Layering Stencils - Totally Techniques - February Blog Hop

Totally Techniques March Blog Hop – Layering Stencils

Hello and welcome!

I’m excited to be hopping along with the talented Totally Techniques International Design Team this month. Our featured technique for March is Layering Stencils – and if you haven’t played with these yet, you are in for a treat! They make creating beautifully detailed, multi-coloured images so easy.

For my projects this month, I’ve used the gorgeous  Layers of Beauty stamp set, coordinating dies and layering stencils from Stampin’ Up! The floral images in this suite are perfect for building up colour and depth with the stencil layers.

I started by stamping the floral image onto Basic White cardstock using Gray Granite ink.

To make sure everything lined up perfectly, I used the new Stampin’ Up! Stamp Positioner, which made the process so easy and precise. 

The magnets were fantastic for holding both the cardstock and stencils firmly in place while I worked with my blending brushes – no slipping or shifting!

Then came the fun part – building up the colour with the stencils! For the flowers, I used three pink tones:

• Bubble Bath (lightest layer)
• Petunia Pop (mid tone)
• Berry Burst (deepest layer)

This combination creates such a soft yet vibrant bloom. For the leaves, I used Old Olive ink on both stencil layers to give a rich, natural finish. I did 3 panels exactly the same, except some got a bit more colour than others.

From there, I created a few different card designs to showcase how versatile this technique can be:

Card One
I kept this one simple and elegant – just the stamped and stencilled image on Basic White cardstock. Sometimes you really don’t need anything more to let the technique shine. I added a little strip of Berry Burst cardstock on the left behind the White layer before added this panel to an Old Olive card base. I stamped the greeting in Mossy Meadow ink.

Card Two
For this version, I die cut the floral image and layered it onto a piece of embossed cardstock using the Birch Wood 3D Embossing Folder. The added texture really helps the image pop and adds a lovely natural feel. I stamped one word from the stamp set and cut it out with the little tag die. Again I added a strip of Berry Burst and and an Old Olive card base.

Card Three
Here I tried something a little different by cutting out a single flower and leaf cluster from the image - there is a die for this. I then used a circle die from the Spotlight on Nature Dies to cover the negative space on my card front. I stamped a greeting from the Spotlight on Nature stamp set and another from the Layers of Beauty. Again a strip of Berry Burst and an Old Olive card base.

Card Four
Not wanting to waste that beautiful cut-out piece, I turned it into another card! I adhered the single flower and leaves onto a circle die cut and popped it up on embossed Basic White cardstock. It’s a great way to get even more from your stamped images. I also cut another couple of leaves from the Layers of Beauty dies using Old Olive cardstock. Adding a Berry Burst strip and on to an Old Olive card base. I really like this one.

All greetings were stamped in Mossy Meadow ink. To finish off all of the cards, I added a few pearls for a soft touch of embellishment and a little extra shine.

I absolutely love how layering stencils allow you to customise your colour combinations while still achieving a professional, detailed look. It’s such a relaxing technique too!

Be sure to continue along the hop to see all the amazing inspiration from the rest of the team – there are so many creative ways to use layering stencils.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Happy stamping,

Mette

Supplies Used (all Stampin' Up!):

• Stamp Set: Layers of Beauty, Spotlight on Nature
• Dies: Layers of Beauty , Spotlight on Nature 
• Stencils: Layers of Beauty Stencils
• Cardstock: Basic White, Old Olive, Berry Burst
• Ink: Gray Granite, Bubble Bath, Petunia Pop, Berry Burst, Old Olive
• Embossing Folder: Birch Wood 3D
• Embellishments: Pearls
• Other: Stamp' Positioner.

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Double Embossing - Totally Techniques - February Blog Hop

Totally Techniques International Design Team – February Blog Hop | Double Embossing

Welcome to the February hop with the Totally Techniques International Design Team!
This month’s theme is Double Embossing, and I had so much fun combining two techniques on one clean and simple card. I love how you can keep the overall design simple, but still add lots of interest and texture with just a few clever techniques.

For my card today, I’ve used a combination of brayered ink on an embossing folder and partial die cutting to create a custom arch window. Both techniques are simple on their own, but when you pair them together, they really elevate a clean and simple design without adding bulk – perfect for posting!

The background panel was created by adding Versamark ink and Azure Afternoon ink to the raised side (the one with the Stampin' Up logo) of the So Swirly 3D Embossing Folder with a brayer, then adding Pool Party cardstock and run through the Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. I heat embossed with clear embossing powder, which gives a subtle shine and gorgeous texture over the swirly pattern – it almost looks like water ripples in the ocean.

