Alcohol inks

Hello there…..

I had some time to play in my craft room today to create this card with some dies from Honey Bee Stamps:

I decided to use the dragonfly from Honey Bee Stamps ‘Lovely Layers: bugs‘ for the first time. The wings were created by using a pink and a mustard alcohol ink and dropped them onto a piece of vellum – let them move around a little – and die cut the wings from the reverse side – catching some pink and some of the yellow/mustard.

The body of the dragonfly is die cut from a previously created ink smooshed green panel, and the wings layered on top…….I had to check whether to glue them to the top of the bottom of the body first……for some reason my mind went blank.

I dry embossed a diagonal border onto a white panel – using the reverse of the embossing for the smaller lines – cut this panel down slightly, and adhered to the card base.

The greetings banner was created by die cutting the main banner three times, setting the sentiment part into the top one, and colouring the second layer with a pink Copic to get some pink to shine through the words.

The arch frame was die cut, then the middle of the arch is a piece of vellum which had been passed through the Xyron to enable it to stick to the base panel without having to worry about where to put dots of glue.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – mustard, pink, green

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – anything goes

Everybody Art Challenge – new

CYHTP – embossing folder – option of borders taken

Sparkles Forum – friendship

Mix It Up – anything goes – option of now stamping taken

From Me To You

The Alphabet Challenge has started a new challenge. We have reached the letter ‘V’, and Debbie has chosen the theme of ‘Vellum’. Here is my card:

I first took some vellum and applied alcohol inks, I think two or three shades of green, moved it around – generally played really – and set that aside to dry. Once dry, I die cut the leaves – snipping one and adding to the larger image – and adhered with wet glue.

The card base is created with some linen textured card, and an arch die cut added.

I added the foiled sentiment strip, and I felt the card was done. No embellishments – just a very CAS card.

I hope you can come and join us with your ‘vellum’; creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Here Is A Place To Start – anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – anything goes

Sparkles Forum – friendship

Love To Craft – anything goes

Mix It Up – anything goes – option no stamping – option taken

Hi – different ways

Hello there. I have been playing in my craft room and trying out a new background technique – it may be known to some of you, but to me it was new – amazing – fabulous – and I just had to give it a go.

I saw something on Facebook (Honey Bee Stamps) where you used alcohol inks and water – and dipped a piece of card into it! Really? Alcohol inks and water and normal everyday card! I was so gob-smacked, I messaged my sister in Canada to have a look – of course she had seen the same video and the original video by Carly T Miner. My sister linked me to the Instagram video – my goodness – I immediately hunted for a container to play.

After creating about 20 backgrounds I stopped – only because I ran out of drying space…….

Here are two cards created with two of the backgrounds:

*blue, green, pink, purple alcohol inks – paper piecing*

*pink, black, alcohol pearl – replaced white pieces*

On the last few pieces of card I added the alcohol pearls – they kinda bunched a little, but created some fabulous effects on the background. I also used black alcohol ink – and I love the colours and variation in marbling it gave.

I can see I’ll be creating more of these – some to die cut too, as well as backgrounds.

You can also see I’m playing with the new die from Concord & 9th – this is the card I came up with first, using the colours form the current Color Throwdown Challenge, and a die cut background using a die from Pinkfresh Studio:

So – several cards for several challenges – all because I needed to escape the heat and my craft room has aircon!

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – purple, red, green

Allsorts Challenge – atg with option to create your own background (option taken)

Time Out Challenge – make your own background

Creative Artiste Mixed Media – anything goes mixed media

Here Is A Place To Start – anything goes – option by the book not taken

2 Sisters on the Blog – text as main focus

Celebrate

I have a card to share using a product from the Concord & 9th Summer camp:

I first used the ‘celebrate’ die onto some white card stock, the dry embossed using an Altenew embossing folder.

I then created an alcohol ink background – just using one colour of alcohol ink – and let that dry for a couple of hours. I then placed that underneath the die cut, and inserted the middle of the letters B, R, and A.

Once layered onto a card base, I added some purple sequins, and some crystal gems, stamped the sentiment and stuck that down with 3D foam.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – blue, purple, white

Seize The Birthday – birthday – summer activities option not taken

CYHTP – embossing folder – option of things with wings not taken

Cardz 4 Galz – Spring Flowers

Hello once again. Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge, the theme chosen by Caz is for ‘Spring Flowers for UK Mother’s Day or just ‘Spring Flowers’. Here is my card:

This took a bit of fiddling, but I’m pleased how it turned out.

The background is one of my many ink smooshing and playing backgrounds. I love to just play creating these, and this this colour-way was the perfect background to the the cover plate.

I die cut the cover plate in white card stock, then took some alcohol ink backgrounds and tried to die cut them so I could paper piece……however……these alcohol ink backgrounds are from a thinner kinda Yupo paper and it didn’t want to die cut. At all. No matter what I tried, how many times, against a precision base plate, another shim – nope. No way was it going to die cut….

So – as the impression of the tulip plate was in the paper – I just cut them with my scissors – which was easy – but ensuring there was no overlap, or extra bits sticking out – now that took a little fiddling…

The alcohol ink pieces were glued down behind the cover plate die cut – but the glue I was using went all over the white – so I just cut another and layered it on top…..

Phew – what a palaver!

