The Crafter's Workshop BlogMandala magic!

Hello there TCW creatives! Tammy here (aka Tambarambaa) to share some color and magic with you all.

2 hand made cards using mandala stencils and ombre backgrounds. One in cool colors and one in warm colors

TCW provided me with some awesome goodies to play with but the art and opinions are solely my own.

Beautiful, handmade cards with an ombre background, and let me tell you doodling within the stencil lines is just so relaxing. I could do it for hours……so meditative.

Let’s take a look at how it came together….

mandala stencil and distress oxides in blues and purples, lined up to use

I begin by selecting stencil TCW947 Beaded Mandala and trimming some of the TCW9051 Watercolour paper into a card size (trim in half, then half again).

I then gathered a collection of Distress Oxides in cool tones of blues and purples. I lined them up from lightest to darkest, laid the stencil so it was on the side of the card and began to apply using a blending sponge across from left to right across the card.

I then swapped to the next color, allowing them to blend slightly inbetween.

applying each color through the mandala stencil from left to right using a blending tool

Just look at that magic when you lift up the stencil!! That pop of fresh white is wonderful.

Using Distress Oxides rather than acrylic paint ensures the lines stay crisp.

Time for your daily mindfulness…….using a fine black paint pen, I traced around the edges, adding extra doodles here and there. You can do as much or as little as you like.

adding doodles and outlining stencil using a black pen

Let’s create another with some warm colors……Simply repeat the process using a different stencil.

I chose TCW905 Leaf Emblem Stencil and Distress Oxides in yellow, pink and red.

the two cards with the two stencils showing just how magical the results can be

Now it’s time to make them look like cards….. simply add a stamped sentiment.

I used TCW2205 Sprinkle Kindness and stamped with Black Archival Ink. I love that these sentiments have an uplifting feel – perfect for these cards!

adding a stamp to each to make them a card one says sending you a smile and the other be kind to yourself

Now adhere to a blank card and you are done!!

Here’s each individual card…..

the finished card in warm colors - yellow pink and red and a white doodled mandala image

finished mandala card in cool colors - blue and purples

I love that I have been able to give to myself (mindfulness time), but then these can then be given to others to brighten their day. Win Win!

Which do you prefer best? The warm colors? Or the cool colors?

I hope you find some time to do some mindful creating…… would love to see what you do. Use the #tcwstencillove when sharing your creations on social media so we can see them too.

Wishing you color and calm,

Tammy Klingner aka Tambarambaa – TCW Design Team Member