I tried a few different combinations. For my final card i brayered most of the Azure Afternoon ink off before adding to the embossing folder to keep it subtle, but i also tried doing full strength, as well as only versamark and one with White embossing powder. They all look great but very different.

For the arch window, I used the Everyday Arches Dies in a slightly different way. I partially die cut from one end, then flipped and cut from the other end to change the height of the arch. This is such a great trick if you love the shape of a die but want to customise the size to better suit your card design. 

I backed the arch with the embossed Pool Party panel and then added the sailing boats and details using stamps and dies from the Sunrise Sailing bundle.

To finish off the scene, I used Secret Sea ink for stamping and edged the panel with Secret Sea ink before adding to a Basic White card base. I love how calm and coastal this card feels – perfect for a masculine card or anyone who loves the sea.

Thanks so much for hopping along with us this month!

Don’t forget to keep clicking through to see how everyone else has interpreted the Double Embossing technique theme – there are so many clever ideas to try!

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Supplies

• Stampin’ Up! Basic White Cardstock

• Stampin’ Up! Pool Party Cardstock

• Stampin’ Up! Secret Sea Cardstock

• Sunrise Sailing Stamp Set

• Sunrise Sailing Dies

• Everyday Arches Dies

• So Swirly 3D Embossing Folder

• Versamark Ink

• Clear Embossing Powder

• Secret Sea Ink

• Azure Afternoon Ink

• Brayer

• Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine

• Heat Tool 

Clean and Simple Cards - Totally Techniques - January Blog Hop

 

💫 Totally Techniques January Blog Hop – Clean & Simple Cards

Hello stamping friends, and welcome back to my little creative corner! I’m excited to be joining the Totally Techniques International Design Team for our first hop of the year - and this month our theme is Clean & Simple cards - a great way to start the year.

There is something so refreshing about a clean design - just a few elements, lots of white space, and a strong focus on one beautiful detail. I wanted to keep things elegant yet simple, and this card was born! 🌿

For this project, I’ve used Basic White cardstock as my base to keep the look crisp and fresh. The focus of the card is an intricate floral frame created with the new Forever Florals dies, which will be available as an Online Exclusive in March - and I just love how delicate and pretty these dies are! Surrounding the frame with white space helps the detail stand out without feeling fussy.

The sentiment in the centre was stamped with VersaMark ink and heat-embossed with Gold Embossing Powder - the shine of gold gives a touch of elegance to this clean design. Little gold accent flowers finish the card and add just the right bit of sparkle without taking away from the simplicity. There is a little flower stamp in the set, that I used for this. It is not a perfect fit, but that is ok, it just adds little embellishments.

This card came together quite quickly - that’s one of the things I love about clean and simple designs - but the impact is still timeless and beautiful. This was a 30 min wedding card - how good is that.

📋 Supplies Used

Here’s everything I used to make this card — and you’ll find that with just a handful of quality products you can create something beautiful!

Stampin’ Up! Products

• Basic White Cardstock
• Forever Florals Stamp Set (Online exclusive - available March)
• Forever Florals Dies (Online exclusive - available March)
• Versamark Ink Pad
• Gold Embossing Powder

Tools & Accessories

• Heat Tool
• Embossing Buddy
• Stampin' Cut and Emboss machine

🎨 Final Thoughts

Clean & Simple cards don’t have to be plain - just intentional! Let your focal point shine with minimal distraction, and embrace the elegance that white space brings. I hope this card inspires you to create something simple and stunning for your craft table.

Thank you so much for hopping by today! Please continue around the Totally Techniques International Design Team blog hop for even more inspiration. I can’t wait to see all of the beautiful clean and simple creations. ✂️💛

Happy stamping,

✨ Mette

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Shaker Cards - Totally Techniques November Blog Hop

 

Totally Techniques – November Blog Hop: Shaker Cards!

Hello and welcome back to my little creative corner!

It’s time for another Totally Techniques Design Team Blog Hop, and this month we’re featuring one of my absolute favourite interactive styles… Shaker Cards! ✨

If you have any questions about this project - or if you'd like to order the Delicate Pines Bundle - feel free to contact me anytime.

I had so much fun creating this frosty and elegant winter-themed shaker using the Delicate Pines Bundle from Stampin’ Up! Especially since we are going through a very hot finish to Spring here in the tropics. Together with Night of Navy, Basic White, and Cloud Cover cardstock, this card turned into a soft and snowy winter greeting perfect for the festive season at least if you are in the Northern Hemisphere.

