Salty Wash Technique

I find that I use this technique around this time of the year more than any other. It lends it's self so well to Autumn and Halloween projects perfectly! I love the grainy, vintage feel it gives to anything you're working on be it a card, ATC, altered project, etc. What I really love about this technique is you can achieve great results with items already in your stash!

Supplies:

Color Wash (or reinkers) - Ranger

Water

Salt (sea salt works best but table salt will do in a pinch)

ATC Blanks (since we're making ATC's this week)

(also pictured - embellishment supplies - Distress Crackle Paint; Distress Inks; & Grunge Board)

Instructions:

1. Place your cardstock on a protected surface...the Color Wash is VERY concentrated and will easily stain just about anything!!! Mist with water.

2. Spray Color Wash (or re-inkers - 1/2 reinker & 1/2 water mix) over the damp cardstock.

3. Immediately sprinkle salt over the Color Wash. The more random the salt is the more interesting the outcome. I like to sprinkle some areas a bit heavier than others for a higher concentration of color in some areas while others I leave untouched. Just experiment... Note - because Sea Salt has larger crystals it will give you a more pronounced pattern so not as much is needed. If you're using table salt (as in the example) you may need a bit more. Let dry completely. Note ~ you may speed drying with a heat gun.

4. Once the Color Wash has dried you will want to rub the remaining salt crystals off your cardstock. You can leave it if you like but it will flake off eventually leaving little colored salt crystals everywhere.

Here is what you will end up with. Note how the salt has pulled the color in around it's self creating an interesting speckled pattern over the entire piece! The more salt, the darker the area will be.

Now, what can you do with it???

Well here you go ~

Boo ATC

Happy Halloween Kitty ATC

Flower Soft Spider ATC

Spooky Kitty ATC

Fall Foliage ATC

So if you've been itchin to get into the Autumn/Halloween Spirit give this quick and easy technique a try! Only be warned...it is addictive ~ once you start you'll want to keep making more! It's so much fun to see how the final product turns out after you scrub away all the salt!

TTFN Friends!!