Do you ever look through your craft supplies searching for your next creative spark? That’s exactly what I did last weekend when I decided to give a few overlooked products some much-deserved attention. Digging through my stash, I pulled out some adorable Gerda Steiner Designs stamps along with the Taylored Expressions Abstract Quad Stencils. Before long, I was happily blending Distress Oxide inks and experimenting with a variety of color combinations.
If you’ve never heard of quad stencils, they’re oversized 8½” x 11″ stencils designed to create four card panels at once. It’s a fantastic way to maximize your crafting time while ending up with multiple backgrounds ready for cardmaking. I spent the afternoon working through several color palettes, and by the end of my crafty therapy session, I had a stack of unique cards ready to assemble. I first shared these stencils in this post: Make Silhouettes.
For today’s post, I’m going to concentrate on the color palette that works for the current Color Hues Card Challenge #134: Pink & Turquoise. I used Distress Oxide inks in Kitsch Flamingo, Picked Raspberry, Salvaged Patina and Peacock Feathers to create my stenciled backgrounds.
I’m also playing along with Just Us Girls Challenge #825: Anything Goes Stencil Week and Make My Monday #279: Dry or Heat Embossing.
I chose two different Gerda Steiner stamp sets for my first two cards: Pigeons and its companion set, Toast to You for my first two cards. These birds are so hilarious, and the sentiments are just too stinkin’ cute!
In addition to these stamp sets, I also used Whimsy Stamps Fa Doodles which helped frame everything in with a hand drawn look, “zendoodle” look.
Don’t you just love the sunglasses? They give that pigeon such attitude!
Moving on to the next two cards, I used Gerda Steiner’s You Rock stamp set which totally makes me smile. The sentiments are perfect for any rock music enthusiast or rockhound you may know.
All of the stamped images were colored with Ohuhu Alcohol Markers. I absolutely love coloring with these markers, and the price just can’t be beat! Personally, I prefer the brush & fine tipped Honolulu B series, but they offer options with a chisel tip as well.
To comply with the Make My Monday Challenge, Dry/Heat Emboss, I stamped each sentiment on black cardstock using VersaMark ink and then coated them with white embossing powder. After heat setting, I used various dies and/or fussy cutting.
One of my favorite things about this project was how quickly the cards came together after the stenciling was finished. Having four coordinating backgrounds ready to go made it easy to mix and match images, embellishments, and sentiments. It’s a great reminder that sometimes the products sitting quietly in our stash can inspire an entire afternoon of creativity.
These cards also highlight how versatile quad stencils can be. Whether you prefer bright rainbow blends, soft pastels, or bold seasonal colors, the same stencil design can look completely different depending on the inks you choose. It’s an easy way to stretch your supplies and create a collection of cards in a single crafting session. Here’s a photo of some of my color combinations…
I’m so glad I revisited these products because they reminded me that inspiration doesn’t always come from the newest release. Sometimes all it takes is pulling out a forgotten favorite, trying a fresh color combination, and enjoying the creative process. Four cards later, I’d call that a successful day in the craft room!
Until next time,
~Krista
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