Super Saturday at Magenta: Distress Ink Blending

I'm over at the Magenta blog today, and you can see that post here.

My go-to simple but beautiful card usually involves Distress Ink or Distress Oxide Ink blending. It's easy, fast, and always gorgeous. This sort of colorful background is always perfect paired with an amazing Magenta stamp, like the stunning English Garden set designed by Nathalie. The beautiful style of this set will work with any sort of card. I made a birthday card, but it would work for Thinking of You, Sympathy, Just a Note, or almost any occasion.

To make this card, I took a panel of white cardstock that was 4.25" x 5.5". If you have followed my blog for awhile, you may remember that my husband made a template for me to use that helps me mask off any desired size strip on my panel. You can see my post describing the process of using this template here. I made several of these panels, and you can see the template in use below.

Something I want to explain to you about this template.: it was printed on cardstock, and you are supposed to peel your panel and masks off of it before starting to blend your colors. It's pretty easy to do, and the masks stay on your panel very well. On one of my panels I forgot move it before blending, and you can see the colors that resulted on either side of my panel here, and on the left side the panel warped a little. I think it will be ok, and if not, I can easily make another one. I'm thinking next time I might apply shiny tape on all the inside edges, just in case I do this again.

Once my inks were blended (I used blending brushes this time instead of foam blending tools), I flicked a little water onto the colored part of my panel. I dip my fingers into the water and flick it off a bit back into the glass before moving my hand to the panel and flicking the water. Otherwise your speckles might be too large and not look as good.

My favorite part of this technique is peeling off the masking paper. Last, I stamped and embossed the sentiment. I have two of this great Multilingual stamp from Magenta, and I cut one of them apart so that I can use the different languages on their own. I sprinkles some gems and matted the panel with a coordinating color.

Here are the 4 panels I made. You can see in the upper right the one where I let a big splotch of water drop. I will still use it though! Stamping or a die cut can easily disguise that place so that it won't stand out so much.

Below I will show the other three combinations of colors I used to achieve these blends.

Next is the one with the big water splotch!

I really can't pick a favorite combination

I hope you will try this technique. Although blending with Oxides is pretty effortless, blending with the regular Distress ink is also very easy now, using these new blending brushes. You can get them pretty inexpensively these days at Amazon.

Magenta Products Used:

C Set 47 English Garden

07.907.L Multilingual Happy Birthday

Other Products Used:

Distress Inks: Picked Raspberry,

Peacock Feathers, Twisted Citron

Versamark Ink

Ranger Gold Embossing Powder

Lucy's Little Things Rainbow Jewels

So Silk Beauty Pink Cardstock

Neenah Solar White 80# & 110# Cardstock

Lawn Fawn LF768 Small Stitched Rectangle Stackables