Beach Deco Alcohol Inks

Welcome back to Alcohol-Inks-Anonymous but more importantly the arrival, chez moi, of Ranger's latest, scrummiest, oh-so-fabulous alcohol inks.

There are 6 more to add to your essential collection and they can be bought seperately or slightly cheaper, in 2 sets of 3, called Beach Deco and Spring Break.

This is the Beach Deco kit which contains Flamingo, Patina & Amethyst.

I LOVE! LOVE! LOVE these colours and if you look here at Lord Holtz teasing video, you will see how perfectly the colours fit into the rest of the range available.

Honestly, if you've not given the ol' alcohol inks a go yet then why not give 'em a go now. Don't be afraid to experiment, these little bottles will last yonks. A teeny, tiny drop goes a long way and you can create some spectacular patterns. Click on the 'Alcohol Inks' label in the side bar & it should take you to earlier posts with some ideas on how to use them.

For my card today I dripped a drop or 2 of 1 colour on Yupo and puffed it about with my Tim Holtz air spritzer. I then repeated the process with the next colour. If you add the second colour while the first is still 'wet' you can get some beautiful, swirling effects as the colours meet. I used my alcohol ink pen, filled with blending solution, to add those dots. You can also use an old fine paint brush, toothpick or similar to pick up a minuscule amount of blending solution to create the same look.

To finish I added some Nuvo Crystal Drops in Carnation Pink and White Blizzard just for a spot of texture.

No sentiment, I'll leave that until another day.

Nuvo Crystal Drops by Tonic Review

I know, I know! 

Nuvo Crystal Drops from Tonic have been around for yonks. I am, as per, late to the party but hey! That's how I roll.

I should point out that I have not been asked, bribed or given any of these pots of lush, luciousness to review. I have only just discovered them, having had my crafty head buried in the sand, so this review is only intended for my fellow 'late to the party' crafting amigos.

So first up, you need them all...yes ALL of them. It's the law. You will get away with owning just one or two for a short while, but eventually the police will turn up at your door demanding to see your full collection, so be warned.

Before we get on to the contents of those plastic bottles, let's look at the lids.

If you're not a crafter then buy them just for lids people!!!

I swear they're the finest cut diamonds on top and not fake glass imitations.

If you are a crafter then the contents of the bottles are an added bonus.

There are about 50 colours in the collection in either a gloss, pearly or glittery finish. If you like using enamel dots, glitter or pearl gems on your crafty projects then you need these (plus it's the law to own them ALL remember!) 

Each bottle holds 30ml / 1fl oz.

You can create a dot in any size and apply direct to your project or make them up on a craft sheet, leave to dry overnight, then peel them off the next day ready to stick on with a blob of glue.

They form into perfect enamel shaped domes; no peaking, splodging or odd shapes and they'll save you an absolute fortune compared to enamel dot packs (plus the law states every household must have them, remember!) 

There's even a Clear colour option that looks like rain drops. If you add a drop of Clear immediately on top of a colour it creates a perfect two-tiered dome effect.

Now I must apologise at this stage for my dreadful photography and colour images. I was trying (and failed miserably) to show you the true colours up close but that shouldn't really matter. You need / have to own the WHOLE collection anyway.

There are a tonne of videos out there with brilliant tips n' inspiration on using these bottles of fabness, from creating different 'blob' shapes to mixing colours. 

 In summary, Nuvo Crystal Drops are the meaning to life, the Universe and Everything. (Think that sums it up!)

I got mine from Cutting Edge Crafts as they were cheaper than everywhere else on the planet at £1.89 per bottle.

Go get yours before the cops call.