I have been working away on Christmas cards and trying some new techniques. I find that watching “lives” with my stamping friends inspires me to try things I would never otherwise do. This card is the result of one I watched with the queen of artsy, inky goodness – Lydia Fiedler.

Last week, Lydia was showing how to add color and depth to a background stamp and I was inspired to try it with the Holly Jolly background stamp from Honey Bee Stamps. There is nothing particularly hard about the process, it just takes a bit of time and patience. I started with a piece of Bristol Smooth paper larger than the image and put it in my Misti. The Misti is key to the technique since you stamp the image over and over again. Using my Mini Distress Inks, I started adding colors selectively on the image. I kind of went around and around the image adding and layering the inks. This gives you an idea of the work in progress. After this point I added some Peacock Feathers and Villainous Potion. It is kind of an experiment which is what makes it fun.

Once I had the panel inked, I decided I wanted it to take on a vintage vibe so I added Distress Oxide Ink in Antique Linen and some Vintage Photo Distress Ink on the edges. Next I splattered on some Early Espresso ink. I chose a section that seemed the most balanced and cut it with a rectangle die. Separately, I inked the big image in black ink and used the coordinating dies to cut all the sentiments out…such a great way to have a bunch of fun font sentiments on hand. I used the script Holly Jolly and matched the distress inking from the main panel.

Using the Make It Merry paper pack, I chose a plaid for the base layer and some of the red/green prints for my poinsettia. I little gold center to add some elegance.

This inking technique has made me look at some background stamps differently and I look forward to using this again. If you are every needing some inspiration to try new things, go visit my friend Lydia. She is amazing and truly her tutorials will just make your day happier. Hope you have a wonderful day!