These Two Colorful Cards Are Perfect for Encouragement or Graduation!

Welcome to Day 2 of the Impression Obsession February Release Blog Hop! Today I'm excited to features some beautiful silhouette style rubber stamps paired with inspiring sentiments that together create the perfect handmade card to celebrate all kinds of accomplishments, like graduation, a new job, weight loss, or meeting a hard-earned goal. 

This blog post contains affiliate links. When you shop through my links I receive compensation at no cost to you. Thank you from the bottom of my crafty heart!

Silhouette images are really fun to play with because they just have so many inky possibilities. Stamped simply in black, they allow you to get creative with backgrounds, using stencils, sponges, ink blending and more. To create today's first idea, blend Distress Oxide Inks across a piece of watercolor paper. Then  stamp the Mountaintop Silhouette image onto white cardstock and fussy cut it to add on top of your colorful panel. Finish the card off with a simple sentiment like Step by Step. 

The next card also has a Distress Oxide inky background, but after inking the panel, lay a stencil on top and mist with water. Distress Oxide inks react with water and magically allow the stencil pattern to appear. Then, simply stamp the image and sentiment onto the panel once it's dry. (I splattered some Spellbinders Sparkle Silk at the end, because it's always my favorite finishing touch!)

I suggest using a MISTI or other stamping platform when using silhouette stamps, because it allows you to get a really rich, dark color on solid images. 
 

Here are the important details on this week's blog hop:

• We're giving away THREE Impression Obsession $25 gift certificates for our two-day blog hop - the more you comment, the more chances to win, so be sure to visit all the designers! (This is day 2 - find day 1 HERE)
• All comments for both days will be open until February 8th at 8pm CT. All winners will be announced on February 9th on the Impression Obsession Blog.
• Find all of Impression Obsession's newest releases HERE
•  Check out the awesome sale section on the IO website. In particular, their assortment of discontinued clear stamp sets has some amazing deals on THE cutest stamps!

Here's the lineup of today's hop!

Impression Obsession Blog

Susan Wymer

Angela Bode

Anna Wight

Dina Kowal

Giovana Smith

Jeanne Streiff

Laura Fulcher

Laura Williams <<you are here>>

Supplies on Today's Cards:

Mountaintop Silhouette

Step by Step

Trails

Rappel Silhouette

Distress Oxide Inks: Mustard Seed, Twisted Citron, Salvaged Patina, Broken China, Chipped Sapphire

I get these inks from Spellbinders, because the shades are color-matched to Spellbinders cardstock. You can also find Distress Oxide Inks at scrapbook.com and Simon Says Stamp. 

Mini MISTI 

at Simon Says Stamp

at scrapbook.com 

or at Spellbinders Paper Arts