Here’s my finished card:

For this card, I wanted to create a clean wintery look with texture . The embossed background, shaker window, delicate snowflakes, and soft blue pine sprigs come together for a peaceful winter feel. The Traditional Wreath 3D Embossing Folder from Stampin' Up! is beautiful and big.

I used the Delicate Pines stamp set and coordinating dies to build the focal point. The soft snowflake inside the shaker window adds the perfect touch without overpowering the design. I stamped this with a Silver Delicata ink, that Stampin' Up! carried a few years ago.

If you haven’t made a shaker card before, the secret is really in creating a clean seal so the shaker bits move freely. The easiest way to do this is using the Stampin' Up! Foam Adhesive Strips - for this size circle I got all the way around with one strip. Once the foam strips are down, it comes together beautifully. I used some Silver Sequins from Stampin' Up! from  a few years ago as my shaker bits. I also added a few in the corner, on the little snowflake and on the sentiment.

The sentiment is stamped in Night of Navy and layered over delicate die cuts and some old ribbon. A simple sequin finishes it off for just the right bit of shine.

I love how this card turned out - elegant, textured, and fun to shake!

Make sure to continue hopping around to see the amazing Shaker Card inspiration from the rest of the Totally Techniques Design Team. There are so many clever ideas this month!

Click the links below to keep hopping:

Thank you so much for stopping by!

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Set-back Stamping - Totally Techniques September Blog Hop

 

It is already the end of September and the first month of Spring has sprung, or Autumn/Fall if you are in the Northern Hemisphere. 

This month the Totally Techniques International Design Team is doing set-back stamping. I didn't really know what this was, but it makes perfect sense - the stamping is set back from the rest of the card.

For my card this month I picked a bundle i hadn't used yet - the Coneflower Celebrations bundle. This was a bundle I knew I was going to buy as soon as it came out, it is a beautiful stamp set, and the dies are amazing. 

For set back stamping you stamp your images on a piece of cardstock, often the card base, then you cut out the shapes from another piece of cardstock that you then lay over raised by dimensionals. It is therefore important that the die cut lines up with the stamped images.

When I started this card I hadn't quite considered how tricky it would be to cut the flower outline. The die for the outline is a double die with 2 flower outlines butting up against each other with a score in the middle, making it hard to just cut of the outline of one flower without getting cuts from the other. 

So, I lined up the die with the top cutting plate almost to the top of the die so it didn't cut all the way. I then used the other flower die, which is more detailed to cut the remainder of the top and that worked pretty well. Then I cut out the butterfly shape and laid this card stock on top of my card base and stamped the images through the cut outs. This worked pretty well, as it is Photopolymer set, so you can see through. However, I hadn't quite factored in that the double flower shape die is mirrored, so I couldn't get it to line up. I recut and same thing. Finally, I had the light bulb moment and realised I had to use the other end of the die..... third time lucky, it lined up perfectly.

I then coloured my images with Stampin' Blends, in Balmy Blue, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green and Pecan Pie. I had stamped the images with Early Espresso. 

I then stamped the sentiment of the cut out piece again with Early Espresso and adhered it on top with Stampin' Dimensionals.

I am really happy with how this card turned out even though it took way longer than it should have.

It is a really great technique and would love to see what you come up with if you try it.

Hop on over to the rest of the design teams' blogs and check out their creations

Happy stamping!

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Customised Stencils - Totally Techniques August Blog Hop

 

It's August and Winter is almost over here in Australia. Spring is coming and the stamp set I chose for this month's Totally Techniques International Design Team blog hop is very Spring - Mixed Florals, has the floral image i have used as well as another image with Tulips.

The technique this month is 'customised stencils'. This basically means that you use a die to make your own stencil. I wanted to use the Mixed Florals stamp set, but there were none of the dies that really worked for this. I wanted a small flower die to use for my stencil and the perfect one was in the Birthday Celebration die set. This die set has all the numbers, but also has a couple of florals, leaves, banners etc.

I ran a piece of Basic White cardstock through my Stampin' Cut' n 'Emboss machine several time with the flower die, placing it deliberately random on the cardstock.

When I felt it was enough I placed it on top of another piece of Basic White cardstock and blended with Lemon Lolly ink and a Blending Brush.

I stamped the floral image from Mixed Florals twice in Seacret Sea ink on another piece of Basic White cardstock. I then colored with Stampin' Blends - Fresh Fresia, Lemon Lolly, Lemon Lime Twist and Pumpkin Pie. I cut them both out with the matching die and adhered them with Stampin' Dimensionals. I cut one of the images a bit apart to make it a bit more full.

I then adhered some of the little cut out centers from my stencil to the middle of the ink-blended yellow flowers. I added Wink of Stella to the big flowers and Fine-tip Glue Pen glue to the little orange flowers. I works like the Crystal Effects we used to use.

