Easy Stamping for Multiple Cards Technique

I have 5 cards for you today, and the technique I use is easy and fun! All of these images were colored with Prismacolor pencils.

I have discovered that I really enjoy listening to podcasts in the evening. There are SO many out there now that are entertaining, interesting, and educational. But I don't like to just sit and listen; I prefer to also be doing something else. The perfect something else to do is something with my favorite hobby, papercrafting. I can sit for hours in the evening, coloring. I have also learned that listening to podcasts is the perfect activity when I have a boring organizational task to do; or when I am making multiples of cards and am putting all of the parts together.

When making these cards, I chose Prismacolor coloring. I started by die-cutting 5 panels from different colors of cardstock, and arranged this beautiful floral stamp from Gina K Designs across the top of one of the panels. This technique works best if you use a stamp platform. In this case, I used the MISTI.

I stamped the top of each panel using a light color of ink. I don't think it matters what color you used, but I chose Distress inks in colors that coordinated with the Prismacolor palette I would use.

I flipped the panel around 180 degrees and stamped it again, so that I had it stamped on both the top and bottom. I chose Prismacolor pencils in 5 different color palettes, plus greens for the leaves and started coloring. Oh, and be sure to LEAVE THE STAMP IN YOUR STAMP PLATFORM. Do not move your stamp. This is crucial for the last step.

Work in Progress

I kind of like how the coloring looks at this point - almost like no-line coloring, but I'm not stopping here. Once all the coloring is finished, I put each panel back into the MISTI, where the stamp is still in place, and stamped the images (top and bottom) again with Versamark ink. I then embossed each one with different embossing powders.

By the way, this one was done on Strathmore Mixed Media paper in Gray Tone. I love this cardstock, it's very heavy (146#) and I love the gray. I'll be using it quite a bit in the future.

I love, love, love how these turn out, and how easy they are to make. I enjoy coloring anyway, and listening to podcasts makes the time fly and before I know it, I've finished another one.

If colored pencil coloring is not your thing, you can make these cards with markers, watercolors, pan pastels, or your medium of choice.

To complete the cards, I either stamped and embossed a sentiment, or used a die-cut sentiment in the center. Looking at my stash of cards, I was low on Birthday and get well cards, so now I have quite a few! Each panel was mounted on a coordinating mat and then on a base card, and done!

By the way, this stamp (Magenta 07.806.K Sending You) is one of my favorite get well sentiments (I don't like to command people to get well - they are doing their best to on their own; also, not everyone who isn't well is sick - sometimes they are recovering from an injury or surgery). This stamp however is very long and only fits on a card in the horizontal position. I often split it apart as I have done here. In fact, I have now actually cut it apart to make it easier to position just the way I want.

I hope you'll try this technique. Using a stamp platform and being able to flip the card around and stamp it twice made this very easy to do. I am going to look through all of my stamps to find more that will lend themselves to this style. I'm sure I have quite a few! Even if your stamp is large, you only need to use part of it and stamp off the panel. I'll be using this same technique to make some Christmas cards that I will be showing soon.

Products used:

Card #1 Happy Birthday Blues

Gina K Designs 4365 You Make Me Smile (Floral)

Papertrey Ink Think Big Favorites 13 (Happy Birthday)

Die-Namics MFT-463 Blueprints 13 die set (stitched rectangle)

Prismacolors: PC992 Light Aqua, PC905 Aquamarine, 

PC1027 Peacock Blue, PC1004 Yellow Chartreuse, PC1005 Limepeel, 

PC911 Olive Green, PC908 Dark Green

Versamark Ink

JudiKins Silver embossing powder

Deep Blue Cardstock from The Paper Cut

Stardream Silver cardstock

Neenah Solar White 110# cardstock

Card #2 Happy Birthday Oranges on White

Gina K Designs 4365 You Make Me Smile (Floral)

Savvy 10221 Happy Birthday die

Die-Namics MFT-463 Blueprints 13 die set (stitched rectangle)

Prismacolors: PC921 Pale Vermillion, PC1002 Yellowed Orange,

PC1003 Spanish Orange, PC1004 Yellow Chartreuse, PC1005 Limepeel, 

PC911 Olive Green, PC908 Dark Green

Versamark Ink

JudiKins Gold embossing powder

Stardream Fairway cardstock

Gold Polish cardstock

Neenah Solar White cardstock 80# & 110#

Card #3 Birthday Kraft and Red

Gina K Designs 4365 You Make Me Smile (Floral)

Papertrey Ink Think Big Favorites 13 (Happy Birthday)

Die-Namics MFT-463 Blueprints 13 die set (stitched rectangle)

