Category: Distress Inks

HEY FRIENDS! I’m back today with a new card featuring the Thrill of Hope Stencil and other products by PinkFresh Studio. I’m always looking for ways to create holiday cards quickly and layering stencils make it easy to make perfectly blended cards. As always, I’ve linked the supplies below with compensated affiliate links used where possible at no cost to you.

Today’s project features:

• Thrill of Hope Wreath Layering Stencil by PinkFresh Studio [SBC | SBP]
• Thrill of Hope Stamp Set by PinkFresh Studio [SBC | SBP]
• Thrill of Hope Dies by PinkFresh Studio [SBC | SBP]
• Diagonal Stitched Rectangles by PinkFresh Studio [SBC]
• Ink blending with Distress Inks (see list below)
• Additional supplies linked in thumbnails below.

I like using the layering stencils because I can put a card together quickly without worrying about blending or even coloring inside the lines. The Thrill of Hope Wreath Layering Stencil has five layers and I used Distress Inks in Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Rustic Wilderness, Peacock Feathers, and Festive Berries.

For ink blending, I used domed foam applicators to apply the ink. You’ll see from the handles that I have blenders from Ranger and Scrapbook.com. I’m using domed applicators from Scrapbook.com since that’s what I have on hand, but Ranger makes a similar product that will work just as well.

I start a piece of 110 pound Hammermill Premium Color Copy Cover cut to 4.25” x 5.5” or A2 size. I like this paper because it’s a nice weight and has a smooth finish. It has the added advantage of being suitable for Copic markers so I don’t have to keep multiple brands of white card stock on hand. It comes in other weights, but I prefer the 110 pound weight for my cards.

To make the stenciling easier, I’m going to use my Wendy Vecchi Make Art STAY-tion – this is the smaller 7” version. I love these huge magnets which are easy to pick up and do not snap together or pinch your fingers. And it’s perfect for layering stencils because it will hold your paper and stencil firmly and makes alignment easier.

Having said that, I’m going to use Mint low tack repositionable tape from Scrapbook.com to hold my cardstock in place. You don’t really have to do this since the magnets will hold everything in place, but I found that using tape was a quick and easy way to align each stencil. The paper then stays in place and I just switch out the stencils for each layer.

Each of the stencils are numbered in the upper left corner and there are alignment marks in each corner. You’ll want to make sure that you orient each layer of the stencil correctly with the print side facing up and the number in the upper left corner. Once it’s lined up, place the magnets in each corner to hold it in place and begin blending.

Here is the order of the colors:

• Stencil 1: Twisted Citron with accents of Peacock Feathers
• Stencil 2: Rustic Wilderness
• Stencil 3: Festive Berries
• Stencil 4: Mowed Lawn
• Stencil 5: Peacock Feathers

And when I remove the last stencil, you can see the final image – a beautifully colored holiday wreath. I stuck to traditional holiday colors, but this would be just as lovely in monochromatic shades of blue. You can adjust the colors even further and create a lovely fall wreath!

I trimmed the image with the with the Diagonal Slant Rectangle die set by Pink Fresh Studio. I could have just trim 1/8” from each side, but I like the stitched detail created by the die.

I also cut a piece of craft foam to adhere to the back of the stenciled layer. I know that craft foam has kind of fallen a bit out of favor, but I still use it. I’ve heard that some people have had issues with their cards coming apart. My secret weapon is Beacon’s 3-in-1 Craft Adhesive. It dries quickly, but I still have time to move a layer if I don’t get it straight on the first try. It also doesn’t wrinkle the paper which can happen with other glues. It runs about $8.00 for a 4 ounce bottle and it lasts a long time especially if you keep it tightly closed between uses. For me it has been a lot cheaper than using tape runners. Best of all, I haven’t had a single card fall apart since I’ve been using it.

My card base is a piece of Neenah Classic Crest 110 pound card stock, not to be confused with Neenah Exact Index which is also 110 pound. This is the paper that you want for card bases. I cut it as 4.25” x 11 and scored it 5.5 inches to create a top folding card.

For the sentiment, I used the coordinating dies from the Thrill of Hope stamp set to cut two blanks out of Neenah 110 pound white cardstock for the Happy Holidays sentiment. I stamped the sentiment on one of the blanks using Versafine Claire in Nocturne, cover it with clear embossing powder, and heat set the powder and ink. I glued the two die cuts together to add dimension to the sentiment once it’s adhered to the card.

To finish off the card, I’ve added a few metallic pearls in silver from PinkFresh Studio. I used Ranger Multi Medium Matte which I transferred to a fine tipped applicator bottle. There are lots of white glues on the market, but I keep coming back to Multi Medium Matte which is a gel medium made by Ranger that can be used as a glue or a  sealer. It’s non-yellowing and it dries clear so it’s perfect for people like me who tend to squeeze out too much glue when adhering embellishments like pearls or sequins.

That’s all for me today! Hope you enjoyed today’s project and I’ll see you again soon!

Supplies

[Compensated affiliate links used when possible. In addition, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were provided by a store or the manufacturer. All other items were personally purchased.]