CAS Mix Up Returns with the Eclipse Technique

Hi everybody.  I am pleased and excited to say that the CAS Mix Up Challenge is up and running again and I have become a member of the Design Team.  The challenges runs for the month and there is a rotation of mixed media, stencil and watercolour projects.  This first month back is Mixed Media and must feature some stamping using the Eclipse techniqe and is hosted by Loll.  This technique uses a die cut embedded within the design which looks very effective.

I have used a Sheena Douglass stamp featuring a lion which is one of the 'A Little Bit Sketchy' range she produced a good few years ago and is one of a set with an African theme, and I have to admit that this is the first time it has seen any ink and I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to use it..naughty me!  I decided to do an acrylic block background and used some Distress Inks in Fosselized Amber, Mowed Lawn and Brushed Corduroy randomly placed on the block to give a Savannah grassland look but with a bit more green at the bottom.  I did do a couple of inkings to get the look I wanted adding the inks to the block and spritzing before laying it down on the white card.  I then inked the stamp with Versafine Vintage Sepia and added some Onyx Black around the lion's mane.  I used my stamp positioner and inked several times.  I then used my waterbrush and removed some of the background colour in areas where it looked too dark..on the face and over the body dabbing it away with a piece of kitchen towel and then got out my Lyra pencils and added some more colour using a yellow, orange, brown and black and I think it stands out quite well from the background.  I found a nice sized die cut sentiment to do the eclipse with and I cut a couple of extra layers to add beneath the top layer to give it dimension.  I added some double sided tape on the reverse so that the little pieces to go back into the letters had something to stick to instead of having to stick glue on the back of them or into the space itself which is more messy.  The other thing of course is to back the cut out with sticky sheet.  The pieces were extremely small and fiddly so I placed them in a dish so I wouldn't lose any of them and I held my breath when I put them in place..lol.

Our Guest Designer this month is Michelle (I Card Everyone) and I hope you visit the challenge and take a look at the beautiful work from her and the rest of the team, and there are several videos you can watch if you want some extra inspiration.  We would love you to join in with the challenge which runs from the 3rd - 31st July so lots of time to get those cards in.  

Thank you for joining me here today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

Critter Crazy Challenge - No. 112 July '26 Anything Goes.

NBUS Challenge - No. 88 Using our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Seize the Birthday Challenge - No. 329 Blue, Pink and Yellow/Anything Goes.

Group of Cardmakers - Acrylic Block Stamping

Hi everybody.  This month's technique over at the Group of Cardmakers is acrylic block stamping which essentially means tapping/rubbing the pad over an acrylic block and adding water before laying it down on a piece of card to transfer the ink.  This is a good old technique but one I have neglected for a long time but it is fun and a great way to build up a stash of pretty inked backgrounds with an added stamped, stencilled or a die cut image over the top.

I have used this technique in a couple of different ways and for the first I used a rectangular acrylic block and added Salty Ocean at the top and Stormy Sky below but overlapping a bit, both Distress Inks, and then spritzed with water..several sprays so it beaded nicely, and laid it down onto the card.  I was lucky that the horizon line remained fairly straight.  I then added the yacht over the top stamped with Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink.  I then coloured the sails with Ripe Persimmon DI and the hull with Faded Jeans but decided to add some coloured pencil work on the sails and hull and also defined the horizon line and added some yellow there too.  I decided to cut it out using a Crealies Nested Squares with Small Squares die as it had left a very rough looking edge which I wasn't so keen on..my eyes didn't like it..lol.  Finally I added it to a 6" square card and added the birds and the birthday sentiment using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink.  The boat and the birds came from a recent magazine purchase from Creative Stamping Issue 161 with stamps by Phil Martin called Ahoy These being used for the first time.  

I am entering the following challenges with the above card:

We Love Stamping Challenge - June '26 Sports and Hobbies/Anything Goes.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.

AAA Birthday Challenge - No. 86 For Boys.

 

I am entering the above card in the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - No. 852 Bees, Blooms and/or Birds/Anything Goes.

Triple B Challenge - Birds, Butterflies and Blooms (using 1,2 or all 3).

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge - No. 42 Anything Floral Goes.

