Rustic Wishes

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: 5.5 x 8.5, scored and folded at 4.25

Card Face: Kraft- 5.5 x 4.25

Border:Kraft - 5.5 x 2.5

Small piece of Kraft for sentiment and tiny snowflakes

Border Layer:

• I secured the stencil to the border piece, positioning it so that the arc in the pattern would fall midpoint on the right-hand side.

• I applied a bright red ink across the entire surface. (Bright red ink darkens on Kraft cardstock.)

Other:

• I put the smaller piece of Kraft paper into my stamp positioner: using the same red ink, I stamped the sentiment repeatedly to saturate the cardstock. I immediately applied clear embossing powder***, using my heat tool to set it. I die-cut it with a stitched circle die.

• I punched out 5 tiny snowflakes.

• I used a corner rounder punch on both the top and bottom right-hand corners.

Assembly:

• I glued the card face to the card base, and then glued the border strip onto this, aligning on the left-hand side.

• I added the sentiment, nestling it into the arc created by the stencil.

• I scattered the tiny snowflakes randomly on the right-hand side.

• I added three small dark red gems into the center of the snowflakes on the borders.

Technique:

*** I have found that I can emboss dye-based ink if a) I saturate the cardstock and b) I move very very quickly to sprinkle the powder on and heat set it. (I have everything ready to go, I even have the container of powder open and ready.) The ink dries very quickly, but by saturating the cardstock you can stretch the time just long enough to complete the task.

Final thoughts:

This card was an experiment: I found Kraft cardstock at Dollarama, and I wanted to see how it would take ink - it seemed to work well for this design, I’ll definitely be trying this again.

I love all things retro/distressed/rustic, so this card is a win in my books.

Supplies: (and links where possible)

I have listed which products I have used, and where they may be purchased. It's a huge marketplace and in most instances, there are multiple sources and many alternatives to choose from.

Stencil: Flakes Meltdown, A Colorful Life Designs

Stamps: Sentiment - Farmhouse Christmas, Stampin’ Up! (retired)

Ink: Stampin’ Up!

Mint Tape:Scrapbook.com

Blending Brushes: Stampin’ Up!

Red Ink: Stampin’ Up!

Stamping Platform: Misti, Spellbinders

The platform I use has retired, but the Misti is very similar.

Snowflake Punch: Michaels

Corner Rounder Punch: Fiskars, Amazon

Card Base: Accent 100 lb., Amazon

Kraft cardstock: Dollarama

The Gifts of Cardmaking: Fostering Creativity and Building Connections