Water Window card Tutorial (using hair gel)

Loving the hair gel water cards and figured I'd go for a window so that both the colouring details of the image and the gelliness could show to full advantage. This octopus gel card is standard sized (4 2/8" x 5 4/8"). There's a bit of Stickles in the hair gel for glitter:

When you open the card there's another frame & this octopus image:

The frame is 4 4/8 x 3 2/8" (to fit a 4x3 inch baggie.) The window was punched with a Marvy scallop square punch and run through the cuttlebug with tinted versamark ink on the folder & heat embossed with clear embossing powder. (For more details on that cuttlebug technique please see this post)

Water Window Card Construction:

(1) Make two frames (please see measurements above)

(2) Use one frame as a guide to mark your window cuts

Draw a soft pencil line on your card (along the top & bottom--about 3/4 inch in from either side)



(3) Cut inside of the pencil lines & then erase them



(4) Make gel bag: Add about a teaspoon or so of hair gel (Be wary of overfilling or it may pop.)



(5) Add a bit of Stickles (or glitter) & smoosh around (I use my finger then you can pull the gel-filled bag apart and push the gel around until are happy with the bubbliness.) It just requires a little rinsing and drying of the closed bag (before you trim it) It's easier than it sounds, honest. ;0)



(6) You can add reinker to colour the gel (or use blue gel.) I love the look of soft sky reinker. It is ultra fun getting messy and easy to...

(7) ...rinse, dry, & trim the baggie after.



(8) Put adhesive all over the back of one of the frames & adhere gel bag


(9) Cut the top zipper/sealing-strip off of another baggie & adhere it on the other side of the assemblage (where the bottom of the baggie is); this balances out the bump that the first zipper creates & just makes the card look a tad more polished.

(10) If you are using a mat you'll want to be sure to cut the window out of it too (you can use the punched scallop square to mark & cut it)
(11) Sandwich the mat between the frame (with the gel bag) & the main card


(12) Add a plain frame to match the main card (and hide the other mats)



(13) Colour your image. This octopus was coloured with Stampin' Up!'s watercolour pencil crayons (layering monochromatic colours, using a circular motion and stippling as the blue fades away from the image.)

(Step #100, 000, 004) heehee Position the image: (a little tricky, but worth fiddling with)

• Firstly, place it so that you can see it properly through the front window
• Secondly, adhere it temporarily (maybe on one corner)
  
• Thirdly, make sure the frame hides the white paper edges of your image
• Finally, adhere the octopus, realign & adhere the frame (you may need to trim your frame to make it straight.)

Hope your crafting goes swimmingly, ynuk ynuk! ;0)


P.S. Splitcoaststampers gel card gallery here

P.P.S. Some of my Faves:

• Green halloween goo
• Polar bear fishin
• Martini
• Snow Globe