How To Tuesday - Rainbow Tree

As you know I've recently discovered Tim Holtz Distress Inks and have been experimenting with them and learning how they work.  One of my favorite things to make lately is the Rainbow Tree.  I love layering and blending colors, and this is a fun (beginner/great-for-kids, too!) project to use techniques that allow colors to play with each other.  I also wanted to compare creating trees with distress inks to creating trees with watercolor paints.

What you'll need:
Tree (With Endless Possibilities) Hand Carved Rubber Stamp

Three Tiny Hearts Hand Carved Rubber Stamp

(okay, those stamps are completely optional, but I do recommend them!)

Watercolor Paper
Distress Ink
Water
Watercolor Paintbrush

Paper Towels

A Sense Of Adventure

When I was shopping for distress inks, I deliberately purchased only three colors to see if I would even like using them.  I knew that as long as I had "red", "blue", and "yellow", I could create a "rainbow" of colors to use.  This is how the Rainbow Tree came to be.  Take yourself back to elementary school, to a time when you were learning about the rainbow, primary colors, and secondary colors.  This diagram shows the placement of color to create the "rainbow" effect on my tree.  A little bit of water and a few brush strokes between those primary colors blends to create secondary colors, and ultimately the "rainbow".  (I should note that this diagram was actually created with watercolors, NOT distress inks... but you get the point.)

 Here's another example using distress inks.  This time I added a few layers of color to really build up the pigment.  I do love the look of layers of distress ink, especially when water is added to the distress ink after it has dried.  Notice the trees in the center, and center left.  When droplets of water are added to the ink, it "lifts" the ink, and can be blotted away with a dry paper towel, creating a sort of bleached effect.  It almost reminds me of lens flare.  It's really pretty! 

Another option is to add color with another rubber stamp.  In this example, I used my Three Tiny Hearts rubber stamp, but any little stamp can be used.   I first discovered this technique for my tree when I used a pencil eraser to add R, Y, B ink to my tree, then sprayed water on it to activate the ink and get it moving around on the paper.  Later I discovered blowing on the wet ink with a straw to push it out toward the edges of the paper, as if the tree were stretching outward.  That was kind of fun, too.  (Kids will LOVE that!)

Next is a tree I made with watercolor paints.  I have been using the distress inks as watercolor so much that it sort of became a "default" technique for adding wet color to my projects.  (How do you use distress ink at a "wet" color?  See last week's How To Tuesday for that demonstration.)  In my opinion, both techniques work really well and I don't think I prefer one over the other.  They're just different.  I do feel like I had more control and richer pigment with my watercolors.  I love the layering I can achieve with the distress ink, PLUS the advantage of "bleaching" the color with the addition of water.  (That's so much fun!)  They're both great.

Top Row:
  Left - Tree (With Endless Possibilities, small) rubber stamp with Timber Brown StazOn ink.
  Center - distress ink applied as a watercolor
  Right - distress ink applied as a watercolor, "bleached" by adding water and blotting with dry towel

Bottom Row:
  Left - watercolor paint
  Center - diagram of "rainbow" effect
  Right - tree with color stamped with Three Tiny Hearts rubber stamp.

I hope this demonstration offers some inspiration and I look forward to seeing what you come up with.  I'd love to see any trees you (or your kiddos!) make.  Please share them with me on Facebook or Instagram: #hoffeeandanuffin  

As always, thank you for following along on my handmade journey.  Happy crafting!

How To Tuesday - Note Cards

Hello!  I like to practice new techniques on small bits of paper and I think that note cards are a great way to use those finished pieces.  I've recently discovered distress inks and I'm having a lot of fun playing with them and using them along with my rubber stamps.  One technique I'm enjoying is an embossed resist technique, with resist ink as a watercolor paint.  In this "how to" I'll share with you the supplies I have in my personal collection and how I use them.  (I am in no way endorsing any of these products, nor am I suggesting that these are the only brands/types you should use.  Though I do enjoy these products, there are still others I have yet to discover and add to my personal collection.)

Supplies needed:

dog silhouette rubber stamp, 'hello' rubber stamp

watercolor paper cut to 2.5" x 5"

white (pigment) or clear (watermark) ink

clear embossing powder

heat tool (or oven)

pencil (optional)

eraser (optional)

distress ink or watercolor paint

brush

water

palette, lid, or laminated card

paper towels

I began by preparing my watercolor paper with the stamped and embossed image.

