Happy Monday, my crafty friends. For a long time, I’ve been wanting to share these shaker bookmarks with alcohol ink backgrounds. I think it’s such a neat idea to incorporate the vibrancy of alcohol inks and fun sequins to an everyday use item- bookmarks!
I absolutely love the nature of alcohol inks- the way they mix, the marbling effect and when you add the metallic mixatives, they come together to create an absolutely unique effect. Every. Single. Time.
So, I’m going to show you how to create shaker bookmarks using alcohol inks for the background. A word of caution here, always make sure you’re in a well-ventilated area when working with alcohol inks.
Instead of using Yupo paper for my alcohol ink background, I use this Canon photo paper, because it’s cheaper and because I find the size more manageable for bookmarks. This paper does come with a watermark on the backside, but it’s barely noticeable when you have alcohol ink on it and seal it in a plastic sleeve.
I use this fine tip bottle* to apply 95% isopropyl alcohol to the BACK** of my photo paper. Evenly apply alcohol to the surface because that does make a difference. While the surface is still wet, I apply a few drops of one or two alcohol inks. I use Ranger Adirondack alcohol inks. I don’t use more than two colors at a time because I find more than two an overkill, but that’s just my personal opinion.
Alcohol Ink Pearls are a different medium and will not give you the same result, so avoid using those if you’re looking for this marbled effect. You could also use alcohol ink markers. If you have Sharpies or Copic markers lying around, try those out too. Just remember to read the note at the end.***
I have used Indigo and Flamingo inks here. I then tilt the paper back and forth and sideways so the ink can swirl and the marble effect is to my liking. You can add more alcohol or more ink if you want. The more the ink, the more vibrant the result. While it’s still wet, I add a few drops of Tim Holtz Gold Mixative to the paper. I add very few drops because less is more when working with mixatives in my opinion.
I then let it dry for a few minutes. Once completely dry, I dip an ordinary children’s paint brush in my bottle of alcohol and lightly tap it against my finger to splatter some alcohol droplets onto my paper. That gives me a gorgeous galactic effect. I cut two 1.75-in wide rectangles. I put a glue dot behind each and stick the backs together.
Next, I place this bookmark in the plastic sleeve that I purchased from Amazon. I use my We R Memory Keepers Fuse Tool to fuse three sides. Make sure to leave the top open because that’s where you’ll add the sequins/confetti from. I use Nuvo confetti that I purchased online from the Tonic Studios website.
For Indigo, I like to use these Sapphire Blue Hexagons from the Let It Snow set from their Pure Sheen Confetti line. I also like to add only to one side of the bookmark but that’s a personal preference.
When I’m satisfied with the amount of sequins I have added I seal the top of the bookmark using my fuse tool and there you have it. A cute little alcohol ink shaker bookmark is complete. As always, if you have any questions, leave a comment below.
*I have also used a syringe in the past and that works just as well once you have some practice- I had one left from one of my children’s medications.
**DO NOT use the glossy side of the photo paper for alcohol inks. Use the side with the watermark only. The back side of the paper only.
***Alcohol ink markers (Copics, Sharpies, Spectrum, Ohuhu, etc.) leave harsh strokes that don’t blend as easily as fluid alcohol inks do in alcohol. I simply blend these strokes with a gloved finger.
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