Creating a Card for the Let’s Color It H2H Challenge

COLOR is defined as the ability add hue, lightness, or saturation using dye, stain or paint.  Are you ready to add some color to your projects? This month, for the Heart2Heart Challenge, we are asking you to show off your “coloring” skills and Color It♥ using whatever medium that brings you joy.

There are so many ways to add color to a project, and as much as I would love to show you every single one, let me show you how to Color It using our Re-inkers♥. My card, Expect Miracles, was designed for a friend who has had quite a few waves hitting them lately; hence the use of seashells. I am planing to add Isaiah 43:2 to the inside.

WARNING: You are about to get messy. You are welcome to grab yourself a pile of gloves. As I sit here typing a day later, my hands are still blue from creating this card.  

You will want to start by placing some drops of Re-inker onto an All Purpose Mat.  I chose to use various shades of blues and blue-greens.  Using a Spray Pen, mist the drops of ink allowing it to pool and spread.  I prefer to use Isopropyl Alcohol and a few drops of Clear Shimmer in my Spray Pen. The alcohol dries faster than water, and the shimmer adds a slight iridescence. I  was warned by my former-firefighter hubby not to use my heat gun to dry it.

Take a piece of Watercolor paper and drag it through the mess of ink. (This is where you might want some gloves.)  DO NOT USE CARDSTOCK.  You can see here, the first drag-through versus the second drag-through.  After the ink has dried completely, trim the paper to 5½” x 4¼” and begin stamping.  

As I stated, since this card was about crashing waves, I chose to use our Beach Treasures stamp set. (This set can be purchased with or with out matching Thin Cut dies.)  Before I started stamping, I created some masks using Full Adhesive sticky notes.

Using VersaMark Ink, I stamped the images onto the background, added Gold Embossing Powder, and heat set the powder with a heat tool.  Make sure that you use the Anti-Static Pouch and save yourself a big mess of static nastiness.♥

Once the images are heat-set, you will begin REMOVING the color using a Waterbrush. Place a paper towel under your paper, and begin brushing water over the images. Don’t worry too much about staying in the lines. I found that as the ink ran over the edges, it created a beautiful shadow effect. I did, however, make sure to not remove too much ink where I wanted shadows to remain on the shells.

The effect is mesmerizing.♥  You can continue to go back and remove more ink if you need, just make sure to allow drying time between to see the effect. This card may have left me with some blue fingers, but I am overwhelmed with joy at the final result.

I hope this card inspires you♥ to join us for the Color It challenge at the Heart2Heart challenge blog. You can stop by and be inspired by some wonderful projects and link-up your creation for all of us to enjoy. What will you use to Color It?

♥ I can’t wait to see what you create!