Video: DIY Valentine’s Day Shaker Card using Ink Smooshing Technique + Giveaway

Hello, crafty friends! Welcome to the Pretty Pink Posh‘s 2nd birthday celebration blog hop! If you came from the talented Yuki’s blog, you are right on track. This is a three day event with tons of inspiration, and I’m so excited to be part of this special event. Without further ado, here is what I came up with:

Since Valentine’s Day is coming, I couldn’t resist making a shaker card using sweet, yummy sequins from Pretty Pink Posh. I love the hand peeking out from the side and dropping hearts inside the box. Isn’t it so cute?

I just realized that I also made a valentine shaker card for their first birthday celebration last year. Hehe… I created a Love Potion shaker card using Pocket Border Die at that time. Which one do you like?

To create a colorful background, I used the ink smooshing technique for the first time. It was challenging because I couldn’t control the ink colors moving, but I’m happy with how it turned out(after a few tries.)

Here is a process video showing you how I created my card. You can watch it here or in HD on YouTube.

How to Make a Valentine’s Day Sequin Shaker Card 

1. Create a background on watercolor cardstock using ink smooshing technique and Distress Inks: Festive Berries, Twisted Citron, Peacock Feathers. Then add some white ink splatters.
2. Stamp the hand from Hats Off with black ink, color it with Copic markers, cut it out with scissors.
3. Die cut the frame out of red cardstock using Scallop Frames die from Pretty Pink Posh and the hearts using Mini Hearts die set.
4. Adhere the hand and hearts on the ink smoothed background using foam tape. Then cut a piece of acetate and glut it to the back of the frame.
5. Fill up the frame window with heart die-cuts and sequins: Sweetheart Mix and Sparkling Clear Mix.
6. Place the scallop frame over the watercolor background using foam tape.
7. Heat emboss the sentiment from On My Mark with white embossing powder and popped it up on the card front using foam tape.

What is the Ink Smooshing Technique? 

It is a fun inking technique that can be used to achieve a watercolor look on your project. Simply transfer ink from an ink pad onto a piece of acetate and smoosh the acetate on your paper to add color.

To learn more about this gorgeous technique, check out the following videos: Colorful Ink Smooshing by Kristina Werner and Watercolor Smooshing by Betsy Veldman.

How to Get the Best Blending? 

1. Spray enough water on your ink before picking up the colors with a piece of acetate.
2. Don’t use complementary colors next to each other otherwise you will get muddy results.
3. Don’t hesitate to go over and over again, if you want more intense colors.
4. Let the water do the work. (It wasn’t easy for me to watch the water do the work, though.)

I’m not an expert at ink smooshing, but these are what I’ve learned from a couple of failed attempts. If you have any tips, please share yours in the comment below. Thanks in advance.

Giveaways

• Pretty Pink Posh is giving away a Big Shot machine, two MISTIs and more during the festivities, along with prizes for those who comment during the blog hop. Don’t forget to lave a comment on this blog post for a chance to win one of the prizes.

Now it’s time to head on over to the amazing Lisa’s blog to see what creation she has to inspire you all. Thank you so much for stopping by. Happy hopping!