Super fun and cute technique that's perfect for summer and ANY time you need a little ombre in your life! Get the trendy background look quickly and easily with this simple ombre (color gradient) tutorial from Song of My Heart. Just follow the four steps in the pictures and prepare for a little mess and a lotta fun!
Here's a pic of my finished card, so you know what we're headed for…love the sweet color scheme of the new By The Shore papers.
Ready to start? A few quick notes: We're using rubbing alcohol, so protect your work surface–and your manicure if you have one. Always spritz in a well-ventilated area. And don't ever have a candle or other open flame or high heat source around when you're spritzing.
Here's what you'll need to gather! I use 70% pure rubbing alcohol (available at any drugstore or grocery), the handy little fine-mist spritzers from Stampin' Up (set of two), and for this project I chose the Pool Party Classic Stampin' Ink Refill.
Spritz several pieces of cardstock to get the feel for how your particular spritzer bottle is going to mist. You'll get the hang of it!
I mist a bunch of pieces at the same time, then move on to the next step and do those all at once, too. Mass production!
Each time you add ink to the bottle, you're making the mist darker–and more concentrated since there's less alcohol compared to the start. So the second coat will be the same shade, but deeper and more intense on the lower two-thirds of the cardstock. By the third coat, on the lower third of the cardstock, you should have fully saturated, gorgeous color.
TIP: Professionals know to make up their spritz mixture with rubbing alcohol instead of water, for super-fast drying time and the finest and more dispersed mist possible without using an airbrush.
You CAN do it with water but water will break down the bonds of the paper much faster and can leave you with rough patches and ruffled spots that won't "un-warp" no matter what you try on them.
No two spritzed pieces will be 100% identical, so embrace the handmade nature of this technique! One of my pieces got kinda splattered when I was using up the very end of my bottle, but it just worked even better for my seashore theme on this card.
Here's another sample using the same technique, papers, and colors… so easy and cute!
Suggested Color Combination:
Thanks for stopping to to see my tutorial today! Song of My Heart has an extensive, Always 100% Free Photo Tutorial Library that I hope you'll visit and get lots of good from. There are all kinds of treats tucked in there. Please feel free to share with your friends! And if you need a Stampin' Up representative, I'd be honored to be your demonstrator. Just email me at Lyssa@songofmyheartstampers.com for a free catalog, or click here to go visit my online stampin' store and browse to your crafty heart's content.
