Ice Cream Social
I took my first Online Card Class hosted by 3 of my favorite card makers (Jennifer McGuire, Kristina Werner, & Laura Bassen) and the class was called Rainbow Maker. Rainbow colors are always bright and fun to do on a card so I was excited to see what these 3 ladies (and guests) had in store for us card makers.
One day of the class was designated for ink blending and how to do it with different types of ink. Truthfully some inks are easier to blend than others so it was really helpful to have the experts tips and tricks of the trade. To be fair I have stayed away from ink blending with Distress Inks because they are so hard to actually get right without making a splotchy mess. Alas this did not happen this time and I was beyond thrilled.
So how did I make it? First I stamped the large ice cream image from Here's the Scoop stamp set by Concord and 9th on to a Bristol Smooth 4 x 5 1/4 card panel using Versa Fine Onyx Black Ink. It is a very large image so I knew it was take up most of the space. I knew I wanted to keep it white so I then stamped the same image on to masking paper and cut that out by hand. When the image was safely covered from all ink colors The blending began.I gathered my Mini Distress Inks, blending tools and foam and got to work.
There are two things to remember about blending Distress Inks. First off, you need to start off the page. By starting off the page it helps to get rid of harsh lines on your actual panel which is import for blending. Harsh lines is not a blended panel. Second, you should always go over the next color with the color you used before. This helps to make the color transition seamless. Example...put down Candied Apple and the put down Carved Pumpkin, over lapping the colors slightly. When you are happy with your Carved Pumpkin, go over the transition with Candied Apple once again. If you repeat these steps the result are amazing.
When all of my blending was done I removed the masked image and had a perfectly white sundae waiting for me. I swear there is nothing better than removing a mask and seeing the clean underneath all the color. I decided after that was done to stamp two of the sentiments from the stamp set onto the panel and then cover the sundae with my Wink of Stella pen.
With my panel complete I used adhesive and placed it on a Neenah 110lb Solar White, top folding note card with a small white border on the edge.
I have to say I was really, really happy with the results of my ink blending and finished card. It turned out just as I envisioned and that makes this card maker a happy camper for sure.