This second card used a smaller block and I added areas of Wilted Violet DI and Picked Raspberry DI and this time I spritzed with a little less water so that it stayed in a better shape, although on saying that it was a bit lopsided even though it did cover the whole of the block area, and it did leave some areas of white but I decided that was OK.  I then stamped some flowers, masking the bottom first and let them trail over the edge of the shape one side.  These came from another recent magazine purchase a Simply Cards & Papercraft Issue 284 with stamps and a stencil from IndigoBlu called Wings and Things.  I decided to take the randomness a little further and enhanced the edge with a line and some doodled dots and oblique lines.  I follow a lady called Sam and her blog is called A Crafting Niche and she does a lot of extra penwork on her creations and so I thought I would try this framing idea.  I used a purple marker from. Papermania set in a similar Violet shade.  To finish I added the silhouette butterfly which is part of a set by Chocolate Baroque called Baroque Meadow, sadly not available now, and then added the sentiment.   All the stamping was done with Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink.

I hope you give this lovely technique a go and if you visit the Group of Cardmakers you will find there are three suggested videos you can watch and also a Linky so you can add your cards using this technique so that we can all see and enjoy them, and of course you will also get some brilliant inspiration from the other ladies too.

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

 

Tissue Paper Travel Theme

Hi all.  This card was supposed to be for the travel theme over at Addicted to CAS but I again missed a deadline, but also this card was a bit of an experiment at stamping on tissue paper which I haven't done before although  I have used bits of napkins glued on a card.  I'm not sure that this was a totally CAS look either as although there is white space not quite as much as I had intended originally.   I used an Indigoblu Map stamp and some background stamps and an Eiffel Tower which came from a Phil Martin Magazine Box Set a while ago, and apart from a sentiment and the map stamp and one or two of the postmarks which I have used the others have not been inked before.

I found some tissue paper and stamped the map using Versafine ink in Deep Lagoon..I did use my stamp positioner and managed to keep it still and flat enough with the magnets, and coloured it using my Lyra Pencils and then decided on the area I would use and with a waterbrush I marked the area and it tears really easily and leaves a softer edge when you glue it, and for this I used Mod Podge.  I then stamped the Tower using Versafine Majestic blue and heat embossed it with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder, and used the die to cut it but I think with this particular die it would have been best to cut the piece and then stamp onto it as it didn't work very well and I ended up using my scissor to recut around the edges, and I decided to cut off the piece of music added onto the edge which in this instance I thought didn't really go.  I then used some of the postmark stamps which are part of the set and also a silhouette aircraft and added them around the perimeter of the bit of map using Distress ink in Weathered Wood, and finished with the bits of spatter stamped using third generation Majestic Blue ink, and also added a sentiment using this ink stamped and cut into a strip.   I also decided to add a bit of white Posca pen to try to make the tower stand out from the background better which probably wouldn't have been necessary if I had die cut it more successfully and so had not cut the white off.  I think it is a little better and doesn't merge into the background quite as much. 

The jury is out on this one but I thought I would show it as it is something different and stamping on the tissue paper did go well, and perhaps things to do differently next time.

Thank you for joining me here today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - June '26 Sports and Hobbies/Anything Goes.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 852 Bees, Blooms and/or Birds/Anything Goes.

We Love 2 Create Mixed Media Challenge - June '26 Ch. 4 Anything Mixed Media Goes.

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge - No. 519 Any Occasion.

NBUS Challenge - No. 87 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Stampscape Birthday

Hi everybody.  It was our son's birthday nearly a couple of weeks ago and I have only just got around to showing it here.  At the time I made this I hadn't been back from my holiday very long and my mojo was being very uncooperative,  so I had a trawl through some Pinterest sites to get some inspiration, and I saw some cards using this set by Stampscapes with ink blended backgrounds and I do love these shades of yellow, orange and red so decided this is what I would do.  

I started by positioning  the cabin, then moved on the boulders, and then added in the reeds and finally the trees.  I stamped them using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder, and then started applying the inks which are all Distress Inks - Mustard Seed, Carved Pumpkin, Ripe Persimmon, Barn Door, and to darken Ground Espresso, and all applied with a blending tool.  I finished by adding the geese, I didn't heat emboss them though as I thought they were a little bit softer tone without which makes them look more distant, and then added the sentiment which I did heat emboss.  I did also add some small touches of white Posca pen on the windows of the cabin and also on the rocks on the foreshore in front of it.

I did debate whether to use the embossing powder as there are many layers at the bottom, but I was afraid without it that when applying the ink over the top the outlines would become indistinct, but I feel that the bottom looks a bit grey and not black, maybe overheated, but I did allow the tool to heat up well so that it would be quick so as not to overheat what was already there.  The trees which do come down over the front of the boulders really do not show up and look just like they appear behind them which was not quite what I wanted, but as this card had to go to Australia and the arrival times from the UK can be anything up to three weeks, and also as I had done quite a lot of work on it, I decided it hopefully looked good enough, so off it went.  He did say it was a lovely card so all good. 

