Card Inspiration | Encouragement Card Ideas

Looking for encouragement card ideas? Today I am sharing with you two card variations using the “Rain Sentiments Set of 6” stamp set and the new “Rain Stencil” both from Technique Junkies. 

Both the stencil and the sentiments set are part of the September 2021 New Release, which features lots of seasonal items, including autumn and Halloween-themed stamps. But, for as much rain as we have been getting lately, I was inspired to play with the rain-themed stamps and stencil first.

I started with some watercolor cardstock and the rain stencil. I used a bit of Liquitex modeling paste (a really nice texture paste) with a palette knife and created a basic stenciled image.

The texture paste is porous, so I knew that I was really just creating an “embossed” looking background for my card. In other words, if I added sprays or other color, it would color the paper AND the stenciled image as well. Once the paste was dry, I sprayed ONE SPRITZ of Shimmering Bliss (Dolphin Cove) aimed from one corner of the card panel. 

On my craft mat, I mixed some Aladine Izink Ice with some glitter and used a palette knife to push it through the stencil. Once it was dry, I used a circle punch to punch out “raindrop” circles for my card. I used a scrap from an inked background to stamp my sentiment and emboss in white embossing powder. With a black Micron pen, I doodle-outlined the umbrella and my punched circles. As a finishing touch, I drew little circles here and there on the card to complete the “doodling” look. 

For the second card, I really just played around with some of my Shimmering Bliss Sprays… a few colors here and there… red, yellow, brown, just created a nice inky background. When it was dry, I used some Pixie Spray to hold down the rain stencil and then I pushed some brown Izink Ice Glaze through the umbrella. 

I had some leftover glitter glaze from my previous card, so I used that for the raindrops. I added a few pieces of random washi tape, and stamped and die cut the sentiment. Finally, I had some leftover raindrop-punched circles, so I adhered them every here and there and then I inked the edges of the card.

I like the combination of glittery rain against the neutral tones of the rest of the card because it provides a nice contrast.

You can check out a bonus card using the "Rain Stencil" and the Aladine Izink Ice mixed with glitter - watch my latest process video HERE!

Hope these projects inspire you to get creating! Thank you for looking!

TJ Inkspiration: WWDB Challenge Week One Review and winner

What a fun week we had with the What We Do Best Challenge (WWDB) Challenge! We had wonderful participation from customers and the Technique Junkies Design Team.  I compiled the video below with all the art - I hope you are inspired to create some thank you cards of your own. What We Do Best Challenge Week One Technique Junkies This week, all customer entrants were "put into a hat" and one name was drawn randomly to win the $50.00 gift certificate to the Technique Junkies store! This week, our winner is... Rachel Duong! Rachel submitted several entries this week, and like all the others, was a great inspiration. Rachel, watch your email for your gift certificate. Week Two is upon us, so our theme this week is to make Get Well cards.  Do not feel that each card has to say "Get Well Soon", but keep the cards in the spirit of the theme. Don't forget the envelope! To get us jump-started, here is the first card of the week, from me: Groovy Flowers Mask with Grand Greetings To make my card today, I used Pixie Spray on the Groovy Flowers Mask (A Colorful Life Designs Stencils, available from Technique Junkies) to hold it firmly while blending  Distress Oxide Inks with Blending Brushes. The Get Well Soon Sentiment from the Grand Greetings Set was added over the top, and it was layered to help pop the colors.  Just as a refresher, here is the challenge again: Our challenge will run for four weeks, with each of the four weeks featuring a different theme. Each week, you can make one or more cards with envelopes using Technique Junkies stamps within a weekly theme. Simply post them to the Technique Junkies FaceBook group OR email them directly to me.   Each week, one of the challenge cards will be selected RANDOMLY and will win a $50.00 gift certificate to the Technique Junkies online store!   That is $50.00 PER WEEK that we will be giving away with this challenge! Here are the "rules" and the themes: 1. Create a card using Technique Junkies Stamps or Foils. Please, no other companies' stamps on your creations. Dies, stencils and other embellishments are welcomed, but kindly remember that it is a company-sponsored challenge. 2. You must include a decorated envelope with your card entry. 3. Email your card to phuntoon@optonline.net OR post to the Technique Junkies Facebook Group with the following hashtag: #WWDB.  4. You may post a different card every day. Cards that have been posted to the Technique Junkies FaceBook group prior to the start of the challenge may not be used in this challenge. Each card posted must be made by the poster and only be posted once during the contest. 5. One submitted entry (card) will be selected randomly at the end of the week, and a $50.00 gift certificate winner will be announced on this email and to the FaceBook group on the following Friday. Here are the themes: Week Two: 4/24 - 4/30 Get Well Card: Must also include a decorated envelope. Week Three: 5/1 - 5/7: Thinking of you card: Think shut-ins and other people struggling with the situation. Again, you need to include a decorated envelope. Week Four 5/8 - 5/14 Encouragement card: Pretty broad spectrum here - but inspiration, thinking of you, thank you, all encompassed here, too. Again, an envelope is necessary. I can't wait to see what you make!

I hope you are a little inkspired by today's issue. See you next week!   Sincerely,   Pat Huntoon Technique Junkies LLC

TJ Inkspirations: Nevermore Scary Good Inspiration

Halloween. Most people love it or hate it -- not too many people are ambivalent about it. No matter which camp you are in, I recommend watching today's video - it shows lots of techniques for layering stamps, sprays and stencils for an awesome effect.

I also prepared a Nevermore Stamp and Spray bundle today with a whopping 11 items in it, so if you do want to take a stab at this card, you can get it all at once. The picture for the bundle is below, but you can check it out HERE, too.

