Hand Made Birthday Card with an Inked, Stencilled and Embossed Background

Hi Everyone, This is the first of a few different stencilled cards that I have been making recently to demonstrate the different effects that you can create with stencils. I started by making a few inked backgrounds, this one was made using Distress Oxide inks (colours are listed below).

Start with a piece of white card stock approximately 9 x 15cm. Using a craft mat smoosh ink from three or four colours of Distress Oxide ink pads on to the mat and spritz each one lightly with water. Dip and drag the white card through the inks, building up layers of colour. Dry the ink with a heat gun between layers of colour to 'set' it and stop the colours all running together and becoming 'muddy'. You can use a foam ink blending tool to apply ink to any gaps in colour or to make areas of colour bolder. If the card is a bit warped when it is dry just run it through your embossing machine to flatten it out.

For the stencilling, use stencil tape to attach the card to a board or similar flat surface, (I used an old place mat), then use more tape to attach the stencil over the card. Apply texture paste with a spatula spreading it evenly all over the stencil. texture paste dries out quite quickly so remember to put the lid back on the pot and to wash your stencil and spatula as soon as possible with warm water and washing up liquid. 

Once the texture paste is on, carefully lift off the stencil and whilst the texture paste is still wet sprinkle silver embossing powder all over it. Shake the excess off onto a piece of paper and funnel back in to the pot. Leave the card until the texture paste is dry then heat the embossing powder with a heat gun until it is all melted.

Trim the edges of the stencilled card and mount on blue card with double sided tape, cut a strip of white vellum about 20cm long and 2.5cm wide, wrap  this around the blue card, stick at the back with double sided tape then attach the whole thing to the front of an A6 white card blank (tenfold) leaving a small margin of white card at the top and bottom.

A silver Happy Birthday peel off and some purple adhesive candies on the vellum strip finish the whole thing off.

I am really pleased with the way this card has turned out, I love the blend of colours on the background and the glitz and texture of the embossed design. Thanks for reading, hope you like it too.

Debbie x

Supplies used:

• White A6 card blank and envelope
• White and blue card
• Cracked Pistachio, Wilted Violet and Broken China Distress Oxide inks
• Ranger texture paste
• Woodware stencil tape
• Tim Holtz layering stencil Floral
• White vellum
• Double sided tape 6mm
• Silver Birthday Wishes peel off
• Purple adhesive candies
• Heat gun
• Silver embossing powder
• Foam ink blending tool