Technique Tuesday - Chalk Ink Background With Soft Image

I took out my chalk inks this week, and started playing.  I love the cat's eye shapes in the ColorBox chalk inks.  They stack on each other, and are so easy to use and great for storing.  This is a technique I taught a few years ago at my stamp store, and thought it would be a fun one to share with you today.  I don't really know what to call it, so I'm simply calling it what it is....a chalk ink background with a soft image.  Here's how it's done:
* Start with smooth white card stock.
* Rub a white Memories or Staz-On ink pad (be sure it is freshly inked) over the entire white panel, laying down a nice, smooth base of white ink.
* Immediately rub on three or four coordinating colors of chalk ink, directly over the white inked card stock.
* Blend the ink colors into the white ink by rubbing the white ink pad back over the panel after it is inked with the chalk colors.  If you are concerned about getting the colors on your white pad, use a piece of Cut n' Dry with white Memories or Staz-on reinker to rub over the colors.  This will soften the colors, and blend them together.  See the close-up pictures from my cards.
* Stamp image/s over the background using chalk inks.  They will stamp out soft and whispy.
That's it! 
Here are a couple of cards I made with this technique:

The round poinsettia image is the part of this card which uses this technique.  I used a white Memories pad, and pink, rose, and red chalk inks for the background.  I used Penny Black stamps.  The papers are from Little Yellow Bicycle.  Here's a close-up of the background:

On this next card, I chose blue, orchid, and soft teal chalk inks.  When I rubbed my white pad over the inks, they softened to this really pretty background.  The snowflake stamped images stamped on so softly, making this background look like a soft, cool winter's snowfall.  Notice the white spots/specks all over the background?  This was a "happy accident."  I was spritzing my stamp with water to clean it, and some of the spritz landed on my work.  After a minute, these white spots appeared!!!  I loved it, and decided to keep it.

Here's a close-up of the background:

Stamps on this card are Hero Arts.

I hope you are enjoying your holiday preparations, and are almost ready and able to relax and appreciate the season.  I spent today relaxing with a great book, and dog-sitting for my neighbor's dog while she is away for a couple of days.  I made a yummy chicken casserole in my crock pot, did some stamping, listened to Christmas music, and just enjoyed watching the snow come down, and come down, and come down!!!  It actually just stopped snowing a couple of hours ago, after having snowed all evening and night, then all day today, into tonight.  It is supposed to start again, and accumulate another several inches by morning.  Slow going to work tomorrow. (Glad I had today off).

All supplies for today's technique are available at your local craft stores, or on many of the online stores.  Hope you'll give this a try!

Blessings and peace,

lynda