Warm Winter Wishes

The October Monthly Mix Challenge at Gina K. Designs' blog has a theme of "Ink Smooshing." I decided to do a bit of a twist on this, by using Distress Oxide inks on glossy photo paper & then going over it with a baby wipe.

I got an A2-size panel I'd previously cut from a sheet of photo paper I'd gotten at Dollar Tree. Unless it's changed, this paper comes in a pack of 8 letter-size sheets for just $1.00. So, if you make A2 cards & use the photo paper for the full card front, that's about 32 card panels for a buck - not a bad deal from where I stand! For this technique, I've heard the cheaper the paper the better, so....

I used Kitsch Flamingo & Cracked Pistachio Distress Oxide inks for my ink smooshing. I was kind of expecting a purple from the Cracked Pistachio (since it leans towards blue) mixing with the pink. But the Cracked Pistachio ink surprised me by turning into a yellow green! Thankfully, it didn't harm the look at all.

After I finished the ink smooshing technique, I stamped the large swooping image from Gina K's "Holiday Tapestry" set with Mermaid Lagoon Distress Oxide ink. I used my MISTI stamp positioning tool for that, since I had to stamp it a few times to get a good impression.

Then the magic happened. I wiped the panel with a damp baby wipe, which brings the colors from a chalky finish to where they just sing! It also "pulls" the colors in the background layers up. Not so they overshadow the upper layers, though; just so they add flavor.

I chose a greeting from Gina K's "Holiday Wreath Builder" and stamped it with Mermaid Lagoon Distress Oxide ink onto a scrap of aqua cardstock. I cut that into a banner shape, & hand-stitched it to the top of my panel. Finally, I adhered my card front panel to a white card base.