Distress Ink Techniques, Tips and Tricks, Watercolor

Creating Easy Distress Backgrounds…(Part 1)

Hello friends. I had some fun playing with my distress inks and other products and created several backgrounds. Sometimes it’s nice just to play with mediums and not think too much. I love distress inks because they create cool effects when water or other mediums are combined with them. I ended up with 6 backgrounds I will later turn into cards. Stay tuned for that post…

For these backgrounds I decided to test out the reaction Distress Oxides and Distress Crayons had with water and also salt plus white vinegar. I also tested Cold Press Watercolor Paper and Strathmore Bristol Smooth Multimedia Paper. I was actually surprised at the reaction of the watercolor paper to the salt and vinegar.

For the first set of backgrounds, I started the process by ink blending on both the Cold Press Watercolor Paper and Strathmore Bristol Smooth Multimedia Paper. I used Kitsch Flamingo, Worn Lipstick, Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, and Walnut Stain Distress Oxide Inks. I sprayed water onto both panels with the Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer, let it sit for a few minutes and pat dry with a paper towel.

I then used Abandoned Coral, Carved Pumpkin, and Worn Lipstick Distress Crayons and smeared them with my finger (Tip: Wet your finger a little to smooth). Then sprayed more water again.

Left = Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper; Right = Watercolor Paper

Observations: One thing I noticed is that the distress crayons are much harder to move and blend out on the watercolor paper. They require a lot more water then on the Strathmore Bristol Smooth Multimedia Paper. But the colors look more saturated and vibrant on the watercolor paper.

Once all the ink was dry, I mixed some Perfect Copper Perfect Pearls by Ranger with water and randomly added splashed and went around the edges of one of the panels.

Once all dry, I used the Stampers Anonymous – Tim Holtz – Ledger Script Stamp with Ranger Archival JET BLACK Ink to both panels. I used the Stampin’ Up! Timeless Textures Rubber Stampset (retired) with Spiced Marmalade and Picked Raspberry Distress Oxide Inks on the watercolor paper panel and stamped using the Tim Holtz® Stampers Anonymous Wildflower Layering Stencils (THS035) with Ranger Archival JET BLACK Ink on the Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper panel.

Left = Watercolor Paper; Right = Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper

Finished the panels by adding splashes with watered down white Gesso on both and black ink on the watercolor paper panel.


For the second set of backgrounds, I started the process by ink blending on both the Cold Press Watercolor Paper and Strathmore Bristol Smooth Multimedia Paper. I used Scattered Straw, Mermaid Lagoon, Mowed Lawn and Walnut Stain Distress Oxide Inks. I sprayed water onto both panels with the Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer and sprinkled Coarse Salt, let it sit for a few minutes and pat dry with a paper towel and rubbed off the salt. Be very gentle with this because you can tear you paper if it’s still wet.

I then used Salty Ocean, Blueprint Sketch, Mustard Seed, and Vintage Photo Distress Crayons and smeared them with my finger (Tip: Wet your finger a little to smooth). I reinked the panels with Mermaid Lagoon and Mowed Lawn Distress Oxide Inks to brighten them up a bit. Then, added more salt and water to see if it would react again.

Left = Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper; Right = Watercolor Paper

Observations: I didn’t see much of a reaction to the salt on either papers. Not sure if I didn’t leave it on a sufficient amount of time or if only the regular distress inks react to the salt. Again, the distress crayons are much harder to move and blend out on the watercolor paper and the colors are more vibrant on the watercolor paper.

Once all the ink was dry, I mixed some Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls Pigment Powder by Ranger with water and randomly added splashed and went around the edges of one of the panels.

I used the Kaisercraft Postmarks Background Stamp with Ground Espresso Distress Oxide Ink and Stampin’ Up! Timeless Textures Rubber Stampset (retired) with Mermaid Lagoon Distress Oxide Ink on the Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper panel and Stampers Anonymous – Tim Holtz – Ledger Script Stamp with Mermaid Lagoon Distress Oxide Ink and Tim Holtz® Stampers Anonymous Wildflower Layering Stencils (THS035) with Ground Espresso Distress Oxide Ink on the watercolor paper panel.

