Quick & Easy Christmas Cards!!

It's that time of the year ~ time for Christmas Cards :) I'm sure alot of you already have your cards ready to go but for those of us who are a bit behind and short on time here are a few suggestions for some quick and easy card solutions!

This first card is really quick! Just a few minutes, 2 pieces of pattern paper and 2 stamps is all it takes. Extra embellishments and embossing are optional. To make simply layer the 2 sheets of pattern paper cut to card size. Cut a curve into both layers at the same time. This will give you paper for 2 cards with one cut! Stamp 1 image on each piece of pattern paper and emboss if desired (I used clear for the example.) Adhere each side to a card base. Add ribbon, trim or fiber over the seam if desired. It is not necessary since both sides should match up perfectly. Add extra embellishments if desired. For the example I added metal photo corners topped with Christmas Red Stickles. I also went around the edges of each piece of pattern paper with Distress Inks (walnut stain & faded jeans) and the Blending Tool.

This example takes a bit more time as all of the edges are distressed with a distressing tool and Distress Inks. Love the look of stitches but don't have the time? Try stamping stitches onto your card as shown. These stitches were embossed with clear embossing powders for a raised effect. If you don't already have stitch stamps, use an embossing pen and draw stitches onto your card and emboss with black or colored embossing powders!

Vintage Bling....This card while still easy takes a bit more time as all of the stamped swirls were covered with Cinnamon Stickles and the snowflakes in the pattern paper were covered with Baby Blue Stikles. The "faux brads" on the main image were made again with the Cinnamon Stickles!

I love collage stamps. By applying various colors of ink to each aspect of the stamp it adds so much more to the finished image as opposed to using just one color. To apply the inks I start from the center of the stamp and work my way out. Pick up the ink pad and dab the corner of the ink pad on the desired section. Continue inking up each portion of the stamp until it is completely covered. Don't worry if your color crosses over into a neighboring element, it happens. We're not going for perfect here ;) Just as with any new technique you will improve with practice. All of the inks on this stamp are from Ranger's Adirondack Dye Ink line. From left to right - lettuce, eggplant, stonewashed, cranberry & denim. The edge of the central image, stamped snowflakes & card edges were all inked using Walnut Stain Distress Ink (if you haven't figured it out that's my favorite color of Distress Ink!).

I didn't like the silver of the label holder I had so I dabbed on Espresso, Denim & White Adirondack Acrylic Dabber paints then sanded when dry.

Supplies used:

Card#1 - Black Embossing Ink, Clear Embossing Powder, Christmas Red Stickles - Ranger Industries; Sentiment Stamp - Autumn Leaves; Santa Stamp - Paper Inspirations; Pattern Papers - Daisy D's & Basic Grey; Photo Corners - Making Memories; Trim - unknown.

Card #2 - Adirondack Dye Ink - Cranberry, Pesto, Black Embossing Ink, Clear Embossing Powder, Walnut Stain Distress Ink - Ranger Industries; Pine Stamp - Hero Arts; Sleigh - All Night Media; Sentiment - Wordsworth; Brown Cardstock - Club Scrap; Green Cardstock - Bazzill; Pattern Paper - Basic Grey; Gems, Eyelet, Hemp - Unknown.

Card #3 - Coffee Archival Ink, Broken China Distress Ink, Cinnamon & Baby Blue Stickles - Ranger Industries; Santa Image - Paper Inspirations; Sentiment (flourishes stamped with edge of sentiment) - Autumn Leaves; Pattern Paper - Kelly Pancie; Cardstock - Bazzill.

Card #4 - Adirondack Dye Inks; Distress Inks; Acrylic Dabbers - Ranger Industries; Christmas Collage Image - Stampers Anonymous; Snowflakes - Stampabilities; Sentiment - Fontwerks; Pattern Paper - Kelly Pancie; Cardstock - Club Scrap; label holder - Making Memories; Brad & Photo Turn - Unknown.

Reverse Image Stamping

Here are a couple inexpensive alternatives to Reverse Image Stamps. Fun Foam!

