Gerda Steiner Designs

Hello dear creative community,

greetings from Germany again today.

This time I don't have a card for you, but a little tutorial for a small Easter basket.

It is modeled on the typical fruit crates. You can decorate it however you like.

All you need is photo card, glue, scissors, a scor pal or something similar, a ruler and I think that's it.

First you need a piece of photo cardboard measuring 6" x 8".  This is folded from each side at 1" and cut as shown in the picture.

The side pieces are folded up and glued together to create the base of a box.

For the next step, we need 4 pieces of photo cardboard measuring 1.5" x 3.5". These are folded lengthwise in the middle and then glued in each corner.

Now we need 4 pieces of photo cardboard measuring 6" x 1" and 4 pieces measuring 4" x 1". These will be the cross struts of the box and glued to the long and short sides. And now the box is finished and can be decorated and filled. I think everyone will be happy about this little gift at Easter. Especially when there is not only something sweet inside, but also a cute GSD stamp.

Have a great, creative weekend.

Best regard,
Nicole

And if you like, feel free to check me out on Instagram. 

https://www.instagram.com/kimbaslydog/

          Here are the Copic markers I've used:                       

 

Basket:  RV11, RV95

 

Basket:  RV11, RV95

 

Bunnies:  C0, C1, C00, RV00 (cheeks/ears)

 

Bow:  BG000, BG01, BG05

 

Eggs:  YG25, RV23, Y02, YR04, V06, BG53

 

 

Happy Spring to you!  Thanks for your visit!

 

Beverly on Instagram:  texasgrammy

Beverly's SCS Gallery:  TexasGrammy at Splitcoaststampers

Blog:  Texas Rubber & Ink!

 

Hi again to all my GSD family!  

I’m thrilled to be back doing an another guest design card using the adorable new set called Hoppy Easter!  For this card I wanted the focus to really be on the stamp, so I used a background stamp from Hero Arts that would make the image the focal point.  

I used Taylored Expressions Dried Fig ink for the background to coordinate with the colors I used to color my image. I used a combination of Copic markers and colored pencils to color the image and finished it off with a clear glitter pen from Scrapbook.com.

As always, I stamped my image on Neenah Solar White paper using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  I think it came out nicely and I hope you like it too.  

Hello Gerda Steiner fans!  

Bev Gerard here today to share this delightful stamp set from Gerda Steiner Designs, Hoppy Easter!

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• Your Blog (email link to info(at)gerdasteinerdesigns.com)

Hello again to all my Gerda Steiner friends.

It’s Maureen Hayes, back guest designing with the adorable new Easter/Spring set called Hoppy Easter!  I decided to go all “old school” on you and create a gate fold card and use patterned paper as my background.  I wanted the stamp from Gerda to be the star.  I stamped it on Neehah Solar White 80lb. Paper using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. 

Then I grabbed my Derwent Chromoflow colored pencils and started to color my stamped image.  When I was finished I simply fussy cut it out (told I was going all “old school” on you!!) and then I stated to assemble my gate fold card by cutting an 8 1/2 x 11 paper in half and scoring.  I cut my pieces of pattern paper and applied them to the folded card.  Lastly I popped my fussy cut colored image up on the left side using foam adhesive.  I left the right side adhesive free since it works as the tab to open the card.

Here are some pictures of the finished card:

Hello dear crafty friends!

Today’s easter inspiration is a see-through acetate card with white stamping and pencil coloring. The sweet bunny from “Peeking Easter Friends” is ready to hide the egg for a fun filled easter egg hunt. 

The base of this 5 1/2’’ x 4 1/4’’ top folding card is acetate. I used the Lawn Fawn acetate as it’s thickness of .007" is ideal for a folded card which stands up perfectly when adding pieces of cardstock. After cutting it into size, I’ve scored a folding line, and folded it over. I’ve covered the acetate with paper for protection and enhanced the crease with a bone folder.