Thank you for visiting my blog today and I'll be back soon. 

I am entering the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - June'26 Sports and Hobbies/Anything Goes.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 851 Anything from the Garden/Anything Goes.

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge - No. 519 Any Occasion.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Add a Sentiment.

The Male Room Challenge - No. 211 The Outdoors.

AAA Birthday Challenge - No. 86 For Boys.

Group of Cardmakers - Direct to Paper Inking

Hi everybody.  This month's technique over at the Group of Cardmakers uses ink added to card straight from the pad and gives a much stronger effect than using a blending tool or brush to apply the colour.  You can of course add one or more colours over the whole of a background or make different patterns according to the way you pounce or drag the ink.  I opted for making a landscape type background to accompany a die cut heron die which is being used for the first time.  It is a silhouette but I decided to add some colour using a set of Lyra Pencils, and for the background I used some white gesso over the background and then added several colours of Distress Ink i.e. Stormy Sky, Tumbled Glass, Bundled Sage and Peeled Paint, and also a set of foliage stamps from Art Journey called Grasses...unfortunately they are no longer in business.

I am entering the following challenges with the above card:

Allsorts Challenge - No 850 Anything Goes.  (Congratulations to them on their 17th Birthday).

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.

Die Cut Divas Challenge - May '26 Celebrations (mine is Birthday).

Using a pencil I marked where I wanted the horizon and the river bank on the left, and I started with the lighter colour of blue rubbing the pad fairly lightly to start off with over the sky and then leaving a gap for the background green rubbed a bit more in the foreground leaving the green area on the left, and then continued the blue right to the bottom.  I then added in the green on the horizon and the bank on the left, and to finish I used the stamps with the Peeled Paint to added some texture to the bank and also to added the foreground foliage and I finished by adding the heron right at the front and used a Black Micron pen to add the birds in the sky and Archival Black ink for the sentiment and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I left the sky quite light and patchy to look like clouds and I used the ink pads on their edges a lot to keep the ink more or less where I wanted it.  

The coating of white gesso on the card was something I read recently, not sure where, but it did say that it makes the ink easier to move about and I did use my fingers to rub the ink to additionally smooth it out.  The only thing was that it took a long time to dry even with a heat tool and did tend to rub off a bit but seems OK now.  I tried to use Versafine Clair Nocturne to stamp the sentiment which started to bleed and smudge a bit so I switched to the Archival which worked much better...obviously something to do with it reacting to the gesso I presume, and luckily I did use my stamp positioner so I could go over it otherwise I would have had to make a sentiment plate to cover it.  Overall I was pleased that I managed to achieve a reasonable finished result although it does look quite fuzzy and has a loose look but I like the contrast it gives to the pencil coloured heron. 

I made this second card which is more the way you would expect to see it done, using a Spellbinders 3D embossing folder called Amaryllis Garden and inked with Adirondack inks in Pink Sherbert and Cranberry which I hardly ever use so thought it would be good to get them out. 

I am entering the following challenges with the above card:

Can You Handle the Pressure Challenge - May '26 Anything Goes/Embellishments.

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge - May '26 Anything Goes/Mood Board.

AAA Birthday Challenge - No. 85 Anything Goes (Congratulations on your 7th Birthday).

I cut the card to fit a 6" square card and inked it with the Pink Sherbert ink and embossed it and then ran the Cranberry ink pad across the raised areas to bring out the pretty flowers.  I think maybe a lighter red would have looked better as having to go over the embossing quite a few times has made it a bit dark and dense.  I finished it with a birthday sentiment which I cut from white card twice and then inked the letters in the Pink Sherbert to add over the shadow layer.  Maybe a lighter red would have been better, as having to go over it quite a few times has made it a bit dark and dense.

There are lots of other ways to use this direct to paper technique and over at the blog you will find a video and the other ladies have made some brilliant cards showing different ways to use it, and if you do create something there is a Linky which you can use so we can all enjoy seeing what you make.  Thank you for visiting me here today and I'll see you again soon.

Our Trip to Australia March/April '26

Hi everybody.  I thought it would be best to do a separate post to show some photos of our recent holiday to see our son in Sydney Austalia.  We had a wonderful time, certainly a holiday to remember!  If you want to see my latest card post you will find it here.

This is a day or so after we arrived in a park down by the water where our son lives which is in a suburb quite close to the city (a fifteen or twenty minute bus ride).

