Video: Watercolor Backgrounds & Iron-Off Embossing + Birthday Hop + Giveaway!
Hello! Today I am part of the A Blog Named Hero 2nd Birthday Celebration Blog Hop. (More on that below.) I also have a video showing how to easily create eye-catching watercolor backgrounds with Distress Ink and water… along with iron-off embossing. Don’t get scared – it is easy! And I have 6 birthday cards to prove it. 🙂 Oh, and a giveaway!
[Supplies are linked in the thumbnails at the end of this post.]
Watercolor backgrounds are so incredibly easy when you team up awesome background stamps with heat embossing, Distress Inks and pearlized water. Add a bit of ironing, and you have “how-did-they-do-that?” watercolor backgrounds.
All of these cards were done with the same technique. I started with my favorite watercolor paper and clear heat embossed a Hero Arts background. (I used six different ones – they are all linked in the thumbnail images at the end of this post.) I then applied Distress Inks in various colors. Next, I very generously sprayed the pieces with pearlized water. (I make my own by putting approximately 1/2 teaspoon of Perfect Pearls Pigment Powder into a mist bottle full of water. I have stored it this way for years! But you could just use regular water or another shimmer mist.) Once it was dry, I ironed off the embossing and am left with interesting, one-of-a-kind watercolor backgrounds.
For some of the backgrounds, I applied the Distress Ink with my Mini Ink Blending Tool. For others, I just went direct to paper with the new Mini Distress Inks. These little ink cubes are easy to use and especially great if you want to get lots of Distress Ink colors without breaking the bank.
I kept the sentiment simple, using a fun one from Hero Arts with Liquid Platinum embossing powder on a label die cut.
By the way… I used a cutting board for working with this background. This was so helpful!
Here is a closer look at each background…
Fun, huh? If you like this technique, be sure to also head over to the Hero Arts Blog HERE. I showed in a video how I did the iron-off embossing with watercolor technique to create this card…
Want more ideas for iron-off embossing? Check these out:
- By Marion – I love Marion’s stunning use of this technique. Such bold color!
- By Laura – Laura (who is only 16!) used soft watercolors for a simple but stunning look. She has a video, too!
- Another Example – Here is another from me. This technique is addictive!
BLOG HOP
As I mentioned, these birthday cards are part of a celebration of A Blog Named Hero’s 2nd birthday. A Blog Named Hero is one of the best challenge blogs out there with some of the nicest gals. There are lots of incredible cardmakers participating today, so I encourage you to check them out! ***** Next be sure to hop on over to the fabulous blog of Cristina Martinez. ***** (If you want to start at the beginning of the hop, head to ABNH.)
GIVEAWAYS
As a thank you for sticking with this long post (ha) and hopping in the ABNH Blog Hop, I have giveaways! There are TWO ways to win. First, leave comments on all the blogs on the hop as ABNH will be picking winners of Hero Arts and Simon Says Stamp prizes. Also – from me – one lucky winner will get two of my favorite Hero Arts background stamps. For your chance, leave a comment here by 11:59pmEST on 4/6/14. Good luck.
SUPPLIES
Below are the products featured above. To find them at Simon Says Stamp, click on the SSS below the thumbnails. For Ellen Hutson click on EH…
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