Uses for Glossy Card Stock

Here are some tips for Glossy Card Stock:

Use it just like any other card stock for creating a card. Just be careful when stamping so it doesn't smear. Bold, bright colors look best when stamped on this card stock. The colors come out even brighter on glossy and it makes a card look a little more professionally done.

Try layering a piece of glossy card stock onto a piece of colored card stock and then onto whisper white. It really sets off the glossy card stock and adds a look of elegance.

Want a professional looking card? Use markers to color in an image stamped on the glossy card stock.

Glossy card stock is great for backgrounds and perfect paper for using a brayer. Use a brayer with a Spectrum pad and run it repeatedly over the glossy paper – this makes a multicolored background. Repeated rolling really blends the colors, unlike with the standard card stock where there are definite color stripes.

Use this paper for the Versamark resist technique. Stamp image onto glossy card stock using the Versamark pad, then brayer over the image. The Versamark areas will resist the ink and show through. Wipe with a tissue soon after or the brayer ink will bleed into the VersaMark images. Use a heat gun to dry the Versamark area. When dry, then brayer over it. The Versamark image will stand out.

Use the VersaMark resist technique as listed above but this time instead of using a brayer to add color use the Color Pencils and color right over the top of the image.

Another great background is Smudging or the "Twist and Drag" technique. Choose a "solid" style stamp that is simplistic in design such as one that is a squiggle, or confetti, or thick dots. Ink a stamp of choice with a light color of ink. Then twist it, or drag it onto glossy card stock. Repeat a few times to create a one-of-a-kind background. Clean the stamp and re-ink with a coordinating color and repeat the "twist and drag" or smudging method to create a two-tone pattern. Create a stamp tool for this technique using scraps of rubber from any cut stamps.

For Joseph's coat technique: Brayer with a spectrum pad, covering the entire area of a card. Let set for a couple minutes to be sure it is dry. Emboss the stamped image using the VersaMark pad and clear embossing powder. Then ink the brayer with Black or Navy, and cover the entire card again with this new color. Let the overcoat of ink dry, then buff the card with a paper towel to remove excess ink.

Try the Batik Technique. Simply stamp the image using Versamark and emboss with clear embossing powder. Let cool. Then gently wad paper into a ball or fold it into a small square for a different look. Unfold it and smooth it out. It will have crease marks where the embossing powder has cracked. Place card stock on a towel and mist with water so the paper is very damp. Next ink the brayer with a Spectrum pad, roll across the paper. The image will stay white while the ink will seep into cracks and the rest of the paper will have a batik look.

Polished stone background with assorted re-inker inks, alcohol, and Gold/Silver Krylon or Zig Leafing Pens. Spray alcohol on cotton ball. Moisten the cotton ball with at least 6 sprays, but don't soak it. Then dot a cotton ball with 3 to 4 drops re-inker on one side of the damp felt. Then dot 3 to 4 drops of another color on the other side. Keep the different colors separate, but not too far apart. Shake the leafing pen and press the tip down on the glossy card stock letting the ink puddle out. Make 3 to 4 little globs per quarter sheet. QUICKLY "slam" the cotton ball on top of the blobs of pen. Strike the paper over and over, making the leafing ink "float" in the alcohol dye. If the leafing ink doesn't "float" but dries as spots, use more alcohol. Try again. The colors to should overlap and blend. If the ink is "worked" too much, it can start to look muddy, but cover the surface of the paper. After "whacking" gently twist the cotton ball for a more blended look. Let the piece dry before touching. Move it by gripping the edge of the paper. Wait at least 24 hours before stamping on it.

The Heated Pearls technique also uses glossy card stock and is fun and easy to do. Turn the glossy card stock to black glossy card stock by using the black pad and a brayer. Materials needed: Pearl Ex, white glue, a stipple brush, and a heat gun. Cut the card stock into quarters. Put a blob of glue in the middle of a piece. Spread it all over the piece with the stipple brush. Be sure to cover it completely. Sprinkle some Pearl Ex (use two complimentary colors of PE) on top of the stippled glue, working the PE into the glue with the stipple brush. When done, put the brush into water, so the glue won't dry up on the brush. Next take the heat gun and start running it over the glue/PE mixture. Watch it bubble up! Try Red Glossy (made with White Glossy and a red Staz On pad). This produces very elegant backgrounds.

