Joy to the World ... well, to Me

Sorry about the terribly narcissistic-sounding header today, but I am a very happy little Marmite because Santa came early to my craft room! My BFF and I got together for a play day yesterday and, in case we don't see each other again before Christmas, exchanged gifts, and I am sooooooo happy and grateful for the wonderful things I received - a whole feast of ink blending brushes! I was up early this morning to give them a trial run and oh my! swoon! I used them with my distress oxides - of course - and love, love, love how easy they are to use and how smoothly they blend. Thank you so much, Santa!

Here's the first card I made with them. After blending I laid a wet stencil over the top to oxidise the inks and although I think maybe I left it sitting there a titch too long, I love the 'organic feathering' effect it gave me. You get such a texture vibe, don't you?

First off I had this on a white background but when I tried it on the black, it really popped! So hopefully it's not too dark and dreary.

Materials used:

• stamps - You Matter (Simon Says Stamp)
• card - basic black, whisper white, tangerine tango
• distress oxides - picked raspberry, spiced marmalade
• other - You die (SSS), Big Shot, word window punch, white embossing powder, heat tool, Dimensionals, mounting tape, Floral Layering Stencil (Tim Holtz), water spritzer, paper towel, blending brushes, embossing buddy

Of course I couldn't stop at just one card! My second is a lot softer and more subtle (and I didn't notice the crooked bit until way too late! My bad, lol):

Materials used:

• stamps - Enjoy Life
• card - whisper white, granny apple green
• distress oxides - mowed lawn, forest moss
• other - Leafy Swirl stencil (Clarity Stamps), water spritzer, paper towel, heat tool, blending brushes, white embossing powder, embossing buddy, craft foam

I'm sure I'll be back again soon once I've done some more playing! Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kez