Every now and then I get an idea and when I have a few minutes to spare I give it a try. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. Today’s quick project has a little of both, but I thought it worth showing you anyway. The not so successful task was combining Bermuda Bay and Shaded Spruce inks. I think I was a bit over-enthusiastic with the Shaded Spruce and the Bermuda Bay kind of got lost. However my idea to use two contrasting colours of baker’s twine was definitely a hit for me.

INK OVERLOAD

As is often the case I decided to try out my ideas on a smaller project. Sometimes that might be a gift tag, but today they would become part of a bookmark.

I began by cutting two pieces of Thick very Vanilla Card, each 2″ x 5-1/2″.

After setting one card piece aside I covered the back of the other with some Adhesive Sheet. Then using one of the larger dies from the Encircled In Beauty Dies I cut three pieces from the adhesive backed piece. I’d need these later, but first I had to prepare the other strip of card.

First I shaped the top of the second strip using the Fancy Tag Topper Punch. Then I pulled out my Blending Brushes and a Bermuda Bay ink pad. Next I added what I thought was quite a bit of Bermuda Bay ink in patches. Once I was happy I changed brushes and added Shaded Spruce ink over the remaining areas and blended it into the Bermuda Bay ink. It was only then that I noticed that there wasn’t a huge difference between the colours. I didn’t dislike the result so I continued on with the project.

From past experience I knew that lots of ink layered onto card can take a little longer to dry. So to speed things up I used my Heat Tool on 1 (low). Then I could safely think about adding my die-cut ‘doily’ pieces.

I peeled off the backing from the die-cut pieces and pressed them into place on the bookmark. Despite the inked layer not turning out quite as I’d hoped, I loved the colour contrast. Then to make sure that the pieces were well and truly stuck I placed the bookmark inside some folded kitchen paper and ran it through my Cut & Emboss Machine. The pressure of the rollers flattened the die-cut pieces a little but now they weren’t going anywhere.

CUSTOM-COLOURED TWINE

With the bookmark base done I then turned my attention to the top. I didn’t have any Shaded Spruce Ribbon, and I didn’t fancy using Very Vanilla Lace Trim. Instead I cut four 6″ pieces of Very Vanilla twine from the Baker’s Twine Essentials Pack. I set three of the pieces aside while I worked on the fourth.

Taking a light Shaded Spruce Stampin’ Blends alcohol marker I used the brush tip to colour the twine. I kept going until no more of the Very Vanilla colour showed through and then let it sit for a minute.

Once I was sure the twine was dry I placed it down with the Very Vanilla pieces and folded them in half. As I threaded the loops through the hole at the top of the bookmark I paid attention to the location of the Shaded Spruce piece. Then I passed the ends though the loops and pulled gently to secure them in place.

Oh my goodness why have I not tried this before! The addition of the Shaded Spruce thread really adds interest to the top of the bookmark. What’s more, the fact that I could use one of my Stampin’ Blends to make that coloured piece match exactly was simply perfect.

I’m a little disappointed that my Bermuda Bay / Shaded Spruce background didn’t quite work out as I’d planned. There could be couple of reasons for that… I have a feeling though it was because my Bermuda Bay ink pad needs reinking. So that’s what I’m going to do and then I’ll try again. I’ll let you know the result of that experiment another day.

LAST DAY FOR LAST CHANCE

Today is your last chance to get products that are retiring from the January to June Mini Catalogue. Many items are already sold out, but there’s still some bargains to be had with a lot of the remaining products on sale at up to 50% off. Do check it out and place your online order before it’s too late.

Remember to add my June Host Code 3ENK34UG and you’ll also be included in a free draw to win Stampin’ Up! product.

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