Hello again friends! Today I’m excited to take a little break from Christmas in July to talk about a truly phenomenal product that was recently released by Waffle Flower – Grip Mats. The team over at Waffle Flower was kind enough to send me a couple of these fun tools to try out a while back, and they sold out so fast on the first day they were available that I didn’t even have a chance to mention them before they were gone! Right now, they are available on preorder, but are anticipated to ship within a few weeks if you were to order today.
I created this simple and cute birthday card with my grip mats just to give you a look at some of the ways you can use them in your crafting. There are tons of different sizes to choose from to fit your needs, and I was lucky enough to receive what I think are the two most useful sizes – 4.25″ x 5.5″ and 6.5″ x 8.5″. Truthfully, though, I ordered the Grip Mat Release Bundle a few days after the launch and can’t wait to try out the rest of the sizes and accessories when they arrive.
To stencil my background, I pulled out the 6.5″ x 8.5″ Grip Mat and added the alignment guide (included) on the back before sticking an A2-sized piece of Waterfall Cardstock down in the middle. Thanks to the grid marks on the alignment guide, I could place my first stencil from the Elongated Hex Stencil Duo Set over the cardstock straight, and press the edges down around it to stick to the mat while I added white pigment ink with a blending tool.
To do the next layer, I could just peel the first stencil up without moving my cardstock at all, and place the second layering stencil down, lining it up perfectly as before. I applied Peacock Feathers Distress Oxide Ink through the stencil this time, and when I was done, clean-up was so easy because the grip mats are made from the same material as high-quality clear stamps.
I used the 4.25″ x 5.5″ Grip Mat off to the side of my workplace to hold my die-cuts steady while adding a little color with a blending brush. (The 6.5″ x 8.5″ Grip Mat and 4.25″ x 5.5″ Grip Mat also fit nicely in the MISTI and Mini MISTI, respectively, for stamping techniques as well!) These balloons were cut from white cardstock using the Foil Balloons Foil Plates & Dies Set and inked with Carved Pumpkin, Squeezed Lemonade, and Mermaid Lagoon Distress Ink.
To assemble the card, I trimmed the stenciled background down to 4.125″ x 5.375″, matted it with Onyx Cardstock, and adhered it to a top-folding A2-sized white card base. I added a shadow layer behind each balloon and cut strings using the Balloon Ties Die Set before adding them to the card front with foam adhesive. The friend sentiment was cut from Lagoon and white cardstock using the Oversized Friend Print Die Set, while the smaller sentiment is from the Subsentiments Birthday Diecuts pack. Crystal Mix Gems were added to embellish.
I hope you enjoyed this easy and fun birthday card project and thanks so much for stopping by today. You can preorder the Waffle Flower Grip Mats now or head over to Instagram to enter a giveaway on my post for a chance to win a 4.25″ x 5.5″ Grip Mat to try out for yourself!
Supplies Used:
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 Grip Mat Bundle Shop at: WF |
 Grip Mat Release Bundle Shop at: WF |
 6.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SB | WF |
 4.25 x 5.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SB | WF |
 8.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SB | WF |
 4.75 x 6 Grip Mat Shop at: SB | WF |
 5.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SB | WF |
 6 x 6 Grip Mat Shop at: SB | WF |
 6 x 6 Grip Mat Guides Shop at: SB | WF |
 Stencil Extender Shop at: SB | WF |
 Elongated Hex Stencil Duo Shop at: SB | WF |
 Oversized Friend Print Die Set Shop at: SB | WF |
 Foil Balloons Foil Plate & Dies Shop at: SB | WF |
 Balloon Ties Die Set Shop at: SB | WF |
 Subsentiments Birthday Diecuts Shop at: SB | WF |
 Spellbinders Platinum Diecutting Machine Shop at: SB | SPL |
 Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Shop at: SB | CCS |
 Waterfall Cardstock Shop at: SB | SPL |
 Lagoon Cardstock Shop at: SPL |
 Onyx Cardstock Shop at: SB | SPL |
 White Pigment Ink Shop at: SB | HA |
 Peacock Feathers Distress Oxide Ink Shop at: SB | SBP | SPL |
 Mermaid Lagoon Distress Ink Shop at: SB | SBP |
 Carved Pumpkin Distress Ink Shop at: SB | SBP |
 Squeezed Lemonade Distress Ink Shop at: SB | SBP |
 Domed Ink Blending Tools Shop at: SB |
 Crystal Mix Gems Shop at: SB | SBP | SPL |
 Blending Brushes Shop at: SB | SPL |
 Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue Shop at: SB | SBP | SPL |
 Tombow Mono Adhesive Runner Shop at: SB |
 Foam Squares Shop at: SB |
 Cutterbee Scissors Shop at: SB | SBP |