Border stamps can easily get overlooked amongst all the beautiful stamps out there. I’d like to show you how you can use border stamps to add a touch of interest or create awesome custom backgrounds for your projects.

I tend to stay away from patterned papers when cardmaking. Instead, I love to create my own patterns and backgrounds with colours that make me happy or go with my chosen theme.

Border stamps usually fit onto a larger acrylic block and are easy to stamp. Some acrylic blocks have lines etched on them. If not, draw a straight line that you can see through the block to lay the stamp down perfectly. Failing that or if you in fact don’t own a long acrylic block, adhere it onto a clear acrylic ruler. It will work just as well. Any stamp positioning tool will also make the process easy, but the majority of the techniques used in this feature don’t require any special tools.

It is a good idea to clean your stamp in between stamping if using a variety of coloured inkpads so that you don’t contaminate the colours. Rotating stamps can also give a different look. Experimenting is the key! Most border stamps are nowadays purposely designed to create a continuous pattern if stamped repeatedly, so they are perfect for creating custom backgrounds for your cards. Sometimes your sentiment needs ‘grounding’ or your card needs a touch of something special and a simple border can provide exactly that.

Have a rummage and see what you can find in your stash! Pick a few colourful inkpads, pull out those border stamps and let’s get stamping… enjoy!

1

Stamp the full border diagonally across the corner in blue and green, then use the four-stripe stamp as a guide so that you know how much of a gap you will need before you continue to stamp in colour again

2

Repeat twice creating three coloured strips. Ink up and stamp the diagonal stripe stamp in black once in an opposite corner. Dry thoroughly using a heat tool

3

Use VersaMark ink to stamp the four-stripe border and cover with Midas Touch embossing powder

4

Use a heat tool to heat-emboss the powder. Allow the heat tool to get to its hottest temperature before applying it to the cardstock

5

Trim the cardstock to

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Stamping Contemporary One-layer cards Creative Stamping skillbuilder Ingrid Vichova stamping technique backgrounds borders border stamps CS68 papercraft how-to