Backgrounds to these cards were made using the new Ranger alcohol ink Brights set, Scenic, with overstamping in Memories sepia and - not very noticeably - Ancient Page jade - which maybe just shows up on the house shaped card (in the form of dotty circles). I'd been playing with these inks and a set of Lights - Lakeshore - and done a few try outs.

I was quite happy with the way my first background piece turned out - first time too - before any further titivation - which is also a 1st I think! - and so used this on forum friend Jo's birthday card. The only idea I'd had was that I wanted to do a house shape and use some metal, so did the 'roof' with 'Cuttlebugged' metal and used Aqua AI on the sanded areas where I'd removed the black colour from the metal.

The square card needed to be done real quick - which I just don't do - when I remembered I needed a card to be in the post today. I used another AI background but wasn't as happy with this - the sepia ink came up very bright brown - can you have bright brown? - and so I threw - well sprayed - some gold glimmer mist at it - which doesn't show in the pic anyway - but I was happier with it. When I try to do quick my fingers become very clumsy and things go wrong, but it wasn't a bad attempt - about 3/4 of an hour - I'd never manage a 'Take Ten'!!