Using Stamps Differently with PI Pencils | Botanical Post Series #2
For the second card in my Botanical Post Series, I wanted to explore what happens when you use stamps differently rather than exactly as designed. With a few small tweaks and the help of PI pencils, the look and feel of the stamp changes completely.
Even though each card in this series has its own personality, they all share a common thread: nature meets postal imagery. Soft watercolour layers, delicate stamped leaves, and meaningful sentiments come together to create cards that feel personal and crafted with care.
Here’s a peek behind the scenes at how this second card came together.
Supplies:
Personal Impressions Be-Leaf Sentiments stamp set
Personal Impressions Woodless Watercolour Pencils (hereafter referred to as PI pencils)
Versafine Clair Fallen Leaves
Twine & lace from stash
Building the background
For me, one thing that makes PI pencils so unique is that I can dip them into a pot of water and then colour straight onto the stamp directly.
For this card, I began by scribbling the pencil onto a piece of watercolour card and blending it out with a large paint brush. Once dry, I coloured my stamp with the green PI pencil and, while the colour was still wet, stamped onto the background. I didn’t use a stamp block because I didn’t want a full, uniform image - just parts of the stamp. Instead, I held the stamp in my fingers, pressing where I wanted the detail to appear.
This little technique allows you to place emphasis exactly where you want it, and creates a softer, more layered look for your card.
Creating the focal image
This stamp set looks completely different here compared to its original design. That’s because I wanted to share how it can be transformed with a few small “tweaks.”
I stamped the full image onto a separate piece of watercolour card and coloured it with my PI pencils. Admittedly, it’s a fiddly stamp to cut out, but I love a bit of “fussy cutting,” and it allows me to play with composition. I also kept some of the wording from the stamp to use later, peeking through the leaves on the card front.
I attached the cut-out leaf image to the card with 3D foam pads, centrally… ish! I’m a firm believer in the “ish” measurement - precision isn’t everything when creating by hand.
Finishing touches
For this card, I stepped in a slightly different direction from my usual style, adding lace and twine. I adore twine, but rarely use ribbon or lace because I haven’t always found a natural way to incorporate them. Here, I added them to the back of the stamped sentiment and adhered it with gel medium. You could also use 3D foam pads if you prefer - I just wanted to make sure the twine and lace stayed exactly where I wanted them.
I have also added some small gold confetti sequin style hearts to tie in the sentiment to the card design along with a few doodled hearts in red pencil.
A note on creativity!
I love how this card came together, combining soft watercolour, fussy-cut leaves, and unexpected textures. It reminds me that the beauty of stamping is in making it your own — even if that means breaking the “rules” a little. There’s no wrong way to play with these stamps; sometimes the best designs come from experimentation and happy accidents.
I’m also working on a landing page where you’ll soon be able to see the full Botanical Post Series in one place. This will make it easy to explore all the cards, techniques, and inspiration together - a little hub for the series as it grows.
I can’t wait to share more cards from this series. To see my previous card from this series, pop over to this blog post HERE.
Until next time, take care,
xxx
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