Soft Pastel Card Making Techniques to Try • Birdsnest Designs

Have you ever pulled out a craft supply and thought… when was the last time I actually used this?

That was me this week with my Soft Pastels. They had been quietly sitting in my drawer for far too long, so during my Thursday night YouTube Live we dusted them off and had some fun exploring a couple of really simple ways to use them.

If you have Soft Pastels tucked away in your craft stash, this is your gentle nudge to pull them out and give them a whirl. And if you don’t have these exact products, don’t worry at all. The techniques work beautifully with whatever supplies you already have.

Today I’m sharing the two cards we created together.

Watch the Video Tutorial

In the video you’ll see:

• How to create a versamark + pastel dust background
• How to use embossed cardstock with soft pastels
• Tips for controlling how bold or subtle your pastel colour appears
• A reminder that crafting is supposed to be fun… even if you colour outside the lines

Pull up a chair, grab your supplies, and craft along with me.

Card one: Soft Pastel Background with VersaMark

The sticky VersaMark grabs the pastel dust and creates a beautifully soft stamped background.

The fun part is that you can control how bold the colour appears. If you lightly brush the powder over the paper, the white background shows through. If you add more pressure or more powder, the colour becomes deeper and more vibrant.

I used this background for a cheerful Hello Friend card featuring one of the adorable bugs from the Stampin’ Up! Sweet Bugs bundle.

Measurements

Card Base – Granny Apple Green – 5 ½ × 8 ½ scored at 4 ¼
Layer 1 – Mossy Meadow – 4 × 5 ¼
Stamped Layer – Basic White – 3 ¾ × 5
Banner Strip – Petunia Pop – 1 × 4 ¼
Inside Layer – Basic White – 4 × 5 ¼

Card Two: Embossing Folder & Soft Pastels

The second technique is even more relaxed and playful.

Instead of using VersaMark, we simply rub pastel powder over an embossed background. The raised texture from the embossing folder grabs the colour and highlights the design beautifully.

One of my favourite parts of this technique is that it encourages you to loosen up a little. You don’t have to colour perfectly inside the lines. In fact, I actually encourage you not to. Just have fun with it, blend your colours, and enjoy the process.