You're the Sweetest ~ Altenew Educator Certification Program

Hello, my friends!

I hope you had an enjoyable holiday weekend!

I'm here to share another card project for the Altenew Educator Certification Program.

This is my final project for the Easy Ink Blending Techniques Class.

( Affiliate links have been used where applicable. It does not cost you extra when you click on them but I do get a small compensation. )

As the name suggests this class focuses on easy ink blending techniques, from inking a background to  faux watercoloring.

My cards show an example of three techniques learned in the class:

1. Ink Blend a Cardstock

2. Emboss Resist

3. Faux Watercolor

Because I needed to use a heat embossed image and could not decide if wanted white embossing or black embossing I decided to do both!

To begin I stamped the florals from Altenew's Sweetest Peas Stamps onto some Ranger Distress Watercolor Cardstock. These were stamped using VersaMark Watermark Ink and heat embossed with embossing powder. For the white embossed card I used Wow Embossing Powder in Opaque Bright White and for the black embossed card I used Ranger Embossing Powder in Black Sparkle.

Next came the decision on the colors for the ink blending and faux watercoloring.

To help make this decision easier I did a little color swatching to get the right combination of colors.

I chose the following Ranger Distress Inks:

Worn Lipstick and Picked Raspberry

Abandoned Coral and Candied Apple

Dried Marigold and Ripe Persimmon

Squeezed Lemonade and Carved Pumpkin

Twisted Citron and Mowed Lawn

Tumbled Glass and Salty Ocean

Peacock Feathers and Mermaid Lagoon

Shaded Lilac and Wilted Violet

I chose the lighter shade of each combo above to ink blend my floral images. The embossed areas will resist the ink. This would be the base color of each flower. Once that was completed I moved onto the  Faux watercolor part.

I used my Tim Holtz Glass Media Mat for this as it has a nice white area to see all the ink colors that I swiped onto the surface. I misted a little water onto my florals and began adding more color starting with the lighter shades of ink first then dropping in the darker of the two shades. Using my heat gun I dried each layer and kept adding color to get the vibrancy I wanted.  Once dried, I die-cut the flowers using the Altenew Sweetest Peas Dies.

I ink blended the background with Twisted Citron and Mowed Lawn Distress Inks onto some Neenah Classic Crest 110lb cardstock. I sprinkled each background with water and dabbed it up with a paper towel. I arranged my flowers on the background and splattered the white embossed card with some white acrylic paint and the black embossed card with both white and black acrylic paint. 

Before adhering the florals I die-cut each panel with Craftin Desert Divas Crazy Stitched Frames Dies. Each set of florals were added to the card panel with some Lawn Fawn Glue. Once dried I trimmed anything that hung off the edge.

For the white embossed florals I added a sentiment included in the Sweetest Peas Stamps. I stamped this sentiment with Wilted Violet Distress Oxide Ink and heat embossed it with Ranger Clear Embossing Powder.  For added dimension I adhered a piece of Fun Foam the to the card panel using Clear Double Sided Adhesive. Then added this to card base made from Bazzill Gummy Bear cardstock.

For added sparkle and shine I brushed each flower with some Clear Wink of Stella and added some Sparkling Clear Sequins from Pretty Pink Posh.

For the black sparkle embossed florals I chose another sentiment from the Sweetest Peas Stamps and  stamped with VersaFine Clair Nocturne Ink and embossed it with Clear Embossing Powder. I added Fun Foam to the panel and mounted it onto a Bazill Licorice Twist cardstock.

I didn't add any extra sparkle to this card as there was sparkle in the embossing powder.

This was a fun project and I enjoyed the process very much.

So, which card do you prefer?

Do you like the pastel version or the more bold graphic version?

I love them both!

Again, I cannot express how much I am enjoying the classes. Each time I complete a course I cannot wait to apply what I have learned.

If you find ink blending difficult, the Easy Ink Blending Techniques Class may be a good place for you to start. 

Thanks for joining me today and I look forward to being back soon.