Thursday, August 15, 2013

Gratitude Campaign 2013

This year's Gratitude Campaign is officially rolling! As companies release their holiday stamps, think about buying a new set or two for Thanksgiving. I plan on it!

Today's card uses a new-to-me ink pad, the Kaleidacolor Cappuccino Delight. What a great spectrum of colors for autumn-themed cards!


To get the wonderful watercolor effect--and shimmer you might not see in the photo--I inked up the swish stamp (from Papertrey's Watercolor Wonder set) with the Cappuccino Delight ink, spritzed with a bit of Glimmer Mist (Diamond Dazzle), let it sit for a few seconds, and then stamped.

The results of this technique are loose and squishy...the edges of the image will be messy looking, and every time you do this, it will turn out slightly different.

Tips for Using Kaleidacolor Ink Pads
1. Use the sliding lever to push the pads as close together as possible before use. (Don't forget to separate them when you're finished to prevent excessive bleeding between the different colors!)

2. Ink the stamp by pressing it repeatedly on the pad. Each time you lift the stamp off the pad, shift the stamp slightly left or right to blend the colors. Otherwise, you'll end up with distinct lines between each color of the spectrum rather than an actual spectrum.

3. Practice using the pad on scrap paper first to get the hang of blending.

4. Spritzing the inked stamp with plain water or a shimmery mist product will help the blending of the colors.

5. These pads work great with brayers, so if you're inking a really large stamp, it's probably best to load a brayer with ink and then use the brayer to ink the stamp. That way you'll get a nice, smooth blend of colors and coverage much more easily.

And that's all I have to say about that!

The InLinkz Collection for the 2013 Gratitude Campaign will be up on my Gratitude Campaign page shortly. Remember that you may post any gratitude/thanksgiving card you make...it need not be just one layer OR even simple. I'm leaving up last year's collection as well, so you can find lots of inspiration there!

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey First Fruits, Watercolor Wonder
ink: Kaleidacolor Cappuccino Delight
paper: PTI white
accessories: Glimmer Mist

6 comments:

  1. Wonderful fall colors - great card :)

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  2. That swish, blob & streak stamp set is on my list when/if I buy more stamps. It reminds me of the many swishes, blobs & streaks I often end up with by mistake on cards. And, oh my, autumn is my favorite season, so these colors have touched my creative nerve endings.

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  3. I've had two kaleidoscope ink pads in my stash for years (maybe decades?) and haven't used them in a long time. I love the idea of spritzing with a glimmer mist before stamping to blend the color and add sparkle.

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  4. This layout is so "Susan"!
    Wish I could see the shimmer here. I sure it looks amazing in person.

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Thank you so much for taking time to comment!