Thanks for joining me today! If you’ve missed any of my previous posts, go check them out and leave a comment to let me know what you think. I think it’s important that we inspire each other and let our creative sides show! My last post focused on my favorite (and not so much) papers for different mediums. This one will focus on ink blending. So, let’s GO!
Let’s start with the latest Distress Oxide release……SPECKLED EGG! Distress Oxide is one of my favorite inks to blend with because it blends so well and looks great (it also has some special talent that I’ll share later). Color technique escape me sometimes but I do have a color wheel to cheat (this tells me what colors compliment each other, but ultimately when in doubt. YouTube! These color combinations were inspired by Kristina Werner, one of my go to YouTubers (when I’m in doubt of my color combos). The color combo on the left is: speckled egg, seedless preserve, and picked raspberry. You may notice my two ink cubes are distress ink and not oxide, but I used what I had and they blended well. Distress inks: dye ink, dries quickly. distress oxide: dye and pigment making it a hybrid, dries slower. The color combo on the right is: speckled egg, peacock feathers, and chipped sapphire. This color combo blended more smoothly because they are all similar colors but both combos will be great backgrounds. I did use my Canson XL mixed media paper and color blending brushes. Let’s see what’s next!
For these next backgrounds I used heavy card stock (80lb) from The Stamps of Life, this tends to pill (paper peel) because it can’t handle water or being worked over multiple times. I wanted to experiment how it would hold up, and it didn’t completely disappoint me but I will save this paper for other card making techniques in the future. For these backgrounds I used a stencil in two different ways. Remember I told you that Distress Oxide has a special talent….It’s water reactive! Let’s start on the right side: ripe persimmon and peacock feathers. I blended these two colors together then placed the stencil over the paper (secured with washi tape) and pressed a wet paper towel (a baby wipe works well too) over the stencil, as much as my paper could handle. When I removed the stencil, this was the result. It added another dimension to my background. The right side: twisted citron, worn lipstick, and dried marigold. For this technique I secured the stencil on the paper first and then blended over it. I like to use a glass mat or a craft mat when blending because it is easy clean up and I can start off the paper first for a seamless blend.
I hope you enjoyed these techniques sprinkled with tips and tricks. Let me know what your favorite color blends are in the comments below. If you try these techniques don’t forget to share to your social media and tag @sewmuchglitter and hop on over to Instagram @sewmuchglitter to see what I’ve been creating, leave me a comment and let me know what inspired you.
Oops! I almost forgot to share the details of my last technique. I used Distress Crayons on my mixed media paper and blended them out with my fingers, used the wet stencil trick on top and then die-cut the background. Making backgrounds in bulk is fun and satisfies my creative itch. Die cutting my creations creates extra elements for my projects and allows me to stock up for future card making.
Thanks for stopping by and I will be back soon with my favorite blending tools! You don’t want to miss out so remember to subscribe to the blog and find me on Facebook/Instagram. See you soon!
Crafting with Carrie 