Prismacolors: PC928 Blush Pink, PC926 Carmine Red,

PC924 Crimson Red, PC925 Crimson Lake, PC1004 Yellow Chartreuse,

PC1005 Limepeel, PC911 Olive Green, PC908 Dark Green

Versamark Ink

JudiKins Gold embossing powder

Paper Accent Natural Kraft cardstock

Stardream Jupiter cardstock

Neenah Solar White cardstock 110#

Card #4 Speedy Recovery Blues

Gina K Designs 4365 You Make Me Smile (Floral)

Magenta 07.806.K Sending Warm Thoughts

Die-Namics MFT-463 Blueprints 13 die set (stitched rectangle)

Prismacolors: PC919 Non-Photo Blue, PC903 True Blue,

PC906 Copenhagen Blue, PC901 Indigo Blue, PC1004 Yellow Chartreuse,

PC1005 Limepeel, PC911 Olive Green, PC908 Dark Green

Versamark Ink

Distress Oxide Salty Ocean ink

JudiKins Clear Detail embossing powder

Blue Malmero Pearl carstock

Neenah Solar White 110# cardstock

Strathmore Mixed Media paper in Toned Gray

Card #5 Speedy Recovery Purples and Black
Gina K Designs 4365 You Make Me Smile (Floral)

Magenta 07.806.K Sending Warm Thoughts

Die-Namics MFT-463 Blueprints 13 die set (stitched rectangle)
Prismacolors: PC996 Black Grape, Pc1008 Parma Violet, PC956 Lilac,

PC934 Lavender, PC938 White, PC1004 Yellow Chartreuse,

PC1005 Limepeel, PC911 Olive Green, PC908 Dark Green

Versamark Ink

JudiKins Opaque White embossing powder

Papertrey Ink True Black cardstock

So Silk Passion Purple cardstock

Neenah Solar White cardstock

Distress Oxide Glaze Technique: Black and White

I have a friend who really likes darker, more somber colors. This is the opposite of me! I love rich, jewel tones, but I respect my friend's preferences, so every year I make her a birthday card in black and white.

This year I thought I would try to make her card using black alcohol ink, but I couldn't make it work. When thinned with additional alcohol, the black alcohol ink turns into shades of pink and blue. It's very odd. So I decided to use the Distress Oxide glaze technique instead; which usually ends up looking a little like alcohol ink to me.

You can see my post on how to do the Distress Oxide glaze technique here. For this card, I used only the Black Soot Distress Oxide. I put it on my mat and spritzed it with water and "smooshed" the glossy cardstock into the ink several times; drying in between each smoosh. I intentionally left  a little more white space on this panel that previous ones.

I die cut the glazed panel and also a piece of black cardstock with the MFT-463 Blueprints 13 stitched rectangle die to give them my favorite finished edge. I then cut both pieces at an angle, like the cards in my previous post.

Using a stamp positioner platform, I took a lovely new floral stamp that I recently acquired from Gina K Designs, 4365 "You Make Me Smile" and stamped it simultaneously onto the black and the glazed pieces of cardstock, using Versafine Onyx Black ink.

I embossed the black panel with JudiKins Opaque White embossing powder, and the glazed panel using JudiKins detail clear embossing powder. Although I have learned that inks other that StazOn do not dry properly on the glazed surface, you can emboss your stamping, and it doesn't hurt the surface.

I stamped the sentiment from Savvy Stamps at the top of the black panel, and embossed it with white embossing powder as well. I adhered both panels to a piece of Stardream Silver cardstock and used a small strip of the silver across the seam of the two pieces. I mounted the whole thing onto a card base of Neenah Solar White 110# cardstock.

I hope you like how it turned out, and even more, I hope she did! Before you go, here's a photo (sorry for the quality, it was taken with my phone) of her card from last year. It was a specially made mini masterpiece card. In real life this card turned out very pretty with some silver foil accents. You can see how the mini masterpiece cards are made here, here, and some die cut mini masterpieces here, here, and here. There are more too; just search the blog for mini masterpiece. So fun. 

Products Used (Oxide Glaze card)

Gina K Designs stamp 4365 You Make Me Smile

Savvy Stamp 1425D Best Birthday

Distress Oxide - Black Soot

Distress Glaze Medium

Versamark ink

Versafine Onyx Black ink

JudiKins Clear Detail embossing powder

JudiKins Opaque White embossing powder

Ranger Alcohol Ink cardstock

Papertrey Ink True Black cardstock

Stardream Silver cardstock

Neenah Solar White 110# cardstock

MFT-463 Blueprints 13 die