Cast a Spell with Lavinia Stamps and Inks

It's Topflight Stamps Tuesday. This week the team is showcasing Inks, which is such a great theme as I love and adore all inks. Since it's Halloween season, I decided to create a spellbinding scene with Lavinia Stamps Elements Premium Dye Inks and their Faba Clear Polymer Stamp, the Hocus and Pocus Clear Polymer Stamp Set, the Bat Colony Clear Polymer Stamp, and the Spanish Moss Foliage Clear Polymer Stamp Set.

Here's the card!

Topflight Stamps Products Used:

Faba Clear Polymer Stamp by Lavinia Stamps

Hocus and Pocus Clear Polymer Stamp Set by Lavinia Stamps

Bat Colony Clear Polymer Stamp by Lavinia Stamps

Spanish Moss Foliage Clear Polymer Stamp Set  by Lavinia Stamps

Acetate Circles Masks by Lavinia Stamps

Pine, Sundance, Russet Orange, Confetti, Violet Chalk, Dark Denim, and Olive Green Elements Inks by Lavinia Stamps

Nocturne, Spruce, and Shady Lane VersaFine Clair Inks by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko

Gelly Roll Bold Line Clear Glittering Ink Pen by Sakura

Fine Spray Misters by Spectrum Noir

Other Products Used:

Bristol Paper by Strathmore

Black Textured Cardstock by Bazzill Basics

Prismacolor Colored Pencils by Sanford

Zig Clear Color Real Brush Markers by Kuretake

White and Olive Green Chalk Pencils by General's Pencil Company

Uni-Posca Acrylic Paint Markers by Mitsubishi Pencil

Occasions Small Talk idea-ology Stickers by Tim Holtz for Advantus

White Gelly Roll Gel Pen by Sakura

Low-tack Tape

Paint Brushes*

STAY-tion by Wendy Vecchi for Ranger Ink

Glassboard by Glassboard Studio

Stamping Platform

Instructions:

1. Make a 5" x 7" card from black cardstock. Set aside.
2. Place a 5" x 7" piece of Bristol Paper on the STAY-tion and secure with magnets and/or low-tack tape.
3. Use a magnet or low-tack tape to secure the smallest circle mask from the Acetate Circles Mask Set towards the top left of the Bristol Paper panel. 
4. Use brushes or sponges to apply Pine, Sundance, Russet Orange, Confetti, Violet Chalk, Dark Denim, and Elements Inks horizontally across the cardstock, taking care to blend the inks where they meet. 
5. When you're happy with the coverage, mist the inked panel with a water-filled Fine Spray Mister. 
6. Dab the big splotches with a paper towel, remove the circle mask, then heat set the panel thoroughly. 
7. If the cardstock curls, place the panel on the platform of a die-cut machine sandwiched inside a folded piece of copier paper. Place both cutting plates over the copier paper and run the sandwich through the die-cut machine several times to flatten it.
8. Place the flattened panel onto a stamping platform and secure with magnets and/or low-tack tape. 
9. Position the Faba Clear Polymer Stampfacedown on the green-inked area towards the right edge of the inked panel.
10. Press the platform's lid onto the back of the stamp, lift, and ink the stamp with Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink. and stamp. Re-ink and stamp  Faba again if needed to attain a clean image.
11. Remove the Faba Clear Polymer Stamp. 
12. Position the Hocus and Pocus Clear Polymer Stamps facedown on the green-inked area of the the image panel so that they are flanking Faba. 
13. Press the platform's lid onto the back of the stamp, lift, and ink the Hocus and Pocus Clear stamps with Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink. and stamp. Re-ink and stamp again if needed to attain  clean images. Remove the stamps.
14. Place the Bat Colony Clear Polymer Stamp facedown on the image panel so that it's overlapping the moon. 
15. Press the platform's lid onto the back of the stamp, lift, and ink the Bat Colony stamp with Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink. and stamp. Re-ink and stamp again if needed to attain a clean image. Remove the stamps.
16. If there are white spots on the black images, smoosh the Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink Pad onto a piece of acetate (or a glass surface). Use a paint brush to pick up the ink from the acetate and apply the ink to correct the image. *
17. Position the larger stamp from the Spanish Moss Foliage Clear Polymer Stamp Set  along the left side of the image panel with the top of the stamp off of the image panel. 
18. Press the platform's lid onto the back of the Spanish Moss Foliage stamp, lift, ink the stamp with Spruce VersaFine Clair Ink, and stamp. 
19. Clean and dry the stamp, reposition it facedown further down the left side of the image panel. Ink again with Spruce VersaFine Clair Ink and stamp. 
20. Clean and dry the stamp, ink it with Shady Lane VersaFine Clair Ink and stamp.
21. Repeat this process using the second stamp from the Spanish Moss Foliage Clear Polymer Stamp Set until you're happy with the foliage along the left hand side.
22. Throughly heat set the image panel. 
23. Use Gelly Roll Bold Line Clear Stardust Glittering Ink Pen to outline the moon. 
24. Use a small blending brush to apply Olive Green Elements Inks onto small areas under Faba, Hocus, and Pocus to ground them.
25. Add detail to Faba's hair, dress, hat, and lantern with colored pencils and/or watercolor markers. 
26. Use a white chalk pencil to add shading to Faba, Hocus, and Pocus. 
27. Use an olive green chalk pencil to add additional shading under Faba, Hocus, and Pocus. 
28. Use a red glitter pen to add red eyes to Hocus and Pocus.
29. Using a clean wet paint brush, dab the interior of the lantern, then press a piece of paper towel onto the wet spot to lift the ink. 
30. Use watercolor markers or a colored pencil to add an orangish-yellowish glow to the lantern.
31. Use a white gel pen to add a highlight to the lantern.
32. Add colorful dots to the Spanish Moss Foliage with Posca Acrylic paint markers. 
33. Trim the image panel to 4.75" x 6.75" and edge the panel with Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink. 
34. Adhere the image panel to the reserved  5" x 7" black card then finish the card by adding a sentiment sticker.

Notes:

• Dedicate a small round paint brush and a small flat paint brush to be used with Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink.
• If inked or painted cardstock curls, heat set it, then place the panel on the platform of a die-cut machine sandwiched inside a folded piece of copier paper. Place both cutting plates over the copier paper and run the sandwich through the die-cut machine several times to flatten it. Sometimes you have to add an additional piece of cardstock to the sandwich (add between the cutting plates) to increase the pressure on the curled cardstock. This is also a great way to be sure that die-cuts are firmly adhered.