Blogger Challenge: Week 124

This week's blogger challenge is to highlight a technique. I'm not a big technique stamper, so I picked a pretty simple one for the challenge, called "Black Magic." Basically, how it works is that you stamp a line image stamp in white or light colored pigment ink on a black or other dark cardstock panel, then color the image with colored pencils dipped in odorless mineral spirits (to help the pencil blend smoothly on the cardstock). Easy and really striking, too.

Here's my Black Magic card, featuring an image from the Sleigh Ride stamp set from The Petal Press line, available at i {heart} papers. I stamped the sleigh image and the accompanying candy cane image in white ink on a black panel. The image is colored with both regular and metallic pencils for extra pop. The foliage stamped in white kind of looks snow-covered, doesn't it?

I layered the image on a red card base with a piece of fun Cosmo Cricket Jolly by Golly designer paper with a matching candy cane image. A piece of red twill is wrapped around the top of the patterned paper panel. I added a felt snowflake, cut from a self-adhesive border strip, to the side of the image as a simple embellishment. The sentiment from the Hero Arts Holiday Sayings stamp set is stamped in black ink on the patterned paper. I placed the image on the clear block so it would curve around the image panel when stamped.

For more technique ideas, you can visit the rest of the challenge players. Links to their blogs are in the sidebar on the right.

Materials Used:

from i {heart} papers: The Petal Press Sleigh Ride stamp set, Cosmo Cricket Jolly By Golly designer paper Mini Deck, May Arts red twill, Queen & Co. snowflake felt border, Hero Arts Holiday Sayings stamp set, Palette Noir Black ink, Nestabilities circle die

other: Whisper White cardstock, Real Red and Basic Black cardstock (Stampin' Up!); colored pencils (Prismacolor); Pure Poppy button, twine (Papertrey Ink); odorless mineral spirits