Alcohol inks, part 1

Awhile back I had fun playing with alcohol inks and YUPO paper and then turning my experiments into cards. Now I'm finally getting around to sharing those cards. (I have a hard time keeping my blogging up-to-date with my cards. With the exception of time-sensitive things, like my monthly Christmas cards, I feel like I'm always posting something I made weeks ago. Sigh.)

I used two different groups of alcohol ink colors, so this post will focus on one color combo, and I'll share the cards from the second group in my next post. For both groups I tried to focus on masculine cards, so I hope these cards offer you some inspiration!

Supplies:
Paper: River Rock card stock (Stampin' Up!), Tim Holtz YUPO Paper (Ranger)
Ink: Tim Holtz alcohol inks - Oregano, Meadow, Stream, Terra Cotta (Ranger); Iced Americano glitter marker (Nuvo)
Accessories: Paper Layering Feather die (Hero Arts), twine (unknown), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter), adhesive dots (Glue Dots)
Other: Rubbing alcohol and/or alcohol ink blending solution (Ranger)

I used the four alcohol inks for all of the cards I'm sharing today: Oregano, Meadow, Stream, and Terra Cotta. (The seahorse card in my Underwater Adventures post was also made with these colors.) I honestly don't remember what specific techniques I used to create these designs. I usually just play around with dropping on inks, adding rubbing alcohol, tilting the paper to mix the colors, and adding more ink and/or alcohol. Sometimes I add alcohol to the paper before the inks, and you can also put alcohol in a mister and spray it on for a different effect. With YUPO paper, the ink doesn't sink into the fibers, so you can keep changing the look. Just experiment!

I ended up with several pieces of pretty paper, so I tried to come up with a few different ways to use them. For this card I die cut a bunch of feathers and adhered them all over a neutral card base. (Tip: When die cuts hang off the edge of a card, you can use the part you trim off. For example, the feather tip along the bottom of this card was what I trimmed off the feather in the bottom right corner.) For simple embellishment I added a twine bow to one of the feathers and used a glitter marker to create a dotted border around the edges of the card.

Supplies:
Stamps: Birthday Blessings (Gina K Designs), Versatile Verses (Stampin' Up!)
Paper: Cajun Craze, Bermuda Bay, Old Olive, Early Espresso, Soft Sea Foam card stock (Stampin' Up!), Tim Holtz YUPO Paper (Ranger)
Ink: Early Espresso (Stampin' Up!); Tim Holtz alcohol inks - Oregano, Meadow, Stream, Terra Cotta (Ranger)
Accessories: Paper Layering Feather die (Hero Arts), Subtle embossing folder (Stampin' Up!), Triple Banner punch (Stampin' Up!), linen thread (Stampin' Up!), pearl mixative (Ranger), foam tape (3M)
Other: Rubbing alcohol and/or alcohol ink blending solution (Ranger)

For this panel I also added pearl mixative to the alcohol inks, which gives it a subtle shimmer (although you can't really tell in the photo). I used the panel as a background on a Cajun Craze card base, which I embossed with the Subtle embossing folder. I used the feathers again, but this time I cut them out of coordinating solid card stock to break up the busy background. I stamped a greeting on a card stock banner, added some twine and used foam tape to add it to the card.

Inside the card I adhered a panel stamped with a sentiment and added a die-cut feather that was leftover from the first card. I like that little pop of color when you open the card.

Do you like to decorate the insides of your cards? I do sometimes, usually if there is something that seems "obvious," such as adding a leftover die cut or stamping the same image as on the card front (like balloons for a birthday card). But I don't typically spend a lot of time or energy on the insides because I'd rather be using that time to make more cards. :)

Supplies:
Paper: Coastal Cabana card stock (Stampin' Up!), Tim Holtz YUPO Paper (Ranger)
Ink: Tim Holtz alcohol inks - Oregano, Meadow, Stream, Terra Cotta (Ranger); Iced Americano glitter marker (Nuvo)
Accessories: Mandala cutting plate (Taylored Expressions), pearls (Stampin' Up!), pearl mixative (Ranger), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter)
Other: Rubbing alcohol and/or alcohol ink blending solution (Ranger)

This is a really clean and simple card. I used the Mandala cutting plate from Taylored Expressions to die cut one of the alcohol ink panels and then adhered the piece to a Coastal Cabana card base.

I've noticed that YUPO paper is sometimes a little trickier to die cut (sometimes I have to run it through my Big Shot a couple of times for intricate dies). So not all of the little tiny pieces came out of this die cut. I pushed some of them out with a paper piercer, but I left a few of them in.

The only embellishment I added was a few pearls. They do give the card a little more feminine feel, but its not overly frilly.

Supplies:
Stamps: Inside & Out: Birthday (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Cajun Craze, Bermuda Bay, Old Olive, Early Espresso, Soft Sea Foam card stock (Stampin' Up!), Tim Holtz YUPO Paper (Ranger)
Ink: Early Espresso (Stampin' Up!); Tim Holtz alcohol inks - Oregano, Meadow, Stream, Terra Cotta (Ranger)
Accessories: Tim Holtz Funky Foliage Thinlits dies (Sizzix), linen thread (Stampin' Up!), clear droplets (Pretty Pink Posh), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter)
Other: Rubbing alcohol and/or alcohol ink blending solution (Ranger)

Here's another card using an alcohol ink panel as a background. I used foliage die cuts for this card, and because they are smaller shapes, I adhered them to a strip of Soft Sea Foam card stock that goes across the whole card front. Without that lighter background, the die-cut shapes would have gotten lost on the background.

I stamped a birthday sentiment on the card stock strip and wrapped linen thread around the card at the bottom of the strip. A few clear droplets finish the card. (I did add an extra die cut to the inside of this card, too, but I won't add a picture here since this post is already long.)

Supplies:
Stamps: Tiny Words (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper: Textured Bermuda Bay, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake card stock (Stampin' Up!), Tim Holtz YUPO Paper (Ranger)
Ink: Early Espresso (Stampin' Up!); Tim Holtz alcohol inks - Oregano, Meadow, Stream, Terra Cotta (Ranger)
Accessories: Strands die (Essentials by Ellen), neutrals assorted brads (Stampin' Up!), pearl mixative (Ranger), foam tape (3M), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter)
Other: Rubbing alcohol and/or alcohol ink blending solution (Ranger)

For this card I used a smaller alcohol ink panel and cut it apart with the Strands die. Then I glued the pieces to a mat of Crumb Cake card stock. It's sort of a background and focal point in one. I used textured Bermuda Bay card stock for the card base and added a strip of Early Espresso card stock across the card front. I added a dark brown brad to the corner of the focal layer and used foam tape to attach it to the card base. You could stop there, but I decided to add a sentiment. I stamped a small "happy birthday" on a little piece of Crumb Cake card stock and added it just above the Early Espresso strip.

Whew! That was a long post - congrats for making it to the end! I'll share the next batch of alcohol ink cards in my next post (there aren't as many photos, so it should be shorter). Thanks for stopping by!