GIVEAWAY!! Purr-fect Birthday...Dry Embossed with Ink

Hi, Friends.....

I do love me some cats and hearts and some bright colors....esp pink!....so I am here with a couple of fun cards to share with you for the Let's Squash It! Challenge.  The current challenge (still open for another few days!) is Challenge #4 - Embossing Folder + Animal.  

Get your shades on.......and let's take a look!  

I LOVE LOVE LOVE having some inky fun.....so I smooshed my Distress Ink cubes directly onto my embossing folder, and then gave it a light misting of water, and embossed a piece of white cardstock.  You never know what you are going to get on crazy projects like these but I LOVE the results.....even if I have to clean a bunch of drips and sprays up afterwards.  It's all part of the process!!!  Fun!

A few tricks I have learned that help with this technique:
1. Use heavy-duty cardstock.  I use some 110 lb. weight that holds up well to the drenching it inevitably endures.
2. Use colors that will blend well with each other so when they bleed into each other you get a pleasing mix....not mud.  :)
3. Plan ahead as to which part you want to be colored....the design or the background....and smoosh the color on that side of the folder.  Here I wanted lots of color so I smooshed the background.  Just smooshing the cats and hearts would have yielded a different look....mostly white.
4. Fly with the arty look.  Don't stress about a bit of ink on the "white" parts.  It's all good.
5. If there are places that did not get enough ink, you can take a brush and pick up some of your ink from your pad and fill in where you need more color. 
6. If the paper is curly and warped after it dries completely, you can flatten it out under a heavy book.  If that is not enough, slip it back inside the cleaned-up folder and re-"squash" it.  Just make sure you get it positioned correctly so the ridges and bumps are in the right spots of the folder.  Comes out nice and flat...with fresh crisp embossing.  :)

Here's one I made in cool tones:

Supplies used include:
Darice - Cats embossing folder
Distress Inks
Core'dinations - heavy duty white cardstock
Fiskars - Friends Furever stamp set
Waffle Flower - Flora Cat Meow stamp set
Winnie & Walter - Essentials: Katharine Cutaways die set - retired
My Favorite Things Die-namics - Stitched Oval STAX die set (apparently retired)

Did you notice that I mentioned I have a............

GIVEAWAY?????

I have two extra of these adorable Darice - Cats embossing folders.  I would like to gift one of them to the Prize Vault at the Let's Squash It Challenge Blog (Jo or Gail, please contact me to arrange this if you are interested).....and I would like to give one of them away to one of my commenters.

 

Here's how to enter to win one from my blog:
1. Leave a comment on this blog post clearly stating "Yes, please" for the prize draw and also leave your email address (in code is fine). 
2. Deadline for entries is 11:59 pm Pacific time, Feb. 2, 2021.
3. I will use random.org to help me select a winner.
4. I will announce the winner here on my blog a day or so later. 
5. Open internationally.....as long as I can mail to your country during the Covid insanity. I will do my part, but sadly I cannot guarantee delivery to international winners even if I mail it.  This is a weird time!!

Hope you enjoyed seeing my cards.  If you have a longing in the depths of your stash for that embossing folder I hope you will enter my drawing, too.  Have a joy-filled day!!!

❤
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Let's Squash It! Challenge #4 - Embossing Folder + Animal
2. Word Art Wednesday - Week #475-#476 - AG
3. Pam's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2104 - Anything Goes
4. Hero Arts Stay Crafty Challenge #19 - Add a Heart
5. Creative Fingers Challenge #200 - AG