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You are here: Home / DIY + Crafts / Ombre Palm Tree Card with ColorBox Chalk Ink – A CardMaker + Clearsnap Blog Hop

June 16, 2016 by: Jennifer Priest

Ombre Palm Tree Card with ColorBox Chalk Ink – A CardMaker + Clearsnap Blog Hop

Product for this post was provided by Clearsnap. This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are 100% my own.

Today, I am really excited to be sharing an ombre palm tree card created with stencils and ColorBox Chalk Ink for the Clearsnap and CardMaker Magazine Blog Hop. Palm trees are EVERYWHERE right now! A friend of mine said that palm fronds are the new “gold stapler”. Remember how in 2015 everyone's Instagrams had a gold stapler in them? Well now, it's palm fronds and tropical leaves in all the ‘grams!

be-Fearless-PALM-LEAF-tropical-card-with-stenciled-Chalk-Ink-by-Jennifer-Priest

Inspired by the palm tree trend, I created two palm themed cards, using these images from Justina Blakeney as inspiration:

Justina Blakeney Mood Board

Justina Blakeney Wedding Invite Collection

I love the way the palm fronds continue off the edges of the cards and papers. There's no way I'd have the patience to hand-paint leaves like that. Thank goodness there are stencils and easy-to-blend ColorBox Chalk Ink to help us get a similar look!

These cards are deceptively easy to create. The secret is in the ColorBox Chalk Ink!

Palm-Tree-Inspired-Card-stenciled-with-ColorBox-Chalk-Ink-by-Jennifer-Priest

Because ColorBox Chalk Ink blends beautifully, it is perfect for stenciling, creating ombre effects, and making blended color combinations for realistic looking foliage. You can create this look with any color combination of ColorBox Chalk Ink and any ColorBox Art Screen stencil. Don't just ink the edges of your papercrafts any more – go beyond!

Gather these supplies:

Supplies-for-Palm-Inspired-Card-ColorBox-Chalk-Ink-by-Jenniferppriest

ColorBox Chalk Ink in Lime Pastel // ColorBox Chalk Ink in Serene // ColorBox Chalk Ink in Clover // ColorBox Chalk Ink in Chive

ColorBox Stylus Set // ColorBox Tips // ColorBox Art Screen – Tropical // Teresa Collins Wood Stamp by Clearsnap – BE FEARLESS

Scissors or Paper Trimmer // White Cardstock // 3D Foam Squares from Scrapbooks Adhesives by 3L

*Please note: this Lime Pastel inkpad in the photo is the old style of pad from Clearsnap. The new packaging has a slimmer black base that is much easier to store. There's so much ink in this Lime Pastel pad, even after 10 years in my collection, that I can't bear to replace it just yet!

Palm-Tree-Inspired-Cards-stenciled-with-ColorBox-Chalk-Ink-by-Jennifer-Priest

I created two styles of cards using the same stenciling technique with ColorBox Chalk Ink and a ColorBox Stylus and Tips set. The material on the tip is the same material the inkpads are created with so you'll get a soft, blended look every time you use the stylus and tip. I never ink paper directly with the inkpad any more – I use the stylus and tip to prevent the surface of the inkpad from being shredded by the sharp edges of the paper when inking.

Here's how to make each of the two card designs I created with this technique:

two-palm-tree-inspired-cards---stencil-with-chalk-ink-by-jennifer-priest

CARD 1: “Be Fearless”

