Seasonal Wreath

Hi there everybody.  I am using this Sweet Manhattan stamp for the first time.  Sherie the owner has an Etsy shop and this particular stamp is here.  I was lucky enough to be sent this as a thank you for some help I gave her.  I thought it was about time I got on with my Christmas cards and decided to make  a card for the Rudolph Days Challenge as I have missed a few this year.  It is run by Mo at Scraps of Life by Scrappymo and runs from 25th to the end of each month,  and there are only two more to go this year...can you believe it! 

I started by stamping the wreath using Versafine Olympia Green Ink and I heat set it with WOW Clear Gloss EP.  I then coloured with Distress Inks and a water brush using Festive Berries, Pine Needles, Mowed Lawn and Vintage Photo.  I also added a bit of Pixie Powder in Gold mixed with the red for the baubles, but not sure that you will be able to see it here.  I finished by adding the Pine Needles to the sentiment in the centre.  I then splattered very lightly with  both the red and green before matting it on to red card and then on to my 6" square white card.

I am entering the following challenges:

Rudolph Days September Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes.
The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge - No. 80 Anything Christmas Goes.
Merry Little Christmas September Challenge - No. 26 Anything Christmas Goes.

Trees for Two Seasons

Hi everybody.  I've been trying to get some Christmas cards done but haven't got very far, but I made this one with CAS Christmas in mind as they are asking for Trees, and made a second different card using the same trees so I could enter the Twofer Challenge where we have to make two different cards for two different occasions using the same stamp, stencil or die, and have made it by a whisker for both challenges.  

Here are the two cards together for the Twofer Card Challenge entry using Tree Trio by Crafty Individuals.

 

For this first card I stamped on to a snippet of white card using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink and then added the blue sky using Stormy Sky Distress Ink smooshed for a watercolour look, and then with a waterbrush I added some well watered down Picked Raspberry DI to the horizon, not showing up too well in the photo.  I then embossed with a snowfall stencil and added some white liquid pearls over the top of the embossing, and a few more as well..I think I got a bit carried away so instead of gently falling snow it looks like a blizzard..lol.  

I then added some white acrylic paint to the foreground and stippled it a bit to give it a nice covering of snow, and also ink blended around the edges of the sky with Adirondack Stonewashed Ink before adding the sentiment again using the Nocturne Ink heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I decided to add it on to a snippet of silver mirri card before adding it to the slimline card.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

CAS Christmas Card September Challenge - Christmas Tree (this isn't as CAS as I first intended so hope this will be acceptable.  This is a very late entry so please ignore it if it doesn't fit into the CAS category)
Pixie's Crafty Workshop - No. 387 Where we use up our snippets of card and paper etc.
The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge - No. 79 Anything Christmas Goes.
ABC Christmas Challenge - 'S' for Snowy or 'T' for Tinsel.
Merry Little Christmas September Challenge - No. 26 Anything Christmas Goes.

 

This second card started with the background using some more autumn colours, and made with some Brushos - Lemon, Orange and Emerald Green, and Pixie Powders  - Gold and White Pearl which have given it a lovely shimmery finsh but it doesn't show up in the photo unfortunately.  I then die cut the square from the centre using a stitched square die and stencilled the Funky Fossil Leafy Mandala to the corners using Ripe Persimmon Distress Ink.   I added the CI trees to the stitched square, minus a little bit at the bottom, using Versamark and heat set with WOW Metallic Copper Embossing Powder and stamped the sentiment using Versafine Vintage Sepia Ink heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss EP.  I put it all together on to a white 6" square card and inset the tree topper into the background.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Watercooler Wednesday Challenge - No. 290 All About Occasions.
The Card Concept Challenge - No. 140 Fanciful Fall.  (I have used the Mixed Media Style with stamping, stencilling, heat embossing, die cutting and watercolouring)
Stamping Sensations September Challenge - The Great Outdoors.
NBUS Challenge - No. 18 Using our Never Before Used Schtuff.  (My CI Tree Trio stamp and the Leafy Mandala stencil are both getting their first outing)

Thank you for visiting the blog today and I hope to see you again soon.

Shades of Purple Dragonfly

Hi all.  I have had this stamp for a while and decided to us it for this masculine card.  It is designed by Lisa Horton for Creative Expressions and called Dragonfly Background.

I thought it would lend itself to using the inks straight to stamp, so I positioned the piece of card in my Misti and stamped it with three different Distress Inks, the  lightest colour Shaded Lilac used all over, then the darkest tone Dusty Concord on the dragonfly wings and the chevrons, and lastly I added the bright mid tone Wilted Violet over the word plate.  I managed pretty well to get each colour of ink where I wanted it but there are just a few stray bits but it all blends in fine, and I was pleased with the finished look.  I then added some WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder all over and took it out of the Misti and heat set it, but decided that it would be better with a thicker covering of the gloss finish, so placed it back in and restamped with Versamark and heat set it again, and this brought the colours out and gave it more punch, especially as the style is of a distressed sort of pixelated look which muddies the design a bit. 

