Hello, crafty peeps and welcome to another Innovation Station post, a monthly feature focusing innovative tips and tricks. Each month I share an innovation that I find myself going to again and again.
This month’s innovation is washi tape. I seriously need a 12-step program for my washi tape addiction! Thin, thick, glittery, transparent, opaque … I LOVE washi! There are some wonderful tapes on the market today and some of my favorites are from SU! I especially like the face that SU coordinates their washi in complimentary color families. Today I’m going to share two of my favorite washi techniques: the washi die cut and the washi background. Both are super simple, yet add so much to your card making!
Washi is super thin which when layered over card stock makes it perfect for die cutting and background techniques. When I sat about choosing suites for this month’s cards, I knew what I wanted to use for each technique, but beyond the washi element, I wasn’t sure what the cards were going to look like. I almost scrapped both cards because I wasn’t happy with how either was coming together. Does this ever happen to you? Fortunately, inspiration struck and I am pretty happy with the way both cards turned out.
For the washi background card, I used the Delightful Daisy suite. I love this suite! From the stamps, to the DSP, to that great daisy punch … it’s one of my favorite suites in the annual catalog. I knew I wanted to “knock out” the daisy image (sort of the reverse of what might be expected) and have the washi showing through. In some of the photos you will see a version with two daisies that ended up getting scrapped (it was way too busy) in favor of the final card. I began with a Pool Party A2 card base. Using a corner rounder I rounded the upper left and lower right corners of both the card base and the Whisper White panel (4″ x 5.25″). I cut out a daisy in the upper middle of the panel using the Daisy Punch and added two leaves using the companion two-step stamps.
I cut a 2.75″ x 2.75″ piece of Whisper White and using the new Basics Pack 3 washi tape, added rows until the entire piece was covered. Using my bone folder, I burnished the washi down and using adhered it behind the daisy opening with Fast Fuse. I put one of the new clear Faceted Gems n the center of the daisy. Next, I cut a 4″ x 1.75″ piece of DSP from the Delightful Daisy DSP and a 3.73″ x 1.5″ piece of Whisper White, on which I stamped “Thank You” in Night of Navy ink. I rounded the corners of the white piece and adhered it to the DSP, which then was adhered to the main white panel. Inside I stamped “…for your kindness.” in Night of Navy ink. HINT: I could have applied the washi directly to the card base, but since washi is semi-transparent I didn’t want it to show the card base color so I opted for a Whisper White panel instead.
For the die cut washi card, I wanted to use the new “Happy Birthday” die, the coordinating stamp set, and especially the Foil Frenzy specialty DSP. I am in love with this kraft card stock foil paper! It is so beautiful and screams happy birthday! The process for die cutting washi is very simple. Begin with a piece of card stock large enough to accommodate your die and apply washi. Place this piece washi side up on your cutting matte and put the die face down over it. Add the other plate and run it through your Big Shot. Voila, you have die cut washi!
For this card I began with an A2 card base in Berry Burst. Using the largest solid layering oval, I cut a window out of the front of the card. In this opening I adhered a piece of polka dot foil frenzy card stock. I also cut the happy birthday out of a piece of Basic Black card stock. I glued the washi die cut to this black piece slightly offset to create a shadow. Once that was dry, I popped it up using the new mini dimensionals, cutting them in half to make sure they didn’t show. Using VersaMark ink and white embossing powder I added the sentiment “it’s your day” to the front of the card below the oval. For the finishing touch, I added a few flat backed gems by Little Things from Lucy’s Cards.
Thanks for hanging out with me, and learning (or relearning) a fun innovation! Join me next month for another of my go to innovations, watercolor backgrounds. Until next time, remember, creativity and imperfection live together in all we do. “Grace is the face love wears when it meets imperfection.”
~xoxo
Supplies Used:
Washi: Basics Pack 1 (144221) & Pack 3 (144223)
Happy Birthday Gorgeous Bundle (145301)
Foil Frenzy Specialty DSP (144125)
Daisy Delight Bundle (145361) & Delightful Daisy DSP (144137)
Card Stock: Pool Party, Berry Burst, Whisper White & Basic Black
Ink: Night of Navy, Lemon Lime Twist, Old Olive & VersaMark
Extras: Clear Faceted Gems (144142) & Flat Backed Gems