The long delayed tutorial!

Here I am! I've been a little MIA, I know, but the little guy has pneumonia! :( He's at that stage of sick where he doesn't feel so bad anymore (hence the non-stop activity) but he *really, really* needs to take a nap! Or maybe it's mom that needs a nap? :)
Anyhow, I've finally gotten everything together to do my tutorial. Now, be kind - it's my very first attempt! If you don't understand something I've written, or just need some clarification, please, *please* drop me a line. I can't get better at this without constructive criticism! :) I think this is going to have to be a very long (and pic intense) post, bear with me.

Okay, do you remember this card:

Or this one?

Basically what we're doing here is stamping with Lumiere (or any other acrylic paint, I imagine) then stamping over that with chalk ink. The chalk ink still gives a soft finish, but if you look at it from a different angle you can see the shimmer of the Lumiere. And you get a 'halo' effect around the chalk ink. How awesome is that?! Now, you don't need to use shimmery Lumiere paint, you just get a different look if you use flat paint. Something else I should mention is that I've had the best luck using porous paper, coated or specialty metallic paper doesn't seem to work as well for me - your mileage may vary. :)

For this technique (which I have dubbed Acrylic acrylics - hey, it was all I could think of! :D) you'll need:

Versamark (the paint won't damage your stamp, when I've forgotten this the paint dries enough to stick the stamp to the paper, which rips the paper when you peel it off = :( stamper)

Lumiere paint (metallic or flat - so far I've had the best results with paint that is lighter than the ink color) and a sponge brush

Chalk ink (I've also tried dye and pigment inks & had varying results, sometimes they just *won't* dry)

Stamp A Ma Jig (or a way to position your stamp)

regular card stock (colored or white, some scrapbook patterned papers work too)
access to water & scrubby (to clean paint off before using the chalk ink)

rubber or polymer stamp - something with solid and open areas works best

We're going to have to move pretty quickly once we get started, so make sure you have everything within easy reach & ready to go.

1. Tap your stamp in the versamark. (yes, I have a yucky VM pad and a nice one - guess which one I'm using! )

2. Paint the stamp with Lumiere over the VM. Nice medium coat, but it doesn't need to be even & don't worry if you've gotten some down into the grooves.

3. Stamp with very firm pressure - but DON'T LIFT UP until you've placed the SAMJ in place. This is *very* important - you will need to be able to stamp in the same spot with the chalk ink.

[I wish I had a pic of this, but the camera batteries dies and I couldn't stop to look for more!]

4. Holding the SAMJ in place, lift up the stamp & go clean it with water & a scrubby (I use a cheap nail brush in order to get down in the cracks - don't want to contaminate the ink pad!)

5. Ink up your stamp with chalk ink, line it up with the SAMJ & stamp firmly. (sorry, moved the SAMJ before taking the pic. *sigh*) Can you see that awesome halo?!?

6. Lift it carefully & go clean your stamp!

7. Holler 'Ta Da!' - even if only in your head. :)

8. Let it dry! This will take a little while, usually I let it sit overnight just to be sure.

Some notes: move quickly between steps 3, 4 & 5 - you don't want the paint to dry before stamping over it. Trust me, it just doesn't work. I've also tried stamping with chalk ink twice, ummm, this didn't work out well for me either. lol Some thicker spots in the paint are a good think, I think it adds character!

Here are a couple more views of the completed card so you can get a better look. Remember, you can click for a larger view. :)

So, what did you think? Clear and concise? Major mess? Constructive criticism requested! Or should I say... kind constructive criticism requested? :)

Thanks for visiting!