January Group of Seven Cardmakers - Alcohol Inks with Gilding Flakes

 It's time for the January post by the Group of Seven Cardmakers!   This month we are playing with Alcohol Inks and Gilding Flakes!

I used an 8"x10" piece of Yupo for the technique and so was able to cut 4 card panels 4"x5" to make my 4 cards below.

Here are a few photos of how I created my panel.

Supplies:  8"x10" Yupo Cardstock, Alcohol Inks: Latte, Pistachio, Sail Boat Blue, 91% Rubbing Alcohol, Ranger Ink Blower, heat tool that has a low or cool setting, gilding flakes

I applied quite a bit of 91% rubbing alcohol all over the Yupo Sheet.  Then I dropped Sailboat Blue AI into the alcohol and blew it around with the Ink Blower.

I added some more rubbing alcohol and dropped Pistachio AI onto the panel and blew the ink around again with the blower.  

(I wish I had stopped with this result below!)

I repeated the same steps adding Latte Alcohol Ink.  

I kept blowing the ink around, adding rubbing alcohol and more ink until I felt I was done.  Then I dried the panel with a cool setting on my heat tool.  You want to dry the AI but not where the colors have pooled because you want the Gilding Flakes to stick to those edges.

Then I spread Red Blaze Cosmic Shimmer Gilding Flakes over the panel of Yupo and pressed it down onto the sheet with my fingers.   Then I let it sit for 20 minutes or so.  Then I brushed it off the panel with my fingers.

The Gilding Flakes didn't end up sticking to too many places  - but there is some on each of the panels I cut for cards.

Sorry, my post is going to be a bit longer!

I decided to make another panel using different Alcohol Inks - Stone Washed and Citrus and the gluing technique for the gilding flakes on the 2nd video.  

I dribbled the rubbing alcohol over the panel of Yupo and added one row of color and moved it around with the bulb, then added a row of the 2nd color and moved it around - alternating the 2 colors until I filled the panel.  I didn't drop more rubbing alcohol over the ink, just on empty areas as I moved along as I didn't want all the circles I created on the panel above.

I like the results of smoother swirls of color below. 

 (This photo was taken when the inks were still wet - some of the mixed colors are turning yellow

and check out how more pink showed up when it was dry on the third photo down!) 

I dried the panel with my heat tool (not too hot!) Then I added little beads of glue along some of the edges of colors and pressed some larger pieces of gilding flakes over the glue and let it sit overnight.

The next day, I rubbed over the flakes to get all the loose bits off - and I like the results.  I had more gilding flakes stuck on the panel using this technique than my first one above.

Notice how the blue and citrus created some areas of pink and yellow as it dried?

I cut the panel into 4 pieces.  Here is a card I've made with one of the panels so far. 

I just purchased the wonderful hot air balloon and clouds dies from Magnolia.

Below you can see the shiny look of the gilding flakes a little better.

Final impression:  Alcohol ink backgrounds are beautiful - the gilding flakes are really messy and it's a little hit or miss with them sticking - using glue seems to work better than trying to get it to stick to wet AI.  When it sticks - it looks wonderful!

Here are the two videos from the GO7 blog.  

Whispy Alcohol Inks Effects and Gilding Flakes by Tiffany Solorio (18:48)

Alcohol Inks + Gilding Flakes by Neat and Tangled (11:03)

So please check out the Group of Seven Cardmakers blog and see how the rest of the Group of 7 created using this technique! 

 

And we hope you'll try this out yourself - we'd love to see how the techniques work for you!  You can link up your creations over at the blog so we all can see them!

I'm linking my hot air balloon card to:

Die Cut Divas  

Never before Used Stuff

first time using the beautiful hot air balloon die.

ends 1/31

NBUS

First time using hot air balloon die

Hello Friend 

Paper:  Yupo - Ranger, White, Tropical Teal - PTI, metallic brass from stash.