Anyhoo – I hope you can come and join us with your spring flower creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Daring Cardmakers – anything related to Spring

Mixed Media Lovers – anything goes mixed media

Everybody Art Challenge – spring

Hand Stamped Sentiments – photo inspiration

A Bit More Time To Craft – anything goes

Crafty Gals Corner – add a flower

Crafters Café – use some flowers

ABC Christmas Challenge – E, F and/or G

Hello. ABC Christmas Challenge has reached these three letters and the themes are ‘E’ for Embossing, ‘F’ for Fussy and Fancy, and/or ‘G’ for Glitter. Carol is hosting this time round. Here is my card:

All that glitter and shine made it difficult to photograph – but at least they show just how glittery and shiny the card is…..

I used a piece of alcohol paper previously created and die cut with a wonky stitched square, glued that to a piece of glitter card stock – I think it may be Stampin Up, but may even be Crafters Companion – no clue!

Matted onto a purple layer – there is some purple in that alcohol background which I wanted to match – and then onto a square card base.

The snowflake was die cut with the same glitter card – in fact I ‘gutted’ the square layer – saves on card stock – waste not, want not.

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas Creations following one or more of the three themes. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

TTCRD – anything goes

Creative Fingers – anything goes

Crafting Happiness – anything goes

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Peace On earth

Hello. I am here at the start of the new challenge at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge. The theme is always ‘anything goes Christmas‘. Here is my card:

The Simon Says Stamp die was simply die cut from a white panel, and behind the scene I placed an alcohol ink piece I had previously created, and raised using a 3D foam piece.

The sentiment is a Tim Holtz Ideology base-board.

Definitely a very CAS look this time round, and the Design Team have come up with a fabulous selection for inspiration = I hope you can check them out and join us. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Catz – anything goes, option CAS

12 Months of Christmas linkup – anything goes Christmas

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Snowflake Panel

The Holly and Ivy Christmas challenges has started a new ‘anything goes Christmas’ challenge. Here is my card:

As I’ve been playing with alcohol inks, I used a previously prepared piece for the background to this Simon Says Stamp snowflake die.

I then layered that with some white glitter card.

I cut another panel out of that same glitter card, snipped out the snowflakes, and added them just slightly offset to their respective place on the panel.

This was stuck down using 3D foam onto an embossed panel – again from Simon Says Stamp – and then onto a card base.

The sentiment wad die cut out of three pieces of white card stock, then the white glitter card – four layers for added dimension – and adhered as you see – at a little jaunty angle.

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge – anything goes – option add sentiment

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Cards Galore Challenge – anything goes

Creatalicious Challenge – anything goes – option make your own background

Creative Fingers Challenge – anything goes

Birthday Balloons

Hello once again. I’ve been playing some more in my craft room, and using some of the backgrounds I created a while ago – this time using an alcohol ink piece of Yupo to create this CAS card:

I used this die from MFT which cuts the balloons and the frame, and with the additional balloons provided I die cut them from the piece of Yupo paper.

The frame I stuck down with some foam strips – they were very, very sticky so I’m glad I stuck it down straight! The balloons were stuck down using wet glue…….and then I wondered what I was going to do for the sentiment – I had forgotten to stamp it before I put all the layers together. I didn’t think the Misti would help, due to the dimension, so I actually stamped using an acrylic block! Shocker! I rarely do that because I always get it wrong…..

This time, I prepped my stamp, I used a Catherine Pooler ink, and chose an outline sentiment…….and it worked! It’s always good when a plan comes together – but I was nervous of spoiling the card…….I’m glad I didn’t! It is only a few pieces of card, but still……

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Seize The Birthday – anything goes birthday with option pastel colours (not taken)

Clean and Simple on Sunday – CAS Balloons

Watercooler Challenge – occasions

Aud Sentiments Challenge – birthday sentiment

ABC Christmas Challenge – P, Q, R

Hello. ABC Christmas Challenge has reached the letters above and we want to see your Christmas makes with the following themes:

P for Plump – think Father Christmas, Robin, Pudding

Q for Quality Street chocolates – using the chocolates or the colours

R for Ribbon

Here are my cards with P and Q:

P for Plump:

Q for Quality Street:

For the first card, I used the Hero Arts Alignment tool to ink blend a square in the card base. I then stamped, coloured with Copics, and die cut the balloon images from Clearly Besotted, and drew some white gel pen on for the balloon strings.

I also received some little gem sticky thingies from my Stampin Up Demonstrator that day – so I added those too…..

For the second card I’ve gone a completely different route – not so much CAS, is it?

The purple background is alcohol ink on Yupo paper. That purple panel was die cut using a Sue Wilson Big Bold Words die – saving the negative space and each individual little piece which came out – then put the sentiment, it’s outline, and all those little pieces onto a piece of black card which was backed by a double sided sticky sheet. To the part of the base outline which was left, I sprinkled some Creative Expressions black glitter, then placed the sentiment piece back onto the purple Yupo paper.

There’s a lot of colour and inspiration from the Design team – I hope you get time to check them out and join us for our challenge xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Purple card:

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Love To Craft Challenge – anything goes

Christmas Cards All Year Round – Christmas with O and/or P – (Purple)

Mix It Up Challenge – mixed media – alcohol inks, glitter,

Balloon card:

Cupcake Inspiration – balloons

Crafters Café – anything goes

Christmas with the cuties – CAS cute Christmas

Crafty Animals Challenge – anything goes with an animal