Altered Playing Cards, Week 25: Solvent ink and glossy paper

For Week 25, I'm joining Claudine at Claudine's Art Corner, who is hopefully feeling better from her fall last week.  As I began perusing the photos and reading the weekly challenge, the first thing I saw was I needed glossy paper.  I've never owned glossy paper because it's very expensive.  Reading further, I saw Archival brand reinkers and a name brand blending solution. And although I had NO idea what Archival reinkers were, I was NOT about to go out and buy a bunch of stuff I will never use again in order to alter two little playing cards.  Granted, panic took over at that point.

Then it hit me.  Amid all those name brands Claudine discussed, was a picture of a Staz-On reinker and the word "alcohol."  How could I have been so blind?  Panic, I guess.  Of course, if you live in the UK, you will probably have to use those or similar products Claudine used.  From what I understand, you can't get alcohol without a prescription there.

So here are my two cards for this week, and now I'll walk you through how I made them.

The irony of this is, the pink strip in the back of this photo was created using Staz-on reinkers and 91% Isopropyl alcohol.   And those of you who have been here for a long time, know I have lots of reinkers, and I sort them according to type: solvent based (Staz-on), distress, dye, and pigment.  Looks like for once, I have more of this particular product than Claudine.  Imagine the irony of that!

From back, clockwise: reinkers, freezer paper (the poor person's glossy card stock alternative), alcohol, and two playing cards that have been gessoed.

I want to begin by saying I have not now, nor have I ever been paid or given products in exchange for the use of this product.  In fact, it's about the ONLY product I name by name.  And isn't it incredible that you can actually read the labels?  So why, you ask (if you are new to my blog) do I have so many reinkers, when I'm not a stamper.  Because I use these reinkers to make backgrounds, and to color and dye fabric.

I began with this family of yellows and oranges, laying down one drop of each on my craft mat, something you SHOULD own if you want to create this technique.  Of course, if you don't have a craft mat, I suspect a piece of parchment paper would work equally well.  I laid the freezer paper shiny side DOWN, so it was ready to accept the inks.

After running the freezer paper through the inks a few times, I turned the freezer paper shiny side UP and appreciated what I had created.  

My next background was in the cool spectrum.

This time I spread the inks around, much like Claudine did.

Although the lighting was bad in my craft room, I was thrilled with what I had.  But, you ask, how do I get that solvent ink off my craft mat?

Using a few drops of alcohol and a book page for a mop-up wipe, of course.  Nothing goes to waste at my place.

I swear, I thought I took more step out photos, but I didn't.  Once the ink was dry, I adhered the freezer paper to the playing card.  I then stamped the card and added a strip of washi tape.  I added the words "Sit awhile," that I wrote by hand.

This background started out simply beautiful, but I messed it up when I adhered it to the playing card before it was completely dry.  Although it's not as pretty as it first was, I was not disappointed with the final outcome of the card I call "Love lives here."

I'm so thrilled I could participate this week and didn't have to buy a thing!  Sometimes we can find alternatives to products we don't have, and I'm all about that.

Thanks for sharing this journey with me this week, as we approach our penultimate week, hopefully next week.  Please get to feeling better, Claudine.