The blue set to the left was made by inking the rubber stamp then stamping it onto the fun foam. Immediately place your cardstock over the image and run a brayer over the back side of the paper. It gives a slightly fainter image but still very clear. I found it works best if you use pigment inks as dye inks dry far too quickly to give a good impression. It also a good idea to huff on the image for added moisture.

This image is another type of reverse image ~ it is both reversed as well as the negative to the rubber stamp positive! Makes for a cool look and could be used for a number of projects. To make a negative stamp image you will need to heat up a portion of fun foam using an embossing gun/heat tool. The area will need to be large enough for the stamp you will be working with. Once heated, immediately press the un-inked rubber stamp onto the heated portion. After about 30 seconds or so remove the rubber stamp and you will have the negative image. Cut the image out leaving a very small edge as shown in the example. Follow the image closely as this will be the outline for the stamp. Ink up and stamp as you would any other image.

Posting Contest!!

O.K. ladies and gents (if there are any out there reading this) ~ it's time for a contest! Starting December 1st thru January 31st anyone who posts a comment in any of the conversations will be put into a drawing for some goodies (more on those coming soon). :)

If you send a friend and they mention your name you'll earn 3 chances!

If you post a link to a new creation you've made using any of the techniques shown you'll earn 5 shots at a prize!!

So, spread the word, get your inks and stamps ready, and start posting!!

Good luck everyone!!

Masquline Stamp Site - Military, Western & More!

I wanted to pass along a new site I found*. It's for all the guys in your life! If you've ever searched for guy stamps you know how difficult it is to find good ones. Well, A Fistful of Stamps is just the ticket!

It's got many modern & vintage military themed stamps, which include various air crafts, insignias and soldiers. Vintage & modern boats & ships as well as various western related stamps. Outer space related items as well ~ from little green men, the space ships they ride in to the asteroids to take em out ;)

Seriously, this place has got so many cool stamps you just have to check it out and take it all in.

*This is not a commercial, I'm not affiliated with A Fistful Of Stamps in any way nor do I receive any compensation for passing their site information along. It's just a really cool place with lots of neat stamps that I found and wanted to pass on....and I can do that cause it's my blog - LOL!!! ;)

A bit of Rubber Stamping Trivia for you today....

Do you have any idea where the worlds largest rubber stamp is located???? No idea ~ well take a look at this...

Yes, this is the world's largest rubber stamp!! Constructed of aluminum and painted steel it was commissioned in 1982 by a company (can't tell you which company because it will give it away.) where this stamp is located but wasn't actually erected until 1991.

Still no clue?

You might find a buckeye laying on the ground beside it....

Any guesses?

It's located in the same town as the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame....wanna guess now or do you already know it?

That's right, it's located in Cleveland Ohio!!!

Be sure to check out the full story about how it came to be :)

Soot Stamping ATC's

Soot stamping is so versatile, I wanted to show you a few more things you can do with your soot stamped images besides just using them plain.

Here are 4 ATC sized pieces of glossy cardstock I held over the flame for various amounts of time. You can see by moving the cards around at different speeds and angles you get a wonderful array of abstract patterns.

When you move the cardstock around quickly there is a lighter coating of soot but there will be more of a pattern adding depth. (upper left corner)

The slower the cardstock is moved around the coating of soot becomes very heavy and dense revealing virtually no pattern at all. (lower right hand corner)


Adding color to your soot stamped image can be done after you have stamped & sealed it with and acrylic spray.

This card was stamped and sealed. When it was dry I off-set stamped the bird and sentiment using Archival Jet Black Ink. I also stamped the flowers at this time. After a quick shot of heat with my heat tool I applied Interference Violet & Green Perfect Pearls and finished it off with a bit of Stickles Glitter Glue.



This card was made by stamping a large map stamp in the soot then sealed. I stamped the auto image onto an acetate sheet using Archival Jet Black Ink. When it was dry I mounted it over the map image and added the label. It was edged with Silver Posh Metallic Pen.



This card was stamped and sealed as usual. Once dry I applied Lettuce, Meadow and Pesto Alcohol Inks. Once the image was completely covered and dried I flicked Blending Solution over the entire image, let it set for a few seconds and blotted off. This allows the soot pattern to show through in some areas.

