Good morning! I know it’s been awhile since I’ve shared a video but now that Creativation is over I’m going to try to be a little more regular with video posts! However, I hope you’ll forgive me because this is one I’m really excited to share and I hope you’ll like it, too!!
As you can probably tell from my Instagram feed, I’m totally head over heels for alcohol inks these days! I was working on swatching all my inks earlier this week and got a little annoyed because some of my inks didn’t want to dry completely. After accidentally smearing a swatch or two I hunted out the wet ones and set them aside to dry for 24 hours. But who wants to wait that long when you’re making a card, right?! So I wanted to figure out a way to deal with those sticky areas. I tried a few things…first I just dusted the sticky areas with powder from my powder bag. And that worked, but it also dulled the alcohol ink and that wasn’t what I was looking for. Then I tried blotting it with copy paper…which also worked but left residue on the copy paper which meant it was pulling the ink off the paper. But that gave me the idea that it was sticky enough that it might hold something else…something like FOIL! I’m already in love with the bright vibrant look of alcohol inks…but now I can add shiny metallic accents?! *SWOON* 😉
You can watch the video below or in HD at my Youtube channel!
Honestly, it’s the simplest trick…no laminator or fancy tools needed! Just foil and alcohol inks! After you finish applying the alcohol ink to your liking press a piece of foil over the ink (really press it in…I used a brayer to apply even pressure but your fingers work just fine, too!) and then carefully peel it off. Any areas where your alcohol ink was wet will adhere to the foil leaving behind these shiny areas that look almost like granite or marble! And the more ink you use, the more likely you’ll develop those sticky areas where the ink pools. And as you’ll see in the video I was able to use an air puffer to speed up the drying process in certain areas of the paper but leave other areas wet.
It’s very tricky to photograph but in the photo above you can see the foil on the shiny areas on the left side of the card. You can also see a little bit of the turquoise color of the foil underneath the words “you more.” I finished my first card with stamps and dies from Simon Says Stamp, the full supply list is linked below! But when I trimmed my alcohol ink panel down to adhere to the card base I was left with a few strips of the background. And I didn’t want to just throw them away! 😉
So I die-cut the thanks sentiment using the leftover strip and adhered it to a white card base. Then I stamped the sentiment from Thoughtful Messages with Simon Says Stamp Blue Violet ink to match the alcohol ink. Finally I added a few gems for a little extra sparkle. There’s just a touch of foil along the “t” and the “h” but it really sparkles when it catches the light! It’s a fun way to use scraps to create a bright but CAS card!
And that’s it! I hope this inspires you to try combining foil and alcohol inks! I can’t wait to try gilding flakes and other mediums next! 😉
I’d love to give someone else the opportunity to experiment with alcohol inks and foiling so I’ve put together a little package with some foil sheets, yupo paper, and alcohol inks for one lucky commenter! Please leave me a comment letting me know if you’ve ever used alcohol inks before and if you’d like to see more alcohol ink experiments from me (or if you want me to go back to other mediums, ha)! 😉 Please leave your comments before 11:59PM EST on Sunday, February 11th, 2018!
Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a fantastic Thursday!
Interested in the products I used? To make them easy for you to find, I have listed them below. (Affiliate disclosure can be found here). Your purchases help keep my blog running and I thank you for the support!!
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I’ve never tried alcohol inks. I really want to, but I just can’t decided what colors I want to buy first. There are so many options!! Jessica, please keep them coming. Hopefully you’ll help with my decision
Jess, I tip my hat to you! Thanks for finding a beautiful way to ‘accentuate the negative’ side of alcohol inking! Yes, I’ve scrapped a few examples of my own foray into alcohol inking … always learn, and enjoy your videos = more please!
=]
I have not used alcohol inks yet. I have been watching videos and it looks amazing!! Keep the videos coming!!
Love your alcohol ink cards!! They are so pretty and makes me want to get back at trying to work with them. I made my own alcohol inks and I need to keep playing with them. I had no idea you could foil with them! News to me. Thank you for the giveaway!
Very cool technique combining foils and alcohol inks. I have used alcohol inks before.
Thanks for this great tip! I have never used foil as I don’t have a laminator & this idea is perfect! I love your awesome examples! They are beautiful,!!
What a great idea, can’t wait to try it. Yes I love alcohol inks too, keep the ideas coming!
I have not tried alcohol inks yet, but am really interested! I would love to see more videos with this medium, especially since you are introducing some unique ways to use the alcohol inks!!