Anyway I hope you like it and I think this works well for a male birthday, but I guess it would work for a female birthday too, what do you think?  Thank you for visiting today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

Less is More Challenge - No. 428 Shades of Purple.  (I hope this is considered CAS enough for the challenge)
613 Avenue Create Challenge - Anything Goes (optional: use a charm on your project).
NBUS Challenge- No. 18 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff. 
AAA Birthday Challenge - No. 17 Animals and Critters.

 

CAS Embossed Heart Anniversary

Hi everyone.  This is a card for a family anniversary made using the embossed die technique which is the theme of the CAS Mix Up Challenge this time.  I used a Nellie Snellen Multi Frame Heart die set which I have had for years, and I don't think they make this one anymore, and the stamped flowers are from a set by Creative Expressions called Bouquet  which I got from a local outlet so think it is probably another one not produced anymore.

I have a Gemini machine and up to now have tried to emboss dies but have failed dismally, as either the sandwich was too thin or else it impressed to hard and cut through, or scrunched the card around the die, and once it bent the die a bit, luckily I did manage to straighten it, so I didn't have high hopes.  I think this die is quite thick and with the normal two clear plates and a silicone mat it did it perfectly, luckily proving me wrong..lol.  As an afterthought I decided to put it through again with added Versamark then heat embossed it with WOW Metallic Platinum Embossing Powder.   I used my Anti Static Bag and managed to line it back up pretty well, just a little bit out but good enough, and with a little tidying up of the stray powder again it worked well.

 

I then stamped the smaller flowers from this Creative Expressions set and again heat embossed with the Platinum EP and coloured the flowers with my Staedtler Water Brush Pens and a waterbrush.  Why is it when you take the photo it shows up those things you can't see with the naked eye, although I think I do need better glasses..lol, as I can see some white patches on the flowers..aaagh!  Too late as I have already sent the card.    I also stamped the sentiment and again heat embossed with the same Platinum EP.   I finished by ink blending with Ripe Persimmon Distress Ink around the edges before adding this to the 6" base card.  

Thank you for stopping by my blog today and I hope to see you again soon.

I am also entering the following challenges:

CAS Mix Up September Card Challenge - Embossing With Dies.  (Techniques - heat embossing with the die, stamping, watercolouring, and ink blending).
Allsorts Challenge - Week 589 'I Love.... Belated Birthday Celebrations.  (I love bright colours, flowers, stamping and heat embossing).
My Time to Craft Challenge - No. 440 Embossing (Wet or Dry).

Thirsty Bee

Hi everyone.  I was inspired to create this card as I had these stamps in my stash which hadn't yet been inked, there are others too I might add, and with a new challenge in mind called Colour Hues Challenge asking for yellow and green, this is what I came up with.  The large Honey Bee and the Water Drops are by both by Art Journey and I also used a Tim Holtz Honeycomb stencil which isn't so easy to find at the moment.

I started with the background, something I have seen Eileen Godwin do, she has an Instagram account and is also on Facebook where she has been doing quite a few video demos, and you can find her on You Tube too, well worth a visit.  It is just a series of lines which I have done in Adirondack Sunshine Yellow, and Mowed Lawn Distress Ink.  You just do them criss crossing one another and moving the ink out from the lines a bit to fill a background.  I kept mine quite light as I didn't want to detract from the stamping to come.   I then added the stencil monoprinting, inking part of the TH stencil by rubbing the Sunshine yellow pad over it, spritzed a little and then laid it down on to my piece of card.  It looks quite strong colour but I only did it over the centre of the card.  I then added the water drops stamping with Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink twice, again in the centre of the card.   At this stage I die cut the piece with a stitched square die and stamped the sentiment using the Nocturne Ink heat embossed with the Clear Gloss EP.

I moved on to the bee using the Nocturne Ink I stamped it on to a piece of white card and then heat embossed it using WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder and then ink blended the yellow over the abdomen of the bee and I then fussy cut it out.  

I finished by adding the background to a 6" square card and placed the bee over the top using Pinflair Glue Gel for dimension.

Thank you for visiting me here today and I hope to see you again soon.

I am also entering the following challenges:

AAA Birthday Challenge - No. 17 Animals and Critters.
NBUS Challenge  - No. 18 (Never Before Used Schtuff)  Both of the stamps are unused.
We Love Chocolate Baroque September Challenge - Wings/Anything Goes.
Watercooler Wednesday Challenge - No. 288 All About Occasions.

Paddle Your Own Canoe

Hi everyone.  I have a masculine birthday card to share today made using two of the stamps from a set by Hunkydory which came free with Creative Stamping Magazine, a background scene, and the canoe.

I watercoloured the scene using some Staedtler Watercolour Brush Pens.  I prefer to keep the colours softer by adding more water with them, so I scribble some on my glass mat and pick it up with the waterbrush.  I started by stamping using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink, which I also used for the sentiment, but this was also heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I added the line from the boat to the shore as I thought it looked a bit odd adrift without anyone in it.

Thank you for visiting the blog today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

Stamping Sensations September Challenge - The Great Outdoors.
Allsorts Challenge - Week 588 Use A Hand Coloured Image.
The Paper Players Challenge - No. 507 Masculine Birthday.
The Male Room Challenge - No. 142 Travel.