Patty's Stamping Spot

Technique Class - Blender Pens

The 4th technique we did in my Technique Book class this week was using Blender Pens.  I demo'd 4 ways to use Blender Pens. 

Blender Pen/Watercolor Crayon       Blender Pen/Watercolor Pencil

Blender Pen/ Stampin' Pastels       Blender Pen/Reinkers

              BLENDER PENS

Blender pens give the flexibility of watercolors with the convenience of a marker.  Achieve a beautiful watercolor effect using blender pens with watercolor pencils, Stampin’ Pastels, ink pads or refills, watercolor crayons or Stampin’ Write Markers.

Supplies: 

Outline images stamped in Basic Black or Black StazOn ink.

Blender Pens

Your choice: watercolor pencils, watercolor crayons, Stampin’ Pastels, ink pads or refills, Stampin’ Write markers.

Directions:

Stamp your outline image and then color with Stampin’ Write markers, Watercolor Crayons, or Watercolor pencils and use the blender pen to blend the colors together.

                                -or-

“Dip Method”:  you can use your blender pen to dip into a reinker puddle or into Stampin’ Pastels and color in your outline image this way. 

               

TIP:  use your blender pen and a puddle of “In Color” reinker to create an “In Color” marker!

Technique Class sample - Craft Smoosh Background

This was another technique we did at my 6x6 Technique Book class this week. I saw this technique demonstrated on a video on the recent Stampin' Up! Cruise to Bermuda... they had a TV station playing demo's from Workshop Wow's all day long.. how cool is THAT?  Anyway.. this was a fun technique using Craft Ink Spots and glossy paper. I am pretty sure that credit for this technique goes to Beckie Carlson, and you can see her post from her Workshop Wow HERE.  My version of the Instructions are below. 

CRAFT INK

SMOOSH BACKGROUND

One of a kind fun and funky backgrounds!

Supplies: 

Craft Stampin’ Spots (well inked)

Glossy paper

6x6 page protector

Brayer

Optional but fun: Iridescent ice embossing powder and heat tool

Outline stamps and ink

Directions:

1. Slit open a 6x6 page protector so that it opens like a book – hinged at one side
2. Using several coordinating colors of craft ink, “smoosh” the craft ink spots all over one INSIDE page of the 6x6 page protector
3. Close the pages of the page protector and “smoosh” it around with your fingers
4. Take 2 pieces of glossy cardstock and lightly adhere them BACK TO BACK (glossy sides out) using Dotto adhesive
5. Place the 2 pieces of cardstock (glossy sides out) into the page protector pages
6. Using a brayer, roll over the page protector, transferring the ink to the glossy paper
7. Take the paper out, and you have 2 pieces of one of a kind backgrounds!

Optional:  while the ink is still wet on the glossy cardstock, emboss it with clear or Iridescent ice embossing powder for a WOW factor.

You can stamp over your backgrounds or just leave them as a colorful background.

 

Technique Class - Watercolor Wash background

Part 2 from my Stamping Techniques class this week...  Watercolor Wash Background... WOW.. LOVE THIS... watercolor paper and Aquapainters with reinkers... WOWZA!

This sample features the new "Fresh Cuts" stamp set... click HERE for more info.

Thanks to Caroline (See June 5, 2008) for the inspiration! She used a brayer and ink pads to achieve a similar look.

WATERCOLOR

WASH

Use Aquapainters and reinkers to create fabulous watercolor backgrounds!

Supplies: 

Aquapainters

Classic ink reinkers

Watercolor paper

Optional: spray bottle with water

Stamps and ink to stamp over your watercolor background

Directions:

1. Optional but helpful: use a spray bottle to wet the back and front of your watercolor paper (this will help it to curl a bit less than only wetting the front side)
2. Using an Aquapainter with only water and no ink, wash over the front side of the watercolor paper to thoroughly soak the paper
3. Squeeze several drops of 2 or 3 or 4 reinker colors onto a plastic lid or into the lids of the classic ink pads
4. Working fairly quickly, using an Aquapainter for each color, pick up the reinker color one at a time, and “wash” in a back and forth motion onto your watercolor paper. (Keep repeating with each of your selected colors).  Let them bleed and blend a little bit.
5. Let dry and stamp over your beautiful background.