I’ve stamped the bunny on “speckled eggshell” cardstock from Lawn Fawn and colored it with my favorite Supracolor II Soft pencils from Caran d’Ache (bunny; 491, 032, 037, 049, 009, 001, 071; egg; 011, 211,221, 220). Then I’ve cut the image with an arch die and inked the cardstock with Distress Oxide (Mowed Lawn) with a soft fading towards the bunny.

I thought that the “Secret Garden Window” from Lawn Fawn is the perfect match to put our adorable bunny in scene. That is why I’ve cut it trice for volume, glued all pieces together and finally added some details (flowers, small gems, and Stickles glitter). Additionally, I’ve cut three more arches out of plain speckled eggshell cardstock for the backing and inlay of the card.

For the sentiment and egg stamping on the clear card I used a stamping platform to avoid smudging. The opaque “Snowflake” StazOn pigment gives amazing results.

Finally, I’ve assembled the card by sticking double-sided tape to all four arches and attaching them to the acetate.

Thank you so much for taking your time and reading through this post! I hope you have an amazing and inspired day!

Hope to see you soon!

Sabrina

(If you are interested in other projects I do, please take a look at my INSTAGRAM profile.)

Hi everyone!

Stacey with you today sharing a cute Easter card that I created using the Hoppy Easter stamp set.

Here is a look at the card that I created:

Hello dear crafty friends!

Easter is coming and today I want to share an egg-stra special see through, color explosion card with you. These cute little chicks from “Peeking Easter Friends” just hatched from their eggs to go on a chocolate easter egg hunt.

 

The sentiment was heat embossed with black embossing powder.

 Hope to see you soon!

Have a Super-potamus Day!

 

Today I have another fun collaboration with Pear Blossom Press products to share. I had this crazy idea that this super hippo (one of the several mix and matches you can make with this cute Hippo in Disguise set) could be standing on a wall, overlooking his city ( from Skyline set)

  For this design I used my OLO Markers to color a few Hippos. I always worry I'll mess up :-D but watch for the IG and Facebook posts coming soon to show what I did with these extras!). Which super hero hippo coloring is your favorite?  

 

   

Now...... what to do... what to do! haha! I played with a couple layered Skyline options and even had the brick wall stamp from the Skyline set as well.  Once I figured out where my Hippo signal spotlight should go, I used a 1" circle punch and colored some vellum with yellow marker. I used a small "H" die cut to create the signal in the sky.

I ink blended a cloud stencil with white Distress Ink black paper to create a cloudy night scene for the Hippo signal. To get the beam, I masked off a triangle and inked on Mustard Seed Distress Oxide. 

I decided to trim off the back layer of Skyline so there is a tall building in the right to have the spotlight coming from. I colored them all with the same OLO colors. I decided to have the brick wall replaced with a sentiment strip across the bottom of the card.

Here's the finished project!

Did we forget already that this card LIGHTS UP? haha 

If you want more details on other products used and how to make this fun light up, visit my blog today for the companion post!

See you again soon!

Way to Go Sandra!  Congratulations on winning this $50 Gift Card!  Please contact us.  Then we can send you the Gift Code!

Thank you all for Participating! 

Hello my dear crafty friends,

I’m so happy and honored to show my first project on the Gerda Steiner Designs Blog. I hope that it might be an inspiration for your upcoming project and a motivation to try something new.  I’ve never used dark cardstock for pencil coloring in the past and just shortly found out how amazing the results can be.

For today’s card I’ve used the balloon panda from “Lovely Pandas”, as well as the “Hello Friend” sentiment from “Hello Friend Tortoise”, and the grass line of “Brush Bunny”. The Supracolor II soft watercolor pencils are from Caran d’Ache (shades: 001; 003; 005; 008; 009; 010; 011; 071; 090; 100; 149; 171; 211; 240). My black cardstock has a smooth surface for soft coloring results. When the surface is structured, it’s very difficult to get an even image. For the stamping I used white pigment ink. I´ve die cut the shaped backgrounds with the Infinity Hexagons from Hero Arts out of pink mirror cardstock and blue glitter cardstock. The sentiment was heat embossed with black embossing powder. The brick stencil is from Lawn Fawn.