Left = Watercolor Paper; Right = Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper

Finished the panels by adding splashes with watered down white Gesso and Ground Espresso Distress Oxide Ink on both panels.


For the third set of backgrounds, I started the process by ink blending on both the Cold Press Watercolor Paper and Strathmore Bristol Smooth Multimedia Paper. I used Milled Lavender, Seedless Preserves, Wilted Violet, Chipped Sapphire, Cracked Pistachio and Walnut Stain Distress Oxide Inks. I sprayed water and white vinegar onto both panels with the Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer and sprinkled Iodized Table Salt (fine grain), let it sit for a few minutes and pat dry with a paper towel and gently rubbed off the salt.

Left = Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper; Right = Watercolor Paper

Then I did some ink smooshing with a few of the colors above, added water, white vinegar and salt again and let it sit for a few minutes.

Observations: Again very little reaction to the salt on either papers, But when rubbing off the salt from the watercolor paper panel, some of the areas of the paper pilled and rubbed off. Not a big deal; it just adds to the texture.

Once all the ink was dry, I used some Lindy’s Magical Shakers in Alpine Ice Rose, Magnolia Magenta Gold, and Time Teal Travel with water and added to some areas of the panels.

I used Stampin’ Up! Timeless Textures Rubber Stampset (retired) with Seedless Preserves, and Chipped Sapphire Distress Oxide Inks and the Stampers Anonymous – Tim Holtz – Ledger Script Stamp with Ranger Archival JET BLACK Ink on the watercolor panel. Then, on the Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper panel, I used the Stampin’ Up! Timeless Textures Rubber Stampset (retired) and the Kaisercraft Postmarks Background Stamp with Chipped Sapphire Distress Oxide Inks and the Tim Holtz® Stampers Anonymous Wildflower Layering Stencils (THS035) with Ranger Archival JET BLACK Ink.

Left = Watercolor Paper; Right = Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper

Finished the panels by adding splashes with watered down white Gesso and black ink on on both panels.

Stay tuned for another post creating some quick and easy cards with these panels in the near future.


Supplies

Thanks for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed and I’ve inspired you to give these backgrounds a try for yourself. They are lots of fun to make! Leave comments or questions below or feel free to email.

Love & Friendship, Valentine's Day, Watercolor

Elevating Your Dies…with Ink featuring Honey Bee Stamps and Lawn Fawn

Hello friends. Here’s a quick way to add interest and dimension to standalone dies…just use ink. Nothing could be easier, right?!?

For this card, I cut a piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ to 5-1/2 x 8-1/2″ and scored at 4-1/4″ to create the card base. Then cut another panel to 4-1/4 x 5-1/2″. I die cut it from Bazzill Basics 12 x 12 Mono Blue Cardstock with the Honey Bee Stamps A2 Base Coverplate and three from Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ using the Top Coverplate. To give the birch trees dimension, I used Speckled Egg Distress Ink for the blue birch trees panel and Salty Ocean Distress Ink for the white ones.

For the background, I used Salty Ocean, Chipped Sapphire and Faded Jeans Distress Oxides to create an ombré effect. I also added some sparkle with a Shimmer Pen Before adhering any of the background trees to the card, I stamped images from the Lawn Fawn SCENT WITH LOVE Clear Stamps and Lawn Fawn SCENT WITH LOVE ADD-ON Clear Stamps onto Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink.

I colored the images with Copic colors. I used R14, 27 & 46 for the red heart balloon and tiny heart trio; C1 & 0, C5 & C7, and R20 for the skunks; RV11 & RV55, R14 & R46, E25 & E29 for the cupcakes; C1 & 0 for the scent trails; C00 & 0, R14 for the envelope; R14, 27 & 46, RV10, RV11 & RV55, E27 & E29 for the heart boxes; R14 & R46 for the tulip and YG25 & 17 for all the stem. I die cut all the images with the coordinating dies.

I nestled some of the images between the two layers of trees before adding to the card.

