Every once in a while I reflect on my stamping beginnings and remember something that I used to love to do. Stamping with bleach has such a unique effect on cardstock and I was SO excited to see how bleach interacted with the various Papertrey Ink colors! I love how the technique lends itself to different styles too. I thought I would share a few different projects to showcase the effect.
A few important things to know and do before you start:
- Bleach stamping needs to be done in a highly ventilated area. I opened my studio windows to increase air circulation and reduce fumes.
- A paper towel folded into a square, lightly soaked in bleach, makes a great stamping pad. I put mine onto a full sized plate to make sure nothing would drip over the side. Discard this as soon as you are finished stamping.
- I used VersaMark on my stamps first to protect them. I am not sure if this is a needed step, but it certainly couldn't hurt the stamp to use it ahead of time.
- I cleaned my stamps immediately after I finished! I didn't want to bleach to rub off on anything important.
- Use regular bleach. I have tried bleach pens with this and wasn't pleased with the results.
Ok... now onto the projects!
This first card shows bleach on three different cardstock colors. Pure Poppy, Hibiscus Burst and Hawaiian Shores.
I used Mega Mendi Medallion for all of the bleach stamping so that you can see how the images I bleach react with the various colors.
Take a close look at the undertones that the bleach brings out of the cardstock. It's so magical to watch as the bleach soaks in and that new color is exposed! SO COOL!
When I die cut the Heart Prints heart dies out I made sure to strategically place the die on the pre-bleach stamped cardstock. It adds even more dimension by doing that. The sentiment is from the new Script Sentiments... love that "L"!
Next is a card that shows the undertone of the Blueberry Sky cardstock. Oooooh... it's so pretty!
I love the elegant, yet artistic feeling that the two tones bring. I thought that the undertone looked a lot like Aqua Mist.
The frame I used if from Happy Day... and the sentiment is from Out on the Limb Sentiments. I love pulling out older sets and bringing them some new love.
It's funny... I was watching a show on Netflix while typing up this post and the walls in the show were these colors. It was kind of cool!
These next two cards show off a more natural feeling to the bleaching technique. I used Out on the Limb Sentiments for these too.
I was blown away by the Kraft appearance of the Ocean Tides cardstock...
and the Lemon Tart that emerged from the Kraft!
Isn't this amazing! I'm looking forward to experimenting with more colors!
I hope that you've enjoyed the review of this oldie, but goody technique. I hope you will have fun expermenting with your cardstock colors too. Please let me know if you have any questions in the comments section.
Thanks for poppying by, friends!
