getting highlights...

Hello everyone, and happy Saturday! 

Today, I'd like to share a tool that I recently bought, and love! I'm not claiming to be an expert on it, but I have enjoyed playing with it. =)

It is called a Dabbing Brush by Inkadinkado. 

 It comes with the brush, and three different shaped foam tips.  The brush is nothing to write home about, but the foam tips are great!  They are a foam applicator that is very similar to the popular kid product "Fun Foam" with a sturdy plastic base. This is different from the ink applicators that I have seen that use a softer foam. (Don't get  me wrong, those are fabulous too, and I use them a ton!) The best way I can describe it is the difference between using sand paper, and a sanding block... Both are good, but they both achieve different things. 

 The foam tips snap easily into the end other end of the paint brush. They can be left loose to move easily  in the ball and socket joint---

Or, by pushing them in farther, it locks them in a perpendicular position. (This is what how we will want it for todays technique)

And, guess what? The circle tip fits PERFECTLY inside the lid of your Creative Inspirations Paint jars! This makes getting a nice thin layer SUPER easy!

Ok, so what do you do with this nifty little tool? Well, you can use it in a lot of ways to apply ink and paint to your projects... My current favorite way to use it is to quickly, easily, and beautifully apply CI paint to the high points of embossed paper. 

Step 1: Using your favorite way to dry emboss, emboss your paper. I used Provo Craft "Floral Screen" embossing folder for mine.

Step 2: Shake your jar of Creative Inspirations Paint. You should always do this before using to ensure everything is well mixed, but the goal of this shake is to get some paint on the inside of the lid, so don't be afraid to really shake! I'm using the vibrant "Aqua Marine".

Step 3: Load your circle foam tip with paint by lightly dabbing it into the lid. You should end up with a nice thin layer. 

Step 4: gently brush it over your embossed paper. Because of the stiffness of both the base AND the foam, it quickly covers only the highest portions of your paper. Soft foams can sometimes squish down into the debossed areas if you aren't careful. This is why I'm LOVING this tool for this technique.

And that's it! Easy, huh! And it goes really fast too!  The end result is beautiful bright and shimmery highlights!

Clean up is super simple too... CI paints will wash right off this applicator with a little water and a rag. You are then good to go for your next shimmery project! 

*Disclaimer: I do not work for Inkadinkado, and I'm not getting paid to sell you this tool. This is just a  another quick tip/technique from me to you. =)*

For this card, I took the highlighted piece I did above, cut it into squares and put together a quick mosaic.  A little stitching on the sides for accents, add a sentiment, and you are done. Great for those "I-need-a-card-quick!" moments. =)

Enjoy!

~Kassi