I stamped the sentiment from the Lawn Fawn SCENT WITH LOVE ADD-ON Clear Stamps onto Stampin’ Up! Real Red 8-1/2 x 11” Cardstock using Versamark Ink and heat embossed it with Wow White Embossing Powder and cut it to 3/8 x 2-3/4”.

I left the inside of the card blank and just added two images I had previously stamped from the same stamp set.

Dimensions


Supplies

Thanks for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed and I’ve inspired you to give this card a try for yourself. Leave comments or questions below or feel free to email.

Love & Friendship, Valentine's Day

Honey Bee Stamps House Builder Valentine’s Day Card

Hi friends. I used the House Builder Card Base Dies from Honey Bee Stamps along with the Treat Shop Add-On Dies and Stamps to make this cute Valentine’s Day Card. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make another card with these dies. They are still one of my faves!

For this card, I started by cutting a piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ to 10 x 7″and scored it at 5″ and a panel to 5 x 7″ for the background, which I inked with Tim Holtz Tumbled Glass and Salty Ocean Distress Inks. Then diecut the house card base 1x with the House Builder Card Base Dies from Pebbles Forever My Always 6 x 6 Paper.

Then die cut the roof and window awnings from both Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ and Stampin’ Up! Real Red 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock from the Honey Bee Stamps Treat Shop Add-On Dies. I cut out every other strip on the awnings and adhered them to the white one to create a cute striped awning. I diecut out the window from the front of the card.

The door was diecut from the same two color cardstocks using the Honey Cuts Gingerbread House Add-On and the stairs from Simon Says Stamp Card Stock 100# Slate Gray Cardstock. I added some dimension to the house base, the door, steps, and awning with ink. I used Catherine Pooler Pink Champagne for the house base, Stampin’ Up! Real Red Ink for the roof and door and Memento Tuxedo Black Ink for the steps. I also diecut the bushes from Stampin’ Up! Old Olive 8-1/2 x 11″ Cardstock with the House Builder Card Base Dies and added Stampin’ Up! Old Olive Ink around the edges.

I added a piece of Vellum behind the window as well as a piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ to create a frosted window appearance. I added a strip of Simon Says Stamp Card Stock 100# FOG Gray Cardstock to the bottom of the card before adhering the house. I stamped all the images from the Honey Bee Stamps Treat Shop Add-On 6×6 Stamp Set onto Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. Additionally, I used Clear Embossing Powder on the “Candy Shop” and “We Are Open” signs for some added dimension and interest.

I colored them with Copic Markers. I used BG000 and Copic Blender 0 for all glass elements (cake dome, candy dome and gumball machine); R81 & R83, C1, C3, & C5 for the chairs and table; R14 & R27, R81 & R83 for the umbrella. E25 & E29, R81, R83 & R85, C1 & 0 for the cupcakes; R14 & R27, C00 & 0, BG000, G94 and E25 for the gumball machine; E25 & E29 for the chocolates; R81, R83 & R85 for the present; and G94 & G99, R81 & R83, E25 & E29, R14 & R27 for the candies.

I popped up the “Candy Shop” sign, “We Are Open” sign and the cake dome with Stampin’ Dimensionals. I created the heart banner by stamping the little heart from Honey Bee Stamps Little Pickup 4×6 Stamp Set with Stampin’ Up! Real Red Ink onto a piece of and cut them using the coordinating dies. Then I drew a black line using a Sharpie Ultra Fine Point Marker (you need to use a permanent marker when writing on vellum or it will smudge).

I finished off the card by adding some highlights to some of the images with a White Gel Pen.

On the inside of the card, I stamped a sentiment from Lawn Fawn’s Happy Happy Happy Add-on Stampset with Stampin’ Up! Real Red Ink and added a tiny awning which I cut from Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ and Stampin’ Up! Real Red 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock using the Honey Bee Stamps Treat Shop Add-On Dies. I added some left over images I had colored and die cut.


Supplies

Thanks for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed and I’ve inspired you to give this cute Valentine’s Day card a try for yourself. Leave comments or questions below or feel free to email me.