Dying Organza Ribbon (Sponge & Ink Pad)

I received a question in email on how to die organza ribbon with a sponge and ink pad, as I'd mentioned I'd done in THIS POST, to tie on the card pictured below.

I will post written instructions below, but no pictures, for the sake of time. If you have questions then just shoot me an email, and I'll see about adding some pictures later to clear it up. But if you walk through this, you'll probably understand it.

Using a dry Stampin' Sponge, hold the ribbon flat on the surface of a Classic Ink pad, and pull the ribbon through on each side to color it. That's all there is to it, but here is the technical version:

Hold the end of the desired length of ribbon (the end closest to you) down with your left hand fingers so it is just starting to lie on the pad, flat. Then, hold a sponge in your right hand fingers, and press down on the ribbon to hold it on the ink pad. Then pull the ribbon with your left hand, so that the ribbon is sandwiched between the ink pad and sponge as you drag it. As you drag the ribbon across the pad, it gets stained with the ink. You need to press firmly enough with the sponge to keep the ribbon on the pad, but gently enough to allow you to pull the ribbon through.

I pull the ribbon through maybe 3-5 times on one side, then turn it over flat on the other side and pull it through a few times. You will usually want the same amount of color on both sides, so pull it through the same amount of times on each side. You can pull it through fewer times for a lighter color, and more times for a deeper color.

It's best to set out the ribbon to dry, like maybe overnight, but it mostly dries right after you do it. So, if you don't mind getting your fingers slightly inky, you can actually tie the ribbon on right away. Just be careful on light card stock because if the ribbon is still damp, it can drag some of the color off onto the lighter card stock as you are pulling on it to tie it.

If you want to use the stained ribbon right away but find it's still too damp for you to want to work with it, you can pinch the stained ribbon flat in some folded paper toweling, and pull the ribbon through to try to drag off some of the excess ink, to help it dry faster. Your ribbon may lighten up a bit using this method.

You can also quick dry your ribbon with a heat gun, but ribbons like organza, with high synthetic content, will melt and warp when they get too hot. The melting creates an interesting look, but it is hard to work with to tie a bow, so I suggest not trying that technique until after your bow or knot is tied. And beware of scorching the ribbon or the card itself...use a very light hand from farther away than you might suspect is necessary, with the heat constantly moving, until you get a feel for the crinkling/melting point of the fiber of your particular type of ribbon.

~Kimberley Morris
Stampin' Up! Independent Demonstrator in Colorado Springs, CO
procrastistamper@gmail.com
http://kimberley.stampinup.net
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