  1. Cut a 6″ x 12″ piece of white cardstock, score at 6″ and fold to make a 6″ x 6″ card base.
  2. From the scraps, cut a 3″ x 3″ piece of white cardstock. Set aside.
  3. Lay the stencil over the edge of the card base.
  4. Apply a tip to the ColorBox Stylus. Press the tip into the lightest color of ink, ColorBox Chalk Ink in Lime Pastel. With a swirling motion, apply the ink to the stencil at the tip of each palm frond.
  5. Remove the tip and add a clean tip. Press this tip into the next lightest ink color, ColorBox Chalk Ink in Clover. With a swirling motion, apply the ink to the stencil at the bottom of each palm frond. Overlap the area with the Lime Pastel ink in order to blend.
  6. Remove the tip and add a clean tip. Press this tip into the ColorBox Chalk Inkpad in Serene. With a swirling motion, apply the ink to the stencil at the very bottom of each palm frond, blending with the Clover Ink.
  7. Continue adding layers of ink until the palm leaf looks the way you'd like.
  8. Move the stencil and ink another palm frond. Repeat until all of the edges of the card have palm fronds.
  9. Stamp the BE FEARLESS stamp onto the center of the white 3″ x 3″ cardstock square with ColorBox Chalk Ink in Lime Pastel. Use your fingernail to rough up the edges of the paper square.
  10. Mount to the center of the card with 3D Foam Squares from Scrapbooks Adhesives by 3L.

TIP: leave the tips from the ColorBox Stylus and Tips tool on each open inkpad to make it easier to switch between colors of ink while working. When finished, store the tips in a zip top bag with the inkpad to which they belong. Avoid wasting ink by reusing the already-inked tips again!

BE-FEARLESS-Palm-Tree-Inspired-Card-stenciled-with-ColorBox-Chalk-Ink-by-Jennifer-Priest

CARD 2: “Stacked Blocks”

  1. Cut a 6″ x 12″ piece of white cardstock, score at 6″ and fold to make a 6″ x 6″ card base.
  2. From the scraps, cut a 4″ x 4″ square, a 3″ x 3″ square, and a 2″ x 2″ square of white cardstock.
  3. Lay the stencil over the edge of one of the cardstock squares.
  4. Apply a tip to the ColorBox Stylus. Press the tip into the lightest color of ink, ColorBox Chalk Ink in Lime Pastel. With a swirling motion, apply the ink to the stencil at the tip of each palm frond.
  5. Remove the tip and add a clean tip. Press this tip into the next lightest ink color, ColorBox Chalk Ink in Clover. With a swirling motion, apply the ink to the stencil at the bottom of each palm frond. Overlap the area with the Lime Pastel ink in order to blend.
  6. Remove the tip and add a clean tip. Press this tip into the ColorBox Chalk Inkpad in Serene. With a swirling motion, apply the ink to the stencil at the very bottom of each palm frond, blending with the Clover Ink.
  7. Continue adding layers of ink until the palm leaf looks the way you'd like.
  8. Move the stencil and ink another palm frond onto the paper square. Repeat until all of the cardstock squares are covered with palm frond designs.
  9. Layer the cardstock blocks onto the card front and adhere into place with 3D Foam Squares from Scrapbooks Adhesives by 3L.

I hope you've enjoyed these two easy, breezy tropical cards. You'd never know they were created with STENCILS, right? And by the magic of ColorBox Chalk Ink's blending properties, we can skip the watercolors and get a soft, ombre look in a fraction of the time.

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Comments

  1. Dana Tatar says

    June 16, 2016 at 5:18 am

    Awesome card set! I absolutely love your fresh color palette!

    Reply
  2. Brooke says

    June 16, 2016 at 5:39 am

    These are so pretty!! Thanks or being a part of the hop!

    Reply
    • Brooke says

      June 16, 2016 at 5:40 am

      “or” should be “for.” 🙂 Thanks for being a part of the hop!

      Reply
      • Jennifer Priest says

        June 16, 2016 at 7:38 am

        “or” where? I can’t find it.

        Reply
  3. Chana Malkah says

    June 16, 2016 at 5:47 am

    This is awesome! You definitely captured the feel of summer! Nicely crafted! I may have to give this a try!
    Hugz,
    Chana

    Reply
  4. DawnL says

    June 16, 2016 at 6:10 am

    Ahhh…palms, so soothing! Great card!!

