You're A Great Friend by Lori

Posted by Lori Collins on March 11, 2019

"You're a great friend" stargazer card by Lori Collins

Instagram: @sweetcheekscrafts

This project makes an A2 (5.5” x 4.25”) sized card but you can adjust for other sized cards as well.

Step 1: Prepare your paper layers

Start by scoring the Gina K Short Cut cardstock in In the Navy in half (at 4.25”) and folding the paper at the score mark. Use a bone folder to get a sharp crease. Trim a piece of the Gina K Layering Weight Card stock in white to 5.25” x 4”. Trim the dark blue Paper Studio cardstock to 5” x 3.75”. You can use any brand layering weight card stock you like for this.

Step 2: Prepare the Nebula layer

Using large sponge daubers, blend the Archival Ink Cobalt, Distress Ink in Picked Raspberry, and Gina K’s Tranquil Teal inks onto the dark blue cardstock to resemble a nebula. I kept my color areas fairly large, and kept my pattern to mostly diagonal on the paper, and made sure that I could still distinguish while blending where they overlap. Mix about a dime sized amount of the silver acrylic paint with enough water to thin it out a little. Take a toothbrush and dip it into the paint, and use that to create the splatter of the stars by running your thumb over the bristles. Set that aside to dry.

Step 3: Create the moon

Take an extra piece of the Gina K Layering Weight white cardstock (not the layer you trimmed in the beginning). Take the Gina K To the Moon and Back stamp set and stamp the base layer of the moon in Gina K’s Whisper ink. I used an acrylic block but you can also use a stamping tool. Rub the anti-static pouch over the whisper ink. Next take the second layer of the moon from that stamp set and ink it with the VersaMark Watermark ink. Stamp it over the Whisper layer. Sprinkle the Ranger silver embossing powder over this layer and remove any stray pieces with a brush. Heat with a heat gun until melted. Be sure to sprinkle the embossing powder over a scrap piece of paper that has been folded in half so that you can pour it easily back into the container. Use the matching moon die from the Gina K To the Moon and Back die set to cut out the moon on a Big Shot or other die cutting machine. Set the moon aside.

Step 4: Stamp/emboss constellations and die cut one:

Next take the dark blue card stock you created the nebula on and use a heat gun to make sure the acrylic paint is dry. Rub the Anti-Static pouch over the entire layer. Take about 3 constellation stamps (I used the Big and Little Dippers and Cancer) from the same set and stamp with the VersaMark Watermark ink and repeat the steps with the silver embossing powder and heat gun. I chose to do an extra constellation (I believe Draco) and stamp/heat emboss it on a scrap piece of the dark blue Paper Studio cardstock. Always be sure to remove any excess or stray pieces of embossing powder before using the heat gun. Use the matching die from the To the Moon and Back die set to cut out the one constellation using a die cutting machine. Set this constellation aside.

Step 5: Stamp the sentiment

Use the anti-static pouch and rub it on the lower right hand side of the nebula layer. Take the You’re a Great Friend stamp from the Gina K Lovely Words stamp set and ink with VersaMark. Stamp on the lower right hand corner of the nebula layer. Use the gold Ranger embossing powder and sprinkle it on the sentiment. Remove any stray pieces of embossing powder and heat with a heat gun until melted.

Step 6: Assemble the card

Adhere the nebula layer to the white layering cardstock layer using the Tombow adhesive dot tape runner. Adhere this to the front navy card stock base using the tape runner. Carefully use the tape runner on the back of the Draco constellation that was cut out with a die and place it on the bottom corner of the card under the sentiment.

Step 7: Finishing touches

Finish the inside of the card with either plain white paper as a liner or a coordinating piece of paper from the Paper Studio Stargazer paper pack that is light enough to write on.

Items Used:

Gina K. Designs Stamps - To The Moon & Back - GK - 1526

Gina K. Designs Dies - To the Moon & Back - GK - 1527

Gina K. Designs Stamps - Lovely Words - GK-1518

Gina K Designs Layering Weight card stock - White

Gina K Designs Short Cut Cardstock – In the Navy

The PaperStudio dark blue cardstock

VersaMark Watermark Stamp Pad - VM001

Archival Ink in Cobalt

Gina K Designs ink in Tranquil Teal

Gina K. Designs Amalgam Ink Pad - Whisper - GK1009

Tim Holtz DISTRESS INK PAD - Picked Raspberry - TIM-34995