Gift Cards Two Ways with Gelli Arts® & Distress Oxide Inks by Jo Lawson

Greetings Gelli Arts® creators! Jo Lawson here with my favorite new product from 2019 – distress oxide ink sprays (and, of course, the amazing Gelli® plate).

With the year winding down, I thought it would be appropriate to celebrate these versatile sprays and their stunning results on the gel plate. The soft, matte finish is beautiful, not to mention the blending you can accomplish.

INSPIRATION:

For this project, I was inspired by the upcoming holiday season. I LOVE to give special gifts, but sometimes I just don’t have the time to get everyone the perfect gift. Especially with a two year old running around (not to mention being pregnant)… it is not always easy. So every now and then, a gift card to a friend or family member’s favorite restaurant, activity, or craft store, will have to do.

That doesn’t mean it can’t be thoughtful and personal! After searching around, I found two great ways to “wrap up” the gift cards. Shout out to Sandy Allnock at Colorful Video and Pam at The Paper Outpost on YouTube for these inspiring ideas.

After gel printing to create beautiful paper backgrounds with my distress oxide ink sprays, I got to work creating the holiday inspired gift card holders, as well as a few variations for other celebrations. Use this tutorial as a guide and then make it your own! Get creative! For a list of all products used in this project, please see the materials section at the end of the post.

let’s splatter some spray…

TECHNIQUE:

For the best instructions, please view the video tutorial above. Below are a few extra tips.

Start by creating a few backgrounds with the oxide inks sprays on various types of paper:

– watercolor

– book pages left over from repurposed books

– old sheet music

1. Sprays oxide ink directly onto gel plate using one or more colors.

2. Use your brayer or immediately place paper down on plate, allowing the inks to blend on their own (my favorite method).

3. Let the paper dry between prints (which doesn’t take long).

4. Layer again and again. That is the beauty of gel printing! If you don’t like a print, add another layer.

5. For best results with your stencils, place the stencils on the gel plate first.

6. Spray oxide ink over and through stencil onto the plate using one or more colors – use more for some amazing blending!

7. Lift the stencil and print onto background pages.

8. Spray the oxide ink directly onto pages, along with sheer shimmer spray to give your prints an extra festive look.

Patina pages:

Funky and festive on watercolor:

Book pages:

Holiday inspired sheet music:

CREATION

Once you have a good stack of prints, it’s time to create your gift card holders.

jack + jill gift card holder:

1. Fold your book page or sheet music in half.

2. On one side, fold down corners to the center (like the start of a paper airplane), then fold them back inside to create the pockets.

3. Paste or sew the edges of the pockets.

4. Fold the entire paper in half again – voila!

5. Embellish with stamps, ephemera, stickers, tags and other special keepsakes!

6. Give or send it to someone you love!

Pop-up gift card holder:

1. Cut a solid piece of cardstock in half (4.25 x 11”).

2. Score paper at 4.5”, 5.5”, and 6.5”.

3. Hold on the score lines to create a point and use score tape to adhere the two sides together.

4. Using a decorative die cut or simple punch, cut out a space for the gift card in the center of the flap created by the fold. If needed, use scissors to cut into the fold so the gift card will fit.

5. Using your oxide ink spray background pages, mat the inside of the card and use a strip to create a “belly band”.

6. Embellish with stamps, ephemera, stickers, tags and other special keepsakes!

7. Give or send it to someone you love!

Materials for oxide ink spray background pages:

-Gelli Arts® 4” Roller

-9”x 12” Gelli Arts® Gel Printing Plate

-Watercolor paper

-Book pages

-Old sheet music

-Distress Oxide Ink Sprays by Ranger (Tim Holtz): Peacock feathers, worn lipstick, seedless preserve, fired brick, blueprint sketch, hickory smoke, peeled paint, rusty hinge, tumbled glass, tea dye

-Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray (Sparkle) by Imagine Crafts

Materials for gift card holders: