Do Small Things Shaker Card

Hello again,

Now that Fall is in full swing, it gave inspiration for this new card.  I have been totally obsessed with the Tim Holtz alcohol inks and their vibrant colors.  You never know quite what you are going to get – it is a fun adventure.  This one just reminded me of the colorful explosion of color Fall brings.

The background, created by dropping drops of alcohol ink onto Yupo paper (brief how-to below), is so colorful, I thought it would be a terrific backdrop for the Penny Black ‘In The Winter” die.

The beautiful bare trees are die-cut in shiny gold foil card stock (see supply list).  I know that it is hard to see the beauty of this paper but trust me, it is gorgeous.  I am always looking for ways to use this paper.  By the way, the silver card stock is equally beautiful too.  Here you can get a closer look at the paper and the Penny Black die.

What Autumn scene is complete without falling leaves?  This is where the shaker card came in.  Multi-colored sequin seemed to add to the colorfulness of the card.  Most of you know how to create a shaker card but in case you need a little reminding… a shaker card is created by starting with a frame.  In this case, it is a chocolate brown frame cut with My Favorite Things Pierced Rectangle Frames, then the die-cut trees were tacked onto the back of the frame.

Next, a piece of acetate was glued behind the trees. Then, foam tape was added to the back of this newly created panel.

The sentiment needs to be added to the background before assembly.  For a permanent, non-smearing stamping, I used Jet Black Archival ink and stamped the sentiment directly onto the alcohol ink background.

After the sentiment is stamped, I piled multi-colored sequin on the background, peeled off the release paper on the foam tape and stuck the frame with trees and acetate onto the background.  What you have now is a neat shaker that just needs to be adhered to a card base.  For that, I used a textured olive green card base from a paper pack. And there we are. All done!

Just a note about creating backgrounds with alcohol inks.  I find it imperative to use Yupo paper!  Regular card stock doesn’t work.  It just gets absorbed instantly into the paper.  I have also tried glossy paper.  Some people say it works… well, in my experience it is only marginal.  I want to have success and the Yupo paper is like magic.  It is a plastic paper that allows the alcohol inks to mingle and spread.  Additionally, you have plenty of time to manipulate the colors around.  In my mind, it is the only way to go!

Supply List: