MFT January Tips & Tricks–Dry Embossing with Inked Stencil

Hey there, and welcome to MFT’s January Tips & Tricks Feature! Today I’m going to show you how to stretch your products—in this case stencils. Stencils lend themselves all kinds of coloring mediums but they also are fabulous for dry embossing. Add ink to dry embossing and you have yet another way to use your stencils.

Here’s what you’ll need for this technique: stencil, card stock, and ink—and a die cutting machine. I use my Cuttlebug for dry embossing because my Vagabond exerts so much pressure that it warps the card stock. My ‘bug does a great job with no warping.

First step is to ink up one side of your stencil—doesn’t matter which side with MFT stencils. You can do it directly with the ink pad, dabbing straight up and down until the stencil is covered or use a brayer to apply the ink.




Next we’re going to dry emboss some card stock with the inked up stencil. Your sandwich will be: whichever plates your machine requires; I use A and C plates on the bottom, then the THIN pad from the Die-namics Embossing Pad Combo and some thin copy paper to protect the pad. This is not strictly necessary since you can wash it right off but I usually do it (I left the pad edges showing purposely here so you could see the stack). Then the card stock and the stencil, ink side down, and the top plate, in my case a B.




Run it through your machine as usual and this is what you end up with. I showed Berrylicious dye ink in the photo above but decided to do another one using Sno Cone dye ink for this card. I love the kinda “splotchy” look the brayer gives—almost a marble look.



To complete the card I used Sweet Nothings Stamp Set, Lots of Hearts and Lots of Hearts Outlines Die-namics, and Sweet Stack Paper Pack from the January Release along with some foam tape for dimension and some embellishments.

And that’s it from me for this month’s Tips & Tricks feature from MFT. Thanks so much for stopping by! See you soon!

All products from My Favorite Things unless otherwise noted.

Stamps: Sweet Nothings
Die-namics: Lots of Hearts, Lots of Hearts Outlines
Stencils: Lots of Heart
Dye Ink: Sno Cone, Black Licorice
Patterned Paper: Sweet Stack
MFT Card Stock: Sweet Tooth, Cotton Candy, Red Hot
Supplies: foam mounting tape
Tools: Smart Grid Paper Pad, Mini MISTI, Mini MISTI Grid Paper Pad, MISTI Bar Magnets, Square Bone Folder, Scor-Buddy, craft tweezers, Die-namics Embossing Pad Combo

Other: Die-cutting machine, paper cutter, tape runner, Multi Medium Matte Glue, QuickStik Pick-up Tool, Precision Tip Glue Applicator Bottle, plastic eraser, Sprinkles, hemp cord

Joy Wreath–MFT October Tips & Tricks

Hi everyone, welcome to the MFT’s October Release Tips & Tricks feature! Today I’m going to show you how to create a dimensional wreath using the just released Filled with Joy Die-namics. I love it when I come up with a way to stretch my supplies, especially in different and unexpected ways.

First, here’s what I started with to create my wreath: Hemp Cord and three shades of green card stock cut with the snowflake from Filled with Joy Die-namics. I created the base by curling up some hemp cord to simulate a “grapevine wreath”. I secured the ends with hot glue but you can use any quick setting glue you have.




Then I started cutting the snowflake die cuts into pieces—each “arm” yields a “sprig” of greenery.

I snipped them apart and then off of the center circle until I had a pile of “sprigs”.




Next I started adhering the “sprigs” to the base with a drop of glue, overlapping to hide the glue and “propped” up for dimension using alternating shades of green for a more realistic look.




Here’s a side view to see how much the “sprigs” are propped up.




Here you see it about 3/4 finished.




And here, finished. When I got to the beginning, I gently lifted the first sprigs up and adhered the last ones under them.

I wanted to add some red berries and the only thing I had that would work scale-wise was some retired Prills. They really are perfect for this but if I had red seed beads they would be perfect, too. To finish I added a baker’s twine bow.




Here’s the back side of the finished wreath so you know what it should look like.