Ink:  Alcohol Inks Sail Boat Blue, Pistachio, Latte - Ranger

Accessories:  Ink Blower - Ranger, 91% Rubbing Alcohol - CVS, heat tool, Red Blaze Cosmic Shimmer Gilding Flakes - Creative Expressions, Hello Friend Posh Script die - Memory Box, Simple Stacks frame die - Penny Black, foam dots.

Happy Birthday

Paper:  Yupo - Ranger, White, True Black - PTI, metallic brass from stash.

Ink:  Alcohol Inks Sail Boat Blue, Pistachio, Latte - Ranger

Accessories:  Ink Blower - Ranger, 91% Rubbing Alcohol - CVS, heat tool, Red Blaze Cosmic Shimmer Gilding Flakes - Creative Expressions, printed sentiment, Celebration Words Script die - Tim Holtz/Sizzix, Nested Rectangle with Square Holes die - Rubbernecker, foam dots

Feel Better Soon

Paper:  Yupo - Ranger, White, Tropical Teal - PTI, metallic brass from stash.

Ink:  Alcohol Inks Sail Boat Blue, Pistachio, Latte - Ranger

Accessories:  Ink Blower - Ranger, 91% Rubbing Alcohol - CVS, heat tool, Red Blaze Cosmic Shimmer Gilding Flakes - Creative Expressions, Mid Century Frame Die - Altenew, Nested Rectangle with Square Holes die - Rubbernecker, enamel dots - Altenew, printed sentiment, foam dots.

With Sympathy

Paper:  Yupo - Ranger, Hammered White - Amazon, metallic brass from stash.

Ink:  Alcohol Inks Sail Boat Blue, Pistachio, Latte - Ranger

Accessories:  Ink Blower - Ranger, 91% Rubbing Alcohol - CVS, heat tool, Red Blaze Cosmic Shimmer Gilding Flakes - Creative Expressions, With Sympathy die - Simon Says Stamp, enamel dots - Altenew, Lacey Frame - Gina Marie Designs, foam dots.

Be Fearless

Paper:  Yupo - Ranger, Hammered White - Amazon.

Ink:  Alcohol Inks Citrus and Stone Washed , Ranger Distress Oxide - Old Paper, Gold Pigment Ink - Color Box.

Accessories:  Ink Blower - Ranger, 91% Rubbing Alcohol - CVS, heat tool, Gilding Flakes from stash, Le Balloon and Basket Die, Le Balloon Clouds and Flowers Die - Magnolia Ink (UK), Small Talk Sticker - Tim Holtz/Idea-ology, foam dots..

July Card Chain Challenge Reveal - Listen to Your Heart

 It's time for the reveal of cards exchanged over at The Card Chain Challenge in July!  This month I sent a card to Kati in Germany and I received a card from Joanne R in CT.

 I used the colors (sort of), the sketch, (sort of) and the theme of Circles!

Here's my card:

I used a 4" Gel Press circle with Alcohol Inks to create my irregular circle background. 

(if you'd like to see how I did this please see my tutorial on this post here.)

 I traced the circles using Lavinia's Acetate Circle Masks using an 01 Black Micron Pen.  I made the dots on the circles with the same pen.

I stamped the images (Rory and Darcy, Oona, Hearts Mini) from Lavinia inside the circles and the Mini Dots stamp beside the big circle.

I outlined the irregular edges of the Alcohol Ink Circle with the 01 Black Micron Pen.

I added white dots with a POSCA Pen and used a Small Talk Sticker cut in half for the sentiment.

I rubbed a Gold Pigment Ink pad along the edges of the panel to define the edge and layered the panel to a white card base.

My card is 5" x 5" square.

If you'd like to join in on this fun monthly world-wide card exchange you'll find all the details on signing up and participating at the Card Chain Challenge blog.

Stamps:  Oona, Rory and Darcy, Mini Dots, Hearts Mini - Lavinia.

Ink:  Alcohol Inks Sunshine Yellow and Pink Sherbert, Nocturne Versafine Clair, Gold Pigment Ink - Color Box.

