April CAS Mix Up - Rubber Band Technique

Happy Easter everyone!    It's April 1st and I'm also hosting this month's CAS Mix Up Challenge!!  And my challenge is to use a Rubber Band Technique!  

What?  You've never heard of using rubber bands to ink a design?   Or maybe you have but haven't done it in a long time??

Not to worry!  We have some links to videos using the technique over at the CAS Mix Up blog

Here's my card.

And here are a few photos of how I used a rubber band technique on the colored strip on my card.

First I masked off a column on a panel of white card stock using some Eclipse Masking paper.  It helps to work on a grid so you are sure your papers are straight.

I chose 3 colors of Ranger Distress Inks to use, Black Soot, Crushed Olive and Broken China.  And I wrapped some thin and thick elastics around an acrylic block.

First I pressed the Broken China Distress ink over the elastics.  Then I spritzed the block lightly with water and pressed it against the masked panel.

I inked up the elastics 3 times with the blue, spritzing with water each time I 'stamped' them over the panel - moving the block around so the pattern was varied.  You don't really know what it will look like until you're done!

Then I wiped off the block and elastics with a baby wipe 

(you could use a wet paper towel as well)

 and inked it up with Crushed Olive and 'stamped' three times.

Then I did the same with Black Soot - stamping the dark color less times so it didn't over power the other colors.  

Then I removed the masking paper and revealed my lovely rubber band technique design!

I stamped the flowers and sentiment from AALL & Create Set #44 

(designed by my stamping friend Tracy Evans!) 

 around the colored panel.   

The sentiment says "Happiness held is the seed.  Happiness shared is the flower".  

I knotted a piece of bakers twine around the panel.   

I layered the panel onto a slightly larger Limeaide Ice panel and then to a slightly larger Hawaiian Shores Panel and all of it to a white card base.

I brushed over the flowers and the Crushed Olive inked parts with a Clear Glitter Wink of Stella -  you can see the shimmer on this photo I hope!

You can't see the glittery shimmer at all on the photo below - but it IS really shiny IRL when you tilt it in the light!

So please join us and show us how you use the Rubber Band Technique!!  The CAS Mix Up Design team has lots of creative inspiration over on the challenge blog here.  And there are links to videos using the technique too!

Stamps:  Set #44 by Tracy Evans - AALL & Create

Paper:  White, Hawaiian Shores, Limeaide Ice - PTI

Ink:  Ranger Distress Crushed Olive, Broken China and Black Soot,  True Black - PTI, Hero Arts Black.

Accessories:  Caribbean Bakers Twine - The Twinery,  Clear Glitter Wink of Stella Brush, clear acrylic stamping block, assorted width elastic bands, water mister.