Instructions 

Hello, Ladies & Gentlemen. I created a whimsical slimline card in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day using many different Tim Holtz & Ranger products.

Step 1: Trim down ‘White Mixed Media Heavystock” into 8.5” x 4” and 8.5” x 2.5” strips. 

Step 2: Using a Mini Blending Tool and Domed Foam Applicator, blend Picked Raspberry, Squeezed Lemonade and Salty Ocean in that order, overlapping each color to create a rainbow spectrum. 

Step 3: Tape stencil THMS131 over the rainbow panel and apply Distress Embossing Ink using a cosmetic blending brush. Remove stencil and cover the surface with Ranger Gold Tinsel Embossing Powder.

Step 4: Apply Twisted Ctiron Distress Ink pad to the entire surface of the 8.5” x 4” panel. Set with Heat Tool.

Step 5: Place Twisted Citron card stock into stamping platform and using Rustic Wilderness Distress Ink, apply ink to the surface of the Perfect Plaid (CMS383) background stamp. Repeat until the entire 8.5” x 4” panel is completely covered in plaid pattern.

Step 6: Place an A2 size piece of Distress Watercolor Card Stock on top of Sizzix BigZ Cauldron Die (664214), textured side down. Run through your die cutting machine.

Step 7: Use Black Soot Distress Crayon to apply pigment to the surface of the cauldron. Use water to blend for even coverage. Apply Tarnished Brass Distress Crayon to the edges for highlights.

Step 8: Trim down a piece of gold Metallic Kraft Cardstock, 5.5” x 4.5” and run through a die cutting machine with the Sizzix  ‘Bubbling’ cover plate. Weed out all the circles and put aside. 

Step 9: Using Sizzix “Snarky Cats”664803” and Sizzix “Distinguished” 664802 and your die cutting machine, cut out the top hat outline and the sprawling cat outline with watercolor paper.

Step 10: Using the negative space of the watercolor paper in your stamping platform, place corresponding stamps in the empty slots. Pull up stamps with your platform door and return the positive die cuts into the negative slots. Using Rustic Wilderness Distress Oxide, stamp the top hat and using Ground Espresso Distress Archival Ink for the snarky cat body.

Step 11: Using Rusty Hinge Distress Ink and the Ranger Detailer Water Brush, color in the body of the snarky cat. Use Ground Espresso Distress Ink and a blending brush to apply ink to the edges of both the green top hat and the snarky cat.

Step 12: Create a slimline card base by cutting a piece of Distress Kraft Cardstock down to 8.5” x 8” and then scoring and folding at 4” on the 8” side. 

Step 13: Using double sided tape or liquid glue adhesive, secure the green plaid panel to the front of the card base. Next, center and adhere the rainbow panel on top of the plaid panel, leaving room on the bottom for the black cauldron. Glue down the cauldron, so the top of it and the bottom of the rainbow meet. 

Step 14: Glue down gold circle die cuts onto the top of the cauldron and some at the base, depending on how many gold coins you want to use. 

Step 15: Glue down the snarky cat die above the cauldron and attach the top hat to its head. 

Step 16: Stamp out the sentiment, “Don’t Judge Me” from the Snarky Cats stamp set with Black Soot Archival Ink. Trim down to create a small sentiment strip and ink the edges with Ground Espresso Distress Ink. Glue strip to the top of the card. 

Step 17: Spray a small piece of green metallic kraft card stock with water & fabric conditioner. Place in ‘Lucky Love’ impresslit folder and run through your embossing machine. Brush the surface of the clover die cut with Black Soot Archival Ink. Glue down to the front of the pot of gold.

 A creative by nature, Ryan began card making during the pandemic to cope with isolation during his first year of addiction recovery. It wasn't long before he found the online card-making community who accepted him with open arms. Ryan has a gift for grunge and a palette for polish, which birthed his brand, Glitter Grunge Greetings. He recently launched a tutorial-based YouTube Channel which focuses on paper crafting techniques, old and new. Ryan also owns and operates his bakery, Sinful Sweets in Rochester, NY.