TIP:  do not pick colors that when blended will turn muddy or brownish (avoid purple and green, or orange and purple, etc.)

You can create sunsets, rainbows, or random color combos.

 

Technique Class - Faux Bleach - Riot of Petals stamp

This technique REALLY caught my eye when my friend Jan sent me a sample a few months ago.. WOW.. this is stunning in person!!  The Riot of Petals background stamp (Stampin' Up! catalog pg 136) is stamped with the Silver Encore pad and then embossed with silver embossing powder.  The petals are colored in with >>> GET THIS>>> Blender Pens and CRAFT INK refills!!  AMAZING!!!

I used White craft ink, Glorious Green and Brilliant Blue craft ink for this project.

It's REALLY really gorgeous in person.. I'm not sure these photos are doing it justice??

FAUX BLEACH

Achieve the look of bleaching on dark cardstock using CRAFT reinkers and blender pens!

Supplies: 

Outline images embossed on dark cardstock (silver or gold embossing recommended)

Blender Pens

CRAFT reinkers (not classic ink…  use CRAFT) J

Directions:

1. Stamp your outline image using an embossing ink and heat emboss with silver or gold powder.
2. Squeeze puddles of CRAFT reinkers onto scrap paper.
3. Use blender pens to pick up the craft ink and “paint” in your outline images.

It is best not to use tooooooo much reinker.. you can always add a 2^nd application.  You are not trying to paint in a solid color, you are blending some pigment into the paper.

White craft ink is great to start with.. then experiment with other colors of craft reinkers.

Technique Class part 4 - Let's Get Punchy

This was sooooooooo fun.. this was our 4th Technique in last Saturday's class.  I showed them how to combine several different punched out shapes in unique ways and how to alter the 5-Petal Punch and the Scallop Circle punch.  This fabulous idea comes from MJ's fabulous blog... she is sooooo talented!

 

Technique Class part 3 - Faux Silk

The 3rd Technique from last Saturday's 6x6 Technique Book Class was Faux Silk.  This technique looks stunning in person.. it's easier than you think - try it! :)  I found this technique on SCS here. 

FAUX SILK

The crinkled tissue makes it look like silk fabric!

Instructions:

FAUX SILK

Supplies: 

·        Outline image stamps, StazOn ink, white cardstock, Aqua Painters, ink refills, tissue paper,SU! Anywhere Glue Stick, 12” Fiskars cutter, bone folder

Directions:

1. Stamp a piece of tissue paper using StazOn ink and outline image stamps – let dry. It will bleed through the tissue, so protect your stamping surface.

2. Use Aqua Painters and drops of refill ink to paint in the outline images.  The ink will bleed through and run easily – try doing this step on a Kleenex or paper towel.

3. Once this is dry, crunch the tissue paper up in a little ball – really!

4. Apply SU! Anywhere Glue Stick to your piece of white cardstock

5. Flatten out the stamped tissue and put it on the cardstock, smoothing out with a bone folder.  Don’t try to get out all the wrinkles – Leave some wrinkles showing. 

6. When glue is dry, trim off excess tissue with paper cutter.

Technique Class part 2 - Reverse Masking

Here is the 2nd project from our 6x6 Technique Book Class on Saturday. The inspiration for this technique page came from the card I did in this class with the trees.

REVERSE MASKING

We used Purely Pomegranate and Pretty in Pink for this one!  GREAT combo!