This typifies Sydney Harbour..the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and of course a visiting cruise ship.  This one is a Cunard ship called the Queen Anne...abour two years old, and no, we didn't just arrive on it.

Just a week or so afer we arrived we went about 3 to 4 hrs up the New South Wales coast to a place called Port Macquarie and whilst there we went on a boat trip on the Hastings River and were lucky enough to see these beautiful dolphins which came right up next to the boat.  The first time I have been so close to wild dolphins.

About an hour up the coast from Port Macquarie we stopped at a place called Nambucca Heads and had a walk by the river before driving to the beach.

Here is one of the local inhabitants.  There were quite a few swimming around, but this one came in close to the shore.  I'm sure it was hoping we might have a fish or two...no such luck.

The next day we carried on moving inland and stopped the night at a place alled Bellingen, and this was the pretty view from our room with the Dorrigo Mountain in the distance.

During the day we visited the Dorrigo National Park and whilst there walked on their sky walk platform high amongst the tree tops.

....and this was the beautiful view.  We didn't have that long there but it is renowned for its wonderful walks and waterfalls.  On the twisty road up what they call the 'Waterfall Way' there were several small waterfalls coming down right next to the road.  Unfortunately it was impossible to stop to take a photo.

After our week away we briefly returned to Sydney and then we flew to the Whitsunday Islands off the Queensland coast for a memorable few days arranged courtesy of our son as a special birthday treat which was supposed to happen when I was 70 but not possible in 2021..as you can see a proper tropical group of islands.  

Whilst there we went on a boat trip to a neighbouring island to visit this beautiful beach called Whitehaven with the whitest and finest sand.  All those that wished to go swimming were advised to wear a 'stinger suit' to protect from Box Jellyfish stings.  They get stingrays which come in quite close to the shore too.  I only paddled!

During our last week we went on a boat trip from Sydney harbour to a place called Paramatta and whilst there we visited a large local park where we were amazed to see an area where the trees were absolutely covered in fruit bats.  I have read up about them and they are Grey-Headed Flying Foxes which are one of the largest species of bat and are said to be quite endangered.   Apparently the park has about 15,000 of them.  It was quite late in the afternoon and they were beginning to stir.  It must be quite a sight when they all take off at dusk. 

During our last week we also went to see Phantom of the Opera taking place in a more distant part of the Botanical Gardens beyond the Opera House.  It was all in the open air and the seating was on land and the stage itself was set over the water.  It was a brilliant performance and it was really surreal to see the harbour as the backdrop with the boats coming and going in the distance.

I hope you've managed to stay awake during this whirlwind tour of our holiday..certainly one we won't forget.

Lovebirds Anniversary

Hi all.  I recently bought the latest Crafter's Inspiration premium magazine featuring some lovebirds and a pretty leafy/floral stencil as well as some dies and an embossing folder, and I have used one of the stamps and the stencil for this anniversary card. 

I started with a snippet of white card to fit a 6" square card and smooshed some different green brushos over it and then when dry I used some texture paste through the stencil over the top, colouring it green using some alcohol inks to get a slightly darker green than the background.  I then found another snippet of white card and stamped the birds using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I coloured the birds with Distress Inks and a waterbrush using Abandoned Coral for the heads, and Mowed Lawn, Twisted Citron and a little bit of Pine Needles to shade their bodies and wings, and also the first two greens on the leaves, and then the branch itself was Brushed Corduroy.  I cut them out and finished it by adding them over the stencilled heart and also added the sentiment using the Nocturne Ink.

I used the coral and green meaning to add it over at the Color Hues Challenge but I was too slow in finishing it and I missed the deadline...drat!  Anyway thanks for joining me here today and I'll see you again soon. 

Shortly I will be adding a post which will just be photos of our trip to Australia...you might need a large coffee to sustain you as I have chosen about a dozen photos.  Please feel free to skip it..lol.

I am entering the following challenges:

Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 531 Where we use our snippets of card and paper etc.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 848 Anything but Square/Anything Goes.

Stencil Fun Challenge - May '26 Anything goes/See Thru It.

We Love Stamping Challenge - May '26 All Creatures Great and Small/Anything Goes.

Stamping Sensations Challenge - May '26 Cute Creatures/Anything Goes.  (sad to say this is their last challenge).

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Make It Colourful.

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge - No. 516 Make Your Mark.

Triple B Challenge - May '26 Birds, Butterflies and Blooms (using 1, 2 or all 3).

NBUS Challenge - No 86 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.