Wax On

Today I'd like to share a very simple technique that offers striking results. Grab a white crayon.

Ready?

Set?

Go!

For the card above I used Blockheads Coffee Tea stamp set. First I created a mask of the mug by stamping on a piece of scrap paper and cutting it out. Then I stamped the mug on glossy cardstock using StazOn Hydrangea Blue. I put the mask over the stamped image and stamped the coffee rings and "COFFEE" using StazOn Timber Brown.

Now comes the magic. I colored in the mug using my white crayon. Then I ran my brayer through light blue water-based ink and brayered over the entire piece. The wax in the crayon resists the ink and will remain white.

To finish it off, I added some curlicues of steam using a metallic silver gel pen. I also put some coffee in the cup using a brown sharpie marker. Then, for just a touch of bling and to give it a little added interest, I smeared Walnut Stain Distress Stickles around the bottom of the piece. Apart from mounting it on brown cardstock and adding some ribbon, that was it!

For the example above, I used Blockheads stamp sets Painted Butterfly and Backgrounds For All Occasions. Once again I created a mask of the main image, the butterfly. I stamped the butterfly on glossy cardstock using StazOn Jet Black. Then I masked off the butterfly and stamped the background using StazOn Dove Grey. I colored in the butterfly with my white crayon.

For the variegated coloring, I swiped Distress Inks onto my non-stick craft sheet, ran the brayer through them, then ran the brayer over the cardstock.

Add a ribbon, mount it on cardstock and it's a done deal!

A few notes:
~You can do this on non-glossy cardstock, but the ink will not brayer as easily.
~You don't have to use a white crayon. You can use any color of crayon. I just preferred white for my examples here.
~If you don't have a brayer, you can sponge the ink. It will take a little longer and may not look quite as smooth, but it will still yield satisfying results.

Give it a try! Besides, it's impossible to resist that blast back to childhood that comes wafting along with the scent of an open crayon box.