Today I’m sharing two different clear paste hacks using 3D clear gel (I’m currently obsessed). I wanted to see what it would actually do on colored cardstock, and wow—this adds very little bulk but gives a huge payoff. I work on three blue cardstock colors (Misty Morning, Cloudy Sky, and Dark Night) and use a Circuit Board stencil that is honestly excellent for masculine cards. First, I build striped panels so you can see how the gel and ink blending look across multiple colors, then I add a simple spotlight/ombre effect around the edges to make the stencil detail pop. For hack #1, I apply the clear gel through the stencil just on the navy section (gel goes on cloudy, but dries crystal clear) and the texture is unreal—way more raised than other clear gels I’ve tried. For hack #2, I spread the gel across an entire panel, let it dry, and then die cut it with a geometric Pixel Paints die for a modern “window pane” look. I finish both cards with clean sentiments and a few smart assembly tricks (like taping most of the die cut together and only popping a couple squares) so the design looks super detailed without getting bulky.