Instructions:

REVERSE MASKING

Supplies: 

·        Stamps, ink, paper, Coluzzle tool, vellum paper, Stampin’ Sponge, Adhesive Eraser

Directions:

1. Use Coluzzle tool to cut out either a circle or oval using Vellum Paper.  This vellum piece should be slightly larger than your stamped focal point piece of cardstock

2. Adhere the Vellum Paper “reverse mask” to a piece of cardstock with a very small spot of DOTTO

3. Stamp a focal point stamp INSIDE masked area onto cardstock

4. Without moving the mask, ink your Stampin’ Sponge and sponge within the masked area with a light color, leaving a bit lighter area in the center

5. Remove the vellum mask (remove any Dotto residue with the Adhesive Eraser)

6. Stamp additional images that overlap the focal area and the white space for added dimension

Technique Class part 1 - Faux Cracked Glass

We did 4 new techniques for our 6x6 Technique book on Saturday in class.  Here is the first one:

FAUX CRACKED GLASS

Close Up:

I learned this technique from my friend Jen's blog. Very cool!

FAUX CRACKED GLASS

Supplies: 

·        Stamps, ink, paper, Glassy Glaze enamel, heat tool, Versamark pad, Weathered Background stamp, Brown StazOn pad

Directions:

1. Stamp desired focal point on cardstock

2. “Smoosh” (Direct to Paper technique) Versamark ink from pad all over cardstock with stamped image (note: smaller pieces work better… no bigger than 3x3 or so)

3. Pour Glassy Glaze powder all over wet Versamark, heat with heat tool.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3

5. Quickly ink the Weathered stamp with Brown StazOn but do NOT overink

6. While image is still hot (from step 4) press the inked Weathered Background stamp into the hot/wet Glassy Glaze

WANTED with an Uninked Spectrum Pad

Check out what I'm working on tonight.......

I inked my own Spectrum pad from Stampin' Up! (find it here) and used it to ink the WANTED stamp from the Wanted set.  I always scribble with my markers first to see if I like the color combo before inking an empty Spectrum pad with the ink refill bottles.  The colors I used:

Close to Cocoa, Really Rust, Creamy Caramel, Bordering Blue, Ruby Red

I took the color suggestions from the Outlaw Designer Series Paper.  I positioned the stamp so that it would get the 4 colors on the left of the pad.  I LOVE all this western stuff!!  You'll have to wait until after my Luv 2 Stamp Group meeting on Saturday to see the finished card.. it will be my swap.  Yeee Haw!!

Stippling Direct to Rubber

Use your Stipple Brushes and ink refills to create blended/shaded effects!

Enjoy this technique from one of my recent 6x6 Technique book classes.

Supplies:  Solid stamp images, Stipple Brushes, Ink refills, Classic Ink pads

Directions for this Technique:

1. Choose two complimentary colors of ink, such as 2 colors you would choose for a 2-Step Stamping design
2. Ink the solid stamp in the LIGHTER of the 2 colors, using the ink pad to ink the stamp.
3. Place a few drops of reinker of the DARKER color into the lid of the darker color ink pad.  Dab the Stipple Brush into the reinker drops.
4. Stipple the darker color onto the inked stamp, blending and fading out at the point where the 2 colors meet.
5. Stamp image on your cardstock.

Altered Au Chocolat Designer paper

One of the Techniques we covered in my 6x6 Technique Book Class in May was to alter the color of the Au Chocolat Designer Series Paper by using a Foam Brayer rolled in our Classic Ink and brayered onto the designer paper.  This changes the vanilla background to whatever color you are brayering over it and leaves the dark Chocolate Chip color unchanged!  At left, we used (clockwise) Certainly Celery, Regal Rose and Almost Amethyst to alter the Au Chocolat paper!  Very cool, don't ya think?

This is a card that demonstrator Sharon Howard sent to me after taking the technique class.  She altered the Au Chocolat paper by brayering the Almost Amethyst ink over it, and very cleverly scalloped the bottom edge of the paper, and cut out extra portions of the paper to make the flower center!!  Thanks, Sharon! Great card!!