Paper:  White - Papertrey Ink

Accessories:  4" round Gel Press, 91% Rubbing Alcohol, Acetate Circle Masks - Lavinia, Small Talk Stickers - Tim Holtz/Idea-ology, White POSCA Pen.

Ghostly Cat

Another Halloween card made for the spooky day!  

I made the background by dropping Alcohol Inks in Sunset Orange, Wild Plum and some Alcohol Blending Solution onto a white card Yupo panel.  I blew the ink around using an Alcohol Ink Blower (but you could also use a straw).   The colors mixed and blended - but I hope you can see the orange and purple!  

I used the alcohol lift technique for the images  - after the alcohol inks on my panel of Yupo were dry - I inked up my stamp with Alcohol Lift Ink and stamped it onto the AI background and pressed gently and held it there a minute. I lifted the stamp off and quickly stamped it onto a piece of white card to get an off-stamping from the ink that was left on the stamp.

Here's the off-stamping of the cat and sentiment on a white cardstock panel.

Back to the Alcohol inked panel -   I laid a soft cloth over my stamped AI Yupo panel and pressed over the image area. I removed the cloth and then rubbed over the whole panel with a clean section of the soft cloth and the image appears!

I adhered Eerie eyes to the cats face.  I layered the Yupo panel to a slightly larger orange panel and then to a black panel.

I'm linking my card to the following challenges:

Color Hues

I used Sunset Orange and Wild Plum Alcohol Inks.

Two Old Bats

anything Halloween

Stamps:  Boo Black Cat - Papertrey Ink

Paper:  White Yupo Card - Ranger, True Black, Orange Zest, white card base - Papertrey Ink

Ink:  Alcohol Lift Ink - Ranger

Accessories:  Alcohol Inks Sunset Orange and Wild Plum, Alcohol Blending Solution, Alcohol Ink Blower - Ranger, Eerie Eyes - Doodlebug Designs, clean soft cloth (or paper towel).

September Card Chain Challenge Reveal

Today is the day all the cards sent for the Sept Card Chain Challenge are revealed over at the Card Chain Challenge blog.

This month, I sent a card to Kath in the UK and I received a card from Robyn in Australia!

Here is the card I sent to Kath in the UK.

This month I used the colors suggested as well as the Friendship theme.

I took a panel of Yupo white cardstock and dropped Alcohol Inks onto it, using Butterscotch, Dandelion and Moss AI's.  Then I blew the inks around with a rubber bulb until I was happy with the look. 

(you can also use a straw or canned air to blow them)

When the ink was dry, I inked up the Bell Flower Vine from Lavina with Alcohol Lift Ink.  I carefully pressed the stamp onto the inked panel. 

(it can be slippery and if it slips it smears the image - how do I know that??!) 

I carefully lifted the stamp off the panel then pressed over the panel with a clean cloth.  Then I rubbed over the panel with the soft cloth to remove any residual Alcohol Lift Ink and the negative image is revealed where the ink was lifted!  

(before cleaning the stamp, you can press it onto a piece of cardstock to capture the lifted image and make another card)

I added a Big Chat Sticker for the sentiment.

This is the white card panel I off-stamped after lifting the inked stamp off the Yupo. 

I had stamped the vine several times over the alcohol inked panel and off-stamped each time to capture the image before cleaning the stamp.

If you'd like to join in any month, you can check out all the details of how you join in the challenge here.

Stamps: Bell Flower Vine - Lavinia
Paper: Yupo White Card - Ranger, Water color paper for card base - Canson Cold Press.
Ink: Alcohol Lift Ink - Ranger
Accessories: Alcohol inks - Moss, Dandelion, Butterscotch - Ranger,  Big Chat Stickers - Tim Holtz/Idea-ology

Snow Drop Sympathy

Every month I have all good intentions of joining in on the CAS Mix Up Card Challenge - and the days go by.......  well, this month , the challenge is using Alcohol Inks on vellum which really intrigued me so I got right down to it!

