Everyday Expressions

Hi Everyone, and welcome back! Today I have the easiest, but prettiest WOW effect technique for you! I created this card as homework for Altenew Academy’s Celebration: Stencil Techniques class taught by Laurel Beard. The lesson featured texture paste with stencils (and I LOVE texture paste! You can see other creations I’ve made HERE, and HERE, and HERE.), but for this I used Tonic Nuvo Glimmer Paste for the first time. Oh…My…Goodness! It creates a soft, opalescent glimmer on your cards! I’m sure you’ll be seeing it a lot in future projects.

Technique:

(This is really a tip, but I will say it here as well), tape your cardstock or watercolor paper onto the back of the stencil. When you flip it over, you can cover the entire panel with paste and tape won’t cover any of it.

Spread the paste over the stencil and cardstock with a palette knife. I like to leave it thicker and uneven, and I usually don’t cover the entire panel. Interest and dimension are the goal!

Gently peel off the stencil and wash both the stencil and palette knife with warm water immediately. Set the cardstock aside to dry.

When the paste is completely dry, you can blend dye ink over the texture. Here I blended purple inks in an ombré effect. Finally, I lightly misted Lilac Fields Shimmer Spray over the ink and paste. Soooooo pretty!

Tips:

Tape your card panel to the back of the stencil. If you use painter’s tape, remove some of the stickiness by putting it on your arm or pants a couple of times first. If not, it will tear the paper when you remove it.

You can use spray inks, watercolors, blended dye ink (as I did here), or even Distress Crayons over the dried texture paste. HERE is a card I created with texture paste and Distress Crayons. If you use Distress Crayons, it helps to paint a layer of gesso over the dried texture paste before using the crayons. It helps ‘float’ the color over the panel.

Make the panel look finished and professional by blending ink along the panel edges. Do you see this in the picture above? Try it! You will see what I mean.

Lightly mist with shimmer inks for even more sparkly loveliness:)- Can you see it in the picture above?

Trick:

Glimmer Paste! This is the first time I’ve used it, and I am so happy with the effect. Texture paste is great, but this is amazing! Try it and let me know if you agree! It would gorgeous for snow flakes, added dimension as snow… The possibilities are endless!

Thanks again for stopping by! Love and artsy hugs!

Erin