Playing with Ink Blending on Handmade Cards

 Hello world! It's been a while since I posted any creations. Rest assured, I have been crafting but at a much reduced level for the last while. I have been experimenting with some new tools and techniques of late though, so I wanted to share some of that.

Today, I'm sharing some ink blending. The first up is a no-risk ink blended panel. There's no risk to this one because the panel is a separate piece. If it doesn't turn out the way you want it to, then you simply start over - no card ruined!

I used a purple and a pink about half'n'half. Then I used a blue at the top to blend over the lighter pink to create a bit of a purple hue to the blue. I used dye-based inks for this one. For this panel, I blended on Copic Xpress It paper because it's the smoothest card I have. The card background is embossed with a chevron patterned embossing folder. Since that adds texture, I thought simple, plain, smooth white cardstock die cuts would be just fine.

Don't have die cuts? No problem. On this version, I literally scribbled a tree line and some trees. Absolutely no skill required!

It's simple but effective, if you ask me!

On the next card, I did a traditionally blue sky. It was inspired by Michelle Short of the Card Grotto. See her card here: MFT Stenciling. Her cards are always a clean and sharp design that I really like.

This one was done with Distress Oxide inks directly onto the card front. I masked off the edges and used my homemade cloud stencil for the bottom edge.

I tried to make it cheerful and masculine but rainbow is just not my style. I find, every time I try something rainbow, I end up not liking it. I work better in monochrome, I guess. So, I did another with a stamped image as the focal.

I like this one better, but I feel like the border was a little bit too wide. Still turned out cute though! How could it now with the ever super cute stamp set from Lawn Fawn? (Really High Five stamp set.)

Lastly, I tried spotlight ink blending. I used the same stamp for the first attempt:

 This was also with Distress Oxide ink and a blending sponge. You can see marks - it's not that smooth. So, I tried again with a dye in and a blending brush instead and I like this result MUCH better. It's directly inspired by a card made with Gina K. Designs stamp set in this video: See snowman spotlight ink blended video.

Do you like to ink blend? What style is your favourite?

Discbound Notebook with the WRMK Mini Disc Cinch

I recently purchased the We R Memory Keepers Mini Disc Cinch. After playing around with it making a couple of prototypes, I made this disc bound notebook for a friend. I had seen others make DIY planners using Dollar Tree gift bags as covers, so I tried the same thing.

This is a gift set of goodies including the notebook, a bridge card, and a matchbook notepad. I also made tab dividers for the notebook with my WRMK envelope punch board and some coffee cup shaped paper clips.

You can watch my video walkthrough of this project and some thoughts on the Disc Cinch on my YouTube channel. Just click the picture!

Shadowbox 50th Birthday Card

One of our friends turned 50 this month, so I wanted to make him a special card. This is a true milestone for him and needed to be celebrated! I used the same template I made for my mother-in-law's birthday card (here: alcohol inked shadowbox birthday card). For that card, I inked up the whole sky with an alcohol ink technique.

For this one, I did regular ink blending with blending brushes.

 

Everything on this card started out as white cardstock. I used a grass mask by Lawn Fawn to make the grass line in the back. I used my homemade cloud stencil for the sky. The grass in the middle layer is a long grass die cut that I ink blended and the front layer is a short grass die cut that I also ink blended. 

 

Then I stamped the critters and coloured them with my alcohol ink markers and cut them out by hand. I dug into my stash to make this card! There's a whole medley of stamp sets! (It actually took quite a long time to make this card.) All the critters are from a Hello Bluebird stamp set. I found two gift stamps: a solid one and one I had to colour in. I used a Your Next Stamp balloon cluster image and I found a single balloon in another stamp set. I forget what stamp set the party hats are from, but boy they were REALLY TINY to colour in!

 

I knew I wanted a large 50 to be floating in the middle. I used acetate for that. Since cleaning my craft room, I put all my "leftover" bits (e.g. die cut but not used, stamped but not used, etc.) in what I'm calling my "bits box". So I dug in there and found the cupcake. I coloured that up and put it in!

I put a pocket on the back and wrote out a little poem for a sentiment on a separate sheet that I slipped into the pocket. I like how it turned out and our friend liked it too! I think it turned out fine for guys or gals, so I'm very happy with it!

Handmade Holiday Cards Received for 2021

 I thought I would show off the handmade cards I received for Christmas 2021 as my last post in the year. I love getting cards from my Creative Crew. I get to see their learning in action!

The first to arrive was Debbie's card. It's super glittery with a patterned glitter paper as the background. I cut tiny cardinals for Debbie. She just loves them. So, she made me a cardinal card!

The sentiment was left from the last card class we had together. The cardinal has glitter accents and the poinsettia is made from foiled paper. On the inside, she stamped an evergreen, put a golden start sequin at the top and put one of the tiny die cut cardinals inside.

The next card was from Norma. I seem to have a weakness for snowflakes so she made me a card full of them! Plus they have glitter accented ones in the paper too. Teal (leaning to blue) is my favourite colour, so this card speaks to me (and has only nice things to say)!

I got a lovely snowman card from Claire. Our last card class was an easel card class. So, she made a easel card to showcase what she learned! She stamped a happy snow-family and coloured it with alcohol markers.

You can see how the easel card stands in this image:

She put a die-cut greeting on the inside and her heartfelt message on the back of the card. I have the same die-cut greeting. I just love die-cut greetings. I think they stand out so well. You can also see in the second image how Claire added just a touch of sparkle to the snow with a glitter pen. All the falling snow is coloured in and there's some on the ground too.

The last handmade card I got was from Maria. Maria lives farther away so she doesn't get to come to the crafty classes, but she attends some near her with a local Stampin' Up! demonstrator. The colours are just gorgeous. It looks like she die cut some evergreens from some ink-smooshed papers. 

She arranged them on an embossed panel of trees. You can see the embossing better in the second photo. Her sentiment has been placed behind some vellum for a soft look and popped up on foam tape for dimension.

It's a very soft and serene card - also clean and simple looking, which is totally up my alley!

I am happy to have so many creative people around me. How about you? Did you get any handmade goodness this holiday?