Unity Stamps Puddles to Petals Cardmaking Tutorial: Ink Smooshing and OLO Marker Coloring

Rick Adkins
Feb 26
4 min read

There’s something about a rainy-day image that feels especially fitting for an encouragement card. Maybe it’s because we all walk through “stormy” seasons from time to time. When I saw the sweet bird holding that rainbow umbrella from the Puddles to Petals Stamp Set from Unity Stamps, I immediately knew I didn’t want this to be just a cute card—I wanted it to feel hopeful.

Today’s handmade clean and layered encouragement card is all about combining stamping techniques in a way that feels intentional but still approachable. I layered ink blending, ink smooshing, and alcohol marker coloring together, and I want to share why I made those choices—and how you can adapt this idea with what you already have.

Card with a blue bird under a rainbow umbrella, surrounded by flowers. Text reads "Rain makes room for things to bloom." Background has plants.

Building a Soft, Moody Background First

Before I ever reached for my OLO Markers, I worked on the background. I lightly blended Distress Inks to create that cloudy, rainy sky effect. Starting with ink blending gave me control. It established the mood of the card—soft, slightly stormy, but not overwhelming.

After that, I added ink smooshing using alcohol markers and rubbing alcohol. This is one of those stamping techniques that looks complicated but really isn’t. The reason I layered it over ink blending instead of starting with it? Depth. The blended ink creates a foundation, and the smooshing adds organic texture on top.

If you’ve ever felt like your backgrounds look flat, this is a great solution. Think in layers:

Base layer = smooth blending
Texture layer = controlled “messiness”

That contrast is what makes the finished card feel dimensional, even though it’s technically still a clean and layered card design.

Card with a blue bird under a rainbow umbrella, surrounded by flowers. Text reads "Rain makes room for things to bloom." Pastel sky.

Why I Colored After the Background

When I’m creating a handmade card with alcohol markers, I almost always finish the background first. It keeps me from overworking the image.

For this card, I used OLO Markers to bring the bird and umbrella to life. I intentionally chose bold, saturated colors for the umbrella because the background is soft and cool-toned. That contrast pulls the eye right to the focal image.

Here’s a little design tip: When your background is busy or textured, simplify your coloring. When your background is simple, you can add more depth and shading to your image.

I kept the bird fairly simple—smooth blends and minimal fuss—so the rainbow umbrella could shine without the card feeling crowded.

If you don’t own OLO Markers, this layout works beautifully with any alcohol markers, colored pencils, or even watercolor. The key is choosing one strong focal point and letting it lead the design.

A card features a bluebird holding a rainbow umbrella over flowers, with the text "Rain makes room for things to bloom" on a wooden surface.

Clean and Layered for Balance

Even though the background has texture, I framed the panel with crisp layers of cardstock. That clean border does two things:

It visually “calms” the busy background.
It elevates the design so it feels polished and intentional.

This is one of my favorite tricks for encouragement cards. When the message is meaningful—like “Rain makes room for things to bloom”—I want the design to feel grounded and thoughtful. Clean layers help achieve that without adding extra embellishments.

The small blue enamel bubbles add just enough shine without competing with the focal image.

Bird with a multicolored umbrella in rain, surrounded by flowers. Text reads, "Rain makes room for things to bloom." Artistic, whimsical scene.

How You Can Adapt This Idea

This design is incredibly stash-friendly.

You can:

Swap the umbrella image for any focal stamped image.
Use oxide inks instead of Distress Inks for a softer blend.
Try watercolor smooshing instead of alcohol-based techniques.
Change the sentiment and turn this into a sympathy, thinking of you, or spring birthday card.

The layout itself is the real takeaway. A textured background + bold focal image + clean layers = a card that feels detailed without being overwhelming.

Greeting card on wooden base features a blue bird with a rainbow umbrella in the rain. Text reads "Rain makes room for things to bloom."

A Little Encouragement for You

If mixed techniques ever feel intimidating, remember this: you don’t have to master everything at once. Start with one technique you’re comfortable with. Then layer in one new element. That’s how growth happens—in cardmaking and in life.

Rain makes room for things to bloom… and sometimes experimenting in your craft room does the same.

I hope this card inspires you to pull out your stamps, try layering a few techniques, and create something that feels both meaningful and uniquely yours.

Blue bird with rainbow umbrella under rain, surrounded by flowers. Text reads, "Rain makes room for things to bloom." White floral backdrop.

Thanks for dropping by today I hope that you found a little spark of creative inspiration with my project today. Wondering what I used in this project? Everything is linked to multiple sources in the thumbnails in the Materials Used section, or in the text below. Compensated affiliate links used when possible.

Materials Used:

Here you will find the list of supplies that I used to create today's card. All supplies are linked to supply sources below. Compensated affiliate links may be used at no cost to you.

Happy Crafting,

Rick Adkins

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