Quick Tip VIDEO: Background Highlights + Giveaway

Hi there. Today I have something new for you – a shorter video! (Well, it’s not that short, but short for me!) It is a Quick Tip Video showing how to create a highlight on a background.

[All supplies are linked to multiple sources in the thumbnails at the end of this post. Affiliate links used. To watch the video in HD on YouTube, click HERE.]

I really like the look of layering stamped images on a one-layer card. However, sometimes stamp layering results in a “too busy” look… where the background fights with the images on top. To prevent this, I like to soften part of the background to create a highlight for the layered image to be placed.

For the backgrounds, I repeatedly stamped an image from the Mama Elephant Water Blooms set using various colors of dye inks on to various colors of cardstock. (All the inks and cardstocks are linked in the thumbnails at the end of this post.) I like to start in the corner of the panel and work my way out. This helps prevent getting stuck and having trapped white spaces. Oh – and using a background stamp would be another option to save some time!

To create a highlight to stamp the sentiment on, I used an inking tool (any would work) to apply Hero Arts Unicorn White Ink in the center. I used a heavy hand in the center and pulled the ink outward to blend. Since it is pigment ink, I heat set the ink between applying layers of ink. The more ink you apply, the more intense your highlighted area will be. After the ink was completely dry, I applied my anti-static tool and heat embossed a gorgeous sentiment from Mama Elephant’s Birthday Wishes Stamp Set using silver glitter embossing powder. On others, I stamped with black Versafine Ink and clear heat embossed.

This card design is great for mass producing. I needed to replenish my birthday card supply, so I did most of the cards with the “happy birthday” sentiment. However, I was in need of a quick thank you, too, so I used the Mama Elephant Heartfelt Wishes Stamp Set on one…

I hope you give this a try and create some fun one layer cards!

GIVEAWAY

How would you like to win a new Mama Elephant stamp set? For your chance, leave a comment below by 11:59pmEST on 9/18/15 telling me what kind of card you send them most of. For me? It’s thank you cards. (The winner’s name will be randomly selected and posted on my “Winners page” after the giveaway closes. International folks are eligible, too!)

SUPPLIES

Interested in the products I used? To make them easy for you to find, I have listed them below. (Affiliate and product disclosure can be found here.) Click on the letters below each picture to go to a favorite store: Simon Says Stamp (SSS), Ellen Hutson (EH), Amazon (AZ), etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CLICK A SHOP:
( SSS | EH )

 

CLICK A SHOP:
( SSS | EH )

 

CLICK A SHOP:
( SSS )

 

CLICK A SHOP:
( PTI )

 

CLICK A SHOP:
( PTI )

 

 

CLICK A SHOP:
( EH )

 

CLICK A SHOP:
( SSS | EH )

 

CLICK A SHOP:
( SSS | EH )

 

CLICK A SHOP:
( SSS | AZ )

 

CLICK A SHOP:
( AZ )

 

 

CLICK A SHOP:
( AZ )

 

CLICK A SHOP:
( SSS | AZ )

 

CLICK A SHOP:
( AZ )

 

 

CLICK A SHOP:
( SSS )