To create the card, I adhered some Itsy Bitsy Polka Dots patterned paper on a Sweet Tooth card stock base, then popped up another Sweet Tooth panel cut with Stitched Scallop Basic Edges 2 Die-namics. I cut the J and Y from Holly Jolly Glitter Card Stock and popped them up on foam, then adhered the wreath in the center.

And that’s it from me today! I hope my tips & tricks will encourage you to think out of the box when you look at your supplies.

Thanks for stopping by! See you soon!

All products from My Favorite Things unless otherwise noted.

Die-namics: Filled with Joy, Stitched Scallop Basic Edges 2
Patterned Paper: Itsy Bitsy Polka Dots
MFT Card Stock: Sweet Tooth, Gumdrop Green, Jellybean Green, Sour Apple
Specialty Papers: Holly Jolly Glitter Card Stock
Supplies: foam mounting tape, E-Z Runner, Multi Medium Matte Glue
Tools: Smart Grid Paper Pad, Square Bone Folder, Scor-Buddy, QuickStik Pick-up Tool, Precision Tip Glue Applicator Bottle, craft tweezers, plastic eraser
Other: Die-cutting machine, paper cutter, Prills, baker’s twine

MFT September Tips & Tricks–With Gratitude

Hi everyone, welcome to the MFT’s September Release Tips & Tricks! Today I’m going to show you how to add a canopy of leaves to the tree in the just released PI Sending Blessings Stamp Set. I’m actually going to show you two different methods so if you don’t have the supplies for one you probably will have them for the other.

First up, watercoloring, which is what I did on this card. To begin, on Ranger Watercolor Paper and with Hot Fudge Hybrid ink, I stamped the tree trunk where I wanted it. Then, with a waterbrush, I dabbed on the lightest color, which is a light orange and gently dried it with my heat tool. You can wait for it to dry but I’m always in a hurry ;-)



Then I dabbed on the next color, using a brighter orange and dried that. If you don’t dry in between colors in watercoloring you will get a muddy mess. So dry those colors!




Next I added a light red, also just dabbing the color from the brush to create the look of shadow and dimension.




Once that was dry I painted in the ground using green…




…and the sky with blue, filling in any areas in the canopy with blue to create an airy look. I added more green to the tufty grass that is part of the stamp. I also colored the tree trunk at this time, and after it dried it was ready to use on a card.




Next, let’s do one using MFT dye ink. For this, I used Hot Fudge Hybrid Ink to stamp the image and Sour Apple, Orange Zest, and Tangy Orange for the leaf canopy.



Using an art sponge cut in wedges, I inked up the sponge and dabbed Sour Apple dye ink as a base. I tried several versions, using the orange first, but I found starting with the green keep the colors more distinctive. No idea WHY, it just did ;-)




Then I added Tangy Orange for accent—I knew I wanted Orange Zest to be the predominate color so I saved it for last.

And here it is, filled in and out with Orange Zest and the trunk colored with Copic markers.




Now, I didn’t want to Copic color the entire background so I got out my Mini Cloud Stencil and Blue Breeze dye ink and filled in that sky, working around the tree after also stenciling Grassy Edges for grounding.




And here’s the finished product.




And that’s it from me today! I hope my tips & tricks will help you give your tree a colorful leaf canopy and some dimension.

Thanks for stopping by! See you soon!

All products from My Favorite Things unless otherwise noted.

Stamps: PI Sending Blessings
Die-namics: PI Sending Blessings, Puffy Clouds, Essential Fishtail Sentiment Strips
Stencils: Mini Cloud Edges, Grassy Edges
Dye Ink: Blue Breeze, Sour Apple, Orange Zest, Tangy Orange
Hybrid Ink: Extreme Black, Hot Fudge
Specialty Inks: Versamark
MFT Card Stock: Sweet Tooth, Black Licorice, No Line Coloring
Specialty Papers: Ranger Watercolor Paper
Supplies: foam mounting tape, E-Z Runner, Peerless Watercolors, white detail embossing powder, Multi Medium Matte Glue
Tools: Smart Grid Paper Pad, Mini MISTI, Mini MISTI Grid Paper Pad, MISTI Bar Magnets, Square Bone Folder, Scor-Buddy, QuickStik Pick-up Tool, Precision Tip Glue Applicator Bottle, Embossing Magic, water brush, craft tweezers, plastic eraser, sponge daubers
Other: Die-cutting machine, paper cutter, Copic markers

