technique – Try It – Like It

Plastic Smooshing Technique to Create Depth

Check out this fun smooshing technique that creates colorful visual depth.

Tag it Tuesday

This smooshing technique is such a fun way to add depth to your project! Using plastic to apply the ink gives you more control over where the colors land, creating a beautifully layered effect with minimal effort.

For this week’s tag, I used Distress Oxide ink pads, a piece of packaging plastic, and a bit of water to build up the colorful, layered background. It’s a simple technique that delivers a beautifully organic and textured look!

Video Tutorial:

Suggested Materials:

Links are Affiliates
AZ – Amazon, SSS – Simon Says Stamps, SB – Scrapbook, O – Other

Distress Ink Bundle Shop at: AZ \| SB	Glassboard Shop at: AZ \| O	HP Paper Shop at: AZ	Mini Maker Shop at: O	Non-Stick Scissors Shop at: AZ
Paper Trimmer Shop at: AZ	Ranger Heat Tool Shop at: AZ	Spray Bottles Shop at: AZ	Zig Adnesive Shop at: AZ

The close-up image above highlights the rich variety of colors and the layered depth achieved with this fun smooshing technique—each area blends uniquely, adding texture and visual interest.

Stencil Smooshing

Try this fun ink and stencil smooshing technique.

This week’s tag features a fun and easy stencil smooshing technique that creates beautiful, organic texture. By combining ink, water, and a stencil, you get a dreamy, one-of-a-kind background perfect for layering and embellishing!

For this technique, I chose three coordinating colors of Distress Ink to blend together beautifully. I also selected three stencils with varying design sizes—starting with a large, bold pattern and layering down to finer, more detailed designs. This variation adds depth and interest to the final look.

Video Tutorial:

This close-up image reveals the beautiful variety of textures created on the tag using ink, paint, and water. Each layer adds dimension and interest, making the surface rich with visual detail.

Suggested Materials:

Links are Affiliates
AZ – Amazon, SSS – Simon Says Stamps, SB – Scrapbook, O – Other

Die and Stamp Set Shop at: O	Distress Ink Bundle Shop at: AZ \| SB	Gina K foam tape Shop at: AZ \| SSS \| SB	Glassboard Shop at: AZ \| O
HP Paper Shop at: AZ	Ranger Heat Tool Shop at: AZ	Spray Bottles Shop at: AZ	White Uniball Shop at: AZ

Card Making with Marker Bleeds

Elevate marker bleeding for beautiful card making.

Marker bleeding is such a fun and easy technique—perfect for crafting with kids! In this post, we’re taking it to the next level by using the same simple method to create a beautiful card.

You’ll need an image that can absorb the transferred color—I’m using a printed card for this project. If you’re drawing your own design, be sure to use permanent ink so it doesn’t bleed during the process.

After adding swatches of color to the coffee filter, I cut it into small pieces. You could also use tissue paper as an alternative for a similar effect.

Video Tutorial:

A close-up image of the card shows the color bleed and how the finishing card techniques all work together.

Tag it Tuesday – Mini Tags

This week’s tag tutorial is making mini tags using a squish technique and then stamping with black ink. It took a bit longer because we had to wait for the backgrounds to dry thoroughly before cutting and stamping. But the result is attractive.

Video Tutorial:

The black ink stamped and then blended around the edges really works well for these mini tags.

Inked Wrinkle Technique

Don’t throw away your waste paper before trying this inked wrinkle technique.

The other day I was working on a sublimation project and I was discarding my protective paper. I hated the idea of throwing away paper and came up with this idea for its use. Using the scrap paper, I Inked it to make an interesting texture. I happened to use Protective Paper from Artesprix. It has a vellum or parchment paper look to it.

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The idea here is to use waste paper. The protective paper I had couldn’t be used again for sublimation because it had some ghosting of the sublimation ink on it which might transfer if used again. I started with a black ink pad and then continued with different colors of ink.

This is the inked wrinkles after I added a few different colors of ink. After finding this successful, I did it again with sublimation ink pads and I will have a tutorial on that outcome posted soon.

Video Tutorial:

I ended up making a card with the wrinkled paper. I think it could be used in a variety of different ways. No more wasted paper for me. I will be keeping a stash of these wrinkled ink papers for crafting. Did you find this useful? Let me know in the comments.

Transfer an Inked Stencil

Learn this special technique to transfer ink from a stencil to create a negative image.

It might be hard to imagine that these two cards were made with the same stencil. The Get Well Card came first. A stencil was used to create a subtle tie-dye effect for the background and is the positive stencil image. With all the ink on the stencil, I didn’t want to just wash it away. I tried a transfer technique using a die-cutting machine and it worked really well making the background piece I used for the magical card. (the magical card tutorial will post on Jan 3, 2022)

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A special thanks to those brands who sponsor this site. Some links are affiliates, thank you for using them.

You can see the materials I used to create the background on the blue cardstock. The colors of Distress Oxide used were Faded Jeans, Broken China, and Chipped Sapphire. The stencil is from Fairy Stampers and is used with a light application of Pixie Spray to hold it in place.

I used the CrossOver II die cutting machine to impress the inked stencil onto my cardstock. This machine has an adjustable steel roller system so I could add the amount of pressure I needed to get a good transfer.

A close-up of the card’s corner shows how the ink transferred from the stencil. I love how I was able to get two different images from one stencil. The inks I used were three different colors of Distress Oxide that were randomly applied with a blending brush.

Video Tutorial:

How to Foil Your Stamping

Learn how to foil your stamped images with this special technique.

You can make your own foiled embellishments with this fun and relaxing technique. Using DecoFoil and a rubber stamp you create your image, and then use watercolors to finish coloring the images. The foil acts as a resist for the watercolor leaving its glimmer behind.

Many of the items I use in posts are provided by the manufacturers to promote their products.
A special thanks to those brands who sponsor this site.

Materials:

Affiliate links to many of the items used in this process are linked at the bottom of this post for your ease in acquiring them. Thank you for considering using them.

rubber stamp
stamp block
cardstock
DecoFoil
DecoFoil transfer adhesive pen
Derwent Inktense pencils
Yatsutomo Metallic watercolor paints
paintbrush
mini Maker – optional

Since we are using an adhesive product on your stamp, you might want to use an older or less expensive stamp. It is very important to thoroughly clean off your stamp with soap and water after using this technique.

Video Tutorial:

It is really difficult to capture the beauty of these pieces on camera due to the reflective nature of the foil. The watercolor and foil together make for a very unique combination. I think this is one of my favorite techniques to create. Probably more for the enjoyment of the process but the outcome is pretty nice too!

Suggested Materials:

Links are Affiliates
AZ – Amazon, SSS – Simon Says Stamps, SB – Scrapbook, O – Other

Deco Foil
Shop at:
AZ | SSS

Deco Foil Adhesive Pen
Shop at:
AZ | SSS | SB

Derwent Inktense
Shop at:
AZ

Mini Maker
Shop at:
O

Yasutomo Metallic Watercolors
Shop at:
AZ