For the bear it’s all about a first concept where to place which color and then creating layer over layer. I’ve started with the black parts of the body. For the eye, nose, and mouth I used a black alcohol based fine tip marker and a white gel pen. Then I switched to the white pencil and finally added shadows and gradients with grey and black. To give it a little bit of fluffiness I’ve painted every hair with short strokes and over the stamped outlines. Finally I’ve traced the balloon string with a white gel pen.

 Thank you so much for taking your time and reading through this post! If you’ve never been on this blog before I can only recommend to look around, there are so many beautiful projects!

I hope you have a lovely and inspired day!

Hope to see you soon!

Sabrina

(PS: If you are interested in other projects I do, please check out my INSTAGRAM profile.)

About me: I’m Sabrina, a German living abroad (Barcelona/ Spain) and when I don’t have to work, I enjoy doing crafty things, going to concerts, theaters, and meeting friends. Card making and listening to audio books at the same time is one of the most relaxing and therapeutical things for me. ”

A very nice afternoon to you!

Kind regards,

Sabrina

Hey Crafty Friends!

I have again included the materials I used in the illustrated instructions in the picture.

First I designed the background with the stencil from the M4Y and the DistressOxide Inks. As a special feature I used a texture paste that looks broken for the coffee beans.

Then I colored the koala and leave you my combination of markers from OHUHart in the picture.

I carefully applied the smaller shades again with a polychromo pencil.

It's Bev Gerard, back to share a fun valentine featuring the Li'l Hedgie stamp from Gerda Steiner Designs.

Finally, the darling Li'l Hedgie is popped up on an action wobble for a sweet & fun giggle!

Thanks so much for visiting!  

Bev Gerard

First of all. It is a Digital Stamp.

I'm not even sure if such a long design would even be an option as a clear stamp. 

• That being said, you can print it full size on your 8.5 x 11 sheet. 
• You can then score it at the marked lines, fold it, and start coloring. It's a fun and easy project, also for kids. 
• In the sample below, I've simply glued to a card base. It looks nice and also makes it more stable. 

This Dachshund with Ballon Digital Stamp comes with 3 versions
• HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY
• I RUFF YOU
• I LOVE YOU
The original 'short' Dachshund, is also included. :-)

I hope this helps! 

Please use Coupon Code: LONGLOVE to save 50% on this cute Dachshund with Balloon Digtal Stamp. (expires 02/14/2024)

Thank you so much, 

Gerda

Happy Valentine's Day

 

Hi crafty friends,  Noga  here and I am so happy to share with you another project for Gerda Steiner Designs today.

 

My card featuring the brand new adorable  Li'l Hedgie 2x3 Clear Stamp Set .

This set is must have!!

To make this card I die cut a scallop frame die out of Bristol smooth cardstock. 

I ink blended the background using lumberjack plaid distress oxide ink  and splashed it with water.

Next I colored the sweet image using copic markers: E77, E74, E71, E00, E0000, RV02, RV00, R59 and R56.

I glued it to my panel with foam tape for dimension and stamped a greeting from Valentine Cats 4x6 Clear Stamp Set - GSD716 using black ink.

For a final touch, I added tiny hearts.

 

I hope you enjoy the card I created and feel inspired to create!

 

Thanks for stopping by,

 

Noga

Happy New Year, everyone!  

I'm Beverly Gerard, so happy to be back as a guest designer for Gerda Steiner Designs!

Today I'm sharing a card made with the adorable Valentine Penguins set.

• R46 and R59 for the red coat
• C7 for the Hat, the boots and the belt. 
• W3 for the hair and beard 
• W6 to add shadow to the hair
• Golden Stickles, Glitter to add some shimmer to the nutcracker and background. 

Simply place the colored nutcracker on the turquoise cardstock. In this case I've diecut that layer, but a clean cut works as well. 

