Tie Dye Technique on Cards

I am so IN LOVE with the tie dye technique that Nichole Heady showcased at the First Annual Papertrey Ink Stamp-A-Faire. 

And, since it made me so happy to make these, I thought I'd add then to the fun, new CASology challenge.  They pick an inspiration word (this week it's ... "happy") and then you go create. Love the concept that the inspiration is a word and not an image or color.

 Here's my first attempt at the technique (basically, sponge some ink in circles and then remove the dye-based ink with a blender pen). Shocking ... the ink actually comes off! The possibilities!

But I wasn't too thrilled with how muddy they looked, especially the pink centers since it was mixed with the blue and green layers below.

So, here's another attempt. Still didn't really concentrate on completely keeping the colors clean but I loved the look so much I wanted it to take center stage so I kept it simple with one tie dye. 

 Here's one with stitching around the circles, inspired by the Less Is More challenge to sew. These colors are a lot cleaner. 

And lastly, why not cut them out? The tie dye is made from zig-zag strokes around the circles.

 


This is inspired by the David Chihuly installation in Vegas' Bellagio lobby. I could sit under these amazing glass creations for a loooong time.

Side note, I was so sad to miss the Chihuly exhibit at the Dallas Arboretum this Spring. We were there on a girlfriend's weekend but the exhibit didn't open until May. Check it out! Such inspiration. And I just heard that a recent hail storm damaged several of the installations. Horrors.

Back to the card. Normally, I'd try to keep the paper from warping with the water, but in this case it was just the thing I wanted to mimic Chihuly's glass. They're popped at different levels, again, to mimic the glass ceiling. I chose a black background for the CASual Friday challenge, and like how they pop.

 

Thanks so much for looking!

Supplies:
Stamps: PTI Think Big Sentiments
Ink: PTI Raspberry Fizz, PTI Hawaiian Shores, PTI Simply Chartreuse