tips for using solid stamps

Do you ever have a hard time getting a good impression with a solid stamp? I used to have a terrible time, so much so that I avoided even the cutest solid stamps and that was no fun, lol! 

Luckily I have found a few tips & tools that help me get fabulous results with solid stamps! And I have a few favorite techniques I like to use with solid stamps that never fail.

tips for getting the perfect impression:

• clean & prep...it never hurts to clean your stamp first with a stamp shammy and/or stamp cleaner. When cleaning doesn't help try giving the surface of the stamp a quick once over with a clean eraser to remove any manufacturing residue.
• use the right ink...some inks are actually meant to create imperfect results like Distress Inks. Or you might also have an ink pad that's too dry or a little defective so double-check your inks. 
• use a stamping tool...I don't think I can ever say this enough, invest in a stamping tool like the MISTI! I am a very slow adopter when it comes to craft tools but nothing has helped my cardmaking as much as having a MISTI.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Carly

P.S. Wanna see another way I love to use solid stamps? Check out this post over on the Ellen Hutson blog!

supplies:

affiliate links may be used at no additional cost to you. thank you!

Essentials by Ellen Painted Florals stamps

Essentials by Ellen Totally Random Sayings Vol.2 stamps

Catherine Pooler inks Bellini, Do-Si-Do & Coral Cabana

Gina K Designs Amalgam ink Obsidian

MISTI Stamping Tool

Stamp Cleaner

Stamp Shammy

Copic Multiliner & R22

clean and simple with the mft stylish bouquet card kit

If it is true that flowers are always a good idea (and I think it is) then the MFT Stylish Bouquet card kit is full of good ideas!!! I mean look at all this floral goodness...

Clean and simple cards are kinda my jam so I created this...

I used the sweet little blossom pair die to cut flowers from a white card panel. 

Next I ink blended a rainbow on my card front and placed the panel with the negative flowers on top.

To finish I adhered the positive flowers on top of the rainbow, added a little faux black splatter with a pen and stamped the "hello gorgeous" sentiment.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I highly recommend popping over to the MFT blog for more crafty inspiration!

Hugs!

Carly

stylish bouquet card kit from mft

Get ready to create some stylish paper bouquets with the latest card kit from MFT!

The Stylish Bouquet card kit drops tomorrow but here's a little sneak peek...

I barely scratched the surface of what can be created with this kit, using just two of the flowers.

I started by using the stencil and lightly ink blending the flowers on background. 

Next I added the matching die cut flowers on top.

And the for the sentiment I used the negative of the "happy birthday" die (a very cute die you can add to the kit). I die cut it from the card panel and placed black cardstock underneath. This little trick makes it so I don't have to line up individual letters.

So set your alarms for the release tomorrow and pop over to the MFT blog for more eye candy!

Hugs!

Carly

ink blending stamped images with the mft stamps march release

The MFT Stamps March 2022 release is available now and it's been so much fun to share ideas with you that I've got one more! 

This card uses ink blending to color the stamped images from the Floral Whimsy set.

I stamped the Floral Whimsy images with clear ink and embossed with white powder.

I die cut all the images and then used blending tools to add color.

I used my favorite rainbow collection of the moment (actually of many, many weeks)...Distress Oxide Carved Pumpkin, Picked Raspberry, Shaded Lilac, Salvaged Patina and Twisted Citron.

Ink blending is something I most often use for creating backgrounds but it was so fun to use it with the stamped images that I am definitely going to do it more! It was quick, easy and I always find ink blending a little therapeutic.

I made a shaker card with a square window & a glitter paper background, adhering some flowers and vines coming out of it and on the side.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I highly recommend popping over to the MFT blog for more crafty eye candy!

Hugs!

Carly

small scene cards with mft stamps

It's almost time for the MFT Stamps March release and I've got one more card to share as we finish the countdown! 

I love creating small scenes on cards for little critters! With the awning from the Boutique Storefront die set, it was so easy to make this scene.

I die cut a square from a white panel and adhered it to a folded card with a bit of pink where the square opening is.

The awning was die cut from white cardstock, colored with Copics and foam mounted at the top of the square opening.

The sweet Travel Buddies critters were stamped, die cut, colored and foam mounted. And the sentiment was stamped underneath.

The card is so simple but I love that it still conveys the small cafe scene.

Here are the Copic colors I used:

• awning BG10 & BG32
• hedgehog E11, E13, E35, E37, BV02
• table BG32, RV10 & E11
• squirrel C0, C3, BV02 & BV04

And here are the MFT products I used:

• Boutique Storefront dies
• Travel Buddies stamps & dies

There's more crafty inspiration from my very talented MFT teammates over on the MFT blog.

Hope you're having a great day!

Carly

it's almost time for the mft march release

The MFT stamps March release is coming is just two days! And two more days means two more sneak peek cards I get to share with you!