I’ve played with alcohol inks a few times. They’re a LOT of fun and I’m trying to gradually add to my colors. This is so gorgeous and who knew you could foil so easily?! I can’t wait to try it and see what it looks like IRL. And a great reminder to not throw away those scraps! Thanks Jess!
Your cards are amazing! I would love to see more alcohol ink experiments, it’s fascinating to watch and I’ve learned a lot from you. I have played with them a little, but need a lot more practice.
WOW!!!!!! I love the look you achieved with these vibrant alcohol inks and foil !!! I have not used alcohol inks before but would LOVE the opportunity of trying them out. Thanks for the chance of winning:)
Nopes, never tried alcohol inks. Would love too. Those backgrounds look amazing and fun to do. How long have you been using alcohol inks?
What a wonderful effect! It really is true that necessity is the mother of invention. This is a brilliant way to get that sparkly shine of foiling without having to get a foiler or laminator! Love this!
I’ve not used the alcohol inks from the bottle as you’ve done here.
I think I have some of the inks (very old so they may not be the
same). going to have to try this technique. I have lots of foil
but – as usual – I’ve not really done much with them. So many
ideas, so little time. thanks for sharing.
txmlhl(at)yahoo(dot)com
Absolutely beautiful! I love that you made a video to show this. You made it look so easy. I can’t wait to try this.
I’ve been seeing more and more videos about these alcohol inks but haven’t had the chance to use them myself. They look like fun! Thanks for the great ideas and the opportunity to win.
Love your results. Have done a little fouling and alcohol inks – not together. Noticed those sticky areas so thanks for away lovely way to deal with them. I really enjoy playing with so many crafty things that I need more hours in the day. Of course I also need to organize so I can find my TOYS! Decisions, decisions?
Gorgeous cards and alcohol ink background, love the idea to use up the scraps with word dies too! I have jumped on the alcohol ink bandwagon and have a few colors but I never jumped on the foil bandwagon because I didn’t want to buy (and find room for) a laminator. So your technique of foiling those long drying spots is BRILLIANT, GENIUS!! Thanks so much for sharing this technique and for another awesome video tutorial. I would LOVE to see more with alcohol inks!
Genius! LOVE the foil effect! I just got my air puffer & I’m anxious to play with my alcohol inks! Please continue to make more videos to inspire us newbies! 😉
Oh yes, I have used them, but many many years ago. I dare venture it was 2000, in my early stamping/convention days. I was so gaga for the “polished stone” look when it came out. Still have ink leftover and am checking it now. I am inspired to get them out again and work on a project…or ten projects with them. Thanks for the inspiration. Both cards are wonderful. 🙂
You always make such beautiful projects. I love vibrant colors of alcohol inks, but have yet to try it. Thank you for this generous opportunity.
I haven’t been in the crafty world long enough to have an old stash of alcohol inks! (At least, that seems to be where most people started this new trend; pulling out the dust-covered bottles and going for it.) But no, I haven’t tried alcohol inks. As I sit here with my space heater blowing directly at me, I’m starting to think that’s a good thing. However, like you, I do love the vibrant look that the alcohol inks give. The blues on this card are so perfect with the turquoise foil; I love a good blue, and these are great blues.
As far as what I want to see from you, I have always been of the opinion that I don’t get to make demands of people who are sharing their creativity and teaching us for free. You’re already being so generous with your time and energy; I’ll watch whatever you want to put out. Also, I think being excited about something (a design, a product, a color, whatever) always creates the most interesting content. If you’re happy playing with something, it totally comes through, and it makes me happy to see and learn from. So, tl;dr, you do you, and I’ll cheer you on. 🙂
Yes, yes, yes! I am fascinated with these products and amazed at the glorious results. The colors are so rich and deep and the designs are so fluid! I tend to be a bit of a control freak, so it will take some real effort to be able to do this, but I am so excited to try. I bought some foil a long time ago and never need up using it, so I guess I’ll have to jump in with alcohol inks. Thanks for all this inspiration and a chance to play along.
Wow! I love the vibrant look!! I would love to see you use alcohol inks! I have not used alcohol inks yet, but I would definitely love to try some!
Beautiful cards! I have not used alcohol inks before, but I just love how vibrant the backgrounds look when it’s used. I think it’s really cool that you can foil alcohol inks, too! Thanks for sharing and I’m always interested in more techniques you have to show 🙂