Let Hope Be Your Lighthouse

Would you like to experiment with a design like this? You'll find a supply list below, including a link to the stencil I used from A Colorful Life Designs . Follow the link and use discount code ChrisFan10 to save 10% on your entire order! (Master Creator Bundles are excluded as they already have a 20% discount built in.)

Let’s Get Started:

Card Base: 5.25 x 10.5, scored and folded at 5.25

Black Border: 5 x 5

Card Face: 4 7/8 x 4 7/8

Small Scrap of Cardstock for Sentiment

Card Face:

• I quickly inked the first layer of the Layered Square Mandala stencil set on a piece of copy paper. I also traced around the outside of the stencil. (Since this would not be used on the card, I didn't care what colour was used for this.) Once done, I carefully cut out one of the four patterns, leaving the other three intact. I now had a mask that would only allow ink to hit 1/4 of the surface at a time - perfect for creating a card base in 4 different colours. I also cut around the lines indicating where the outside borders of the stencil were, so the mask was the same size as the stencil.

• I cleaned off my stencil, and secured it to my card face with Mint Tape. I had selected a gradient in blues moving from very light to quite dark, and I started with the lightest colour, lining the mask up with the sides of the stencil. I applied the lightest blue ink, rotated the mask one "turn" and then inked up the next colour. I repeated this two more times - making sure that I was rotating in the same direction each time - until all four colours were done.

• I put the card face into my stamp positioner and added the lighthouse (2 layers, 2 colours), the sand around the base and the light shooting out across the card face.

Other:

• I used a scrap of cardstock and stamped the sentiment in black pigment ink.

• I used clear embossing powder to make the colour more intense.

• I cut the sentiment out with a die and my Big Shot.

Assembly:

I glued the black border to the card base, and then glued the card face on top of this.

I put dimensional tape on the back of the sentiment, and then added that to the card face.

Stretch your Pennies:

note: my card bases are typically white or cream. When I want a different coloured base (as I did here), or a narrow border, I'll simply apply a layer in the appropriate colour, but will often cut a rectangle from the center or use a piece that has already had something cut out of it. I find this to be a more economical way to make cards and no one will ever know as it is sandwiched between the card base and the card face.

Final thoughts:

Once I had the idea to try one layer of the stencil, but four different colours I knew I would have to give it a try. In the end I do like the look. Once I added the lighthouse the blue sections felt very much like a raging sea to me. So the sentiment seemed really appropriate against this backdrop.

Supplies: (and links where possible)

Stencil: Layered Square Mandala, A Colorful Life Designs

Stamps:

Hight Tide, Stampin' Up! (retired)

Blending Brushes: Taylored Expressions, Scrapbook.com.,

Inks:

Dye Based Ink: Stampin' Up!

Black Pigment Ink: Versafine Onyx - Scrapbook.com, Obsidian, Altenew,

the black pigment ink I use is no longer available, but these will perform in a similar manner

Clear Embossing Powder: Wow - Amazon, Scrapbook.com., Simon Says Stamp

Card Base: Accent 100 lb, Amazon

Black Card Stock: Stampin' Up!

Card Face: Accent 80 lb., Amazon

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