FREE Polkadoodles Underwater Christmas Digi Stamps

Exclusively designed for us by our pals at Polkadoodles (polkadoodles.co.uk), you won’t find designs like these anywhere else and they’re completely free to download. Totally unique and utterly cute, customise the motifs to suit your needs, colour them in with Ingrid Vichova’s top tips below and be sure to make your recipient smile this season.

Download and print them
1 Press ‘Click here to download now’ then log in – or register if you don’t currently have an account with us.
2 Click ‘Download now’ and you’ll see the download processing at the bottom of your screen.
3 Open the folder, then right-click on the file and select ‘Print’.

Wash of colour
To suit the theme of these digi stamps, Ingrid has opted for brush pens and water brushes to colour in her motifs. Paired together, these mediums offer softer effects in order to enhance the underwater look. You can apply the brush pen directly onto your surface, then use the water brush to blend the colours out. Alternatively, deposit colour onto a mixing palette or lift the colour directly from the brush pen tip.

Special effects
On a couple of Ingrid’s designs, she’s applied ink flecks to the background and there are two ways to recreate this. Simply scribble your chosen brush pen onto a craft mat, add a drop of water, then mix and flick the pigment onto your card with a paint brush. Rub your finger over the brush bristles to create finer, more concentrated speckles. If you don’t have a paint brush in your stash, try using an old toothbrush instead.

Make a scene
If you want your card to tell a story, use multiple digi stamps together to create interesting underwater scenes as Ingrid demonstrates with her ‘Santa Fishes’ design opposite. Reduce the size of some of the motifs for the background and adhere larger motifs in the foreground with 3D foam pads to play around with the perspective. If you want certain motifs to stand out even more, just double up on the 3D foam pads.

YOU WILL NEED:
Polkadoodles Underwater Christmas Digi Stamps
Dies: Lawn Fawn Outside In Stitched Circles, Tonic Studios Layering Circles
Kuretake ZIG Brush Pens
Tonic Studios Nuvo Jewel Drops, Sea Breeze
Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops, Ivory Seashell
Cardstock, various colours
Tools: Water brush, paint brush
Adhesives: glue, 3D foam pads
Procreate or Photoshop (optional)
Die-cutting machine

Santa Fishes
Open an A4 blank canvas in a digital software of your choice. Use the ruler function to separate the canvas into four equal parts. Open and place the digi stamps with the sentiment in the top-right section for the card front. Copy the entire design to the bottom-right section. Print out the page, cut it in half, then score down the middle to create a fold. Cover up the small fish with scrap paper, then scribble blue brush pens onto a craft mat. Add a drop of water, mix and flick all over the card with a paint brush. Remove the scrap paper off the fish and colour them in. Colour in the crab on the second panel, cut out use a 3D foam pad to adhere it to the card front. Colour in the water bubbles and add Nuvo Jewel Drops.

Mistletoe Fishes
Open an A4 blank canvas in a digital software of your choice. Use the ruler function to separate the canvas into four equal parts. Open and place the digi stamps with the sentiment in the top-right section for the card front. Print and cut in half. Score down the middle to create a fold. Cover up the fish with scrap paper. Scribble blue brush pens onto a craft mat, add a drop of water, mix and flick all over the card with a paint brush. Remove the scrap paper from the images and colour them in. Add Nuvo Jewel Drops to imitate bubbles.

Fintastic Christmas
Open an A4 blank canvas in a digital software of your choice. Use the ruler function to separate the canvas into four equal parts. Place the digi stamp image in the centre of one of the panels and a sentiment in the other. Print out the image and sentiment. Colour in the motif and die cut into a stitch-edged circle, keeping the negative piece. Adhere the negative die-cut panel onto a red 10.5cm x 15cm blank. Secure the circle to the centre using two layers of 3D foam pads. Add the sentiment using 3D foam pads and embellish with Nuvo Jewel Drops for the bubbles.

Whaley Great Christmas
Open an A4 blank canvas in a digital software of your choice. Use the ruler function to separate the canvas into four equal parts. Place a digi stamp motif in the centre of one of the sections. Rotate it by 90 degrees to create a landscape design. Repeat this with the sentiment, placing it below the focal image. Print and colour in the image, then cover with scrap paper. Scribble blue brush pens onto a craft mat, add a drop of water, mix and flick the paint onto the panel to create speckles. Once dry, trim the panel and matt onto a red blank.

Heartfelt Wishes
In a digital software of your choice, place the circular sentiment on the canvas. Add the mermaid digi stamps motif in the centre and print out. Colour in the image with brush pens and a water brush. Die cut into a circle and adhere to the centre of a white 13cm square blank with 3D foam pads. Embellish with Nuvo Crystal drops.