Dance & Twirl, Birthday Girl–MFT August Tips & Tricks

Hello and welcome to Tips & Tricks for August! With today’s card I’m going to show you how to make this layered tutu that PI is wearing and cover up a mistake at the same time! Well, not exactly a mistake, but I colored the tutu and was not AT ALL happy with it—it wasn’t horrible but I was not happy so I got the idea to paper piece it and it grew from there.

This view shows the dimension a little better—you can see the layers of ruffles that make it 3-D.




I already had this one done when I got the idea to show you all how I did it so I’m using a new copy for that--I can go back and color the rest of the image when I’m ready to use it. So to begin, stamp and die cut the image like always. Then stamp the area to be paper pieced on patterned paper (for this I’m using the smallest print I have, Itsy Bitsy Polka Dots Pastels Paper Pack for the tutu). Normally for paper piecing you would be done stamping now, but since I was going to layer the ruffles, I stamped it twice more on a darker shade of paper.




Next, cut the patterned paper out with detail scissors in the CENTER of the ink line. This is so when you adhere it to the main image the ink lines will merge and be one.




Next, I usually go around the patterned paper with a water-based marker to cover the white edge of paper that will invariably show. Do NOT use Copic markers or alcohol markers. This paper is very porous and alcohol inks will bleed badly. Ask me how I know. I use Stampin’ Up markers that I’ve had for forever, but Distress markers would work fine, I’d think.




Next, adhere the bottom ruffle to the main image completely. See how cutting the piece out in the center of the ink line makes it blend perfectly?

Now let’s adhere the middle layer, but only the top edge—you want the bottom edge of the ruffle to be free so you can curl it up a little to add dimension.

And, finally, adhere the top layer of the tutu, adhering everything except, again, the ruffle edge. When you curl that layer up you have lots of dimension.

Here are the two versions side-by-side, one ready to go on a card, the other waiting until I decide to color and use it.




Once I had my little girl done, I built her a stage using Take the Stage Die-namics and In the Spotlight Stencil. The floor was made by stamping Wood Plank Background with Kraft dye ink on Safety Orange Card Stock, making it look a lot like oak flooring.



I used Sweet Tooth pigment ink for the spotlight and heat embossed the sentiment. The background was made from After Midnight Card Stock and the curtains cut from Cornflower card stock with Silver Sparkle card stock tie backs.

And that’s it from me today! I hope my tips & tricks will help you give your tutu some dimension and show you how to cover up a problem area should it occur :)

Thanks for stopping by! See you soon!

All products from My Favorite Things unless otherwise noted.

Stamps: PI Tu-tu Sweet, Wood Plank Background
Die-namics: PI Tu-tu Sweet, Take the Stage, Essential Fishtail Sentiment Strips
Stencils: In the Spotlight
Dye Ink: Kraft
Hybrid Ink: Extreme Black
Specialty Inks: Sweet Tooth Pigment, Versamark
Patterned Paper: Itsy Bitsy Polka Dots Pastels
MFT Card Stock: Sweet Tooth, Black Licorice, After Midnight, Cornflower, Safety Orange, No Line Coloring
Specialty Papers: Silver Sparkle card stock
Supplies: foam mounting tape, E-Z Runner, white detail embossing powder, Multi Medium Matte Glue
Tools: Smart Grid Paper Pad, Mini MISTI, Mini MISTI Grid Paper Pad, MISTI Bar Magnets, Square Bone Folder, Scor-Buddy, QuickStik Pick-up Tool, Precision Tip Glue Applicator Bottle, Embossing Magic, Copics, Sakura White Gelly Roll Pen, craft tweezers, plastic eraser, sponge daubers, Precision Scissors
Other: Die-cutting machine, paper cutter, heat tool