Tim Holtz Alcohol Inks, Tiles, Tables and Beads

A couple months ago I was given some ugly old ceramic tiles. As an artisan, everything has potential for me, so when I was asked if I wanted them, I naturally said "YES!" They sat around for awhile and I tried different things, but I could get nothing to stick to them. Color just rubbed off. Then I thought about alcohol inks. I knew about them, but I'd never used them. So I went to that place where craft supplies are soooo expensive and I bought every color they had of Adirondack alcohol inks. Tim Holtz is the expert and purveyor of these fabulous inks.

So I started playing with them. The first photo is my first effort with the inks. It's one of the tiles:

It's much prettier than the photo - the colors I used were Ginger, Latte, Caramel, Cranberry and Gold. I made liberal use of the Alcohol Blending Solution.

Then I got carried away. I had an old ugly table that my neighbor gave me, and she'd painted it white. My decor is all earth tones. So I used the same colors and did the table top. This is how it turned out. Next one I'll blend better, you can see the lines where I had to re-ink my felt - but in some ways it looks nice - my friend, Karel, says it looks like tree rings. :)

What's really cool about this treatment to the table top is that just as I was getting ready to seal it I happened to spill a cup of tea on it. HORROR! Guess what? I'm not sure what the chemical properties of those inks are, but the liquid just puddled and beaded up and when I went to wipe it off, gingerly, so I wouldn't take color off the table, no color came off. None. Not even when I wiped it vigorously just to see if I COULD make color come off.

I don't treat the things I make gingerly. They have to be usable and if they can't pass a "break" test, then it's best they break before someone buys them. These inks passed the "break" test.

Now I just have to finish the table. LOL.

This is my latest effort with the alcohol inks. I inked a tile and have laid out wire and beads in a floral pattern. They're not permanently attached yet, because I'm not sure this is the design I want, but it's an idea.

I love these inks. Since I'm a working artisan, (read "starving artisan") these inks, while expensive, may be worth every penny. I sell my items at local gift shops that cater to local artisans, so we'll see how the tiles sell.