What if your cardstock did some of the work for you?
In my last card, I used colored cardstock as the base for stenciling. This time, I’m taking the same idea a little further and sharing two more ways to let colored cardstock do the work.
Would you like to see what I mean?
Psst… before we start: This post is part of a fun Altenew blog hop (with a giveaway – yay!), so be sure to check out the full hop list below and leave a comment for your chance to win.
Also, this post contains affiliate links. If you choose to click and shop, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s a lovely way to support both me and the crafty shops we all love. Thanks a bunch 🥰!
Start with Colored Cardstock!
Starting with color gives you a head start, then you can simply build on it with extra detail, shading and contrast. I decided to step up today’s design with tone-on-tone stamping and ink-blended die cuts.
A stamped background is a great way to add detail without adding bulk, and you can create one with a background stamp or even a repeated image, such as a leaf or flower.
PRO TIP: When stamping a tone-on-tone background, choose an ink that is slightly darker than your cardstock. Remember that dye ink will usually dry lighter, so testing it on a scrap first is always a good idea.
The layered die-cut fuchsias already look beautiful cut from colored cardstock, but adding a little ink-blended shading gives them extra depth and dimension without adding much extra work.
Giveaway Prizes
$300 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $100 gift certificate to 1 lucky winner and a $50 gift certificate to 4 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by October 15th for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 5 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew’s Blog Hop Post on October 17th 2026.
*The winners of the $100 gift certificate will be chosen from comments left on the Altenew blog.
Ready for More Inspiration? Let’s Hop
Using colored cardstock as part of the design is such an easy way to add interest while keeping the process simple. Whether you stencil, stamp or add a little ink-blended shading, that first layer of color is already doing some of the work for you.
I hope today’s card inspires you to look at your colored cardstock a little differently!
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! 😄
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There’s, thank you for sharing tone on tone stamping with us, your card is beautiful!
The ink blending on the diecuts adds so much depth and interest. That colour combination is fabulous.
Ooooo I LOVE the color combo! Gorgeous flowers and designs!
There’s that fabulous color combo again and just look at those layers! Another marvelous make, Therese!
Therese, they could not be any more beautiful than this! I love this color combo you’ve adopted recently – I’m betting you could attract hummingbirds with those gorgeous fuchsias! What… do you have hummingbirds? x
=]
Beautiful! And I appreciate the reminder to use COLORED cardstock…I tend to get stuck in a rut thinking everything has to start with white!