Ode to the Reinker--30 ways to use & abuse it (Bad Love Poem to Good stuff!)

Ode to the dandy Reinker,
You handsome little stinker!
Hail, hail! to your many liquid colours:
dippin' the Ribbon, causin' distress with Sponge Daubers.
Here's to all the colourful rendezvous in which you've been caught,
For in all your glorious hues, Embossing Powder can resist you,
But Card Stock cannot!


This whale card uses rinkers to do the shaving cream technique (#17) and to watercolour (#3).

Reinkers are not just for re-inking stamp pads, markers, or wheel cartridges. Here are some things you can do with these wonderful (and affordable!) treasures:

1. Mix 'em Up! (I may be stating the obvious, but remember that your inks are just like paints. You can blend them for fresh stunning colour.) You can add glitter & pearlex too!

2. Dye ribbons, fibers, or silk flowers. (Here's a ribbon dying tutorial & my ziplock tutorial.)

3. Water-colour Paint images. (They rehydrate, so there's never waste.)

4. Emboss Resist on glossy & regular cardstock (A stunning card by Kim & tutorial.)

5. Distress with a sponge dauber.

6. Polished stone technique (instructions here or here.)

7. Bubble paper (tutorial here.)

8. Add to crystal effects & paint with it (sample) or make stained glass effect. I love to paint brads with this mix (It takes a while for them to dry, but you get custom brads.)

9. Mix in Crystal Stickles (then you don't need to buy other colours.)

10. Colour Paper Clay (Sample here. And recipes here or here or here or buy some)

11. "Paint" onto stamps (with sponge/ sponge-daubers; great for a multi-colour look.)

12. Acetate & Tissue (tutorial here.)

13. Baby Wipe technique (learn how here.)

14. Frosted Filters (check it out.)

15. Polished Stone Resist (have a looksie.)

16. Salted Background (LOVE this technique in blues!)

17. Shaving Cream technique (TOO cool.)

18. Homemade markers (put drops into aqua painter! Great way to "marker" on stamps if you put enough ink on a blender pen.)

19. Gel Card (here's an adorable example.)

20. Speckle Resist: Splatter ink or versamark refill onto card stock (with a colour spritzer tool, spray-bottle, or off of a toothbrush ; then, go over with more reinker.)

21. Custom spectrum pad (use an S.U. one, or add colours in rows to a piece of felt--it blends and it rehydrates!)

22. Hand-colour photos/photocopies (sample here.)

23. Dip flower petals (or punched-out card stock.)

24. Custom-colour card stock, tissue, or vellum (Dying or painting it).

25. Christmas Ornament with reinker & glitter (AWESOME tutorial here.)

26. Tint acrylic paints or pearlex (see how here and here.)

27. Rolling Marble paper (instructions and here too.)

28. Tint glitter (just add and let dry.)

29. Distress cracked glass or rub metalic reinker over clear embossing to bring it out.

30. Squirt or Spray on card stock (dilute & put in squirt or spray bottle)


Here's that bubble paper: (<--follow the link--& click on the photos--for a closer look/my tutorial.) Thanks for checkin' this out! Have fun playing with reinkers. And please let me know any ways to use it that I left out!

:0) Mel