Ink Smooshing Technique with Lindys Sprays for CAS Cards

Hi friends! Preeti Datta (Dutt Preety) on the Lindy’s blog today to show you step by step a simple Ink Smooshing Technique using Lindy’s Sprays. We will use this technique to create three Clean and Simple or CAS Cards.

The Ink Smooshing Technique has been around for many years and is very popular. It helps one create beautiful organic-looking backgrounds with very little effort. You can use it to create cards, tags, art journal pages, canvases etc. Here, we will use Lindy’s gorgeous sprays for the Ink Smooshing Technique but you can also do the same using Lindy’s Magical Powders, Magical Shakers and Squirts. Just dissolve and dilute the powders with a little water and you are good to go. We will create CAS Cards using minimal supplies, these are easy and can be customized for any occasion. Since these cards are not very dimensional, they can easily be mailed as well. So if you need easy, time-saving ideas for sending out many greeting cards for Christmas or birthdays, this is a fun idea.

Basic Process

Create die-cut panels of thick (300 gsm) Watercolour Paper. Here I’ve used a Stitched Scallop Rectangle die to create the panels, you can use whichever shape you like or whatever you have in your stash. Simple rectangular panels would also look great.

There are a few different ways to do ink smooshing. My favourite way is shown below. Apply a few drops of the first spray, Lindy’s Poppin’ Pink Flat Spray to a Plastic Zip Lock Bag or a piece of Acetate. There is no need to spray water as the spray is wet enough. Now flip the plastic over, onto the paper panel and smoosh the ink on the Plastic Zip Lock Bag onto the watercolour paper panel. This way you can see where the ink is going and you can manipulate the movement of the ink by moving the plastic a little.  

This is how we smoosh the ink onto the panel. Another way to do the Ink Smooshing Technique is to spray the ink onto a Non-Stick Craft Mat and then put the paper panel on top of it and smoosh it around. But in this way, one can not see where the ink is going, therefore, I prefer to use the above method, so things are more visible.

Next, introduce the second color. Add a few drops of Lindy’s Pop Rock Purple Flat Spray onto the plastic Zip Lock Bag and then smoosh the ink onto the watercolour paper panel. You can keep repeating the process with more colors until you are happy with the result.

Here, we will keep the process simple by using only 2 sprays and will stick to a classic monochromatic colour scheme.

This is such a fun & easy technique. No two backgrounds will ever look the same! It is always a surprise. I created three monochromatic panels using the Ink Smooshing Technique. For the Pink Panel, I’ve used Poppin’ Pink Flat Spray and Pop Rock Purple Flat Spray.

For the Blue Panel, I’ve used Danny Zuko’s Denim Flat Spray and Caribbean Blue Flat Spray.

For the Green Panel, I’ve used Rusty Lantern Lime Shimmer Spray and Drop Dead Gorgeous Green Shimmer Spray.

The process for converting the Ink Smooshing backgrounds into CAS Cards is super simple! Create black ink splatter by using watered down black distress ink and a fan brush.

Next, die-cut some of your favourite dies using thick card stock. I’ve used Fantasy Dies to create some die cuts. Or you can even use chipboard. Use whatever you have in your stash. Then, we will heat emboss these multiple times to create thick enamel looking embellishments. Here, I’ve heat embossed these die cuts three times using Lindy’s Midnight Pewter EP and then two times with Lindy’s Clearly Clear EP.

The result from heat embossing the die cuts multiple times is amazing! It creates DIY enamel embellishments in whatever colours you like. The extra dimension and shine are absolutely wonderful. It adds that little oomph to our simple cards.

In the end, gather all the elements (heat embossed die cuts, watercolour paper panels, grey colored paper mats, white card bases, 3D foam tape, strong glue and word stickers). Create a visually pleasing composition, adhere the heat embossed die cuts and word stickers to the panels. Use 3D foam tape to adhere the watercolour paper panels to grey paper mats. Then, adhere those to A2 sized (4.25 inches by 5.5 inches) white card bases using a strong glue.

Here are some photos of the finished CAS Cards…

Lindy’s Products

• Sprays- Poppin’ Pink Flat Spray, Pop Rock Purple Flat Spray, Danny Zuko’s Denim Flat Spray, Caribbean Blue Flat Spray, Rusty Lantern Lime Shimmer Spray and Drop Dead Gorgeous Green Shimmer Spray.
• Embossing Powders- Midnight Pewter EP and Clearly Clear EP.
• Gripper

Other Products 

• Fantasy Dies; Winnie and Walter Cutaways; Gina Marie Designs Dies; Mudra Craft Stamps Cardstock; Tim Holtz Distress Inkpad- Black Soot and Big Chat Word Stickers and Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue.

Thanks a lot for your precious time
Stay Blessed!
Preeti