Today is the day!

Announcing a brand new challenge blog to inspire your creativity!  I am so excited to be part of the design team for The Technique Twist!

Come join the fun!

This fun new blog is where we take challenges to the next level! Our goal is to see you go beyond the norm and push your creative boundaries!  Best of all, we want you to have FUN & learn something new! :)  To celebrate our launch we are hosting a blog hop.  You'll find the list and details at the bottom of this post.  

Now for the projects!  Our first technique challenge is Blown Ink.  I have to admit I had never tried this one before, but I sure am glad I did!  I played around and came up with two completely different looks that I just love.  Check them out:

Blown Ink Technique Sample 1

Blown Ink Technique Sample 2

 Cool, huh?  So, are you ready for the how-to?  For the background on the first sample I blew drops of reinker from directly above using a drinking straw and very controlled puffs of air to get as uniform a look as possible. When I was happy with the colour and pattern, I did the Dazzling Diamond Dust technique over top so the whole thing sparkles.  I used the new In-colours for my pallette:  Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, Strawberry Slush and Coastal Cabana and then added some Daffodil Delight for a bit of pop.  I thought it looked very psychedelic, so I pulled out a long retired stamp called Extreme Guitar for the focal image.  The sentiment is from a long-retired Hostess set called Perfect Words.  It was a hit with my 6-year old son who is like a magpie with anything sparkly.  I could barely wrest it out of his hands long enough to take a picture LOL!
For the background on the second sample I used watercolour paper that I spritzed with water first to allow me more control over how my ink spread when I blew it.  Then I used Tempting Turquoise, Gumball Green, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Real Red and Rich Razzleberry reinkers and blew drops across the damp paper to get the rainbow backgroud.  Kind of a blend of Reinker Splash technique and Blown Ink. The butterflies are from the Papillon Potpourri set and the sentiment comes from the One in A Million set.
What I loved about playing with this technique was the fact that I had no plan in mind for either card.  I just played and played and the cards kind of designed themselves!
Now for the Blog Hop details.  Listed below you'll see a series of links to each designer's blog.  Be sure to check out all of their work... you'll be surprised at how many different looks you can get with just one technique.  There's even a little incentive to participate in the Hop.  As you navigate the blog hop, be sure to leave a comment on each designer's post.  If you do, you'll be entered into a draw for some fabulous Stampin' Up! swag!  There will be one randomly chosen winner who will receive a truckload of great product.  My contribution to the  swag bag is the recently-retired Snow Much Fun stamp set 

and a package of Silver Glimmer paper.  

Perfect for getting a head start on your Christmas crafting this summer. So...start hopping!

It's our first challenge at The Technique Twist Challenge blog & what better way to celebrate than with a blog hop!  To enter, leave a comment on each blog for your chance to win a great prize pack!

The Technique Twist Challenge 01:Blown Ink

Jessica

Julz

Lauri

Leena (you are here!)

Pam

 We'll randomly draw one name as our winner out of all the entries! Contest ends on June 26, 2013 at 11:59pm ET. Good luck!