This final card is my favorite! I stamped the soot with a highly detailed paisley background stamp and sealed. I applied a thin coating of Wild Plum Alcohol Ink and let dry. I then stamped the woman image on acetate, cut the image out & added the gold edging and flower. It is very simple but very elegant!

So, as you can see...the vintage feel of a soot stamped image can be spiced up a bit with various color mediums. Other color options could be watercolor pencils, markers or crayons; acrylic paint colorwash; distress inks; etc. The possibilities are endless!! Let you imagination take hold and go where it will :)

Have fun playing and be sure to post a link to your creations in the comments section!!

TTFN - Ink on my friends, Ink on!!

Soot Stamping

Soot stamping has been around for ages but you just never see it anywhere. It's relatively easy but is a bit time consuming if you are planning on making several cards of the same design.


Let's Begin!


First you will need to gather your supplies. You will need glossy cardstock, a rubber stamp, candle, matches and a spray sealer.



















!! Please Be Very Careful !! You will have to be very careful during this step...open flames always pose a threat if left unattended!

Light your candle and hold the glossy cardstock in the flame. Move the cardstock around until you get a nice even covering. While doing so you will want the size of the rubber stamp you intend to use. Make sure that you have a large enough area for the image and a bit extra.






Be sure you have good coverage, take your un-inked rubber stamp and press it into the soot. Don't rock your stamp as it could remove excess soot and once it's gone, it's gone! After you have stamped into the soot clean your stamp immediately. *Be sure not to touch the sooted area as the oils on your skin will readily pick up the soot and leave behind traces of you...your fingerprints! ;)










This is what you will end up with. It doesn't look like much now but just wait :)











As a soot stamped image is very fragile you will need to seal it with an acrylic spray sealer. A light coat will do the trick.

Now, put that soot stamped image to use! Here is what I came up with using my pinecone image.

Supplies: Glossy Cardstock, Jet Black Archival Ink, Corduroy & Walnut Stain Distress Inks - Ranger Industries; Acrylic Spray Sealer - Plaid; Pinecone Stamp - Hero Arts; Sentiment Rubber Stamp - Fiskars; Red Pattern Paper - Basic Grey; Pinecone Pattern Paper - Daisy D's; Ribbon, Photo Corners - Unknown.

If you decide to give it a try, please either send me a photo of it so I can add it to the post or post a link to where it is displayed so we can all admire it. You may win yourself a little surprise if you do :)

Till then, Ink On My Friends...Ink On!

Card Sketch #1

The first of many card sketches is one I particulary love. It's very versatile and easy to work with. The four squares (matted or not) offer up lots of room to focus on one or several images along with a spot for your sentiment at the bottom. The background for these squares could be stamped, patterned paper or left blank and the size of the card can be varied to fit whatever image(s) you have in mind.

Here are a couple of examples made using this sketch each with their own individual style! (Special thanks to our artists - Cherish - Roni; Hello Friend - Sasha; The more I know... - Mindy; Thanks - Karen)

Now it's time to try your hand at it. If you do create a card with this sketch, please feel free to post a link to it in the comments.

Till then, Ink on My Friends....Ink On!

Welcome To Ink Stains!

Welcome to Ink Stains!!

I started this blog to share my love of ink and paper. There are just so many cool techniques that can be accomplished with very few supplies and a bit of time! You might be wondering what makes this blog any different from any of the rest of the art/craft blogs out there...well, I can't answer that for you, you'll just have to stick around and see what's in store.

I can tell you that I'm offering up a weekly card sketch, some inky challenges here and there, techniques galore and a bit more! If you have a technique you'd like to see in detail, please e-mail me. I'd be more than happy to research it if necessary and post step by step pics for you. If you'd like to challenge me to alter something I'm game for that as well! If you have a creation or technique of your own you'd like featured on the blog please feel free to e-mail me ~ guest artists are always welcome!

I encourage you to try some of the techniques, cards & projects then post a link to your creation in the comments section. You never know when one or two lucky posters might receive a RAK!?!? So, please feel free to pass the link along to your friends who might enjoy a bit Good...Ink Stained....Fun!