Masking with Tilda

I picked up my very first Magnolia stamps today and thought - what a good opportunity to demonstrate masking. I love these little stamps because they come with lots of neat "accessories" so you can create your own little scene with them. I bought a bench and a fence and you can stamp the Tilda stamps so that they are sitting on one of them. To do that, you need to use a masking technique.

The key to masking is to remember to stamp the image that will appear in the foreground (on top) first. The image in front (Tilda) will be stamped first and the image behind (the bench) will be stamped second. Here's my Tilda stamped and ready to be masked.

Next, stamp the image you will be masking on the masking medium. I'm using Eclipse tape but you can use any number of masks such as Frisket Film or even a post-it note. The key with a mask is that it needs to be very low tack so that it will stay flat when you're using it but won't damage the stamped image when you lift it off. Don't worry if your stamped image isn't perfect - it won't be a part of your final project.

Cut out your mask just inside the outline. Its important to have a good pair of sharp detail scissors or an Xacto knife to do this. Don't cut outside the outline or you will have a halo effect when you life off your mask.

Cover your original image with your mask. I haven't cut around the head in this image because the other stamp I will be using doesn't go up that far. I made a little booboo on her cuff so I just stamped a second mask and layered it.

Next you will want to stamp your image that will be behind your previously stamped image. Here's the bench stamped without the mask. I don't want to stamp right over an unmasked stamp or it will look like the bench is going right through the girl.

Stamp right over your mask where you want the second stamp to appear.

Then lift your mask off and you have a nice stamped image of a girl sitting on a bench. Don't throw away your mask because you can use it over and over again with the same stamp. I store my masks right with the stamp so that its easy to find.

Here is my final card.
Supplies: Stamps (Magnolia, Papertrey Ink), Copic markers, ribbon, Cardstock (Stampin' Up!, Bazzill), Patterned Paper (Cloud 9 Designs), Prima flowers, Bella Baubles, ink (Adirondak, Palette), Nestabilities