Technique of the Week: Bling it up with Ranger Enamel Dots

We recently got in some new Enamel Accents from Ranger. I absolutely love how they look on a card, and Ranger has come out with so many beautiful colors!

Ranger Enamel Dots and Dylusions Acrylic Paint

Since I am so in love with anything sparkly or shiny though, I kind of wanted some bling on my accents. Enter Warm Diamond ultra fine glitter, from Elizabeth Crafts.

I made two cards, one pink and red, and one blue and green. To make these, I first used Nuance powdered color (by Magenta) on watercolor paper to color the backgrounds. For the pink and red card I used Red, Scarlet, Hot Pink and Raspberry Nuance; for the blue and green and, I used Yellow, Turquoise, Cerulean Blue and Royal Blue. Credit goes to Marj Marion for inspiration on the design of these cards.    

When the Nuance panels were dry, I stamped the Magenta Multilingual Happy Birthday stamp (C07.907.L) on each of them using Versamark ink. I embossed the sentiment with Judikins White Diamond embossing powder.

I cut the Nuance colored pieces out with one of the Die-Namics MFT-847 Inside/Out Stitched Rectangles. I cut a piece of white fun foam to pop the panels up, and adhered it to the back of the panel.

I then cut out a piece of white cardstock for each card, using the Lawn Fawn LF768 Small Stitched Rectangle Stackables die. Using the largest die in this set, I was able to cut out a stitched panel that measures 5" x 3.75". 

I adhered the white pieces to matting panels that measure 5.25" x 4", and the matting panels were adhered to the base cards. The matting panels I chose to match the colors in the Nuance were So Silk Glamour Green and So Silk Beauty Pink. The Nuance panels were then placed in the center of the base panels.

Once the cards were put together, I applied some Ranger Enamel dots to the front of the cards, squeezing the enamel out slowly and carefully to form round dots.  For the pink/red card I used Pink Gumball, Classic Cherry and Wild Orchid; for the blue/green card, I used Electric Lime, Caribbean Coast, and Blue Ribbon.    

While the dots were still wet, I liberally sprinkled Elizabeth Crafts ultra fine Warm Diamond glitter on top of them and let it sit there until they had dried.
    

Once the dots dried, I rubbed them to brighten the glitter. The glitter did alter the look of the dots somewhat, but I like how they look.

I love the extra sparkle this technique adds, and I hope you give it a try!


Magenta Products Used:

(If you are local, please look for products at Art 'n Soul. If you are not local and wish to find Magenta products, you can click on the link in the stamp name below each image, or you can visit the Magenta online store here).

Magenta Nuance

Multilingual Happy Birthday 07.907.L

Other Products Used:

Ranger Enamel Dots: Gumball, Classic Cherry, Wild Orchid, 

Electric Lime, Caribbean Coast, and Blue Ribbon.    

Elizabeth Craft Ultra fine Warm Diamond glitter

Tim Holtz Watercolor cardstock

JudiKins White Diamond Embossing Powder

So Silk cardstock, Glamour Green and Beauty Pink

Die-Namics MFT-847 Inside/Out Stitched Rectangle Dies

Lawn Fawn LF768 Small Stitched Rectangle Stackables Dies

Technique of the Week: Foiling with the Minc Toner Pen

Some time ago, we had a playday to explore techniques with foiling. Some of the most effective techniques require a laminator or a Minc machine. Don't let that turn you off of this technique though, because a laminator can be purchased relatively inexpensively. 

Recently, Minc has come out with pens that put toner ink onto your paper. Using these, you can foil something that you write or draw or color. The pens come in two different sizes: 2mm and 4mm. I used the 4mm for this technique, since our distributor backordered the 2mm pens. I found the 4mm was especially good for putting toner ink onto a stamp, and I could also color with it.

The toner pen's nib starts out white, and you must press the tip down onto a piece of paper multiple times to get the ink to come down into the nib. This took longer than I expected, but it eventually did start to flow.

For this card, I assembled some things I would need. I had decided to use the Memory Box 30069 Stitched Oval Layers dies, and I measured them on my panel to see which sizes would work. I used the 2nd and 4th largest sizes to make a frame and an inner oval. I set these aside.

I stamped the Magenta Doodle Feather onto 80# Neenah Solar White cardstock, and colored parts of the Doodle Feather with the toner pen.

Decco Foil, Minc Machine, Carrier sheet, Doodle Feather image, Minc pen

After placing a piece of foil (Decco Rainbow foil) over the stamped and colored image, with the pretty side up, I put the card and the foil into a carrier and inserted it into the Minc machine. I used the #4 setting. I have also used a laminator before with foil and toner, and it works quite well. You do NOT have to have a Minc machine for this to work. 

Placing foil over the toner-colored image, and inserting into carrier

Foil over image in the carrier sheet. Always place the foil pretty side up!

I was quite surprised and pleased to see the results after coloring the feather and feeding it through. All of the areas that I had colored came out beautifully foiled.    

Next I cut the image out using Memory Box Stitched Oval Layers (30069 - in stock at Art 'n Soul) with the 2nd and 4th largest ovals.    

The sentiment stamp, Magenta 07.876.F You are Awesome, was stamped onto a stamp positioner plastic sheet with Versafine ink    

I then inked just the word "Awesome" with the toner pen. Using the stamp positioner, I quickly stamped the word "Awesome" onto the oval, underneath the feather, in toner ink.

I put a piece of the rainbow foil over the word, and ran it through the Minc machine. The word came out beautifully foiled.    

I cleaned the stamp, taped over the word "Awesome" and inked the rest of the stamp with Versafine ink. The tape was removed, and again using the stamp positioner, I stamped the rest of the sentiment onto the oval.  (For a step by step tutorial of the technique of selective stamping using a stamp positioner, please look at my post here. Please scroll down on the post for the bonus tutorial using this technique).

To construct the card, I chose a matting square of So Silk Glamour Green cardstock. I adhered the larger oval (frame) to the matting layer. A piece of white fun foam was die cut using the next smaller oval die to the center oval piece (5th largest). The fun foam was adhered to the back of the center oval, and the oval was adhered in the center of the framed oval, making sure to match the stamped and foiled feather.

Last, some sequins were adhered using Ranger Multi Medium Matte adhesive.

I found this card easy and fun to make, and I will definitely use the Minc toner pen for multiple cards.    

Magenta Products Used:

(If you are local, please look for products at Art 'n Soul. If you are not local and wish to find Magenta products, you can click on the link in the stamp name below each image, or you can visit the Magenta online store here).

37.289.K Doodle Feather

07.876.F You are Awesome

Other Products Used:

Minc Toner Pen 4mm

Minc Machine or Laminator

Decco Foil - Rainbow

Versafine Onyx Black Ink

Memory Box 30069 Stitched Oval Layers

Fun Foam - white

Neenah Solar White cardstock 80# and 110#

So Silk Glamour Green cardstock

Various sequins