I finished the card off by stamping a sentiment on Seacret Sea using Versamark Ink and heat embossing in white. The white layer is then added to a piece of Seacret Sea and a Lemon Lime Twist card base. 

This technique is great to get more use out of your dies, and who doesn't like it when you can use your products in different ways - better value for money.

Hope you have a play and have some fun with your dies.

Next week the new mini catalogue goes live with lots of Christmas inspiration. There are also new Online Exclusives coming - let me know if you need a copy of the catalogue or want to know more about the Online Exclusive offerings.

If you are in Australia and don't have a demonstrator I would love to have you shop with me and to help you out with any questions you may have.

Happy Stamping xx

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Watercolour stamping - Totally Techniques July blog hop

 

It's July and it is time for another blog hop with the Totally Techniques International Design Team. And this month the technique is watercolour stamping. Watercolour stamping is a simple technique that only requires watercolour paper, stamp, ink and water. A Stampin' Spritzer is perfect for this technique.

The stamp set I chose to use this month is Natural Botanicals. It is an unassuming stamp set that you may have missed. It is a Reversible stamp set, meaning that you can stamp with both sides of the stamp - one side is detailed and the other is solid. This means you get double for the price of your stamp set. As the stamps are not completely symmetrical they won't line up perfectly when you stamp the other side, but that is ok, they are not meant to and it just gives a bit of extra character.

Here i have stamped the solid leaf/sprig with Old Olive ink (stamped off) and spritzed with water before stamping on watercolour paper. I then inked the detailed side with Shaded Spruce and stamped on top. As you can see, they don't line up but that is fine. Especially when using the watercolour stamping technique as it enhances the watercolour look and the colours spread a bit.

For my card i stamped the detailed side of the little flower stamp with Gorgeous Grape on Watercolour paper, then I the solid side up with Bubble Bath ink and spritzed with water before stamping. How much water you add and what type of paper you stamp on, will determine how much of a watercolour look you get. I did not add a lot of water to this, and I stamped on the old Stampin' Up! watercolour paper, which is slightly more textured that the current Fluid100 watercolour paper.

To finish my card, i layered my stamped piece on to a piece of Highland Heather cardstock before adhering to a Gorgeous Grape card base, which I stamped with the flower stamp tone-on-tone in Gorgeous Grape ink to give a bit of depth.

I then added a greeting stamped in Gorgeous Grape on Highland Heather cardstock layered on to Gorgeous Grape cardstock.

The greeting on my card is from a stamp set exclusive to the Month-by-Month Album Retreat 2025, which took place last weekend. However, the retreat is still available, all the classes were recorded, and the Facebook group is open, so if you are interested, check it out here. It is a really great product if you would like to get 12 double page scrapbook layouts done over a few days.

This card came together very easily - you can dress it up with ribbon or embellishments. I gave it a bit of Wink of Stella to give a bit of sparkly, but that is a bit hard to see in the photos.

Hope you give this technique a try, it is fun and can be used with all sorts of stamp sets.

Hop over and check out my fellow design team member's creations 

See you next month and happy stamping

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One Layer Card - Totally Techniques June blog hop

I am back!

It has been a while since I have last joined the blog hop let alone stamped - it has been too long.

It is dance competition season and it is busy. We had comp tonight as well, got home at 10pm, got the girls to bed and started my card at 11pm, now it is almost midnight and I am done - lucky it is one layer cards for this Totally Technique Design Team blog hop. 

Most of us probably started out with one layer cards or at least close to and then we got more experienced and added layer after layer. However, one layer cards can be just as beautiful and super quick.

I stamped 2 simple cards tonight in about half an hour, well actually 3 1/2, but lets not talk about the 1 1/2 card I stuffed up....

The first card used the new Impressions Abloom. It is a great flower set and it is 2 step stamping or not. Today i used it as a one step stamp to keep with the simple theme.

I stamped the detailed flowers in Melon Mambo ink and the leaf in Granny Apple Green. I used a greeting from the Wildflower Celebrations set for a big greeting. These new greeting / title sets are not just for scrapbooking, they are also great for cards, especially when you want a bigger greeting. The greeting and middle of the flowers are stamped with Basic Gray.

For the second card i used the Citrus Blooms set. I used the biggest image and stamped it in Basic Gray and again used a greeting from Wildflower Celebrations.

I then embossed a frame around the card using my Stampin' Up! paper trimmer. Just to give it a bit more character. I also watercoloured the flower centres with a bit of Daffodil Delight ink and an aqua painter. I may give it a bit of Wink of Stella as well.

