This or That Thursday 2023 retiring core colours

 Today I'm sharing 2 cards made with the last 2 retiring core colours.  The colours are merry merlot and sahara sand. Merry merlot is as the name suggests a rich deep red. Sahara sand is a lovely neutral tone.

As it's  This or That Thursday I have made 2 cards. One in each of the 2 colours although they do have a pop of the alternative colour in them 😉

The cards are what I would call grungy. That is to say there is a lot of layering of colour. I started each card by stamping directly onto a white mat in the cards primary colour. I then used the same stamps and stamped in versamark and heat embossed in white powder. 

I next took a blending brush and applied colour from the outside edges working inward. On the merry merlot version even after wiping the embossed areas with a soft cloth the ink had stained the areas a soft pink. Now in real life it's  a really pretty effect, even though not intended, but I'm not sure it translates as well in the photo's. 

 

After heat embossing and blending I used the splodge stamp from the Nature's Prints stamp to add further grunge to the mat. I then mounted the panel on sahara sand then adhered it to a merry merlot card base. The sentiment was heat embossed in white onto a merry merlot die cut lable and mounted onto a sahara sand circle. 

I repeated the process with the sahara sand ink and cardstock. 

When I started the process I was certain that the merry merlot version was going to be my favourite....

But then when I'd  finished the sahara sand version I just couldn't  decide!!!

So which do you prefer the merry merlot or the sahara sand? Let me know in the comments below 😀

Watercolour Wednesday 2023 retiring core colours

 Today's watercolour inspiration was from a short I saw on Facebook by an Australian demonstrator called Alisa Tilsner. The background is super easy to make so perfect for me 😉. Watercolour backgrounds are a great way to streatch you ink pad stash. And as this week's inspiration is all about using the retiring core colour inks it was just the technique to share!

So what colours am I using today... well there's pear pizzazz a soft mid tone green, so saffron a gentle yellow and mango melody a vibrant orange. 

So let's  get to the technique... all you will need is some fluid 100 watercolour paper, an acrylic block, waterbased ink pads and some kitchen paper. Oh and some water in a spritzer 😅 it is a watercolour technique after all!! 

First place your watercolour paper on some kitchen paper and spritz well with water. This is a wet technique.  You then place your acrylic block onto the ink pad and gather ink up onto it by tapping gently.

Now the fun part. Starting in one corner of the paper rub the acrylic block over the wet paper.  I  started with the so saffron ink.

I used the kitchen paper to rub the acrylic block clean.

Then I turned the paper around and used the mango melody ink in the same way.

I then dried the panel and set to making the card. I made a basic white card base and added a white mat on top. I embossed the white mat with the Fern embossing folder. 

I then stamped the large fern stamp from the Nature's Prints stamp set in pear pizzazz ink onto white cardstock.  

I fussy cut the fern image out even though the set has coordinating dies available.  I also stamped and fussy cut out the sentiment. 

I must admit I was a little unsure of thw colour palette when I thought of it but now I see it finished I think it works well.

 I think the texture on the white mat also gives the finished project a lovely dimension. 

I do hope you'll give the watercolour background tequnique a try. It has a lovely look to it.