Valley Oak Paper - Cardmaking designs by Cecilia Huster

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Flamboyant Fall Wreath

Cecilia Huster

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The theme of this month’s YouTube hop was Out of My Comfort Zone. So I tried alcohol inks. Before I started, I watched videos by Deborah Hellman, Kelly Taylor and Charlene Madrid. They were very helpful!

My basic idea was to use the Kat Scrappiness Fall Garland Wreath Die to create a layered, rectangular wreath with three different substrates:

  • photo paper

  • vellum

  • acetate

The inks I’m using are all from Ranger in fun purple and pink colors.

I’ve already die cut my wreaths. This is the Kat Scrappiness Fall Garland Wreath Die Set. There are layering dies in this set, but today I’m only using the wreath itself.

Alcohol Inking

I’ve die cut the wreath out of photo paper, vellum and acetate. I’m starting with the photo paper and the two darkest colors. Rosewood and Vineyard. I’m working on a sticky mat, so I don’t need to hold onto the die cuts. To cut down on drying time, I’m only using isopropyl alcohol to move the inks. 

This is the first time that I’m playing with alcohol inks. I’ve always admired the stunning colors and shapes that people produce with them. This video is part of my monthly YouTube cardmaking hop. The theme for November is Out of my Comfort Zone. So this was a good time to try alcohol inks. 

I’m linking to the hop play list at the top right. My friends are also trying things that take them out of their comfort zones. The links to each of the videos in the hop is also in the description box, if you want to finish watching this video first. 

I wanted the photo paper wreaths to be pretty dark, because they’re going to form the background layer. So I’m pretty happy with these! Now I can put them away to dry. 

Moving on to the vellum wreaths, I’m putting Boysenberry on the berries. This layer is going to be a mid-tone, so I’m using more alcohol. For the leaves I’m going with Fiesta. There’s definitely an art to using the blower to move ink around. 

There’s lots of ink on my sticky mat, so I’m turning the wreaths over and dipping them in it. I’m concentrating on the pink puddles because I want this layer to be less dark than the first. The two half wreaths I’m mostly just dipping into the existing puddles. 

I’ve put the vellum wreaths away to dry and I’m turning my attention to the acetate wreaths. These are going to be my lightest layer. I’m starting by adding more alcohol and dipping them into the diluted ink puddles. 

Looking at the first wreath against a piece of white cardstock, it’s pretty evenly coated. I’m putting it away.

The next wreath I’m adding Gumball ink and alcohol to. Holding it against a white surface, you can see that it’s not covered in ink. I’m adding Gunmetal Mixative to the berries and blowing it out. That turned out better. 

The two half wreaths I’m dipping into the ink on my sticky mat. Then I add Gunmetal to the berries. Gunmetal being a mixative means that it has a rather subtle effect. Next time I’m going to try an Alloy instead for more shine. 

Frames

I’ve cut out two yellow frames using the Kat Scrappiness Cross Stitched Rectangle Craft Dies and I’m centering one on my white card base. It’s always easier to create a wreath if I have a defined shape for it. 

Creating the Wreath

I’m starting to construct my rectangular wreath by cutting apart the two photo paper wreaths. I’m using glue and placing the die cuts roughly in the four corners. 

For the vellum die cuts I’m using skinny double-sided tape. I’m also cutting apart the wreaths and placing them so they begin and end on top of the frame. I’m trying to place them so they stick out to the edge of the card. Every now and then I hold up the second frame against my project, to see how much of the die cuts you’ll be able to see on the finished card. 

I’m using the acetate die cuts to fill in any empty spots inside and outside the frame. 

I’ve added foam tape to the back of the second frame and now I’m placing it on top of the first. 

Sentiment

I had created two Happy Fall sentiments, one colored with Gunmetal Mixative and one with Rosewood alcohol ink. Testing them against the finished wreath, I think that the Rosewood one looks better than the Gunmetal one. I’m definitely going to need white for the shadow layer, though! 

So now I’m stacking first the shadow layer, then the Happy Fall words. The words are separate, so if you don’t need the shadow layer, you can place them vertically. 

I’m testing out a couple of placement options for the sentiment and end up deciding on centering it. So then I glue the words to the shadow layer and the whole sentiment to the frame. 

Off camera I added some more bling to some of the berries. The purple glitter disks are Kat Scrappiness Sparkling Violet Sequin Mix. I love all the different shades and layers of pink and purple. The yellow frame gives it a sense of structure and a calm place for the sentiment to land. The purple glitter sequins add a bit more shine and drama! Love it!  

Supplies Used