Creating backgrounds using distress inks (part 2)

We are continuing with out backgrounds and distress inks week.  Yesterday I showed you have to create backgrounds using a blending tool.  Today we are going to get a little messier and use the "wet" technique!

You will :

• distress inks 
• a water mister
• smooth cardstock

 Swipe your ink pads onto your craft mat ...

 then mist them to 'activate' them.

 Now swipe your cardstock through the inks in different directions.

 You will get this effect ...

 Dry with a heat gun

 And repeat swiping through the ink until you get the effect you want.  You may want to clean your mat and start with clean ink for each turn, depending on how muddy and mixed up the inks get.

And you can use this technique to stain ribbon and seam binding ...
 I swiped black soot and aged mahogany onto my mat, and sprayed with water.

 Then I misted the seam binding and scrunched it through the ink and dried it off.

And here is the card I made ...

I used Men's Collage from Visible Image, and ghost stamped Visible image crackled background over the distressed background.  I added webbing, the stained seam binding and a cog charm which I stained with alcohol inks.

And here is another tag I created using the spring and summer limited edition Distress Inks.  The background as created as above, dried and then stamped over with crackled background and retro dots background stamps from Visible Image, and then the Visible Image butterflies were stamped over in versafine ink, as was the Visible image sentiment.I then stamped a couple of the butterflies in the distress inks, cut out and popped onto 3d foam pads.  The seam binding was coloured as described above.

Do pop over to the shop and facebook group to see what other fabulous things are in stock.

And don't forget, there is also a That Craft Place challenge every fortnight - you can find it HERE.

Creating backgrounds using distress inks (part 1)

Distress inks are a great way to great your own back grounds - you can be as bright and contemporary or as muted and vintage as you want.  And it is a really easy technique to master - if i can do it anyone can!!

You need a few basic items to start:-

• distress inks (although you can also try airondack inks)
• cut and dry foam, or a blending tool and the foam pads, or brushes
• smooth cardstock

 I used smooth cardstock and cut a tag.  I love my blending tool, and the foam pads are re-useable, just wash them clean after use.
The inks I used for this tag were Vcitorian Velvet, vintage photo, frayed burlap and faded jeans.

 I started with the VIctorian Velvet and inked up the foam pad.  In order to get a softer look, start circling the ink on youtr craft mat, working onto the cardstock.  You get a much smoother look by circling, and as some of the ink is taken off you get a softer look. 

 You continue building up the colour, moving round the tag, and going over the areas you have covered until you get the depth of colour you want.

 I made the corners and bottom darker than the middle of the tag.

I then took the faded jeans pad, and repeated the process, focussing on the top of the tag.  Again, I started circling the blending tool on the craft mat to make sure I didn't get blotches of colour.

 You will find that you leave finger marks on the ink when you are turning the tag - to prevent this use a peice of card and put it over the ink and hold the tag down - if that makes sense!

 So here is the tag, having been distressed .

Now i wnt to make the edges darker, so I repeated the process using vintage photo ink, just round the edges, repeating over the parts I wanted darker.

 You can see how I have circled the tool, so I get a blended edge to the colours.

You can dry the inks off between colours using a heat gun.  I personally prefer to leave them wet as you get a smoother blending of colours in my opinion.  And remember they will dry slightly lighter than they look when you first put them on.

I finished the tag off by stamping Visible Image butterflies and vintage photo and victorian velvet, and Visible Image tall grass in frayed burlap.

Do pop over to the shop and facebook group to see what other fabulous things are in stock.

And don't forget, there is also a That Craft Place challenge every fortnight - you can find it HERE.

Plastic milk bottle ideas

I like a bit of a play, and since my alcohol inks were out I thought I would have a go at using them on a couple of plastic milk bottles we have - plastic milk bottles are a bit of a novelty in our house as we get millk in glass bottles from the milk man!!! But we needed extra at the weekend.

First clean your bottle out thoroughly (kind of obvious really!!)

Then cut out the section you want ...

 (I know its not the same bottle - I was so excited I forgot to take the first picture!!!)

Then go over the plastic with alcohol inks and a blending tool until you get the effect you want (again too carried away to take a photo!!)

Then stamp your image, or die cut the shape you want onto the plastic.  I used the large butterfly from Visible image.

 I cut.them out - make sure your ink is really dry or it will smudge a little when you touch it. 

 Easy peasy.
And here is the card I made with the butterflies...

So then I had to play more ...


You can use your dies to cut the bottle - I used Tim Holtz dies for this card ...

As well as using alcohol inks to colour the flowers, I had a play with my heat gun.  You just need to be careful not to over heat the plastic, move your gun round alot, and let the plastic cool before doing anything with it, and it should keep its shape and not melt.  I used Stampendous frantage in aged wine and aged teal over the butterfly border, and Ranger sticky embossing powder and glitter on butterflies.  Sticky embossing powder is amazing - stamp your image in versamark, add the sticky embossing powder, heat and throw on glitter, glamour dust, anything sparkly, and it sticks to the embossing powder - amazing!


Do pop over to the shop and facebook group to see what other fabulous things are in stock.

And don't forget, there is also a That Craft Place challenge every fortnight - you can find it HERE.