Create a Dynamic Background using ombre inking techniques

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When I first started making cards, it was all I could think of to find pretty paper and an interesting stamp to ink a pretty  card. Hey, we all start somewhere. Nowadays, I like more interesting designs and I love creating eye catching backgrounds. This tutorial shows you how to create a background of falling ombre colored flowers. 



Supplies


  1. Cute an A2 (4.25"X5.5") folding card out of white card stock. Also cut a slightly bigger  (approximately 1/8"  bigger on each side) piece of card stock (any color).
  2. Select the single blossom stamp and die from your Nostalgic Floral set and begin making your stencil. To do this, you will cut (the slightly bigger card stock) repeating die cuts of the blossom falling down the sheet. Make sure to have some of die cuts falling off the page and facing different directions. My photo of the supplies show my stencil after use. If you are careful, you may be able to reuse it. Leave space at the bottom, as if the falling flowers have not all fallen down.
  3. Situate the stencil over your folded blank A2 card. Use a low stick tape to keep your card and stencil from slipping out of place.
  4. Using your four pack mini set of fresh dye ink (does not have to be purples) and four separate blending brushes, begin softly blending ink over the stencil from the top down, using darkest to lightest in colors. Use one blending brush for each color and be careful to not mix them up.
  5. Now you are ready to take the design up a level. Lightly brush an anti static powder (i.e. cornstarch) on the cards surface.  Use your outline stamp of the same flower and stamp all the falling flowers with embossing ink. Be careful to line up the outline stamp with the inked blossoms.
  6. After inking the flowers with embossing ink, sprinkle your white embossing powder all over the stamped flowers. Shake off the excess embossing powder. And slowly rotate your heating tool over your embossed design (about 4-5 inches away from surface) until the powder melts. You will see it turn to a shiny patina. Be careful to not linger too long over an area so that the paper and ink do not burn.
  7. In a similar step, take a separate piece of white card stock, prep the surface by brushing an antistatic medium like cornstarch all over. Then stamp the sentiment of your choice with embossing ink. Sprinkle white embossing powder over the embossing ink and shake off the excess. Use your heating tool to emboss the sentiment. 
  8. Cut the card stock approximately 1/8" around the embossed sentiment.
  9. Using your four mini inks, softly blend an ombre effect on your sentiment strip from top to bottom with darkest at the top again and lightest at the bottom.
  10. Cut a slightly bigger piece from the vellum. You will then use your foam tape to mount the ombre sentiment to the vellum. Then use regular adhesive to glue vellum framed sentiment to your card.
  11. For a last touch, I glue a few different size sequins floating among the falling blossoms. Beautiful.
The ombre inking is the star of this background. Sentiment, vellum and sequins can all be adapted to your taste. You may want a colored border around the sentiment or matte enamel dots for embellishment. Make it yours. I would love to see what you come up with!

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