Grid design background with stencils - video tutorial

Hello there! Today I'm hoping to spark an idea in your head with this background tutorial. It's really simple but yet effective and you get to play with your stencils! So please check the video underneath to see how I created the background for the layout you see above.

Now that you've seen the steps, let me explain a few things which I didn't have enough space in the video. For starters I tell you why I added the gesso first. It's because gesso creates a layer to the paper that prevents color mediums to soak in. And in order to have those misted bits water-color like blobs instead on circles of mist there needs to be a layer preventing the mist from soaking to the paper immediately. Of course you don't have to use mists to add the color, any color medium will do!

And why then again I'm adding the mist there in the first place? It's just a visual thing - I wanted the grid to have more color than just the amount I can put there through the stencil. So to add a touch of color in there first and then layer the ink on top creates a more colorful background than just using the stencil. If you have a really open stencil (with a lot of gaps) or use the same stencil many times over the grid, you can definitely go without the added color. 

As I typed in the video, I don't mind the "rough around the edges" look. To me that's really appealing and likable. If that's not your cup of tea, you can always draw the shape of your grid to a piece of paper, cut the grid parts off thus creating a stencil of the grid and layer that one together with your stencil to prevent the ink from going over the edges.

Needles to say you can use any colors and any patterns! You can use just one color with different stencils or multiple colors with one stencil or even one color and one stencil. All of the variations create a different mood to your page. As my page is about joy of discovery (my daughter learned to say the harsh Finnish R), I wanted to use multiple colors to have that happy, playful feeling!

Thank you so much for visiting today! I hope I have inspired you! If you have any questions, please just leave a comment or mail me! 

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Text background video tutorial

Hi there everyone! It's Riikka here sharing a background tutorial with you!

There's many text or calligraphy style papers out there right now. You can achieve the same look with some text stamps and a bit of patience. This particular set by 3rd Eye is really great for making this kind of background as with the heart the words form a relatively straight edged rectangular. Having that kind of "block" makes things easier with aligning the words and columns. Of course you could stamp the words to the page one by one, but that would require much more time. With the block you can cover a larger area quickly! 

Please watch the video below to see how I created the background for the page above and also for the layout at the bottom of this post! 

I used acrylic paint when stamping but simply changing the medium the outcome changes dramatically. Just think about white paper with watercolor like text compared to the one you see above. 

Also by changing the color of the background paper you can create a very different mood to your finished page. Just compare the two layouts I made - one with black background and the other with the kraft. The other page is about autumn and other about winter as the season is changing. For the autumn feeling I also used the new leaf stamp and embossed the design in gold to a piece of vellum. There's also 3rd Eye chipboard, a sticker and flairs in the page.

Materials from 3rd Eye:

       

And here's the other page done with the same tutorial, just aligning the stamps, or the block, differently and using a different color background paper. The mood changes drastically. To give this page more of a winter feel I also added stamped snowflakes in the background as well as white splashes of paint.

I hope you feel inspired by my tutorial and the projects I made using it! Thank you for stopping by today! Also please remember there's plenty of different word stamps in 3rd Eye shop - click here to go browsing and find the one that suits your project the best!   

Materials from 3rd Eye:

    

Rainy Day Fun

Hi, it's Riikka here to share a layout with you! 

I just love board games! I'm so happy that our girls are getting bigger and they seem to share my love for the games. Their favorite game is one about building princess cupcakes but luckily they enjoy other games too, especially when they can team up with an adult. The picture in the layout was taken in my parent's summer house when we all sat by the table and played. Such a great way to spend a rainy day! 

To get the rainy but fun feeling to the page I used Distress Inks to stamp the background. Before stamping the image I sprayed a little water to the stamp so that the image would be a bit blurry and watercolor like. I used several stamps and used them layered on top of each other. 

I also used the sequin stamp in the project and stamped the image with watermark ink. Then I embossed the sequins with gold embossing powder. I also added some sequins stamped with blue Archival Ink. To build even more layers to the background I used the clock mask and drew around it with a black pen. To balance the blackness I also added a few stamped clocks when the page was almost done.

I didn't happen to have any good blue papers at hand when I was creating the piece so I created some of my own. The striped one I drew with a Copic marker but if you own the lines stamp, you can get the look easier with that. For the other paper I used the tutorial Elina created (link) and the "Sparks" stencil. 

For the embellishments I used 3rd Eye stickers, a flair and a piece of chipboard. It's actually waste from the actual shapes, but I really loved it's look so into the page it went. 

Materials from 3rd Eye:

           

As I was making the page my girls got to join in and make some cards. We all used the same colors and technique in our creations. When the backgrounds were done for their cards, we then embellished them with 3rd Eye chipboard, some clay decorations I had made earlier (link) and some thread.

Thank you for stopping by! Wishing you a delightful day!

Materials from 3rd Eye: