Friday 28 March 2014

Use It! with Lucy's Cards - Class 1: Lesson 5 (Distress Inks)

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Hello, and welcome to the final lesson of my first ever Use It! class.
I am thrilled with all the kind words I have received about this series, and will definitely aim for Use It! Class 2 in the very near future. If you have any suggestions of particular products you would like me to feature, please let me know. :) I have recently purchased a lovely set of Distress Markers, so that may be an option...
 Anyway, a quick recap on Class 1's featured products:
Hello Sunshine and Into the Woods 6 x 6 pads
And now,

Lesson 5 - Distress Inks

OK, let me state immediately that I am afraid of Distress Inks.
Well, not afraid as such, not in the same way as I am afraid of Copics, but wary. I watch the wonderful Jennifer McGuire use Distress Inks with such AMAZING results and I think "no. I cannot do that."
So, I have a lovely collection of Distress Inks sitting in my attic craft room, while I do all my crafting in the kitchen now. They have been abandoned. And I feel bad about that… I mean, I spent a lot of money on those inks, right. They MUST be used.
So, I dug them out, was thrilled to see that they were all still inky even after a few years of neglect, and forced myself to take the plunge. :)
And I am so glad I did. I think I might even have missed them a little bit. :)

Creation
Adhere the Confetti stencil to a piece of Surf Blue cardstock with washi tape.
Apply Translucent Embossing Paste with a palette knife
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While it is wet, the paste looks white. It dries clear though and looks FAB. And you can barely see the bit I messed up right in the middle on the final card. ;)
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Allow the paste to dry (it doesn't take long) then adhere the stencil to the other side of the paper and repeat the process.
I trimmed this blue panel down to 3 1/2 x 5", then inked it with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink and an Ink Bleding Tool. (Stupid me, I forgot to take a photo of this stage… sorry!) But this inking makes the clear dots stand out even more.
Next, stamp two bunnies on kraft cardstock.
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Using an Ink Blending Tool and Walnut Stain Distress Ink, add ink to the edges, trying to create a shadowy effect with the ink darker at the top and right. Hope this makes sense.
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Trim the bunnies out - the body of one and the head of the other - then add more ink to the edges of each piece. Adhere them together. 
TIP: having the head and body separate means you can add ink all around the head of the bunny, around his chin too, giving extra dimension.
Add a dot of white to his tail with a white gel pen.
Stamp the umbrella four times on white card stock. (Ignore the tag in this picture… originally I planned to put the bunny on a tag but I changed my mind as I worked)
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Apply Tumbled GlassBroken China and Shabby Shutters inks to each umbrella.
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Cut the white umbrella out and use it as a base. Cut the others apart to create a three colour striped umbrella. Adhere the bits onto the white base umbrella.
Stamp the sentiment onto the blue panel then adhere the bunny and umbrella.
Trim a piece of black card to 5 1/2 x 4 1/4" and splatter with Calico Shine Mister Huey's
Adhere the blue panel to the black panel and adhere to a folded card.
And you're done.
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My aim was for the translucent embossed dots to look like rain. I think it worked. :)
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So maybe Distress Inks are not that scary after all.
I have definitely inspired myself to use them again… in fact, I have put my collection in a box and brought it downstairs!!! 
And that's it!
Thank you for visiting. I hope I have inspired you to get more from your supplies, to revisit old things and remember to play with new ones! It's something I need to make myself do more often too. :)
Have a lovely weekend. I'm off to start planning Use It! Class 2. Yay!
Bye
xx
Supplies


25 comments:

Barb said...

Your rain definitely worked, Lucy! This is adorable!

Leslie Hanna said...

Distress ink instead of coloring? GENIUS! I love the result!

Cindy C. said...

You made very pretty rain!! :)

Kristie Goulet said...

Great card!!!

Kryssi said...

LOVE the entire week, Lucy!!!

Lisa Petrella said...

Those clear dots make perfect raindrops! I, too, have neglected my distress inks out of fear, but you have inspired me!! I am going to pull them out and use them soon!!!!

Sue McRae said...

You should definitely use Distress Inks more often, I love how this card turned out, especially the background.

Linda said...

I am going to try this with umbrella man (I have no bunnies). Great look!!

jintyoo7 said...

ADorable, Lucy - love the "rain shower"! I have been very intrigued by the clear paste - so thank you for "showcasing it".

Brilliant week :)

Pam said...

Love your rain! Great card.

Lyngo said...

Yup - looks like rain . Thanks for showing us this technique . I must get some of that paste .
I have enjoyed this week of classes and look forward to the next one.
thanks again .

cheryl l. said...

LOVE the cards this week...though I always love your cards. And I really enjoyed this week's classes! Can't wait for more!

joy said...

Super cute card and I love your raindrops!! Thanks for this series of lessons/classes!

Petti said...

Thanks for the tutorial and your card is great!

Leni said...

Sweet card! It worked out well. I surely have to use my distress inks more often! Thank you for this weeks lessons.

byAnnette said...

Neat Card!
Thanks for the step by step!
{Your markers are glad you came back for them}

maryse n. said...

I really liked all your cards this week. Can't wait for you to do that again. So much fun!

Victoria H. said...

Oh wow, you did a fabulous job this week and have definitely inspired me to try using my supplies in more than one way! Thank you!

Maureen said...

Love the dots and the multi-colored umbrella! Great job with the whole series - looking forward to the next one!

Anonymous said...

Thank you. I have enjoyed your use it class. Great techniques and inspiration.

Sarah G said...

The distress inks add lovely soft shading, you used them really effectively! Love the clear embossing paste rain too! Your cards have been fab this week and I loved the class :)

Carole said...

Lucy, what a clever idea to pick a few products and work with them for the week. I love this concept. Just saw one of your designs on Pinterest and went back to look at all 5 lessons. I also subscribed to your site so I don't miss the 2nd go-round. Again, great idea! Thanks.

Lou said...

oh it definitely worked. Looks wonderful x

anja curvers said...

Great card and you should use those distress inks more often it looks awesome don't you agree? Thank you for these classes I loved them.

Mary-Anne V said...

Geez,I must have been busy this past week because I totally missed these lessons. But i did go back and see all your posts and just love all the neat tips and step by step instructions and pictures you posted. Wonderful cards. THANKS!