    Reply
  5. Rose Powell says

    June 16, 2016 at 6:20 am

    I absolutely LOVE the ombre effect with this stencil. Love these cards, just beautiful.

    Reply
  6. Sheila H says

    June 16, 2016 at 9:26 am

    Gorgeous cards!

    Reply
  7. Andrea Shell says

    June 16, 2016 at 11:25 am

    Beautiful card! I really appreciate the step-by-step instructions.

    Reply
  8. Kim Klinkovsky-My Kraft Kloset says

    June 16, 2016 at 12:34 pm

    Great cards and great tips. Just stunning. I love palm trees. Thanks for hopping with us.

    Reply
  9. SamanthaC says

    June 16, 2016 at 1:32 pm

    Love the blending you did on your palms!

    Reply
  10. Gilda (McStamper) says

    June 16, 2016 at 5:31 pm

    Great cards. Love the stacked idea.

    Reply
  11. Lisa Silver says

    June 16, 2016 at 6:09 pm

    Really lovely! The variation of color you achieved with the inks is absolutely perfect. It’s such a realistic look!

    Reply
  12. Pamela Haskin says

    June 16, 2016 at 8:21 pm

    Love, love, love your cards! I’ll be back when I have time to study your technique.

    Reply
  13. Linda Beeson says

    June 16, 2016 at 8:54 pm

    I’m in love with those great palm fronds, great mix of the shades of green

    Reply
    • Jennifer Priest says

      June 18, 2016 at 9:34 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  14. Teresa Doyle says

    June 17, 2016 at 2:58 am

    These are just beautiful Jennifer, I love the colours. (Clearly, I need to get myself some stencils! AND new colours! LOL)

    Reply
  15. Jean Bullock says

    June 17, 2016 at 2:42 pm

    Very cool cards. Love the tropical feel. Well done.

    Reply
  16. Sue D says

    June 17, 2016 at 8:10 pm

    Great colors of ink you used on the palm fronds.

    Reply
  17. Sarah Ashley Posch says

    June 17, 2016 at 9:36 pm

    Stunning! Looking at these, I feel like I’ve been to Hawaii.

    Reply
  18. TracyM #6773 says

    June 18, 2016 at 4:52 am

    BEAUTIFUL cards Jennifer!!!
    WOW – I LOVE your leaves, the colours look AMAZING and your stencil gives such a crisp image!!!
    THANK YOU for sharing … I’m already a fan of ColorBox chalk inks, not tried blending them, will definitely be giving it a try now 🙂

    Reply
  19. barb macaskill says

    June 18, 2016 at 10:15 am

    OOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Totally in love with this!! I love all things ombre and this is a true stunner!!!

    Reply
  20. Carmen N says

    June 18, 2016 at 8:17 pm

    You did a wonderful job with the colors in those leaves!

    Reply
  21. karenajo says

    June 19, 2016 at 8:31 pm

    Very pretty – love the colors and the super ombre effect you created !!!

    Reply
  22. Denise Bryant says

    June 21, 2016 at 4:54 pm

    Love those pretty palm fronds! The chalk inks blend so beautifully!

    Reply
  23. Beverly Jordan says

    June 21, 2016 at 8:17 pm

    Love the almost Umbre look of your gorgeous palm leaves! So many terrific tips too!! You are so inspiring!

    Reply
  24. Janis in ID says

    June 23, 2016 at 2:50 pm

    Love love love!!!!! What beautiful cards!!! The ombre effect looks so pretty done with the chalk inks.
    <3 J

    jwoolbright at gmail dot com
    HerPeacefulGarden.blogspot.com

    Reply

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Welcome to Smart Fun DIY where you'll find amazing craft projects, easy-to-make recipes with a Latin twist, clever DIY projects, and smart ways to get the most out of life. I'm so happy you're here and I can't wait to learn more about you! - Jennifer Priest If you're new here, click HERE to learn more.

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