Hello crafty friends! I’m continuing my exploration of watercolor backgrounds for cardmaking, and today we’re taking a look at another fun way to create them—using ink pads!

This idea actually came from a question that was asked during one of my previous LIVE videos: Can you use ink pads to watercolor? Absolutely! There are so many ways we can stretch the supplies we already have, and ink smooshing is an easy way to use your ink pads to achieve that loose, organic watercolor look.

For today’s project, I’m featuring the new Gina K. Designs Card Kit, which is now available. I thought the products in the kit were perfect for continuing our watercolor background experiments while also incorporating some of my favorite ways to add texture and detail with embossing folders and stencils.

In the video, I’ll walk you through how I used ink pads and water to create my ink-smooshed watercolor background. One of the things I love about this technique is that you don’t need traditional watercolor paints to get a beautiful watercolor effect.

VIDEO

You’ll find the complete supply list linked in the YouTube video description, and I’ve also included a visual supply list at the end of this post for easy reference.

Once the watercolor background is created, we can take it a step further by pairing it with an embossing folder and coordinating stencil. The embossing adds beautiful texture to the panel, while the stencil gives us another opportunity to bring color into the design. I love the combination of the loose watercolor background with the more defined embossed and stenciled image.

Here’s a quick look at some of the main supplies I’m using for today’s card:

• Bearded Iris Stencil (Autumn Escape Card Kit)
• Post Cards & More Stamp Set
• Postage Plus Stamp Set
• First Class Frame Cover Plate
• Otterly Delightful Stamp Set
• Otterly Delightful Die
• Master Layouts 2
• Watercolor Paper
• Lovely Lavender Cardstock
• White Heavy Weight Cardstock
• Key Lime Ink
• Kelly Green Ink
• Light Orchid Ink
• Medium Orchid Ink
• Light Lilac Ink
• Medium Lilac Ink
• Soft Stone Ink
• Obsidian Ink

Ink smooshing also gives you a little less control over where the color lands—and that’s part of the fun! The water moves the ink around and creates variations in color, soft edges, and interesting areas that you probably wouldn’t get by carefully painting the background by hand.

Here’s a quick look at the supplies used for this card

• Friendly Florals Embossing Folder/Stencil (Autumn Escape Card Kit)
• First Class Frame Cover Plate
• Otterly Delightful Stamp Set
• Otterly Delightful Die
• Watercolor Paper
• White Heavy Weight White Cardstock
• Peach Bellini Cardstock
• Light Carnation Ink
• Medium Carnation Ink
• Lemon Drop Ink
• Wild Dandelion Ink
• Obsidian Ink

If you’ve been following along with my watercolor background experiments, I hope this gives you another technique to add to your list. Grab some of your favorite ink pads, add a little water, and see what kind of backgrounds you can create!

SUPPLIES