I found some Linen Vellum from PTI on my shelves and thought that might add a little texture to the background - but it didn't really show through the inks.   I swished the Alcohol Inks on 4 panels before I was happy with any result!   You just really cannot control the inks - they just do what they want pretty much!

I used some new AI's that I recently purchased -  Cloudy Blue, Moss, Snow Cap Mixative and Alcohol Blending Solution.

I dropped some of the blue onto the vellum, then some Snow Cap into the middle of the drops, tilted the paper back and forth to make it run, added some Alcohol Blending solution to make it more watery and repeated all those steps with some drops of Moss!  The Snow Cap is really chalky and dried slowly, such that I hit it with my heat tool so I could get on with putting my card together!

I die cut the Snow Drops (Alexandra Renke) out of water color paper that I had put a double sided adhesive sheet on the back of, so when I had the die cut pieces there was already adhesive on the back and I didn't have to add glue to all the thin strips of stem.    I adhered them to the vellum panel.

I die cut a white panel using Crimped Frames from the Greetery and trimmed down my vellum panel to fit inside the crimping.    I adhered that to a white card base, stamped the sympathy sentiment on a sentiment strip and layered it over the panel with foam dots.

So finally -   I have a card to link to the CAS Mix Up Card Challenge!   

I used AI's on Vellum, stamping and die cuts.

Stamps:  Simple Strips: Sympathy - Taylored Expressions.

Paper:  White, Linen Vellum - PTI, Water color paper - Canson Cold Press.

Ink:  True Black - PTI

Accessories:  Stick It Double Sided Adhesive Sheets, Snow Drops Die - Alexandra Renke, Crimped Frames - The Greetery, Simple Strips Dies - Taylored Expressions, foam dots, Ranger Alcohol Inks - Cloudy Blue, Moss, Snow Cap Mixative, Alcohol Blending Solution, foam dots.

Mid Month CAS Stencil Challenge Reminder! Alcohol Inks

Just a reminder that you still have time (until 7/24!) to link up your CAS Stencil Challenge card!  This month Cathy is our hostess and she is asking us to use Alcohol Inks and/or the Alcohol Lift Technique!

I wanted to do some more Alcohol Lifting with my card today!  I took a panel of Yupo White Heavy Stock and pounced over it with a felt pad on my applicator inked with Alcohol Pearls in Splendor (orange), Enchanted (pink) and Sublime (green).  Then I dropped some Alcohol Blending Solution over the panel to move the colors and again pounced on it with the inked felt to add some more color.  When I was happy how it was blended, I let it dry.  

Then I laid two different Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous mini stencils, a grid and a floral (one at a time!) over my panel.  I added a drop of Alcohol Lift Reinker to a foam circle on my applicator, rubbed it off onto my craft mat (as you only want a bit!) then pounced over the stencil to remove the ink.  I laid a paper towel over the stencil each time and pressed over it to remove some of the Alcohol Lift Reinker.  I removed the stencil and then laid a paper towel over the panel and pressed over it again to remove more Alcohol Lift Reinker.  When the panel was dry, I rubbed over it to remove any more of the Lift ink.

I die cut the Winterland Fairy from Poppy Stamps out of black card stock and her wings out of vellum.  I adhered her wings to her back and adhered the fairy to the panel with foam dots.  I die cut the white panel using Pierced Feature Frames from PTI.  I stamped the sentiment from Paper Angel and adhered the inked piece onto the white.
Hopefully you can see the shimmer from the Alcohol Pearls below.

You'll find lots of inspiration  from the Design Team and our July Guest Designer Janet as well as links to tutorials using Alcohol Inks and the lift technique over at the challenge blog.   

I was remiss on my first July CAS Stencil Post in not welcoming Viv as a new member to our Design Team!  We are so happy to have you join us Viv!

Also linking my card to:

CAS Mix Up

using stamping, alcohol ink lift and die cuts.

