January 2018

I am still creating cards from the backgrounds I made this last weekend from my Gel Press How-To Class. I wanted to create a WOW card for a co-worker to give her husband on Valentine’s Day. We both love Chemistry and her work is directly involved with chemical data analysis; so, I thought the Perfect Atoms (SS-0457) stamp set would be ideal for her card. I drew inspiration for her card using this week’s Paper Craft Crew Card Sketch #PCC277. Here is the sketch challenge:

This card turned out to be one of my favorites. I had a Gel Press pink background with white hearts left over and decided to use it. I stamped the beaker with Black Licorice ink and colored it with FSJ Color Burst Pencils; then, applied Journey Glaze with a sprinkle of Sparkle Dust and let it dry while I completed the other parts of the card. The base is FSJ Whip Cream cardstock, the mat is the background stamp created with Sweet Berry Splash with the white areas created using die cut hearts from the Heart Felt die set (DI-0033). There is a small vellum rectangle (very hard to see in the picture) with a rectangular crimped strip of FSJ Bubble Gum cardstock layered on top of it. The sentiment is stamped in Black Licorice onto a strip of FSJ Watermelon Fusion and the ends snipped to create a banner. I stamped the I LV U onto another scrap piece of paper that had been created on the Gel Press and cut them into squares. The I LV U and the beaker are given dimension using Journey Medium and Small Foam Squares.

There are so many possibilities of bringing paper to life using the Gel Press. I hope you like this creation.

This past weekend I held a class to learn the basic “how-to’s” of creating simple backgrounds with the Fun Stamper’s Journey Gel Press. The class was full, and we had a funtastic time playing and creating some awesome backgrounds for cards.

Since this was a Keep It Sweet and Simple class, I did not feature any stencils or mixed media products. The main focus of our Gel Press fun was using Fun Stampers Journey’s fusion inks, acrylic paints, and liquid colors. In keeping with the simple theme, I chose to create interest in the backgrounds using common craft tools and items found in a papercrafter’s stash. This included paper cut with heart dies, a balloon die, a fern die, and a leaf die. We used the bottom of the Journey Glaze to create circles on the Gel Press (remember don’t use anything sharp, it will pierce the gel). Creativity is unlimited with this amazing product.

As you know Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and the FSJ Bloom This Way trend catalog has the most adorable Host Exclusive stamp set with coordinating die called Bug Love (SS-0535 and DI-0393); therefore, the featured background for this class was hearts. I couldn’t help but make a card using this set with the third background pull I created from the Gel Press. I used the FSJ Sweet Berry Splash in a Media Mister along with a Media Mister filled with water, some die cut hearts, FSJ Gel Medium, FSJ sequins, and several pieces of white cardstock cut down to 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ (if you would like to purchase any of the supplies featured in this post, go to www.funstampersjourney.com/martymcgee).

Here is my “Cute As A Bug” card:

It’s so darn cute, I decided to enter it into the Paper Craft Crew Challenge #276. This week’s challenge is a color challenge:

Prior to the Gel Press class, I had created some background pulls to make samples for the class showing the versatility and uniqueness of backgrounds created using the Gel Press. Some of the pulls were just plain ugly; but, my number one rule of using the Gel Press is . . . . . Keep your mind open to making beautiful from the impossible.

Here are the cards I created with the various Gel Press backgrounds:

I hope this post inspires you to play, create and bring paper to life!

martyZstamps

creative papercrafting

More Gel Press Goodness! PCC277 Challenge

Funtastic Gel Press Day