That is it, 2 super simple cards with no layers, no die cuts or any other fancy bits, just inks, stamps and paper.

Now both the Citrus Blooms and the Wildflower Celebrations stamp sets are part of suites which are currently on a super special suite sale - buy one and get one 1/2 price, that is really good value considering the price of some of these suites - quite a few are on sale.

And we also have our new annual catalogue life and there online exclusives going up all the time.

And if you like scrapbooking, don't forget the virtual scrapbooking retreat is currently available. You make 12 double page layouts over 3 days - all online. This looks to be a great event.

Hop along and check out the creations from the rest of the design team, you are sure to be inspired

Happy Stamping

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March Split Closure Trifold Card -

Welcome to the Totally Techniques blog hop for March 2025!

This month we are doing a fun fold - the split closure trifold card

Trifold cards are card that has 3 panels where one outside panel is a little bit shorter than the other outside panel to ensure a neat closure. This being a split closure means that one of the side panels has been split and goes overand under the other side panel.

I started with a piece of Old Oliver cardstock measuring 5 1/2" x 11". I scored it at the 11" side at 3 and 7. Close the card with the short flap (3") on top. Draw a line where it reaches on the long flap. Cut down on the long flap (on the 5" side) at 2 1/2" to the line you drew, that will be your split closure. 

Then you decorate as desired.

I used the Wildflower Birthday Suite from Stampin' Up!. The Designer Series Paper is beautiful with lovely gold foiling. I matted the paper on Basic White cardstock before adhering to the card fronts.

I stamped some sentiments from the Birthday Celebration stamp set with Memento Ink to 2 pieces of Basic White cardstock and adhered as well.

I then added 2 of the flowers from the punch outs that forms part of the DSP. On the inside i added a piece of Basic White to write a message on.

And that was it, a super easy fun fold where you can do as much or as little decoration as you like.

                                       

The best part is, that the card folds flat for postage.

I hope you give it a go.

Now hop along and check out the creations from the rest of the design team, there is always some great entries.
There is only a month left of the mine catalogue as well as the annual catalogue expires early May, so make sure to get in now, if there is something you would like. As per usual in colours will retire and no longer be available and they will sell out.

There is a new annual catalogue coming in early May and there is some great new in colours, one is the returning Strawberry Slush you may remember from quite some time ago. 'a beautiful pink.

Happy stamping

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Kissing Technique - Totally Techniques

Welcome to the Totally Techniques blog hop for February 2025!

It is already end of February, well actually it is March here in Australia, the year is flying by already.

I am excited to again be part of our blog hop with the Totally Techniques International Design Team. The technique this month is the good old kissing technique. If you have been a stamper for a while chances are that you have tried this technique before. It is a great technique to do both for beginners and more advances stampers.

I really wanted to use the new Elements of Text stamp set from Stampin' Up!, but my order has not yet arrived, so I had to come up with something else. All my text stamps are retired, so had to think a little bit out of the box - not that you have to use a text stamp, but that is how this technique is often done.

I received the Spotlight on Nature stamp set in my last order, and it has a great little texture stamp, which worked perfectly for my bunting/banners from the Birthday Celebration stamp set.

I used Azure Afternoon stamped off for my banner stamp and Blueberry Bushel for the texture stamp.

For the kissing technique you 'kiss' the 2 stamps together. I first inked up the banners with Azure Afternoon, stamped off on a piece of scrap paper and then inked up the texture stamp with Blueberry Bushel and kissed (stamped) this on to the banner stamp. Then I huffed on the banner stamp and stamped it on Basic White cardstock. The huffing re-moistens the ink, so you get better coverage. I did this several times across my cardstock ensuring to clean the stamp in between to not get Blueberry Bushel ink on my Azure Afternoon inkpad.

I then stuck this piece to a piece of Basic Black cardstock and then to a Pretty in Pink card base.

I added the ballon cluster from the Wildflower Celebration Scrapbooking Workshop kit. I fussy cut around this cluster as I thought it had a bit too much white border. I then stamped the Happy and Day stamps from the Birthday Celebration set in Versamark ink onto Basic Black cardstock, added white embossing powder, heat set it and flagged the ends. I adhered the ballons and words with Stampin' Dimensionals.

This is a super simple technique and card, but I thought it turned out quite cute - perfect for a little girls' birthday.

Make sure you hop around the world and check out the other cards, there is a great selection.

And try out the kissing technique for yourself if you haven't already or try it again - it has probably been 10 years since the last time my stamps kissed 😉
 

Make sure to get in touch if you would like to know more and if you live in Australia I would be happy to work with you 😊

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