AAA Birthday challenge #70 - ink smooshing

Good morning friends and happy 1st February.  I'm sharing my card for this month's AAA Birthday challenge and this month we have a fun challenge for you of 'ink smooshing'.  I love the look of ink smooshing but sometimes I struggle to get the effect I want.  As I mentioned a little while ago since I made a homemade smoosher (inspired by Natalie Bowers or NB Cards on YouTube) I get great results; she has a video on her channel showing how to make it if you're interested.  Our guest designer this month is the lovely Ashwini Rao so please pop over to her blog and leave her some love.

I love pink and purple together but don't use it often enough so that was the starting point of my card.   I decided to use some die cut flowers on top but kept them white so that they would stand out against the busy background.  I hope you like it.

Here is my card:

A close up look at the flowers and ink smooshing:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I also had a small strip left over so decorated my envelope to match:

I began by cutting my white panel 4" x 5 1/4" from smooth white card.  I didn't feel the need to use watercolour card as I didn't use very much water.  I smooshed my ink down onto my glass mat, sprayed some water on top and picked it up with my homemade smoosher.  I initially tried ink smooshing through a stencil but I don't think I choose an 'open' enough stencil so it didn't really achieve anything, except for a few blobs, so I just went over it with the ink smoosher, direct to paper, to create my panel.  Obviously I didn't want a full ink smooshed background so decided to cut it down into strips.  I cut the front strip to be 1 7/8" and added it to a strip of black card with double sided tape.  I then adhered that to another white panel with foam squares (I could have added it directly to my card base but didn't want to mess it up lol).  I die cut the flowers from the same smooth white card and the centres from black card.  I added the stems and leaves with liquid glue and the flower heads with foam tape.  I stamped a sentiment in black ink in the bottom right corner.  The panel was then added to my card base with double sided tape.  No embellishments this time as I didn't think it needed anything.  For the inside I cut a strip of the smooshed panel to 7/8" and again adhered it to black card with double sided tape.  It was added to a white panel with double sided tape. I cut an extra one of the smaller flower and adhered that with liquid glue onto the strip.  I stamped a sentiment in black ink in the centre.  I added the panel onto my card base with double sided tape.  As I had a small strip left over and not wanting to waste it I decided to adhere it to my envelope so that everything was matching.  This was added with double sided tape.  I really like the organic effect you can achieve with ink smooshing and I hope you will give it a try.  

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - die cuts and/or stencils

Beautiful Blossoms challenge - anything floral goes (optional mood board)

Cardz 4 Galz challenge - anything but square

CAS on Friday challenge - flowers

Crafter's Cafe challenge - ATG optional birthdays

Halloween & Other Occasions challenge - always birthday

Little Red Wagon challenge - A is for anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - ATG

Word Art Wednesday challenge - ATG

The Design Team have created amazing cards as always so please pop over to the blog and check them out and perhaps leave them some love on their personal blogs.

I hope you will be able to join in with the challenge this month but don't forget it has to be birthday themed. I can't wait to see your creations in the linky.

Have a great day.

Love and hugs,

card ingredients:

Spellbinders - layered anemone dies

Spellbinders - stylish oval birthday wishes stamp set

Gina K Designs - ink pads - passionate pink & dark lilac

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card (currently not available but this 250gsm smooth white card is an alternative in stock here)

Hobbycraft - A4 black card

Versafine - onyx black ink pad