Stamped Acrylic Block Background Technique

Good Morning!

Today I thought I'd share the technique we did at Darling Stamp & Scrap club on Saturday.

It's really simple, but the results are many and no two projects turn out the same.

Basically, you use your acrylic blocks to ink up and stamp onto cardstock.   I like to use varying sizes for interest, but the technique is the same regardless.   Choose two ink colours - I find a light and dark shade of the same colour work best.   Ink up the block with the lighter colour first, then ink the edges in the dark colour.   Mist lightly with water and stamp onto neutral coloured cardstock.   Done!  The amount of water will determine the depth of colour and the "pattern" you create.   I think you get a better result if you work on a soft surface - a foam pad or mouse pad works well, otherwise you can just stack a few sheets of grid paper or scraps and work on those.

Yes, I do attempt a scrapbook page from time to time!

I love how different these all turned out.

Probably the most elegant of them all.

Instead of ink pads, I used markers on the block for this.  Always start with the lighter marker first so you don't dirty the tips because it's important that there's no gaps.

This one is very random!

I won't list all the colours and supplies for my samples, but feel free to email me if you want details of a particular project.





Stay warm & dry on this chilly wet Tuesday!
Cheers
Karen

The Right Combination

Sometimes, you just have to reach for a colour you don't normally work with (or like), because it's good for your creativity.   Yes, you may end up with a project that you're still not overly fond of, because that colour doesn't sit well, or, you could find yourself thoroughly loving the look, and hopefully trying that colour out a bit more in the future.

This is the case for me with River Rock.  Not quite sure what it is about the colour, it's a little yellowy and "dirty" looking perhaps?   Anyway, after making this card, I've decided that paired with black and white, it's rather elegant.

I guess this card also satisfies a clean and simple theme, and it uses minimal supplies and has no extra embellishments so it was really quick to make.  I think I'll whip up a batch to use to thank my customers for their orders.
If you'd like to see more of this technique I'll be demonstrating it on Saturday at Darling Stamp & Scrap Club.  Visit the DSNS page here.

Happy Thursday!
Karen