Once my cards were embossed, I was ready to begin painting.  Distress ink can be pressed directly to a smooth surface to discharge ink.  With a wet brush, we can pick up color and even blend colors on the surface before adding it to the paper.  TIP: If the ink dries on the plastic, simply wet it again to reactivate it.  This is a good way to conserve ink, too.  There's no need to wipe the plastic clean unless the colors become muddy.  It can be used again at a later time.

The melted embossing powder acts as a barrier, resisting ink and paint in the areas of the paper it was applied.  Pretty cool, huh?

1. Color your paper with wet ink.  

2. Allow it to dry.  A heat tool can be used to speed up the drying process.

3. Water droplets can be added to create a "bleached" effect.  Let the drops sit on the paper for several seconds.  (30 seconds?  A minute?  You decide.)

4. Use a paper towel to blot the water droplets and reveal your finished painting.

 I wondered if it would have been easier to work on ONE large piece of paper that could be cut down later, so this example was a test for comparison.  I cut this paper down to 10" x 5".  That would give me four cards.  I used a pencil and ruler to very lightly mark lines so I knew where to stamp.  I also wanted to compare different inks while at the same time using the same clear embossing powder.  From left to right the inks are: Memento Luxe, Wedding Dress; ColorBox, White; ColorBox, Silver; and ColorBox, Yellow.  I hadn't used my black distress ink yet, so I thought this test would be a good project to use it for.  I painted black ink across the length of the paper, then layered colored ink over the first three cards, adding extra black ink over the last.  I really like the way they turned out.  It's a different effect, and for our gloomy, rainy skies today it seemed rather appropriate.  Once the ink was dry, I erased all of my lines and cut the cards down to 2.5".

NOTE: My preference for white ink would be the ColorBox pigment ink because it was much more "wet" than the Memento Luxe.  Memento Luxe is GREAT!  But for this project, I think the ColorBox was a better pigment ink.

 Don't forget to go back and erase those lines!  (I do like my Sakura eraser.)

I didn't tape my cards down before painting to keep them flat.  When they were dry I stuck them between the pages of a heavy book and let them sit for a bit.  It works for me.  My cards are informal and handmade.  I think the little irregularities add to their handmade charm.

I hope this demonstration offers some inspiration and I look forward to seeing what you come up with.  As always, thank you for following along on my handmade journey.  Happy crafting!

TESTING! (Ink)

We've been chatting about types of ink, what to use on tags, and what inks will bleed when wet. Keep in mind that I can only test the inks I actually have in my personal collection.  There are SO many brands and types of ink on the market, and I'll say again: I am NO expert on any of them.  There may be inks that are SO much better than what I've got.  Only, I haven't discovered them yet.  Please do your own research and testing to expand your personal knowledge of the tools you're using.  It's a GOOD thing to do, and you'll craft more confidently with that information in your toolkit.  Find what works for YOU.

The short version of what I know: Dye inks are water based and quick drying.  I use those mostly for casual letters/stationery and envelopes.  Pigment inks are typically wet, slower drying, and great for embossing.  Chalk inks dry pretty quickly and are great for planners and card making.  They're not so great for embossing.

Now I'll share with you what I discovered during my test today.

I may have missed a type, but I tried to pull one of every type of ink I have in my craft room.  I stamped a sample onto a piece of smooth card stock and labeled them for reference.

Shortly after creating this sheet, about 10 minutes or so, I used a cotton swab and water to rub the surface of the stamped images.   There was a little bit of color distribution, but notice also that I said that I rubbed the surface of the image.  I wonder if the color would have smeared had I dropped water onto the surface instead.

The only way to really tell was to wait an hour and let those inks dry.   This time I dropped a larger amount of water onto the samples and let it sit.  From what I can tell, those dye based inks (which we knew!) are the worst offenders when considering what types of ink to use for things like tags for handmade items.  I don't know if any of the color would pull up and affect your pieces, but I also wouldn't want to take the chance.  It seems that all of the pigment inks and chalk ink did well after the ink was allowed sufficient time to dry.

I encourage you to DO YOUR OWN TESTING.  Besides, it's kind of fun to explore and experiment!

(Small Ball of Yarn stamp can be purchased in my Etsy shop.)