Ready, Halloween crafters?

Here is the finished piece from the video: 

Nevermore Spray Bundle

  

Ready for the video?

Nevermore: Scary Good - Stamped, Sprayed and Stenciled Inspiraton

The Nevermore Bundle:

Nevermore Stamp and Spray Bundle

TJ Inkspirations: Howl-O-Ween Stencil Omitting

Remember when we used to create a mask over stamped images when adding color around them? Well today's video shows how to use a stencil, tacked down with Pixie Spray, along with (teeny-tiny blending brushes to get designs in the little areas around an image without masking.  Today we are Stencil Omitting. (Hmmmm. Kind of sounds like a crime, but its not!) The video today uses Ink Blending Brushes with IZINK Dye Inks, Pixie Spray and a Stencil to create a great backdrop for the wonderful Howl-O-Ween stamp that was released this month. Here is the finished piece from the video:  Howl-O-Ween   Ready for the video? Howl-O-Ween Stencil Omitting About today's products: Howl-O-Ween_ Set of 2 Grunge Dots Stencil Pixie Spray is a light-tack stencil adhesive that will change the way you create with stencils. You can create beautiful, crisp stencil projects without painter's tape. Pixie Spray The 2" x 2" Aladine IZINK Ink Pads are lovely little inks have a beautiful foam pad, and at $2.99 they are priced right, too.  All of the inks are available individually, of course, but if you are a get-it-all kind of person, you might want all 20 of the inks for just $49.99 - 15% off! Aladine IZINK Dye Inks  I blend these inks with Ink Blending Brushes in the video - also new to the TJ Store. They are, by far, the easiest and best way I have ever blended ink. We have the orignal black handled brushes ($24.95), and now we have pretty Rose Gold Handles ($27.95 - 'cause sometimes we just need pretty things!), too! Black Handle Ink Blending Brushes Rose Gold Ink Blending Brushes

I hope you are inkspired by today's issue. See you next week!   Sincerely,   Pat Huntoon Technique Junkies LLC

TJ Inkspirations: Ink Blended Stenciled Backgrounds

First, I must apologize. You haven't heard from me for a few weeks, and my absence is both professional and personal.  From a professional standpoint, the video editing program I have been using suddenly died on me, without hope of recovery, forcing me to learn a new editing program that is more complicated. The good news is that the videos will (should) be better as I master the program in the next few months!  From a personal standpoint, I have traveled every weekend in August (only once for personal reasons, the rest were trade shows) and the remainder of my time in the office has been overwhelmingly hectic. I promise to make up for it!  I have already filmed tutorials for most of September and I am prepping them all for future publication.  Before I get to the video and artwork, I would like to mention that Sunday is September 1st - meaning that we will have 15 new stamps for you.  Wait until you see these! I have a couple in this next release that are my favorite stamps so far...stay tuned for Sunday. You will receive another email from me reminding you of the release celebration (and the discount) Sunday (9/1) morning. Today's video shows you how to use the Ink Blending Brushes with IZINK Dye Inks, Pixie Spray and a Stencil to create a multicolored, blended background. The finished piece I did for the video is below, plus I have included an additional project that uses the technique with one of the new stamps available September 1st.  Live in Color Peacock Feather Stencil And the Sneak Preview (stamp available September 1):   Ready for the video? Ink Blended Stenciled Backgrounds About today's products: Pixie Spray is a light-tack stencil adhesive that will change the way you create with stencils. You can create beautiful, crisp stencil projects without painter's tape. Pixie Spray The 2" x 2" Aladine IZINK Ink Pads are lovely little inks have a beautiful foam pad, and at $2.99 they are priced right, too.  All of the inks are available individually, of course, but if you are a get-it-all kind of person, you might want all 20 of the inks for just $49.99 - 15% off! Aladine IZINK Dye Inks  I blend these inks with Ink Blending Brushes in the video - also new to the TJ Store. They are, by far, the easiest and best way I have ever blended ink. We have the orignal black handled brushes ($24.95), and now we have pretty Rose Gold Handles ($27.95 - 'cause sometimes we just need pretty things!), too! Black Handle Ink Blending Brushes Rose Gold Ink Blending Brushes

I hope you are inkspired by today's issue. See you next week!   Sincerely,   Pat Huntoon Technique Junkies LLC

TJ Inkspirations: Pixie Spray Stencil Revolution!

I have been bursting at the seams with excitement about today's email! I have known for a while that this was all coming together, and I just received a HUGE shipment of Pixie Spray -- now I can share!! Pixie Spray What is Pixie Spray? It is a light-tack stencil adhesive that will change the way you create with stencils. I know that sounds like an exaggeration, but trust me, once you use this spray, you will get addicted to having beautiful, crisp stencil projects created with both hands (since one doesn't need to hold down a stencil) and without painter's tape. Today's video shows you how to use the spray with Shimmering Bliss, AND with Dye Inks.  I JUST brought the 2" x 2" Aladine IZINK Ink Pads into the store --I have been working and creating with them and I felt compelled to share the love with you. These lovely little inks have a beautiful foam pad, and at $2.99 they are priced right, too.   All of the inks are available individually, of course, but if you are a get-it-all kind of person, you might want all 20 of the inks for just $49.99 - 15% off! Aladine IZINK Dye Inks  I blend these inks with Ink Blending Brushes in the video - also new to the TJ Store. They are, by far, the easiest and best way I have ever blended ink. Ink Blending Brushes Okay, now it is time for the video. Get ready for the Stencil Revolution! Pixie Spray Stencil Revolution

I hope you are a little inkspired by today's issue. See you next week!   Sincerely,   Pat Huntoon Technique Junkies LLC