An Encouragement Card for the New Year!

It's Topflight Stamps Tuesday! This week's focus is "Anything Goes". But before I get to my blog post, I wanted to remind you that there's a Winter Sale going on right now!

Here's an encouragment card created with the Faerie Magic Polymer Stamp Set and the Ripples Stencil, both by Visible Image. Both the stamp set and the stencil are retired but are still available at Topflight Stamps so you should get them while you still can! I also used Lindy's Gang's Magical Pigment Powders from both the Nantucket Pearls Set and the Steampunk Soirée Set. The sentiments are from the Motivation Station Ephemera Die-cuts 55 by AALL and Create.

Topflight Stamps Products Used:

Faerie Magic Polymer Stamp Set by Visible Image

Ripples Stencil by Visible Image

Whale Watch Blue and Salt Water Taffy Magical Pigment Powders from the Nantucket Pearls Magical Pigment Powders Set by Lindy's Gang

Petticoat Plum Magical Pigment Powder from the Steampunk Soirée Magical Pigment Powders Set by Lindy's Gang

Motivation Station Ephemera Die-cuts 55 by AALL and Create

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko

Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko

Stardust Clear Glittering Gel Ink Pen by Sakura

Other Products Used:

Bristol Paper by Strathmore

Black Heavystock Cardstock

Alcohol Markers:

Copic: 

  Skin: BV000, BV0000, RV91, E50, E21, E11, E00, E000, R20

  Hair: B66, B63, B60, RB2, FV2, Blue Grey (my own blend)

  Wings: V93, V91

  Circles: C0

Shinhan Touch:
Blue Grey/BG 7, BG5, BG3

Gold Glitter Marker by Grabie

Paint Brushes

Paint Palette

Roll of paper towels

Pigma Black Pen by Sakura

New Canvas Palette Ink by Stewart Superior

Low-tack Tape

5 x 7 Card Creator Die Set by Spellbinders

Repositionable Sticker Paper by Avery

STAY-tion by Wendy Vecchi

Glassboard by Glassboard Studios

Stamping Platform

Instructions:

1. Create a 5" x 7" card from heavy black cardstock. Set aside.
2. Place a 5" x 7" piece of Bristol Paper onto a stamping platform secured with magnets and/or low-tack tape.
3. Use Tuxedo Black Memento Ink to stamp the fairy from the Faerie Magic Polymer Stamp Set twice — once onto a 5" x 7" piece of Bristol Paper and once onto repositionable sticker paper. 
4. Color the fairy with Copic markers. 
5. Fussy-cut the sticker paper version and place it over its counterpart on the image panel as a mask.
6. Position the wing stamps from Faerie Magic Polymer Stamp Set facedown on either side of the masked fairy. 
7. Ink the wing stamps with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink and stamp them twice — once onto a 5" x 7" piece of Bristol Paper and once onto repositionable sticker paper. 
8. Use a black fineliner to fix any missing linework, specifically between the wings and the fairy. 
9. Color the wings with Copic markers. 
10. Outline the wings with Stardust Clear Glittering Gel Ink Pen then use the same Copic markers to spread the glittering gel ink over the wings.*
11. Outline the circles along and under the fairy with Stardust Clear Glittering Gel Ink Pen.
12. Use a C0 Copic marker to blend the glittering ink over the circles.
13. Fussy-cut the sticker paper version of the wings and place them over their counterparts on the image panel as masks.
14. Add a small amount of water to three wells of a paint palette. 
15. Add a small amount of Whale Watch Blue, Salt Water Taffy (from the Nantucket Pearls Magical Pigment Powders Set by Lindy's Gang), and Petticoat Plum Magical Pigment (from the Steampunk Soirée Magical Pigment Powders Set) powders to each well.  Mix each powder with the water to dissolve it. 
16. Test the colors you've created. You can always dilute with additional water to lighten the color or add more pigment powder to deepen the color.
17. Use a paint brush to paint clear water around the image panel. 
18. Use a separate paint brush for each color of the diluted pigment powders to apply them to the image panel until you're happy with the the result.*
19. Mist the panel with water to encourage color blending. 
20. Roll paper towels across the panel to pick up excess paint, then thoroughly heat set the image panel. 
21. Place the dry image panel onto a magnetic surface.
22. Place the Ripples Stencil facedown over the image panel, secured with magnets and/or low-tack tape. 
23. Sponge white hybrid ink over the stencil onto the image panel.
24. Remove the stencil and clean it.
25. Remove the masks from the wings and the fairy. 
26. Use a black fineliner to touch up any areas that need it. 
27. Outline the fairy and the wings with a gold glitter pen. 
28. Heat set the white hybrid ink and the gold glitter marker.
29. Use Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink to stamp the rings from the Faerie Magic Polymer Stamp Set as shown. 
30. Use Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink to stamp the small circle stamp from the Faerie Magic Polymer Stamp Set repeatedly along the bottom.
31. Use the largest die from the 5x7 Card Creator Die Set to cut the image panel.
32.  Edge the image panel/die-cut with Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink. 
33. Adhere the card to the reserved 5" x 7" black card. 
34. Choose sentiment die-cuts from the Motivation Station Ephemera Die-cut Set 55. 
35. Use a black marker to cover their white edges. 
36. Adhere the sentiment die-cuts to finish the card.

Notes:

• You can add glittery elements to your piece by applying some Stardust Clear Glittering Gel Ink Pen, then spreading the gel ink with a Copic marker or other alcohol ink markers. When you're done, clean the nib of the marker by swiping it across a piece of scrap cardstock until it's clean.
• Painting water along the edge of a colored image, then applying diluted pigments is a bit loosey-goosey and unpredictable to me. I clearly need to loosen up.