Snowflake Bauble

Hi everyone.  I have made a Christmas card using the Sweet Poppy Stencil Snowflake Bauble, my first card using it, and also the Crafty Individuals Bluebird and Branch with Berries stamp within the bauble.  I have also used Distress Inks in tones of blue and orange to enter the Colour Hues Challenge, and the CAS Christmas Challenge has the theme of Christmas Birds.  I used Tumbled Glass, Salty Ocean, Blueprint Sketch and Spiced Marmalade. 

I started by using a very light layer of Tumbled Glass all over and then used the Spiced Marmalade on the ribbon and berries and shaded with a very little Blueprint Sketch, and the Salty Ocean on the foliage and to darken around the edges of the bauble as well as just a little of the Spiced Marmalade.  Inevitably there was some mixing of the colours in a few places which has made darkened the colours a bit, but I think over all it turned out OK.  I added the bird within the bauble using Spiced Marmalade, masking that side of the bauble as the stamp was a little large to fit the bauble, but I do love this CI bird and thought it would look pretty inside the bauble.   The sentiment was stamped using Versafine Habanero ink and heat embossed it with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  The colour is a little more red than orange but DIs don't work so well for stamping sentiments.  I also added some snow on the branches and in the sky around the bird using a Signo White Gel Pen, and I glossed the berries with some clear gloss.  I then added it to a 6" square white card.

I would also like to welcome two new followers ..  Lynne K who makes beautiful cards and also takes wonderful photos of the area around her home in Scotland, and then Aimeslee who is a fun lady and who also makes some terrific cards in a very varied style, so please if you haven't come across these two ladies before please do go and visit them...you won't be disappointed.  

Thank you for visiting me here today and I hope you will do so again soon. 

I am entering the following challenges:

CAS Christmas Card Challenge - Christmas Birds.  (so pleased to be chosen as the winner)
Colour Hues Challenge - No. 4 Blue and Orange.
NBUS Challenge - No. 19 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.
ABC Christmas Challenge -  U & V are for?  Up in the Air and Vixen/Reindeer.  (I have a bird in my bauble so hope this counts).
Merry Little Christmas Challenge - No. 27 Anything Christmas Goes.

Meadow Hare

Hi everyone.  This is a card for my *great niece who has just become a teenager.  I was going to buy a card as at first I thought that probably the sort of cards I make are not what a teenager would like, but then I thought of this Pink Ink Meadow Hare which I was pleased to get as a sale item several months ago and which hasn't been inked yet, and thought it was time to do so.  I love hare images and this is quite cute as are all the creatures depicted by Pink Ink, so I hope she likes it.

I started with a piece of card just about the right size for this image as it is very large and wanted to get it on a 7" x 5" card, it fits with a tiny bit of the foliage missing at the bottom.  I decided to cover the card with a wash of colour with a waterbrush, and used Crushed Olive Distress Ink, just to cover the card.  I then stamped the hare using Versafine Vintage Sepia Ink and using mainly Vintage Photo mixed with Spiced Marmalade I coloured the hare again using a waterbrush, leaving some of the Crushed Olive as highlights.  I then used some Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint and some more Crushed Olive for the foliage and a tiny bit of Walnut Stain in a couple of places.  I then used some Shaded Lilac, Dusty Concord and Wilted Violet on the butterfly and caterpillar, and also the harebell type flowers.  Naturally as the under colour is yellow the colours are not true to tone, but I like the overall look of it.  I must say I did use the same sort of colours as appears on the packing as I like the bright look of the hare, rather than just a mid brown the orange peps it up a bit and all the little dots and leaves over it are also done with the Spiced Marmalade.

I finished by adding a sentiment using Versafine Olympia Green which I heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder, and then used some of the Crushed Olive to blend around the edges before adding it to the card.

Thank you for dropping by today and I hope to see you again soon.

*Just to correct myself, I suddenly realised that I had missed the 'great' out of the equation..lol, a senior moment and it has only taken me two days to realise that it was wrong and after lots of people had actually said niece and I still had not picked up on it.  I will put it down to the fact that I have had some family things going on which have distracted me recently.  Thank you all for your lovely comments too which I greatly appreciate.    

I am entering the following challenges:

Uniko Challenge - No. 61 Anything Goes (optional twist: Thanks)
NBUS Challenge - No. 19 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.
Watercooler Wednesday Challenge - No. 292 Anything Goes With a Feminine Twist.
613 Avenue Create October Challenge - Anything Goes (optional twist: Winged Things)
Crafter's Cafe Challenge - No. 252 Anything Goes.
AAA Birthday Challenge - No. 18 Photo Inspiration (I have chosen the yellows, greens and orange tones)

CAS Mix Up October Challenge - Guest Designer Spot

Hi there everybody.  I am so pleased and excited to be the Guest Designer over at CAS Mix Up Challenge this time and thank you to Loll, Bonnie and the team for inviting me to join them this time, and it is the turn of stencils to take the spotlight.  The challenge was set by Viv and she has chosen 'Tone on Tone'.  If you want some inspiration do pop over there and see what all the very talented team have come up with, and there are also some You Tube video suggestions for even more ideas.  

 Anyway on to my card for which I have used a new to me stencil by Funky Fossil called Abstract Flowers and three bright Distress Inks - Seedless Preserves, Picked Raspberry and Ripe Persimmon, and finished with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  Techniques: stamping, ink blending, heat embossing, dry embossing and die cutting.

I started by covering a piece of white card with the three bright distressed inks using a blending tool working diagonally across it.  When this was dry I dusted the card well with my Anti Static Bag and laid my stencil over and used each of the inks in turn covering each coloured portion of the card with the stencilled image in the same colour as the card beneath, and working the ink well in for maximum coverage.   While the ink was still wet I covered the stencilling with the WOW Clear Gloss EP and heat set it.  

Finally again allowing plenty of time for everything to dry I then used a square stitched die to cut it down a bit and then I ran it through my machine to dry emboss it for more dimension.  I then added a sentiment stamped on to a piece of white card using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink and cut around it and added some of the pink ink left on the blending tool to the edges.  I then added a piece of foam to the back of the panel and the sentiment before mounting it on to a 6" square white card.

I have really enjoyed being the Guest Designer and the tone on tone was fun to do with a stencil and I hope you will join in with the challenge which is open until the 24th October. 

I am entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.
NBUS Challenge 19 - Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.
Stamplorations October Stencil Challenge - Always Anything Goes.