Masking Technique for Handmade Cards

This sponging and Masking Technique makes gorgeous backgrounds for handmade cards.  You can try different color combinations to get different types of scenes like water, fields, and sunsets.  This handmade card has a sunshine background with a silhouette stamped in black.  The contrast of the black against the bright orange and yellow is very striking!

Supplies needed for Masking Technique

• White cardstock
• Ink Pads – I used Stampin’ Up Daffodil Delight, Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, and Cajun Craze.  Tim Holtz Distress inks are a great choice too.
• Sponge applicators
• Momento Fade Resistant Black Ink Pad
• Rubberstamp – A stamp with a silhouette works best.
• Circle punch

Instructions for Masking Technique

1. Punch out a circle to use as the mask for the sun.
2. Lightly sponge a small amount of Daffodil Delight ink over the area where the sun will be.
3. Place the circle where you would like the sun.
4. Using the Daffodil Delight ink, sponge around the edges of the circle, using more ink this time.
5. Sponge Crushed Curry Ink in a circle outside of the Daffodil Delight.  Do the same with the Pumpkin Pie and Cajun Craze inks.  It’s difficult to explain, but in this video, I will show you how to apply the ink to create a great background.

Paper Sizes for this Card

Here are the paper sizes that I used for this card.  Change the colors and patterns to suit the type of card you’re making.  I kept this card simple, but you can add ribbon, baker’s twine, pearls, rhinestones, buttons, or flowers to embellish your card.

• 8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ Orange folded in half for card base
• 5 1/4″ x 4″ Black cardstock for mat
• 5″ x 3 3/4″ Patterned paper
• 3 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ White cardstock.  This is the piece that is sponged.
• 3 3/4″ x 2 3/4″ Black cardstock – Mat for the sponged cardstock.

Other supplies:

• Concave corner punch by EK Success
• EZ Runner Adhesive by Scrapbook Adhesives
• Dimensional Tape dots
• Fiskars Paper Trimmer