Penny Black - Right as Rain

Impression Obsession | Friendship in Bloom

Hello! Today, I am sharing a friendship/encouragement card that features a barrel of blooming flowers and a heartfelt sentiment, “It’s your time to bloom.” The phrase can remind a friend to seize an opportunity, embrace growth, and achieve their potential. To see more cards with the encouragement theme head HERE.

- Stamp the Penny Black sentiment on Waterfall cardstock. Trim panel to slightly smaller to A2 size and add to an A2-size card base.
- Cut the Impression Obsession Bouquet and Whiskey Barrel pieces from a variety of cardstock colors. Assemble and add to card base.
- Embellish with die-cut bees. (I used a now retired Elizabeth Crafts set.)

Penny Black | Blooming into a New Season

Hello! As the festivities of Christmas fade away, I find myself drawn to new cardmaking themes. I decided to revisit some Penny Black products, several of which I previously used on this card.

- Through the circle stencil in the Background Basics set, I applied Tumbled Glass ink. I stamped the Blooming Sentiments sentiment in black ink at the top of the circle and trimmed the panel as needed. I added the sentiment panel to an A2-size card base.
- To begin, I cut the Boots, Burst of Blooms, Daisy Delight, and butterfly (Flight of Fancy set) from Soft Finish cardstock. I colored the boots, Burst of Blooms floral sections, and butterfly with Distress Inks. I colored the stems of the flowers and the daisy centers with Copic markers. I adhered centers cut from white cardstock with the Dots die.
- I trimmed the floral pieces and added them to the boots, taping them in place on the back of the boots.
- I added the butterfly and filled boots to the card front with foam adhesive.

Watercolored Penny Black Santa Paws

Hello! Today, I am sharing a holiday card featuring the adorable Penny Black Santa Paws stamp watercolored on a one-layer canvas. I was drawn to the image of a dog playing Santa and his rabbit helper spreading the magic of “Ho Ho Ho.”

Cut an A2-size rectangle of Light Brown Woodgrain cardstock and add to a card base.
Stamp the Santa Paws image with Versafine on Arches Cold Press watercolor paper and heat set. Color the image with watercoloring mediums of choice (I used Distress Ink, and Zig and Tombow markers). (Check out my “Resources for Watercoloring Stamped Images” HERE.)
Stamp the image on to masking paper and fussy-cut.
Once the watercolored image is dry, stamp the sentiment on the panel.
Cut a snowbank from vellum. I used a die in the Sunny Studio Nature Borders set. Cover the image with the mask. Place the vellum snowbank over the image. Tape down one of the Background Basics stencils and apply Tumbled Glass ink to the sky area.
Cut the watercolored and stenciled panel with the largest die in the Zig Zag Stackers set. Add to the card base. I pressed the watercolored image overnight before adding to the card base.

Penny Black | Whimsical Halloween Delight

Hello! A playful hedgehog, a spooky tree, and a “Boo” sentiment create a whimsical scene on this Halloween card showcasing Penny Black stamp and die sets. The scene embodies the spirit of Halloween and emphasizes the creativity found in older crafting sets. Several of these products were introduced in 2020 as part of the Autumn Extraordinaire Collection. I previously used the Windy die set on Halloween cards HERE and HERE. Other products used on the card have been in my collection even longer.

- As I mentioned HERE in my post on stamped backgrounds, background stamps can be stamped with colored ink on to inked backgrounds. For this card, the inked background was created with Wilted Violet and Villainous Potion Distress Oxide ink colors (sky section), and the Dots in Space background stamp was stamped with Wilted Violet Distress ink (not Oxide). I lightly stamped the background on to scrap paper, before stamping on to the inked background, so that the amount of ink stamped would be more subtle. The ground was masked when I inked the sky and stamped the dots. I inked the ground and then cut the panel with a stitched A2-size die, and attached it to a card base.
- Stamp Candy Kisses in Versafine on Arches Cold Press watercolor paper and heat set. Color the images with watercoloring mediums of choice. I used mini Distress Inks in the following colors: Antique Linen, Gathered Twigs, Ground Espresso, Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge, Crackling Campfire, Squeezed Lemonade, Wilted Violet, Picked Raspberry, Saltwater Taffy, Peacock Feathers, and Scattered Straw. Once dry, cut the image with the die in the coordinating set. (Check out my “Resources for Watercoloring Stamped Images” HERE.)
- With the Windy die set, cut the tree from cardstock on which Distress Oxide inks have been applied. Assemble.
- Cut the “Boo” sentiment with a die in the eeek! set from cardstock on which Distress Oxide inks have been applied. Cut again from black foam for depth. Adhere the two and attach to the card.
- Add tree to the card with dot adhesive and the hedgehog with foam adhesive.

Father’s Day Inspiration | Penny Black Blissful Bears

Hello! Today, I am delighted to showcase the enchanting Blissful Bears stamp set by Penny Black. While I plan to use the card for Father’s Day, the image and sentiment can be used for a variety of occasions.

I brought the peaceful image of a bear napping in a rowboat to life with watercoloring. The bear exudes a sense of calm and contentment, inviting us to pause and appreciate life’s simple pleasures.

I stamped the Blissful Bears stamp set image and sentiment on Arches Cold Press watercolor paper with VersaFine ink and heat set it. I colored the image with Tombow markers, Zig markers, and an Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Pencil.

Once the watercolored image was dry, I trimmed the image and matted it with black cardstock. I added the assembly to a dry-embossed orange cardstock background (which was added to a card base).

You can see more of the Penny Black Cherished Collection in this post.