Hello Unity family! Welcome to the Friends of Unity Blog Hop for August 2025. The theme for this month's hop is technique! Technique is a pretty broad theme! There are so many that I love and that I want to try! I picked ink blending for my technique! There are so many ways to use ink blending, that's what I plan to show!
First is ink blending over white embossing. It's a favorite for sure! It's easy and such a dramatic effect!
I used the Unity February 2023 Background of the Month ...assorted blooms. I grabbed a piece of 110lb PaperTrey Ink cardstock, cut it down to 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" and prepped it for embossing by running my homemade anti-static powder over it. I used the Ink on 3 Clear Embossing ink pad and Gina K. Designs Fine Detail White embossing powder. I used a Misti platform to keep everything steady and stamped it twice with the embossing ink to be sure I had it well covered.
Once the blending is done, you may want/need to wipe a soft cloth over the panel to remove any excess ink from the white embossing.
I added a simple sentiment from Unity August 2018 Sentiment Kit (now known as Front and Center) stamped onto white cardstock with versafine clair nocturne and embossed with clear embossing powder added with foam adhesive. I added some clear dew drops at the end and it's ready for giving!
Next technique I love with ink blending is using a masking medium to create a strip of ink blending, not the entire panel.
This time I (embarrassingly) couldn't find the masking medium so I made due! I grabbed a piece of 110lb cardstock, tore both edges and then cut it in half. Taped it down with pink tape and inked over it. Wild Honey Distress Ink at the top and scattered straw in the middle. Using a masking medium would have made the edge a little crisper, but this pairs well with the softness of the feather stamp (Unity November 2018 KOM {whole lot of lovely}). Again I used the Misti to position the stamp over the inked strip to be sure the image was crisp.
I then took the panel and die cut it with a Tim Holtz Nesting Die set called Stacked Deckle. I took the blending brush I just used and added to the edges whatever was left on the brush. I put it back into the Misti to add the sentiment which is from Gotta Love Sentiments (A FAVORITE OF MINE)! I added some color to the center of the feather and the bubbles with some Tombow ABT Markers. Lastly I added some coordinating enamel dots from Gina Marie Designs!
Lastly is a technique that I wanted to try.....reverse stenciling over ink blending using baby wipes to remove some ink through the stencil. I'm sure there is a "technical" term for it, but that's what it is! LOL
I started with a piece of white cardstock. To that I added Distress Oxide in Cracked Pistachio and Broken China.
I grabbed a couple stencils, a distress linen look from the October 2023 Whit Kit and a harlequin stencil from Tim Holtz. I started by just rubbing a damp baby wipe across the stencil to remove the ink underneath. Watercolor paper may have been a better choice as the rubbing caused some damage to the actual cardstock.
I stamped the large floral silhouette from Magical Motif and then a birthday sentiment from ...extended celebration. I tore the top and bottom edge then added a piece of patterned paper (from takin' em fishin') to which I also tore the top and bottom of as well. I blended some vintage photo over both torn edges. I added some clear flat sequins, burlap twine and foam adhesive.
I recently saw a video re-posted by Gina K Designs. Didn't realize it was from 2022! For my last technique card, ink blending over a stencil!
I started with a piece of white cardstock (should have cut it down a little bit before I started inking). I used a stencil, unsure of manufacturer, and blending brushes. I did use the stick & stamp mat from Unity to hold the cardstock and stencil edges in place! The Distress Inks I chose are festive berries, dried marigold, mustard seed, shabby shutters, stormy sky and milled lavender. Used my blending brushes and just blended over the stencil using each color while blending them together as I went along.
The sentiment is from the same kit as above....extended celebration. I simply trimmed the entire panel down a little bit, backed it with a mat of black cardstock and simply added it to a card base. Sequins, enamel dots, or other embellishments could be added, but it seems to stand on its own just as it is!
That's four cards using all different ink blending techniques, but still all ink blended!
Thank you for visiting my blog and making it this far! Up next is Toni, but if you did not start from the beginning, Crystal's blog is where you should start!
