Christmas In July :: Alcohol Ink Coasters & Other Decor Items

Hello! If you've found your way over from Unscripted Sketches, I want to welcome you to my little blog where I share my illustrations, paper crafting projects, and life stories. I'm glad you stopped by. 

Unscripted Sketches is celebrating Christmas in July with a virtual Christmas Party, Song Bingo, and Card Challenges. There's even prizes! Head over to the US Blog to see what you've missed this past week. It's not too late to join in all of the Christmas fun! 

Today is my spotlight day, and if you visit the US blog, you'll get the opportunity to get to know me just a little bit better. I had a great time answering their questions. Now let's move on to the goods... For this virtual Christmas party, we're headed to my living room where I have a few crafty projects that will add some holiday spirit to your home. 

First up, a few Christmas tags made with some paper and ribbon scraps. 

And a Christmas Banner I made from 6x6 squares of patterned paper. The Letters are cut from white cardstock using the Cricut and painted with Distress Stain. To see more of this banner, visit the Creations Galore blog where I originally showed it off! 

And a big drumroll for today's tutorial. I've created a little how-to for holiday coasters! 

 You'll need basic tiles and some Alcohol Inks. The Adirondack line Tim Holtz has created with Ranger is my favorite group of inks. I've also used the applicator tool, felt, and craft mat with this project. 

Alcohol inks are designed to stick to glossy surfaces such as glossy paper, acrylic, glass, and tile! There are many different techniques for applying the ink to your surface, but today I used the pounce technique. You add a large drop of ink onto the felt applicator tool and pounce it onto the tile. 

For the first tile, I used Rust, Red Pepper, Cranberry, and Pink Sherbert. By simply adding Oregano and Lettuce to the collection of colors, you end up with the tile on the right hand side below. What a difference in color! 

You can continue adding color onto the tile until you're happy with the result. To stamp on glossy surfaces, I go to my trusty StazOn ink. As you can see, stamping on tiles can be somewhat of a challenge. The first tile, I didn't stamp too hard and missed a bit of the image. On the second, I pushed so hard that I moved the stamp and got a faded, double image. But no worries! This is one craft boo-boo we can fix!

Grab some of the Alcohol Ink Blending Solution from Ranger and squeeze a few drops onto the tile. You can remove all of the ink or just a portion! 

And then try the technique again! With alcohol ink, a small amount goes a long way; therefore, I never worry when I need to start over! 

Now you can stamp any image you'd like. Blank tiles can be found at your local hardware store for under $1, and therefore, and inexpensive gift. You could easily and affordable make a set for every season! 

Have you tried alcohol inks and want to take it a step further? How about a resist technique?!

For this technique you'll need to gather some embossing supplies. Start out by rubbing a static pouch onto the tile to eliminate any static or moisture. I always use this before embossing! Next, use an embossing ink pad to stamp your images onto the tile. I use VersaMark Watermark as it leaves a clear image at the end of this technique. Sprinkle on some clear embossing powder, tap off the excess, and use a heat tool to cure the powder. 

Add your alcohol ink over the top of the clear embossed images. For this coaster, I used Pool, Cool Peri, Eggplant, and Denim.

Once you've added the alcohol ink you'll need a scrap piece of paper and an iron. I have found that thin computer paper and a craft iron work best, but use what you have on hand. Lay the paper on top of the tile, and then iron the surface. You'll start to notice the embossed images melting and attaching to the paper. You'll need to quickly pull up the paper as you melt the image. If you pick up your paper and it sticks to the tile, be patient. You've just allowed the powder to cool again. Add more heat with the iron and try removing the paper. It should easily come right off, along with the melted embossing powder and ink. The result? White snowflakes!

I hope this has inspired you to create some Christmas projects or gifts. Don't forget to head over to the Unscripted Sketches blog to see what the other design team members are creating and join in the fun! Thanks for stopping by the blog today!