Reach for the Stars

Happy July 4th! I hope that you're having a wonderful holiday and are celebrating with this sale!

Greetings! It's Tuesday, my day to share a project created for Topflight Stamps. This week my teammates and I are exploring stars, so I've made an encouragement card with star stamps, stencils, and loads of ink!

Topflight Stamps Products Used:

Nothing To Wear Clear Polymer Stamp Set by Visible Image

Time Tunnel Stencil Visible Image

Scripted Stars Clear Stamp 468 by Bipasha BK for AALL and Create

Voyager Clear Stamp Set 198 by Olga Heldwein for AALL and Create

Smitten with Stars Stencil 121 by Autour de Mwa for AALL and Create

Emperor Red, Blue Lagoon, and Sundance Elements Inks by Lavinia Stamps

Paradise and Nocturne VersaFine Clair Inks by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko

Other Products Used:

Solar White Classic Crest Cardstock by Neenah Papers

Raven Cardstock by Bazzill Basics

Simply Radiant Stencil by Heffy Doodle

Black and Lavender Chalk Pencils by General's Pencils

91% Isopropyl Alcohol

STAY-tion by Wendy Vecchi for Ranger Ink

Stamping Platform

Instructions:

1. Cut a piece of raven cardstock to 10" x 7". Score at 5", and fold to form a 5" x 7" card. Set aside.
2. Cut white cardstock into two pieces - one 4" square, the other 4.75" x 6.75".
3. Brush Emperor Red onto opposite corners of both pieces of cardstock with heavier concentrations of color closer to the edges and lighter concentrations towards the center.
4. Repeat Step #3 with Blue Lagoon Elements Ink. There should be minimal blending. 
5. Brush Sundance Elements Ink onto the lighter areas. 
6. Spray 91% Isopropyl Alcohol was spritzed onto both inked panels until the paper is completely saturated.
7. Let the alcohol sit for a few seconds to let it blend and lighten the inks.
8. Heat set the papers. The airflow will move the alcohol and ink around a bit.
9. Brush Blue Lagoon Elements Ink over the Time Tunnel Stencil onto the 4" square panel.
10. Use magnets to secure the stenciled 4" square panel to the base of a stamping platform.
11. Place the tee-shirt stamp from the Nothing To Wear Clear Polymer Stamp Set facedown on the image panel so that the center of the Tunnel is where you'd like it to be.
12. Press the platform lid onto the back of the stamp and lift.
13. Ink the stamp with Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink by and stamp the tee shirt,
14. Heat set.
15. Remove the tee-shirt stamp from the platform. 
16. Position the star stamp from the Nothing To Wear Clear Polymer Stamp Set facedown on the image panel as desired.
17. Press the platform lid onto the back of the stamp and lift.
18. Ink the stamp with Paradise VersaFine Clair Ink and stamp the star.
19. Use chalk pencils to add dimension to the tee shirt.
20. Fussy-cut the tee shirt, edge it with a black marker, and set aside.
21. Secure the 4.75" x 6.75" inked panel onto the base of the stamping platform with magnets.
22. Position the Scripted Stars Clear Stamp 468  facedown onto the top right of the panel.
23. Press the platform lid onto the back of the stamp and lift.
24. Ink the stamp with Paradise VersaFine Clair Ink and stamp the Scripted Stars.
25. Clean and dry the stamp.
26. Flip the background panel 180° and secure with magnets.
27. Position the Scripted Stars Clear Stamp 468  facedown onto the top right of the panel. Remember that the stamp should be upside down as panel was flipped.
28. Press the platform lid onto the back of the stamp and lift.
29. Ink the stamp with Paradise VersaFine Clair Ink and stamp the Scripted Stars again.
30. Remove the background panel from the stamping platform and place it onto the STAY-tion.
31. Brush Blue Lagoon Elements Ink over the Smitten with Stars Stencil 121 onto the top left and bottom right of the panel.
32. Place the background panel back onto the base of the stamping platform. Secure it with magnets.
33. Position the "reach for the stars" sentiment from the Voyager Clear Stamp Set 198  facedown on the upper left of the panel.
34. Press the platform lid onto the back of the stamp and lift.
35. Ink the sentiment stamp with Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink and stamp the the panel. Heat set.
36. Edge the background panel with Blue Lagoon Elements Ink
37. Use dimensional foam adhesive to adhere the fussy-cut reserved tee-shirt to the background panel.
38. Adhere the card front to the reserved black card.

Notes: 

• I was delighted to discover that Isopropyl Alcohol works really well with both dye and pigment inks on regular cardstock (not mixed media, watercolor, or Bristol papers) and does not pill or bend the cardstock.
• When you lightly mist the inked cardstock with alcohol, the result will be small dots and splotches of white, much like misting with water. 
• When you saturate the inked cardstock with alcohol, let it sit for a bit. The inks will start to blend.
• The air flow from an embossing gun will move the inks, leaving cool edges and patterns.
• Please note that I only used 91% Isopropyl Alcohol for these projects. I don't know how the 70% version works. I'll likely experiment a bit since I have that too!
• I did discover that Purell does blend inks as well. 
• SAFETY WARNING: Be sure to have a window open when working with any kind of solvent.