Easy Flower Card - Ink Blending for Beginners

Are you ready to have some fun with ink blending? We've teamed up with Create It With Joy from @Createitwithjoy to bring you an awesome stamp set release. Today, we are showing you how to create an easy, ink blended flower card using the Summer Dahlias stamp set. Ink blending is additional technique used to add color to your handmade cards without the need to color with art markers. With a few simple supplies and our step-by-step instructions, you'll be able to create a beautiful flower design that looks professionally made. Plus, we're also going to give you tips on how to make your color blends look smooth and consistent. So grab your stamps, inks and paper - let's get started on this amazing project!

• Create It With Joy - Summer Dahlias Clear Stamp Set
• Free Cricut File - Summer Dahlias
• Acrylic Stamp Block
• Archival Ink Pads in various colors
• White Cardstock
• Ink Blending Tool
• Heat Tool
• Embossing Powder
• Craft Paper of Choice: Colors, Patterns, and Designs
• Glue
• Scissors or Cricut
• Envelope

• Corner Rounder
• Glue Tape Runner
• 3-D Styrofoam Dots
• Adhesive Gems
• Tweezers
• Bone Folder
• Address Stamp

To get started, gather all of your materials so you have them accessible.

If you have a Cricut machine, you can use the Summer Dahlias Cricut files to cut out your stamp images before inking. If you don't have a cricut machine, perpare white card stock onto a craft mat.

Prepare your card backing by gathering white card stock and folding in half. Use your desired size, but in this project we are using a 8x4 white card stock we have folded in half for a 4x4 card. Next, select your patterned or colored paper you are using for your card background. Cut it to size and glue it to the front of your card. Lastly, as an optional step, use the corner rounder to trip the corners of your card. This gives your card a soft visual appreance that reflects the soft design of the dahlias.  

Using clear stamps is easy, simply peel your stamp from it backing sheet and place it onto an acrylic stamp block. The photopolymer is slightly tacky, so your stamp can easily stick and be removed from your stamp block.

Second, ink your stamp with the ink pad of your choice. In this project we are using a clear embossing ink pad as we will be embossing our dahlia stamp, however you can shoose to use regular ink as well.

Once you have stamped your image with the clear embossing ink pad, sprinkle your embossing power over the invisible impression.

Tip: Place scrap paper behind your die cut to catch extra loose powder you can funnel back into the container and re-use for another project.

Use your heat tool to set the embossing powder. To do this, keep the heat tool about 6 inches from your paper and move in a circular motion for about 30 seconds.

Repeat stamping and embossing (steps 2 + 3) for each flower, stem, or leaf you intend to use in your design.

Now its time to start blending the ink! Start with the lightest color first and then incrementally blend the darker color(s) on top to create a beautfully shaded design. We started with light and dark green to shade our leafs first.

Second, we blended our embossed dahlias, starting with sundazed yellow for the center and then blending outward with the rose ink for the edges of the petals. See how the rose and yellow blend to make an orange color in the middle.

Tip: Use a clockwise motion with even, but medium pressure for blending with the tool.

Lastly, it's time to stamp your greeting or sentiment onto the card. We trimmed black stock paper to stamp our greeting on. For this, we used the same embossing ink pad, embossing powder and heat embossing technique to create a nice contrast to the soft, light colors of the card.

Tip: Place all of your elements together on your card to ensure the layout and look you want before you start gluing peices down.

Once you are happy with the placement, glue all your elements down. We recomend using a glue runner as it is quick, easy and mess free.

If you want to add a 3D effect your your card, so that some elments are rasied on the face of the card, simply use adhesive styrofoam dots. Place them on the back of the element you want to be raised, and place into your card for a 3-dimansional effect, just like a pro!

Now you're ready to try ink blending on your next greeting card! Don't forget to follow our blog and socials for more tips and inspiration.

Show us your version of this card, or share a new creation with us! Tag us @RubberStamps_com and use #StampWithUS to enter our monthly giveaway! Winners receive a $25 credit to use at our shop!