The Butterfly Ball
I learned this technique in a class taught by Mary Jo McGraw in 2000. It is a fantastic background for detailed images. It's messy, so keep a few paper towels around to wipe your hands with, and do try to do several at once so it makes the mess worthwhile.
Supplies needed:
Tsukineko, Inc.'s Encore Inkpads in Honeydew and Champagne
Clearsnap's Vivid Reinker in Garnet
Stewart Superior's Memories Black Inkpad
White Mattecoat Cardstock (you can use regular matte white cardstock but you'll have to work much faster!)
Beckett Bordeau Red Linen Cardstock and other papers for layering
Krylon Leafing Marker in Gold
Gold Embossing powder
Tacky Glue; glue stick; twig, gold colored wire and tassel
Stamps used: Enchanted Ink's Butterfly Ball 1168L, PSX Tiny Butterfly SK307, Comotion Butterfly 153, Stamper's Anonymous Texture Cube CB19
Stamp the Butterfly Ball on Mattecoat paper with Champagne Encore Ink. Emboss with gold. Let cool. Cover the paper with the Honeydew Encore Ink, and while it is wet, apply a drop or two of Vivid Garnet reinker to desired areas (butterfly wings) and rub it in with your fingers. Set the piece aside to dry slightly, then buff it with a paper towel, rubbing harder in spots to remove more ink until it is the way you want it to look. Ink the texture cube with Memories black ink and tap the stamp over the top. Again buff off excess. Let this piece dry completely. Tear the edges and color with the leafing pen. Set aside.
Stamp butterflies on a scrap of plum-red paper with the Champagne Encore ink and let dry. Trim gold textured tissue and Bordeaux cardstock to size, and using glue stick, layer as shown.
Take a small twig from a red maple tree, wrap the ends in gold wire, tie on a tassel with a red glass bead as shown and glue in place with Tacky glue.
Edge the bottom layer with leafing pen.
