Envelope Background Technique - by request

Yes, I'd love to elaborate (elaborating is one of my favorite things! LOL>) I seem to always do the same thing for backgrounds on my envelopes 'cuz it always look good on white or manilla or whatever -- I call it brayered ink. It is soooo easy -- you simply gotta try it! Here's how:

1. Pick out a rainbow ink pad. I use Kaleidascope pads 'cuz the colors are just yummy and you don't have to worry with which ink colors use together. You know, the Kaleidascope pads have the individual colors separated and you are supposed to push them closed up against each other to ink up a rubber stamp. Well I DON'T push them together. I leave them open (with a space between the individual color pads) so the colors will stay pretty much separate while I'm loading them onto a brayer.

2. Ink up a rubber brayer on the rainbow pad _ Be careful! Try to stay on the same spots when you roll the brayer over the pad colors because you don't want to get one color rolled over another color on your pads or on your roller... it would contaminate the colors and make a muddy result! Now I ink it up by rolling the brayer over and over one the same spot about 10 to twenty times. I want a lot of ink on there.

3. (Here comes the secret) After the ink is on the brayer, spritz the brayer with water using a spray bottle -- fine mist is best. Use your finger to turn the roller on the brayer around until you have spritzed all the ink one time. (Takes me about three turns to get the whole brayer roller sprinkled.) The water mist will cause the colors to bleed together on the roller and when they are put to the paper. That's the idea! And it will be messay and probably drip so watch your floor or table.

4. Roll the brayer onto the envelope with LIGHT STROKES at first -- and turning it every which way. I try to get it to go in lots of different directions without going over the same places on the envy too many times before I run out of ink on the brayer. It will take two or three applications - maybe four even -- to get he whole envy done on the front 'cuz the brayer runs out of ink pretty much on the first complete roll. With all the sloppy spritzed ink flowing, you'll get some paint drips , etc on the envy. That makes it look like watercolor. I love it when that happens so I use a lot of water. Then don't forget to do the back also.

5. Sometimes I use a different Kaleidascope rainbow pad and go over the first colors again. Or sometimes, I go over the first application with a single color of ink -- like yellow or pink or ?? - just to get a different look. (I didn't do this with the envys for this swap.)Just let the layers dry in between applications.

6. Let the ink dry thoroughly. The colors will look a little different when they dry (usually better). If you want to reapply the same colors or different colors -- just let the first layer dry and then go for it. Just be careful not to overdo it and make a muddy color because too many colors are mixed together or applied on top of each other. Experiment - you'll soon get the idea and find how you like to do it.

7. I don't seal it with anything but I guess you could.

Once you get all that beautiful watercolor background on the envelope - the decorating comes easily! Just the background is pretty enough to send -- and easy enough to do that you never have to send a plain envelope again!