I can’t believe I’ve never ink blended a layered rainbow flower before… WOW!
Warning! This kind of rainbow floral card magic is a little addictive. 😉
This colourful experiment turned into two rainbow floral card designs using layered stencils – and I’m also sharing a clever embossing folder hack along the way.
PS: If you enjoy embossing folder tricks, I’ve got a growing playlist of clever embossing folder ideas you might like too.
Would you like to see the cards?
And would you like to watch these rainbow flowers come to life? Click HERE to watch the video at YouTube.
This post is part of my Take 2 Series with Altenew, which means you get double the inspiration, and if you want to see MORE ideas like this, CLICK HERE.
I use affiliate links, which means if you click on a product and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s a lovely way to support my channel and the shops we love 🥰!
#RAINBOWFLORAL
Rainbow colour combinations are such a fun way to add impact, and layered stencils make them much easier to tackle than you might think. I like to work through the colours in order, keeping the blending soft where the shades meet so everything flows nicely. You don’t need bold, high-contrast colours either – lighter, slightly muted inks still give a beautiful rainbow effect without overpowering the design.
If you’re new to rainbow blending, try sticking to one colour family per layer and keep your pressure light. You can always deepen the colour, but it’s much harder to take it away once it’s down.
🌈 Rainbow Color Basics
These are the basic colors you can use to create your own rainbow:
Red · Orange · Yellow · Green · Blue · Purple
- Each color can be used in different hues, tones, and amounts – there’s no single “right” version of a rainbow.
- When colors sit beside each other and are softly blended, they naturally create new beautiful shades.
- Once you reach the last color, you can restart at the first, and the colors will blend together just as nicely.
This isn’t about perfect colour theory at all. Just move through the colors in order and keep the blending light where they meet – easy, fun, and very forgiving.
Card #1: Rainbow Ink Blended Blooms
Does this rainbow floral card make your heart happy? I am delighted with how this rainbow blending turned out. I usually overthink my color combinations, but this time I simply grabbed a few colors that I thought would work well together… and this is the result.
To step up the design, I fussy cut the bouquet and trimmed it in half. This gave me two blooms to play with and allowed for a completely different layout.
PRO TIP: Blend the color families into each other just a little. This creates soft in-between shades and gives your rainbow more depth and interest.
Card #2: Rainbow Ink Blended Blooms – Step It Up
Does this version feel a little more dramatic? I used the same layered stencil and rainbow color palette, but this time I started with a colored cardstock base. It’s a soft peachy shade, so the rainbow inks look slightly different, but it’s still light enough not to overpower the design.
I also added some splattered white ink, which softens the overall look, and embossed the floral panel to introduce a subtle layer of texture.
I finished the card with a simple sentiment and a few Mother of Pearl gems – the same embellishments used on both designs to keep everything… the same but different. 😉
Bonus Embossing Folder Hack
For this second card, I wanted to add texture without letting it overpower the rainbow florals. After embossing the panel, I used the side of my Teflon bone folder and gently pressed over the raised areas of the design. This softened the embossing while still keeping the detail.
It’s such a simple step, but it makes a big difference – especially when you want texture to support the design, not compete with it.
TIP: Teflon bone folders work best because they won’t leave a shine on the cardstock. No Teflon bone folder? Just place a piece of copy paper over your panel before pressing with a regular bone folder.
Over to You!
It’s your turn! Have you tried – or are you going to try – a rainbow blended bouquet? Consider this your warning… it might be addictive 😉 And what about the embossing folder hack… can you see yourself using that too?
Let me know in the comments below, and don’t forget – I always love to see what you make, so be sure to share!
Happy papercrafting,
Special thanks to my crafty assistant, Chad (aka ChatGPT), for helping me stay on track with my Gemini brain, grammar, and spelling… well, all the things!
P.S. Need supplies? Here are the links to the products I used today (some of these are affiliate links, so I’ll earn a small commission if you make a purchase – thanks for supporting my channel 🥰)!
*Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon, this content is provided ‘as is’ and is subject to change or removal at any time. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Other Supplies:
Altenew Inks: Sunray | Chamomile | Snapdragon | Frosty Pink | Coral Berry | Ruby Red | Dew Drops | Ocean Waves | Wisteria | Hydrangea | Ultraviolet | Andromeda.
Altenew Cardstock: Peachy Glow.
 Majestic Roses Stencil ALT | SSS |  Sweet Jasmine Bundle ALT |  Sweet Jasmine Press Plate ALT | SSS |  Sweet Jasmine Die ALT | SSS |
 Organic Linen 3D ALT | SSS |  Altenew Cardstock ALT | SSS |  Foam sheets SSS |  Neenah Solar 110 AMZ | SSS |
Neenah Solar 80 AMZ | SSS |  Obsidian ALT | SSS |  Enchanted Garden ALT | SSS |  Sweet Dreams ALT | SSS |
 Cool Summer Night ALT | SSS |  Red Cosmos ALT | SSS |  Golden Sunset ALT | SSS |  Large Blending Brush ALT | SSS |
 Mini Blending Brush Set ALT | SSS |  Mini Blending Brush Storage ALT | SSS |  Mother of Pearl ALT | SSS |  Pure White Spray ALT |
 Bone Folder ALT |  Fine Blade Scissors ALT | SSS |  Stampwheel ALT | SSS |  9X12 Ultra Sticky Mat: Grid ALT | SSS |
 Score Board ALT | SSS |  Platinum 6 ALT | SSS | SB UK | SB US |  Platesaver OTH |  BetterPress SB ALT | SSS | SB UK | SB US |
9″ Fiskars Paper Trimmer AMZ |  Glue Tape ALT | SSS |  1/2″ Ultra Sticky Tape ALT | SSS |  Foam Tape NEW sizes! ALT | SSS |
 Satin Masking Tape ALT |
Therese, I have done rainbow blooms before but none as gorgeous as yours today! I love the shades of inks you’ve used and love seeing how they change when blended over colored cardstock!
Two gorgeous cards – now I’m off to see them come to life…
=]
Yay! So glad you like these Michele x