Crayon resist is a great way to use Glossy paper to add white highlights to whimsical stamps or those with detailed images. Stamp the design onto glossy card stock. Allow image to dry. Then use a crayon or a Metallic Pencils to mark highlighted areas. Then just use the selected inks to apply ink with sponge or brayer. Allow ink to dry. Using a piece of tissue, gently rub in small circles over the areas where the crayon was applied. This will remove the ink and create the resist look.

Glossy card stock is perfect for Dry Embossing. Cut card stock into a small square and then dry emboss an image. Then use the brayer and a LIGHT TOUCH to apply color to the image. When the image is colored this way there is still an edge of white card stock that will show through.

Try doing the Alcohol Spray Technique on Glossy Paper. Place regular rubbing alcohol in a little spray bottle. Select a bolder image stamp and ink it up, and spray the stamp with the alcohol mister and stamp it on the glossy card stock! Spray the alcohol with a very fine mist and hold the stamp further away from the sprayer. With this technique each time the stamp is reinked—spritzed--stamped it will turn out a little different than the time before which provides a very unique look. To create fun backgrounds (or foregrounds) for summer projects try using the Glossy paper for the Bubble Background Technique. Place 3-4 Tablespoons of dish washing soap and a cup of tap water in a large bowl. Add 10-15 drops of desired color of re-inker ink. Use a whisk to create froth and pour this mixture onto a tray. Use a drinking straw, blow lightly while stirring the mixture so that you form slightly larger bubbles. You do NOT want huge bubbles as you won't be able to fit them on a standard size card front. After bubbles are formed, spritz the top of them with re-inker that has been diluted with water and put into a travel-sized pump spray bottle. Then lightly place a sheet of Glossy Card stock onto the bubbles without actually dropping it into the solution. Remove paper and place right side up on paper towels and allow to dry. To speed the process you can use another paper towel to blot dry but DO NOT rub or you will disturb the bubble pattern. For more versatility select other colors besides blue or send the card stock back through a second time but this time select a different color from the first.

Salt Backgrounds are perfect for Glossy card stock. Brayer color onto the glossy card stock, and then mist with water spritzer. Sprinkle on salt. You can use any kind: sea salt, table, kosher, Epsom. Each type of salt will provide a different look to your finished project. You must allow this to dry. When dry, brush the salt off. The salt will "remove" or lighten the dye ink and you'll have a beautiful one-of-a-kind background for your stamped artwork.

Marble Technique. Try using marbles to make wonderful backgrounds on glossy card stock. The marble technique is so easy that most children do it as toddlers. Put your card stock in a small box and ink up the marbles, and put them in the box too. Then tip the box from side to side, causing the marbles to roll randomly on the card stock.

Wax Paper resist Backgrounds. You need glossy card stock, wax paper, and an iron. Crumble up the wax paper and then set between the glossy sides of the glossy paper. Take an iron at medium heat and iron over the paper for between 10 and 30 seconds. When you're done, take one of the glossy sheets and cover with ink. Then use a brayer on a rainbow pad. You can also use a sponge or the ink pad itself, or any other way you can think to put the ink on the paper. The ink brings out some wonderful designs. The different ways that you fold the wax paper bring out wonderful designs. You don't always have to crumble the paper either. Just play with the wax paper and see what beautiful images arise.

Emboss resist on Glossy. This is a great way to combine those bolder stamps and glossy paper to yield awesome results. With the VersaMark pad stamp your image on glossy card stock. Sprinkle clear embossing powder over the clear inked stamped image and heat it. You now have a subtle stamped image. Next use your sponges to apply as much (or as little) color as you would like. This will make the stamped image seem to pop right off the card.

Make your own postcards. Place the card stock in a printer and type your note to a friend. Print it off on the NON-GLOSSY side, lined up in columns so that you can cut the card stock in fourths and have four postcards. Then stamp on the glossy side.

Glossy card stock is also great for making all our cut little baskets, boxes and pouches.