Belle VersaFine Clair Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko

Thanks for visiting today!

Sunflower Dreams & Blush Parcels

 

Hello friends! Ericka from Strangely Creative here, and today I’m sharing a card that’s bursting with color, texture, and one of my absolute favorite things… a big, bold sunflower! 🌞 I had so much fun playing with this gorgeous floral stamp by Tracy Evans, pairing it with a dreamy gel press background and some whimsical touches from AALL & Create’s Blush Parcels Washi Tape.

 

It all started with a gel press print I made using PaperArtsy Mattints in Ash, Jam, and Shark. (Side note: aren’t those names so deliciously moody?) The mix of deep neutrals and soft color gave me just the right amount of grunge-meets-pretty—perfect for layering!

I stamped Tracy Evans’ sunflower onto Bristol Smooth paper using Versafine Clair Sand Dune ink and gave it a touch of shimmer and dimension with clear embossing. Then came the watercoloring magic: my Spectrum Noir Watercolor Markers brought this beauty to life in warm, vibrant shades. Once dry, I fussy cut it and set it aside like a crown jewel, waiting for its grand placement.

Before gluing down my sunflower, I layered strips of AALL & Create’s Blush Parcels Washi Tape behind it—just enough to peek through and add a hint of delicate contrast. I also added a sweet sentiment and a little insect friend using Versafine Clair inks in Baby Pink and Arctic (such a dreamy combo!).

To finish, I reached for the Creative Expressions Birthday Sentiment Sheets and gave my sentiment a Mattint makeover to match the rest of the card.

I love how this card turned out—grungy, elegant, a little whimsical, and totally full of sunflower joy. 🌻 It’s amazing what happens when you combine texture, layers, and unexpected color combos!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you leave feeling a little more inspired—and maybe ready to play with some bold florals yourself. Have a wonderful weekend and happy crafting, my friends!

Topflight Stamps Supplies

Tracy Evans Boutique - Sunflower Shop at: TP	Creative Expressions - Sentiment Sheets - Birthday Shop at: TP	Versafine Clair - Sand Dune Shop at: TP	Versafine Clair - Baby Pink Shop at: TP	Versafine Clair - Arctic Shop at: TP
AALL & Create - Washi Tape Blush Parcels Shop at: TP	WOW! Embossing - Clear Shop at:  TP	Spectrum Noir - Colorista Watercolour Markers - Botanical Shop at: TP	Spectrum Noir - Colorista Watercolour Markers - Vibrant Shop at: TP
PaperArtsy - Mattint Ash Shop at: TP	PaperArtsy - Mattint Jam Shop at: TP	PaperArtsy - Mattint Shark Shop at: TP	Gel Press - Reusable Gel Printing Plate Shop at:  TP
	Speedball - 2" Brayer Shop at: TP