Using alcohol inks when making my handmade greeting cards is something I have not tried before and to be honest I was a little apprehensive, looking at all the different pots of inks, mixers and blending solutions. It appeared to be a complex and difficult aspect of card making to master.

Alcohol inks are dye based multi surface inks that can be used on a variety of surfaces including glossy paper, plastic, metal, shrink plastic metal foil, glass and many other materials.

Each colour of alcohol ink can be intermixed and should be used with a blending solution which can be used to lighten, blend and even remove colors.

There are also four mixtures, gold, silver, pearl and copper. Together with inks that can be used along side the alcohol inks. They are more solid in colour and have a metallic look to them.

Before you use your inks make sure that the room you are using is well ventilated, as they have a strong chemical smell.

Decide which surface you are going to use. If you are making backing paper then I find shiny paper works really well. Choose your ink colors, you can use as many different colors as you like but I tend to stick to just two or three.

There is no right or wrong way to do this, you can experiment and see what you like the best.

If you would like your design to have a metallic feel then add a few drops of the mixture and once again dab your paper until you are happy with how it looks.

Alcohol inks can be used on so many different materials before you know it you will be changing the colour and look of your flower pots and your photo frames.

Do not be afraid to experiment with alcohol inks when making cards.  You can add as many layers as you like to your greeting card designs until you get the desired effect.

Using alcohol inks is really a matter of trial and error. It’s like trying to learn how to ride a horse by reading a book.

You’re never really going to know until you give it a go, and your handmade cards will look fabulous!