Three Card Making Techniques to Create Backgrounds

Elevate your card making skills by delving into the art of creating custom background designs. The possibilities are endless with techniques like stamping, blending, and embossing at your disposal. Whether you prefer a classic and elegant look or a more vibrant and modern style, experimenting with these three categories can bring your card creations to life. Let your creativity shine through as you personalize each card with unique and eye-catching backgrounds that will surely impress your recipients.

Take care,

Linda Ann

PS: Some of the products are retiring at the end of April or when sold out.

#1 - Stamping Using Borderless or Outline Design

Let's start with the first technique - stamping a borderless design. The Oceanfront Stamp Set creates a beautiful skyline. The Serene Colors in the Sky Card shows a cool color scheme of blues, purples, and greens inks. Throughout the day, the sky displays a wealth of colors to be used with this card. Have fun and experiment!

Oceanfront Photopolymer Stamp Set

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The stamping technique to create a background works well with outlined designs, such as the Sometimes There are No Words Sympathy Card. Simply stamp a basic design on a cardstock mat using contrasting or identical ink. The flowers in the background were stamped with Thoughtful Expressions using Night of Navy ink.

Thoughtful Expressions Cling Stamp Set (English)

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Another example of an outline background is to create your design. In the Just a Note Masking Technique Card, the Bottled Happiness Stamp is in a mixture of Starry Sky, Parakeet Party, and Orchid Oasis inks stamped in an all-over pattern on Basic White cardstock. Masking the center of the card defines an area for sentiments.

Bottled Happiness Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

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#2: Blending a Background

My favorite technique for creating a background is using Blending Brushes and a Stampin' Pad. The inspiration for Sunrise at the Beach began as our nighttime sky on the flowage glowed with the colors of Lemon Lolly, Daffodil, Flirty Flamingo, and Sweet Sorbet. Beautiful.

Using four different Blending Brushes and a selection of ink pads, start blending with the lighter color. One by one, layer rows of colors horizontally across the page and gently blend the edges to remove the lines between each color.

Beach Day Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

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A quick and easy background blending technique uses two colors in a diagonal pattern. On a piece of cardstock, start in one corner and blend an ink pad color one-half-inch from the middle. Select the next ink pad color and a clean Blending Brush. Starting from the opposite corner, blend the color to one-half-inch from the middle of the card. You have completed a unique background! How to Capture Sunrise Colors in Your Cardmaking is one example of using this blending technique using Azure Afternoon and Early Pumpkin Pie ink colors.

#3 Embossing and Blending Backgrounds

There are many more ways to create and stylize backgrounds, but the focus is on three methods. The third and final technique begins with an embossed sheet of cardstock. Next, add color to the embossed background using Blending Brushes, a brayer, or the side of an ink pad. The mat was embossed with the currently retired Softly Sophisticated folder in the Softly Sophisticated Thank You Card. Gently blended to the bottom of the mat are Calypso Coral and Petal Pink inks. It's the artist's choice of the background area that will have color added to it.

Please share your completed cards with personalized background on the Tranquillity Cottage Facebook page in the comment section for the post about backgrounds. The Facebook link is in the Resources file. It will be exciting to see your designs!