Enlarging A Stamped Image For A Perfect Fit.

Hello! Are you all hopping around madly, getting ready for the Easter break? I’ve made a quick Easter card this week that I don’t think I could have made any brighter.

The background paper is my first attempt at a rainbow plaid. I wasn’t comfortable using post it tape to make my inked stripes, so, for this card, I used two pieces of acetate I recycled from stamp sets. I ran a strip of repositional tape, from an old tape runner, along the edge of the acetate and positioned them on the card. It was much easier to place because I could see all my work through the acetate. I used a mini blending tool to apply distress inks, listed below. The only downside I found to using acetate was that I had to make sure it was cleaned between each colour, so as not to contaminate the next colour I was using. Being able to see the whole work piece was well worth the quick wipe with my chamois though.

To finish the background off and to add some interest, I added varying, thin white lines to each stripe with my Sakura Gelly Roll White Pen (XPGB#50) and a ruler. When using these pens against a ruler, I flip the ruler over, so the bevelled edge isn’t resting directly on the card. This stops any ink bleeding under the edge of ruler as you work. These gel pens also flow beautifully and are a pleasant change for one who struggles to get other white gel pens to work.

I wanted to use my new Newton’s Nook Bunny Hop Clear Stamp Set but found the 3″×4″ set way too small to be noticed on my busy background. I decided, considering this card was staying within my family, I would stamp the images I wanted onto copy paper and scan them into my computer, to enlarge them to a size more suitable to a 5″×7″ card.

A stamped image can be digitally manipulated but once enlarged, or altered in any other way, it can’t be used in items that you’re planning to sell. Any alteration, including enlarging or reducing its size, is a breach of the copyright that’s held by the stamp’s manufacturer. With this in mind, the image must only be used personally and not sold on in any way. As I said, this card is being given within my family so I knew an enlargement was OK this once.

After scanning the images as a jpeg, I used my Avery Design and Print free software to resize it. I have made a template in this program that shows up as a 5″×7″ screen. I added the jpeg to this template and quickly dragged the image to a suitable size. Knowing the screen I’m working on is the same size as the card eliminates any doubt on how big the image will look when placed on the actual card. 

I reprinted the images onto Neenah cardstock with my laser printer and quickly coloured them, using Faber-Castell pencils and Vaseline, as I did in this post. I then cut them out, leaving a small white border to give them all a little definition. I layered the images and secured them into place using Simon Says Stamp 1mm foam tape and Ranger Multi Medium Matte Adhesive.

I cut around the sentiment to form a fish tail tag and mounted it onto a scrap of black card. The images’ outlines thickened when enlarging and I thought giving the tag the same effect would help with continuity. I tied a small black bow and glued it to the tag using Multi Medium Matte Adhesive again. This glue is fantastic for gluing ribbon to cardstock! It sticks almost instantly and doesn’t leave a visible mark on satin ribbon. Gluing ribbon to cards had always been a problem, to the point where I stopped using ribbon, until I got this glue. I adhered the tag to the card using Multi Medium Matte Adhesive and a strip of foam tape under the fish tails.

I had trimmed the plaid background down to 7″×4.25″ and added a layer of 7″×4.75″ black card as a border. I glued the panels to the card base and ruled a white line down each side of the black panel, again using the Sakura Gelly Roll White Pen, to slightly break up the thicker edge. 

This card, with all its colour, suits three challenges this week. Uniko Challenge #40‘s theme this month calls for a spring theme with an optional twist of Easter. Simon Says Stamp’s Monday Challenge wants us to “make a rainbow” and finally, but not least, Cas-ual Fridays Challenge #171 also has a theme of “rainbow”. With two challenges having a theme relating to rainbows, I feel pretty confident saying I’m not the only one who’s been bitten by the rainbow bug and I think all the beautiful coloured inks that are now available are to blame!😊

Distress Inks Used: 

• Picked Raspberry
• Wilted Violet
• Blueprint Sketch
• Salty Ocean
• Mermaid Lagoon
• Twisted Citron 
• Mustard Seed 
• Spiced Marmalade