Lavinia World Challenge #5

Stamps:  Wishing You Joy -  Paper Angel
Paper:  Yupo White Heavy Stock  - Ranger, Vellum, White, True Black - PTI
Ink:  Alcohol Pearls Splendor, Enchanted, Sublime, Hero Hues Black
Accessories:  Floral and Grid Mini Stencils - Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous, Winterland Fairy Die - Poppy Stamps, Pierced Feature Frame Die - PTI, foam dots, felt pad, foam pad, applicator - Ranger, Alcohol Blending Solution.

July CAS Stencil Card Challenge - Alcohol Inks/Alcohol Lift

It's time for the July CAS Stencil Card Challenge!  Cathy is our creative host this month and she would like to see us use Alcohol Inks and/or Alcohol Lift Technique on our CAS cards!

I was excited to try out the Alcohol Lift Technique - as I had purchased all the supplies for it (Yupo paper, Alcohol Lift Ink and reinker and a few more Alcohol Inks) when the technique was first introduced by Tim Holtz last January, but never found the time to try it out!

There are links to some AI technique videos over at CAS Stencil.  One by our very own Loll!

I looked at this one by Jennifer McGuire

Alcohol Lift Ink Techniques: by Jennifer McGuire  (Stencil technique part starts at (~15:50)

 I have a few photos showing my process.

I dropped 3 alcohol inks, Dandelion, Coral and Pink Sherbet onto the felt pad applicator and pounced it onto a panel of Yupo paper.  I dropped some Alcohol Blending solution onto the card and pounced that as well until I had the blended look I wanted.

I laid the stencil (Oval of Flowers from SSS) over one side of the panel.

I squirted some Alcohol Lift Reinker onto a round felt on a mini applicator and pounced it over the stencil until I saw that a lot of the ink was lifted.

 NOTE:  OOPS!!! I realized after that I was supposed to use a round FOAM sponge on the applicator with the Lift Ink - you can have seepage using the felt - mine came out ok but for my next time I'll use the foam!

 Then I dabbed over the stencil with a paper towel to remove more of the lifted ink.

 I removed the stencil and waited a minute to be sure the lift ink was dry and then buffed over the panel with another paper towel to reveal the cleaned lift - so cool!  I repeated the process on the other half of my panel so I could make two cards.

 I cut a panel of watercolor paper for the background of my stenciled piece but it looked really plain (!) so I splattered some orange water color ink over it.  Some of the drops were large and watery so I dried it with my heat tool before moving on!

 I die cut my Yupo panel as well as a piece of Orange Zest card with the Pierced Feature Frames: Ovals from PTI.  I layered the frame over the splattered panel with foam dots and the stenciled piece inside the frame.  I stamped the sentiment (Label Love - Altenew) onto white card, cut it out and layered it over the frame.  Then I added some black rhinestones.

 I made the background panel for the second card with black watercolor ink splatters.

 A small change but big visual difference I think?!

So please join us this month with this fun challenge to use your Alcohol Inks with your stencils!  You have until July 18th to link up your CAS cards!

You'll find links to tutorials as well as lots of creative inspiration from the Design team as well as our wonderful guest designer this month,  Janet - Swanlady Impressions over at CAS Stencil!

I'm also linking my card to:

Inkspirational

Either card works!  I have 3 black rhinestones  on 3 flowers on the first card and 5 black rhinestones on 5 flowers on the 2nd!

CAS Mix Up

Stamps:  Label Love - Altenew
Paper:  Yupo Alcohol Ink Paper - Ranger, White, Orange Zest - PTI, watercolor paper - Canson
Ink:  Hero Hues Black,  Alcohol Inks Dandelion, Coral, Pink Sherbert.
Accessories:  Oval of Flowers Stencil - Simon Says Stamp, watercolor paints, brush, water, Pierced Feature Frames: Ovals - PTI, foam dots, black rhinestones - Kaiser Craft, felt applicators and handle.