Smooch by Clearsnap

Apply pearly ink accents in 32 beautiful hues with Smooch® by Clearsnap®.

Highlights

Product Description

Reviews

1. An Accent on Texture and Shine

   
   By Jennifer Timko

   Clearsnap Smooch Accent Inks are a product you probably already know but when is the last time you used them? While I had one in a neutral color in the past, I will admit that it had been some time since I had used it. And now I have to ask myself why!! This line of Accent Ink comes in the most gorgeous colors and pure metallics with all of them having beautiful shimmer. I set about using them in a variety of ways to give them a real test.
   
   First, I started small and just added the Moonlight to a card using a splatter method. The applicator in each bottle picks up just the right amount of ink and reminds me almost of nail polish with a firmer tip. To add the splatters, I just held the applicator and tapped the handle using my bone folder for the most wonderful pearlized details. Such a great detail and no effort. I like this so much that I did the same using the Gold Lamé to create stars on a distress ink background. Again, beautiful and the shine was lovely.
   
   I wanted to try a different technique and thought the Silver Fox would be the perfect color for a die cut sentiment on a card. I cut the sentiment and some pretty little stars then painted on the Smooch Accent Ink. While I planned to leave it overnight to dry before using the pieces on a card, it was mostly dry to the touch after only a few minutes. I did wait until the next day but that was more my schedule than the Smooch. This could vary depending on your humidity and the color you use too. The result was worth any wait though. The silver appeared smooth and while it has shimmer, it was more of a matte look than any ink or embossing powder I have seen in silver. It was PERFECT for my card!! I’ll be trying this with other colors soon since it was such an easy way to make a wow.
   
   Finally, I decided to use a technique previously shared here at Splitcoaststampers by the always amazing Lydia Fiedler. Her Marbled Smooch tutorial was easy to follow and the results were super cool. I have seen a lot of similar looks lately with Alcohol Inks but I love the softer effect that the Smooch Accent Ink gives you. And there is a slight sheen that is fabulous too. I used my marbled paper with a big balloon die but any large shape die (or even a word die) would be great with the patterns created. Again, I want to try more color combinations to see what I can get from them.
   
   This Clearsnap Smooch Accent Ink line has something for every crafter. If you love texture, shimmer and lots of options with one product, you will find great value in these little bottles. Even a clean and simple stamper like me loved the details they add!
   
   

2. OOH! Shiny!

   
   By Lydia Fiedler

   I have used Smooch ink for many years - one of my favorite techniques with Smooch is actually this Splitcoast tutorial - Marbled Smooch. So when I sat down to play with the Smooch Accent Inks for this product focus, I wanted to use it to resurrect some of my background pieces that had been languishing on my UFO (unfinished objects) pile.
   
   So I took some leftovers from our Drunken Acrylic Reveal tutorial and went to work. I found that if you pour the ink directly onto a background and use different motions with an acrylic block to move it around, you can get some very cool textures.
   
   I also just used the ink on my finger to apply ink through a stencil for a giraffe print background over a watercolor wash, for a subtler effect. You can paint it directly onto stamps as well.
   
   The ink is much shinier than gold ink, so you have lots of opportunity for intense sparkle, if you're painting it directly onto a stamped image, or trying some of these techniques. The firm brush allows you fine control when painting clay or stamped images.
   
   I'm a fan of everything in the Smooch line - these beautiful, shimmery accent inks are perfect for an elegant, shiny finish that won't rub off.
   

3. Shimmery Fun - Jeanne Streiff

   
   By Jeanne Streiff

   Clearsnap Smooch Pearlized Accent inks come in a cute little bottle with a built-in brush for easy application. There are 32 colors in the line and the inks are archival.
   
   Smooch Inks were not a brand new product for me but it was fun taking a second look and using them in new ways. In the past I had mainly used them for a touch of shimmer here and there on projects, so I decided to branch out. This time I used them for a very simple marbling technique (water in a plate and dipping the brush and then laying your paper on top pulls up the ink in a subtle swirl pattern), I water colored with them (I think this was my favorite!). I also brushed the ink directly on a stamp and stamped with it.
   
   It was refreshing to revisit a great product that stands the test of time for shimmery fun!
   

4. Seems to Shine!

   
   By Dina Kowal

   For adding shiny, shimmery accents to your crafty projects, Smooch Inks have so many possibilities! For ease of use, they're designed with a built-in applicator in the cap, and that whimsical lid becomes a very effective handle when it's removed from the bottle. The applicator is a small pointed spongy nib, not a brush, which allows for precision dots and fine details, and held its point quite well.
   
   From my experimenting, this Smooch product seems to shine when it's used over other mediums (yes, pun intended!), as it's transparent enough for a base color to show through. I especially loved the shimmer of the Moonlight white ink as a layer over watercoloring. I wanted to push the product beyond the obvious "accent ink" application, so I tried a few different things - some worked and some didn't. I tried Lydia's Marbled Smooch technique and got some pretty pastel backgrounds. Smooch is water-based, so I also diluted it on a craft sheet to watercolor with it - on one of my cards I created a beautiful shimmery green-blue wash as a background for a sentiment. Smooch can also be applied right to a stamp, misted with water, and stamped for a faux watercolor look with a soft sheen. Another surprise - I used Smooch to customize a metal charm, and was happy to see the product adhering well to the metal (be sure to seal the ink, using a clear varnish).
   
   Overall, this was a fun product that I'll be using again - I even found myself wanting to do more with it than the small applicator allowed... imagine what we could do with brayers and brushes!
   

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