I was super excited when I saw the You're Ext-ROAR-dinary set because my little guy is a huge dinosaur fan already! I can't wait to let him try his hand at stamping some dinos but first I get to play!

Don't ask me why I thought lilac "rocks" made sense for my background because I have no idea, LOL!

I used the Say Anything stencil to create a really simple "rock" background. I positioned the stencil so the "tail" that makes it look like a word bubble would be off the edge of the card front (or hidden by a dino). Then I used so low-tack tape to select just one bubble to ink at a time.

Next I stamped, cut & colored one of the dinos with Copic Markers:

• YG11
• YG41
• BG10
• BG32
• BV02
• BV04

I stamped the sentiment in one of the inked "rock" shapes, foam mounted the dino on top and added a few sequins.

MFT supplies used...

• You're Ext-ROAR-dinary stamps & dies
• Say Anything stencil

To see more of what's coming from MFT this March, pop over to the MFT blog and YT.

Hugs!

Carly

ink blending with a background stamp + 3 days until the mft march release

One of my favorite ways to use background stamps is to combine them with ink blending. It always feels pretty and it is so easy! Let me show you what I mean with this little sneak peek of the new MFT March release...

For this card I started by stamping & embossing the utterly fabulous Repeating Rainbow Background stamp with white powder on my favorite cardstock for ink blending. 

I stamped the background first because I was embossing and I didn't want to have to wait for a whole ink blended background to dry (to avoid the embossing powder sticking everywhere). If I was not embossing, instead just stamping in a color like black, I would probably ink blend first.

After stamping and embossing the Repeating Rainbow Background, I used blending tools to blend a Distress Oxide ink rainbow with Carved Pumpkin, Picked Raspberry, Shaded Lilac, Salvaged Patina and Twisted Citron.

Excess ink was easy to wipe from the embossed image with a paper towel.

Then I finished the card with "hey" die cut using the Essential Alphabet, a stamped & embossed sentiment strip and a few star sequins.

Here's a quick recap of the MFT products I used...

Repeating Rainbow Background

Essential Alphabet dies

Itty Bitty Strips dies

Itty Bitty Love stamps

To see more of the MFT March release, make sure you pop over to the MFT blog!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope to see you again tomorrow for another sneak peek!

Hugs!

Carly

4 days until the mft march release

The MFT stamps March release is only 4 days away and our MFT team is sharing some peeks of what we've been creating with the new stamps and dies!

This card has so many things I love to include in my designs...tons of white space, a sentiment that combines stamping & die cutting, a little glitter & a little gloss!

To create this card I started by drawing a light pencil line across a cardstock panel to line my individual die cut letters on before securing them with low-tack tape and running through my die cut machine. I love alphabet dies and this font is already one of my favs!

To add the stamped part of the sentiment, I did a little easy masking...before inking I used low-tack tape to cover everything but the "smile". I removed the tape before stamping and voila, only the "smile" stamped on the card.

On my folded card I used a Copic marker to add blue where the "smile" will be. I added a little Glossy Accents on top, spreading it out with a squeegee. And then while it was wet, I added a little chunky glitter.

When the Glossy Accents was dry, I foam mounted the panel with the stamped & die cut sentiment on top.

I stamped & die cut the sweet little bunny, coloring the image simply with Copic markers. Here are the colors I used:

• R22
• R21
• Y13
• Y11
• B00
• B000
• C3
• C1

I foam mounted the bunny on the card and couldn't resist adding more gloss and glitter to his umbrella.

In case you are making a shopping list *wink*, here are the MFT products I used:

• Blooming Friendship stamps & dies
• Essential Alphabet dies

To see more of what's coming from MFT this March, pop over to the MFT blog and YT.

Hugs!

Carly

a sparkly mermaid birthday card & the mft stamps march release countdown day 5

Is your favorite mermaid's birthday coming up? I've got the perfect sparkly mermaid birthday card for them using an adorable stamp & die set from MFT Stamps! 

And the countdown to the MFT March 2022 release starts now!

Isn't this mermaid the cutest?! She's from the MFT Bubbly Birthday set and she has two sisters in the set too!

To make this card I stamped and die cut the mermaid & little fishies before coloring them simply with Copic markers. Here are the colors I used...

• mermaid - E11, E51, RV04, RV06, V09, V04, BG13, BG11 & B000
• fish - YR07, YR04, V09 & V04

I die cut a square window from an A2 panel and mounted it to the card front with glitter paper & tissue paper waves beneath it. The waves are die cut with the Mini Slimline Outside the Box Waves.

Then the mermaid & fishies are foam mounted in the square.

Here's a quick recap of the MFT products I used...

Bubbly Birthday stamps & dies

Mini Slimline Outside the Box Waves dies

To see more of the MFT March release, make sure you pop over to the MFT blog!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope to see you again tomorrow for another sneak peek!

Hugs!

Carly