So... we've been talking about our new inks so much that it is time, I think, to talk about how to mix up some color! This week's project is a card using our new Creekside Garden stamp set and some of our ink recipes. If you prefer to use Versacolor inks, just skip past ink mixing to the card-making instructions!
Stamps -
Creekside Garden stamp set
"Congratulations" sentiment block stamp
Papers -
Medium Blue 8.5 x 11 half-sheet, folded
White card stock quarter sheet
White card stock scrap
Pink card stock
Goldenrod card stock scrap
Black card stock scrap
You can download our most current ink Recipe Card (in PDF format) with even more colors!
Note: There will be some discrepancy between the colors as they appear on your screen and how they print. Even professionally calibrated printers and screens experience this issue. The recipes will give you consistent results, however.
Inks -
Rubber Stamp Tapestry Bottled Inks - Red, White, Black, Burgundy, Yellow, Blue
Ink Mixing Kit - (contains 4 ink cups, 4 mixing paddles, and a 3" x 3.75" piece of stamping foam, all sold separately)
We'll make the following inks with Rubber Stamp Tapestry Recipes: Primrose, Leaf, Narcissus, and Muscari (the closest Versacolor equivalents are Orchid, Green Tea, Narcissus, and Lapislazuli)
Tools and Embellishments -
Cuttlebug embossing folders - "Birds and Swirls" and "Textile Texture"
Circle die - 3.75 inches in diameter I used Spellbinders Standard Circles Large - S4-114
Gold Paint Pen - Fine Point
Ribbon
Embroidery Thread
You will need some foam, an ink cup (four for this project), an ink paddle, and some inks. Take the square foam piece packaged with the ink cups and cut it into pieces measuring roughly 1.25 x 1.25 inches.
We will use four different colors for the card we are about to make.
These are Rubber Stamp Tapestry's formulated recipes and names:
Primrose (or Versacolor Orchid)
Leaf (or Versacolor Green Tea)
Narcissus (or Versacolor Narcissus)
Muscari (or Versacolor Lapislazuli)
The first color we'll mix up is Primrose. You can see the recipe in the photo above:
1 pea-sized portion of Burgundy and 2 pea-sized portions of White.
Yes, peas come in all sizes! The trick is to make the "peas" of ink the same size, give or take. This does not have to be exact and you can expect some slight variations in the target color and the end color. It is best to make sure your "peas" all fit on the foam surface so you can get a uniform mix!
Stir from the outside borders into the middle of the foam. A circular motion works well in the middle.
The next color we'll mix is Leaf, which is made up of
2 pea-sized Yellows, 1 pea-sized Blue, and a Touch of Red.
Notice that a touch is just a teeny bit!
The recipe for Narcissus, the third color we'll mix, is:
4 pea-sized Whites, 1/3 pea-sized Yellows, and a Touch of Red.
Note the the Yellow looks larger that 1/3 of a pea because it has melted into the White ink.
Now for the Muscari, mix 3 pea-sized Blues, a Touch of Red, and a Touch of White.
Now let's stamp a wreath for a card.
Note: When you stamp on paper versus fabric, you will need less ink and less pressure on the paper. The fabric will grip the stamp more than the paper will so practice when you go from one medium to the other!
On the White quarter-sheet, stamp the branch in Leaf ink.
Stamp the Flower in Primrose ink.
Stamp the Flower in Narcissus ink.
Stamp the Flower in Muscari ink.
Stamp the Fern in Leaf ink.
Use a round die to cut the wreath out and then use a Q-tip to edge the circle in Narcissus ink.
Use a fine-point Gold Paint Pen to edge the circle in an informal, squiggly line.
Glue the medallion to a piece of Pink designer paper and cut around the edge, leaving a pinstripe of pink. Then edge that paper using the Gold Paint Pen and make a dotted border all around with the Gold Paint Pen.
Make the sentiment medallion
Stamp a cluster of three Flowers in Muscari ink and cut out.
Stamp the Branch stamp in Leaf ink and cut out.
Stamp the "Congratulations" stamp in Muscari ink and cut out.
Glue all three cut-outs to a piece of Goldenrod card stock and cut out. Embellish the Goldenrod paper with the Gold Paint Pen. Glue the resulting ensemble to the circular medallion and set aside for now.
Take the Medium Blue card base and run it through the "Birds and Swirls" embossing folder. Then use a piece of foam dipped in a bit of the Muscari ink and scuff some of the raised areas of the embossed card.Edge the bottom border card base with the Gold Paint Pen. Then glue the medallion to the card base and add some ribbon and the sentiment and you're done!
Okay, let's talk about what you said in last week's comments. Mary from Missouri said, "I would still like to see your ideas for a card done in more of a floral scene or incorporated into a picture." Our friends Karen and Carlos of Alextamping in California are some of the industry's best-known and most accomplished landscape stamp designers. They've been in business since 1984. Instead of our inventing the already-lovely wheel, maybe you could make a scene using their stamps, Mary, and then place some of our floral cut-outs in the foreground of your card (I could see dogwood blossoms) so it appears that the viewer is peering at the scene from a thicket of dogwood trees. In fact, I'd love to issue this challenge to all of our readers and see what you come up with!
So what do you think? Just enter your comment in the comment section below for a chance to win the Creekside Garden stamp set. Today's winner is Grace Lange-Way, who will be receiving the Wildflower Trellis stamp set from last week's blog. Congratulations, Grace!
Until next week, Happy Stamping from Susan and rest of the gang at Rubber Stamp Tapestry!
