Group of Seven - Dry Embossed Highlights over Ink Blending

Hi all.  I am back today with the Group of Seven Cardmakers technique for this month, and I have made a couple of cards using a 3D Sizzix Embossing Folder Making Hearts with Picked Raspberry, Wilted Violet and Dusty Concord Distress Inks, and also some Brilliance Moonlight White Ink.  The heart is from a set by Sweet Dixie and the little flowers and leaves are from a set of Spellbinders dies which came free with Die Cutting Essentials Magazine No. 114.

I am entering the above card in the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - No. 815 Close to Nature/Anything Goes.

Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 498 where we use our snippets of card and paper etc. ( I used snippets of white card for the background and heart, and also for the added flowers and leaves).

I am also joining in with Darnell's I.D.E.A.S.  This is Week 4: Anything Goes.  

I decided to use a 5" x 7" card which this EF fits onto nicely, and ink blended using the three colours.  I originally used Victorian Velvet and was going to blend using that at the bottom followed by the Picked Raspberry and then the top with the Dusty Concord, but ended up going over the Victorian Velvet with the Picked Raspberry as it was too pale, and then I brightened up the Dusty Concord with some added Wilted Violet and then I was happy with it.  I then die cut the heart out of this piece and dry embossed it all leaving the die cut heart in place, and finished by brushing over the hearts EF with the Moonlight White Ink.  I decided to keep the inked and embossed heart for a second card and cut another heart and coloured it using the pink, violet and purple inks and decided to use this as the place for the sentiment.  I added an anniversary sentiment using Versamark and heat embossed with WOW Silver Metallic Embossing Powder.  I then die cut some flowers and leaves from some white card and decided to add some silver gilding wax on the flower petals just to highlight them and to tie in with the sentiment, and I glued the heart in place and added the flowers and leaves to the side of the heart.

I am entering this second card in the following challenges:

Can You Handle The Pressure Challenge - Anything Goes/Snow.

Triple B Challenge - Jan. '25 Birds, Butterflies and Blooms (one, two or all three).

The second one has the same embossed background and the embossed and inked heart which was left over from the first, and I added a few of the flowers I cut from the Spellbinders freebie magazine set and just used a bit of pink ink which remained on the brush to highlight the edges and also used on the centres, and just a couple of white leaves to finish.  I then added the pink vellum strip with the sentiment also heat embossed with the WOW Silver Metallic EP, and wrapped round to the back of the card before I then glued it in place on the 5" x 7" card base.  I did notice that the vellum was a bit loose, so I put a couple of dots of ink underneath it in a couple of places which made it sit flatter.

I think the ink blending and then the added highlights with the white ink really lifts the look of the embossing, and provided you brush the ink pad over the raised edges very gently it looks very crisp and clean...you have to be patient though and build it up gradually, and sweeping in different directions helps too.. white pigment ink or Distress Oxide in a very light colour would work the best I think.  I did unfortunately catch the background with it in a couple of places but I thought it still looked OK.  The only thing is that the ink pad did pick up the inks and turned a bit pinky purple, but I used a clean tissue and wiped it across it a few times and it did get most of it off.  In fact when I went back the next day I had another look at it and it was hardly noticeable.  I did think that this Brilliance Moonlight ink might not be a bright enough white as it is more of a pearlised ink but I was happy with it.  I think provided you use good strong colours for the ink blending to give a good contrast it can work well with most good quality inks.  I only have this one white ink pad so cannot compare, but the other ladies at GO7 will have used different ink to me so do go and take a look over on the blog and if you give it a go it would be great to see your cards..there is a link at the bottom of their post.

  
Thank you for visiting my blog today and I'll see you again soon.