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.