An oldie but a goodie!

I don’t think I have used this Retiform technique in a long time. The last time I made a Retiform card I used the Botanicals stamp set which is long retired. But this set, Flores Suaves, reminds me of that old set and this technique came to mind.

I had so much fun creating I couldn’t stop and actually made three cards using this technique. The middle card is a very traditional Retiform or Grid card and the other two cards tweak the technique a bit.

Scroll down this post to see the instructions and close up views of the three cards.

So, which of the three samples is your favourite? Leave a comment and let me know.

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This first Retiform card most closely follows how I learned the technique years ago – Glossy White cardstock, a dark ink for the stamped images and vibrant but not too overwhelming ink colours for the grid.

The stamped images were done with Basic Brown ink.

The grids were created by sponging Cameo Coral and Certainly Celery ink onto the Glossy White. Creamy Caramel ink was sponged on last to blend everything together.

This card needed no embellishments.

Stamps:  Flores Suaves

Ink:  Basic Brown, Cameo Coral, Certainly Celery, Creamy Caramel

Paper: Glossy White, Cameo Coral, Chocolate Chip  

Other: Sponge Daubers

 Stamp the focal image into the center of the card. Here I used Basic Brown ink on Glossy White cardstock.

 Use a piece of paper to cover the main image. I like to use copy paper as you can faintly see through the paper.

Align the paper over the stamped image at an angle and sponge along the paper. I used Cameo Coral ink and a sponge dauber.

 Move the paper to the other side.

Ink the sponge dauber up again in Cameo Coral ink and sponge along the paper on this second side.

 Now, place your paper closer to the top so it is intersecting the lines you have already created.

This time I used Certainly Celery ink to create the grid line. Repeat this step again along the bottom.

Once the grid lines are created, it’s time to add the rest of the stamped images.

Line up the paper a second time and stamp with a darker colour of ink. I used Basic Brown. You may need to use multiple sheets of paper to keep the grid lines covered.

To finish the card, you can colour in the main image if desired.

To create this second Retiform card, I used Very Vanilla cardstock instead of Glossy White.

This grid has more spaces then the first one and the design is random. I had to be sure not to have the same colour up against itself when creating the grid.

The inks I used for the grid were Sahara Sand and Bashful Blue. The images were stamped in Night of Navy ink. 

I added an overlay of Vellum Paper and stamped the butterfly a second time onto the Vellum with a Stamp-a-ma-jig to make it stand out against the rest of the card.

The vanilla brads and tag holder are from the Hodgepodge Hardware kit. I used Night of Navy grosgrain ribbon to hold the tag in place.

Finally, I layered the finished Retiform piece onto Sahara Sand and Night of Navy cardstocks.  

Stamps:  Flores Suaves

Ink:  Night of Navy, Sahara Sand, Bashful Blue

Paper: Very Vanilla, Sahara Sand, Night of Navy, Vellum Paper  

Other: Night of Navy 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon, Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware, Sponge Daubers

To make this third Retiform card, I used Basic Gray ink on a Sponge Dauber to create the grid. 

The images were stamped with Black Stazon on Glossy White cardstock.

Since I had left a large border along the bottom of the butterfly, I added five black brads from the Vintage Brads assortment to fill in the space.  

The Glossy White cardstock was layered onto Basic Black and then Bermuda Bay cardstocks to finish.

Stamps:  Flores Suaves

Ink:  Basic Stazon, Basic Gray

Paper: Glossy White, Bermuda Bay, Basic Black  

Other: Vintage Brads, Piercing Tool, Mat Pack, Sponge Dauber

Flores Suaves Stamp Set

$24.95, Set of 4, #112913

Don’t think it, ink it!