Adding a couple of golden Stickles drops is fun and adds a little extra shimmer to the card. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you like this little fun card. 

 Gerda

It's me again. Nicole from Germany.

Hard to believe. Another week has passed and today I can show you the second part of my birthday surprise for my sister's 60th birthday. It turned out to be a little booklet. 

My whole family is crazy about dogs, including my sister of course. So of course it was clear that there had to be lots of dog motifs in her birthday book.

This dog from the set "On the table"  simply had to be included. And he speaks from the soul of our 3 family dogs: "I don't care how old Petra gets.....as long as I get a muffin!"

Hi everyone!

Stacey with you today sharing a Christmas card that I created using the Happy Snowman stamp set. 

Here is a look at the card that I created:

Hello dear creatives.

It's me again, Nicole from Germany.

I am so happy to continue being apart of the GSD design team. It is a great honor and pleasure for me.

Today is my day on the GSD blog and I had something bigger planned. Unfortunately, Corona caught me, so I couldn't finish yet. But today I want to show you what is already finished and you will see the rest, if you like, in my next post in a week.

Now to my project. My sister will be 60 years old on December 17th, 2023. Of course, like every year, she gets a card for her birthday. But this year, I wanted to create a little funny story and finally put it together into a book.

The story starts with, of course, the funny and sweet  ghosts from the set of the same name.

Unfortunately, the next page continues in German, but I will translate the texts for you.

The grim cat from the set "All cats" says: "You're all crazy! Petra will never, ever be 60 years old."

The cute squirrel (Set Happy Fall with Squirrel) then replies: “Yes, the sparrows are already whistling it from the rooftops!”.

And the dog (set "What's new?") confirms it: "Yes, it's true. It's already in the newspaper."

Curious what happens next?

Then stay tuned. Next week I'll show you the rest.

Until then, stay healthy and have a wonderful Christmas time!

XOXO, Nicole

Hello crafty Friends, 

Sometimes less is more, don't you think?

When I design a new stamp set, I've to sacrifice a couple of details in order to make sure that the stamp stamps properly. 

With this card using the Moose Love Clear Stamp Set, I've added a couple of those details in form of those black dots back in to create a little more of an Pen & Ink feel. Keeping the main design simples makes those ornaments with color and shimmer pop. 

Here is a link to the video on making this card: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VmUVxLyNbB8

I hope you do like it. 

Stay creative, 

Gerda

Greetings everyone! It's me again, Jessie Scott (@chevy.scott on IG), Guest Designing for Gerda Steiner Designs!

With an interactive image dragging across the background you don't want embossing folders or pastes that create something for the image to catch on. Using ink and a stencil or some light splattering is the way to go. I have been wanting to practice fine splatters since I just got some new fan brushes so that's what I did for this card for a snow effect. I watered down some white acrylic paint and tapped off the goops on a test sheet before getting this awesome fine mist of snow. (I covered the mechanism and test Santa with scrap paper) The real Santa gets adhered to the acetate piece with a foam dot and the excess acetate is trimmed off.

 

 

I am adhering the slightly smaller than A2 panel to a bright red card base. You want to keep the adhesive away from the moving parts and so using double-sided tape can be best to keep liquid glue from seeping into spots you don't want. I also had added a couple stopping strips of paper to control where the mechanism can move left to right for Santa.  I learned this trick from Jennifer McGuire, peel off only enough of the tape release paper to make a pull piece. Fold each over so it will be accessible from outside the edge of the card when you place it down. I had to put some on the inside too, but I just bowed the card a little during placement so only the corners stuck a little while I got it straight. Pull the tabs when you're good and straight!

 

Don't forget to make your mark on the back of the card base! I have a nice one my mom ordered me on Amazon a while back, but I always add one of my snarky stamps from Technique Tuesday's 
It's A Masterpiece Stamp Set. 

Now we are ready to assemble! I have a foam piece guiding the pull tab below but we need to keep the entire path for Santa clear. This left only the small piece on the slope at the end of his track. I don't show it here, but I do the pull tab trick on the foam tape along the bottom here too.

