Alcohol Ink Easter Tag

Hello Friends!

With Easter approaching I wanted to create something special for the occasion.  I used an idea from a project I did back in December but this time I used the new Alcohol Ink Alloys. What a difference that made!  Let me show you what I did...

Lets start with the substrate - Today I'm using a Mini Etcetera Tag.  I've used Collage Medium to cover the tag with paper from Abandoned, then sanded the edges to remove excess paper.  You'll notice that I covered  the reinforcer in the same paper and glued it to the tag.

Even though I loved the background paper I found this old book cover in a drawer and decided to use it (I mean, couldn't fit any better?).  The cover has a lot of rough spots and crazing which makes me love it even more.  I bought three of these at a flea market a few years ago and they have just been sitting in the drawer waiting for the right project.  Well today is the day.  

I colored a piece of Watercolor Cardstock with Distress Inks.

Then used the paper to cut the Funky Wreath Die.  This Thinlit die comes with two wreaths, one leafy and one more stick like (think grapevine wreath).  I'm using the one with the leaves today.

Each of the wreaths has the wreath die plus 4 extra stems used for layering.

I added Antique Linen Distress Embossing Glaze over the top to give it a shiny appearance.

I also wanted to use the small frame that comes with the Cathedral windows from Etcetera line.  They come in a medium brown color but I wanted it to eventually look like a stained glass window so I added Hickory Smoke Glaze over the top.  I did two coats so it was nice a thick over the surface.

It absolutely worked like a charm.  Super rich looking and easy to do.

Next comes the "glass" portion of the window.  This is the part that was reused from a post I did for Simon Says Stamp (you can find it HERE if you are interested).  I cut a piece of Mirrored to fit the window.  Remember to remove the plastic protective coating sheet before moving to the next step.
I placed the piece on a folded paper towel so I could move it without touching the Mirrored piece (and the ink).
Using Alcohol Ink over Mirrored is easy because the surface is slick, so when you add a bit of 91% Isopropyl Alcohol to the surface (I use an eye dropper) and then the Alcohol Ink it almost slides right off the surface...but it really doesn't.

Now the fun part.  Use the Alcohol Air Blower to move the Alcohol Ink around, adding more drips of ink and more Isopropyl as needed.  Again, the paper towel makes it easy to turn the surface when you want to blow a different direction.  The combination of Boysenberry, Moss and Monsoon work beautifully together and really set the stage for the rest of the tag.

So whereas last year we only had Mixatives to work with, this year we have Alloys.  And boy are they awesome.  You don't need much to make a big impact so start with one or two small drops, add more Isopropyl over the top and watch the Alloy break into flakes.  Use the Air Blower to move the pieces around till you get the look you want.  Remember, you are still able to add more of the regular Alcohol Ink into the mix if you wish.

This is my finished piece.  It's much shinier in person than in the photo due to the Mirrored surface underneath. Hence the strange camera angle!  I kept getting the reflection of my iPhone in the Mirrored.

Add a little Collage Medium to the back of the Cathedral Window and position over the Mirrored piece.  I placed a book on top for about 15 minutes to secure the two pieces together.

So next we can start to build.  I added 3D Foam Squares to the Window and secured it to the vintage book cover.  The Funky Wreath was added next with Collage Medium.

My Funky Wreath needs some Funky Flowers.  Did you know that the wreaths are scaled to fit the Funky Flowers?  That Tim thinks of everything!  

I used flowers from two sets: Funky Floral 1 + Funky Foliage.  I cut 4 flowers from Watercolor Cardstock and colored them with Distress Ink.  I wanted colors that are light for spring and yet coordinate with the Alcohol Ink colors.  So lots of purples and blue, with yellow and pink as an accent. 

Once the flowers are dry, I like adding Rock Candy glitter over the top of the flowers but that is totally optional if you are not a glitter person.  NOTE: I cut one flower from Funky Floral 1 into three pieces.

I added Collage Medium to the back of each flower to adhere to the surface, with the exception of the blue flower.  I used a 3D Foam Square for that one so it sits higher than the rest.  I have also added in the 4 loose stems that were part of the die set.

Some vintage lace was tucked under the left side of the frame as well as a light blue bow of worn ribbon.

Lots of layers!

I found a sentiment in the new Clipping Sticker Book that is perfect for the Easter theme.

I hope you enjoyed todays tutorial and that you might try a few of the techniques, especially the Alcohol Ink over Mirrored.  It's a great surface for the beginner as it is very forgiving.

Thanks you for popping by.  I really appreciate it!

Now carry on,
paula