Hi everyone, Heidi here, today I’m on the blog with a fun salt background technique! You can use this technique to create fun backgrounds for your cards (like I did today) or you can use them for other projects, like for example your art journal.
Let’s get started!
Step 1:
I taped two half A4 sheets of watercolor paper each on a separate board using low tack tape. Each panel is larger than what I need my card panel to be, this way I can pick a specific area that I like to die cut. You don’t really have control over the outcome of these backgrounds but do keep in mind that when you use darker colors the salt stains will be heavier and darker and when you use lighter colors the effect will be more subtle.
For my red/pinkish purple background I used Lindy’s sprays in the colors: Ramblin’ Rose Pink and Frenchy’s Pink Pouf. I first sprayed the paper with my water bottle, to wet the paper a little, this makes the colors run more easily, and than I sprayed with the mentioned sprays. I wanted areas to be lighter and the area’s to be darker to create some variation.
After adding the color I directly added some coarse sea salt to the paper and put the panel, still adhered to the board, away to dry on its own. This takes some time (I usually let it dry overnight).
Step 2:
For my light green/teal background I picked Lindy’s sprays in Merry-go-Round Green and Sassy Sapphire. I proceeded in the same way as the previous panel. Because these colors are lighter the effect will be more subtle.
Just experiment and find out what you like best!
Step 3:
After the panels have dried overnight I can remove the salt (rub of the salt with your fingers or gently use an old credit card) and this is what my panels look like now.
Step 4:
I figured my green/teal background would make a nice underwater scene: so I die cut a square from the large panel that I created, this panel is one size smaller than my card base. I also die cut a smaller square from white card stock and from within this square I die cut a circle shape, leaving room at the bottom for my sentiment to be stamped later on.
From the red/pinkish purple panel I also die cut a square panel one size smaller than my card base and I also die cut a square from white card stock and another square from within that which leaves me with this nice white border that I can stamp my sentiments on (don’t adhere yet).
Step 5:
For the green/teal combination, I used one of the sentiments from the Clearly Besotted Sweet Little Sentiments stamp set and for the red/pinkish purple combination I used several of the sentiments from the Mama Elephant Birthday Messages stamp set. I stamped with black ink.
Next, I adhered the layers that I created onto my base card using one millimeter thick foam tape. I created splatters on these combined panels using Lindy’s Stamp Gang Squirt in Poutine Gold in combination with a brush, I particularly love the added interest this creates on the green/teal background.
Step 6:
For my underwater scene, I picked a mermaid and the turtle from the My Favorite Things stamp set Mermazing and a seaweed stamp from the Studio Light stamp set STAMPSL383. I stamped these images onto Strathmore Bristol Smooth Surface paper using Versafine Onyx Black ink and then I heat embossed using Lindy’s Stamp Gang Clearly Clear embossing powder: this way my lines stay black and crisp no matter how much water I add.
Next, I painted the images using the following colors, a small brush, and water: Frenchy’s Pink Pouf, Ramblin’Rose Pink, adding shadow with Magical Shaker in Lederhosen Laurel, for the hair I used Incandescent Copper spray and for the skin Canadian Bacon Blush Squirt. I colored around the images the same sprays as I used on the background panel. Lastly, I added some highlights using a white gel pen and I fussy cut the images leaving a small border.
I felt that the red/pinkish purple background didn’t need much: so I decided on adding a flower image that fitted perfectly size-wise: this is a stamp by AB Studio. I proceeded in the same way as I did with the other images and colored it using Summer Lovin’ Sun Spray, with the shadow in Frenchy’s Pink Pouf, and for the leaves, I used Lederhosen Laurel in combination with Sassy Sapphire.
Step 7:
Time to put my cards together: this is quite easy since I already adhered the base layers onto each other before splattering: for the green/teal card I tucked in the seaweed and adhered with liquid glue and then I adhered the mermaid and the turtle using one millimeter thick foam tape.
For the red/pinkish purple card I only had to adhere the flower image, also using one-millimeter thick foam tape, and my cards are finished!
I totally love how these cards turned out!
If you are in need of some more card examples where I combined Lindy’s products with Salt than you can go HERE!
Lindy’s products
- Sprays: Ramblin’Rose Pink, Frenchy’s Pink Pouf, Merry-Go Round Green, Sassy Sapphire, Incandescent Copper, Summer Lovin’ Sun;
- Squirts: Poutine Gold, Canadian Bacon Blush;
- Embossing Powder: Clearly Clear;
- Magical Shaker: Lederhosen Laurel.
Other products used:
- Salt, watercolour paper, tape, stamps, nesting dies, small brush, water.