Almost done! 

I added the "Pull" from the Pear Blossom Press stamp set for interactives. 

For the sentiment I chose the "Happy Holidays." I wanted it to be in gold glitter embossing powder, but I think it smooshed too much somehow and with the glitter it was hard to read. Never fear! Fine Liner to the rescue!

It was more work, but I love how it turned out with some black outline to make it pop from the red. 

I used a hexagon punch to make the perfect flag end for the sentiment and it will get adhered to the snow piece with double-sided tape since its glitter. 

Even with the sentiment, all put together I thought it needed a little more. So I grabbed some presents and the tree I had out already from Season's Tweetings and it was perfect to add a little decoration in the snow.

  

 

WOOOOOOSH! I love how this Santa can come flying out from behind the snowbank and arrive just in time for Christmas! 

Here's a video of him in action: 

Hope you enjoyed this fun interactive!

See you again soon!

Hi everyone!

Stacey with you today sharing a simple Christmas card that I created using the Furry & Bright stamp set. 

Here is a look at the card that I created:

Greetings on this wonderful Black Friday! 

This is a DOUBLE blog collaboration today:

What is a Digital Stamp?

A Digital Stamp is literally a digital version of what you use at home made of photopolymer or rubber. Instead of stamping it with ink onto paper, you print it out and color it.

How to use a Digital Stamp

Have a printer? Want to try and see if digital stamps are an option for you? 

Give it a go with one of Gerda Steiner Designs free stamps!  Follow along below!

 

What you will need:

1. Printer (see additional details below on recommendations if you don't already have one to try)

2. Digital Stamp

3. Application that imports images and sends them to your printer

 

Here's a quick video to get you coloring a digital stamp in no time!

 

Good to go? Hop on over to Pear Blossom Press for Part 2: making this Digital Stamp Image into a light up card!

 

Need more details? Can't watch the video right now? Keep reading!

 

Additional Details:

1. Printer - try what you have first! 

     A. Non-printer options:  Don't have one? Try your local print shop!

 

• Office supply stores can usually take a file from a USB drive or upload to their website and print for you to pick up. These are 99% of the time a high quality Laser Printer.
• Check with Walmart or other stores that print photos on their services as well
• Some work places do not mind if you bring your own paper to your job and print after hours on rare occasions. Check with your employer if this could be an option to just try it out and see if you want to invest in a printer at home.

     B. Printer Paper

• Your printer must be able to print on your preferred coloring paper or you might need to adjust to a different paper when you're printing images. A friend of mine has hers print on the best quality copy paper it can use and then adheres it to a piece of cardstock with glue and a roller tool to ensure a smooth paper to color on. You might have to figure out what works best for what you have and your preferred coloring medium. 
• If you feel the need to buy a new printer, be sure you read the specifications and check for "heavy cardstock" and the GSM it can handle. Only buy from a place allowing returns just in case you can't get it to work for what you need. 
• I shopped a bit and decided on an HP Laser Printer (M182nw). When I checked the specs it was able to load heavy paper from the tray. Most printers you want to have a manual feed option because the thicker 80lb Neenah and similar will get stuck. I got lucky and my printer can use a tray feed for my 80lb Neenah with no manual feed required. I do still have a manual option if needed.

     C. Printer Type and Coloring Medium

• For most coloring mediums Laser Printers are your best bet, BUT you CAN usually make it work with Ink Jet. 
• Treat Ink Jet Printers as you would a new dye-based ink pad. You will need to test if it can be used with your coloring medium without smearing your image right away or try heat setting or curing overnight. 
• If you're using alcohol ink markers I highly recommend a LASER printer. If you're thinking of getting a new printer, Laser Printers are worth the investment because 

1. They don't dry out like ink printers(I live in the desert so this is a big decision point for me) and 
2. Laser Printers use TONER... so you can also do custom toner foiling using these printers. Black only are very affordable - just make sure you're using OEM toner (yes it's more expensive) as this adheres best to thicker cardstock and is also the best quality for toner foiling. Do NOT use off brand toner as it can be mixed with "stuff" and you will have smearing for coloring and issues with foiling.

• You CAN use an Ink Jet Printer but it's recommended to let the ink dry overnight. Some printer ink can be heat set and used right away, but you will need to see what works for you with your printer.
• Check the different coloring mediums you use with your sample. Colored pencils make it so you can use either kind of printer until you start using gamsol or oils. It can smear inks. 
• Same with water coloring, you will need to be sure you can print on your preferred paper or just use the thickest paper you can print on and try to use less water and then run the finished panel through a laminator to flatten it. 

 

 

2. Digital Stamp

 

You can purchase this Penguin with Candle or, just to try this tutorial, Gerda Steiner Designs is so generous, they have a few free digital stamps available to help you kick start your collection and start participating in challenges to win prizes. Try one out with this tutorial! (look for Digital Stamps marked "FREE")

 

Digital stamps are also really affordable and INSTANTLY available. Don't have the perfect stamp for that project you need done tomorrow? Can't wait for something to ship? Check out the digital stamps! You can be coloring that image in 5 minutes 😉. 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Application that imports images and sends them to your printer 

• I have a Windows machine but you can do this using any word processing program that allows you to import images on Macs. If you don't have a suitable program already, a great one that works on either system for free is Open Office.
• I teach online courses and use this free program for all my students so they don't have to pay for services to participate in the online class. This program comes with a free version of the main Office programs like Word, Power Point and Excel for your desktop or laptop. https://www.openoffice.org/download/
• I recommend always starting with a new file since MS Word and other programs might save the file compressing the image (losing image quality when you print next time after you save your project since it compressed the image to save it). 
• If you get an image just right and you want to save for later to reuse, I suggest saving as a PDF to print later. 
• If you wish to use MS Word or your other program's file over and over, check for a setting about image compression and turn it off so you have the best version of the image to print again. You also might want to consider using an image editing program like Photoshop if you want to keep editing the card layout.

 

I personally don't get too fancy haha. I just open a new file, drag and drop my images, resize as needed, and copy and paste to fill my page and print it. I don't save the file. 

 

NOTE: What about using Dies

Because digital stamps can be a variety of sizes, you can't use dies. I strongly advise purchasing a Brother Scan N Cut to cut your images if you do not want to do a lot of fussy cutting! :)

Hello Gerda Steiner Fans!

 Christi here from Scrapping For Tranquility. Hope everyone is staying warm.  We here in the northern part of USA had quite a bit of snow this weekend.   Besides the cold, I like it it gives me an excuse to stay in and craft.  

I want to share today this Gerda Steiner Design cute tag I made out of the new Happy Holidays Stamp Set.  I used the Santa and the Merry Christmas to stamp on his sign he is holding.

Hello Gerda Steiner Designs Fans!  Christi here from Scrapping For Tranquility, Guest Designing once again.  I loved it so much the first time thought I would do it again!  

When I volunteered to Guest Design, I was told about the new release coming up for the holidays and they sent me this wonderful stamp set called Happy Holidays.

I have decided to hand make all my gift tags this year since it seems  I never can get my Christmas Cards done.  LOL  Anyone else out there like me???  LOL  This way they have a little taste of my card making but not a full fledged card.  It still comes from my heart but also fits into my busy schedule.

 

I used Prismacolor Pencils to color him and Wink of Stella, Silver  for my silver stars and fuzzy around his hat.  I then used Brushed Pewter Distress Spray Stain to spray on my blank tag and let it dry while cutting out a star for the background to match my bear.  Once it was dry, I put it together, added some dots in blue sparkle and silver .  Pulling some ribbon through to match, I then added a sentiment ,I had in my stash, that I felt went well with my tag, I called it done.

  I hope you enjoyed my project as much as I enjoyed making it.  Until next time......