Guest Designer for Penny Black Saturday Challenge

Hi everyone.  I'm so happy to be Guest Designing at Penny Black Saturday Challenge.  Thanks Helen!

I love Penny Black stamps and dies and really have fun playing along with PBSC's monthly challenges.

The challenge is always Anything Goes with an Optional Twist.  This month the Option is Nature.

PB stamps are all about nature, so this was an easy one. :)

I started by stamping the Unforgettable image in Versafine Black onto mixed media paper  I heat set the image with my heat tool and then watercoloured with distress inks.  I fussy-cut the image, just keeping the center part of this flower spray.  A watercoloured background from my stash was just the right colours so I added a white card stock piece on top which has been die-cut with an oval.  Popped up the flowers over top and added a sentiment to finish.

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I hope you'll come join us for this wonderful challenge.  Hope to see you in the gallery.

I've used summer colours for this card, which is the challenge at The Flower Challenge this month (summer / winter).  Adding my card to the gallery ...

Products
Unforgettable (40-734)
Special Sentiments (30-574)

Stamps:  Unforgettable (Penny Black), Special Sentiments (Penny Black)
Paper:  Mixed Media (Strathmore 140 lb.)
Ink:  Black (Versafine); Distress Inks:  Spiced Marmalade, Ripe Persimmon, Mustard Seed, Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Candied Apple (Tim Holtz)
Accessories & Tools: heat tool, paint brushes, Oval Nestabilities die (Spellbinders - retired)

Challenges:
Penny Black Saturday Challenge - July
The Flower Challenge #46 - Summer / Winter

CAS Christmas July Challenge

Hi everyone.  Start of the CAS Christmas challenge for July with Marcia (Marcia's Stampin' Pad) as our host.  Marcia would like to see a Nativity scene card.

This is the only Nativity scene I have and it's a beautiful die gifted to me by a sweet friend.  I believe it's from AliExpress.

I die-cut the scene from black and also a back frame piece, glueing it together with alcohol inked acetate sheet in-between.  I thought it looked too stark with the black against a white card base and none of my coloured card stocks looked right either.  So I die-cut a second one from white and glued it on top of my black image.  You may see a little black poking out, but I'm happier with the white version on top.  Added a few silver stars in the background and a simple sentiment, both of which are stamped in silver.

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We are thrilled to have Jane (PurpleJet Loves Crafts) as our Guest Designer this month.  Please check out the challenge blog to see Jane's beautiful Nativity card along with the wonderful cards from our Designers.  Then some join us!

Products
Christmas Sentiments (Penny Black)
Borders & Backgrounds 3 (WPlus9)

Stamps:  Christmas Sentiments (Penny Black); Borders & Backgrounds 3 (WPlus9)
Paper:  White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.)
Ink:  Alcohol inks in green and blue;
Accessories & Tools:acetate sheet, Nativity scene die-cut (AliExpress),

Challenges:
CAS Christmas - Nativity

CAS Mix Up July Challenge

Hi everyone.  Today is the start of the CAS Mix Up challenge for July and it's all about Stenciling!  Nancy (scandinancy creates) is our host and she wants us to do some stencil tracing.  Basically you do your stenciling, and then with the stencil back over the image, outline it using any pen colour you want ... or outline the stenciled design free-hand.

The above card starts with a bright yellow splashed background.  Click HERE to see my video on splash watercolouring.  The stencil image is from Silhouette America and it is cut with my Silhouette Cameo machine using a piece of acetate.  I sponged through the stencil and once dry, went over the stencil again with a coating of matte gel (clear).  It makes the colours more vibrant.  Outlining was a bit of an issue with the gel, so I ended up outlining around the outside of the gel, rather than using the stencil as a guide.  It worked well.  A black sentiment banner with white heat embossing finishes the card.

My card has Splash Watercoloured Background, Stenciling, Sponging, Embossing Gel, Stencil Tracing, and Heat Embossing.  Whew!  That's a lot on a card that is still CAS. :)

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We are so happy to have THREE Guest Designers this month.  Please check out the challenge blog to see Greta (GG Creations), Sandie (London Days), and Kia (Kia's Art Bits) wonderful Stencil Tracing cards and the lovely cards from the rest of our Designers.  I know you'll be inspired to give this a try!

Products
Birthday Blowout (sentiment) - Poppy Stamps
Poppy Field cut file - Silhouette America (Donna Downey)

Stamps:  Birthday Blowout (Poppy Stamps)
Paper:  Mixed Media (Strathmore 140 lb.); White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.); Black card stock (SU!)
Ink:  Distress Inks:  More Mustard, Spiced Marmalade, Ripe Persimmon, Peeled Paint, Wilted Violet (Tim Holtz); Versamark
Accessories & Tools:  Spring flowers stencil (cut wtih Cameo), acetate, sponges, Clear Matte Gel (Goldens), Black Micropen, White embossing powder, heat tool

Challenges:
CAS Mix Up July Challenge - Stencil Tracing

Penny Black - Illustrious

Hi everyone.  Today I'm sharing two cards using the Illustrious stamp (40-735).  This is a beautiful bouquet of large leaves and small blooms.  It took me a little while to figure out how I was going to watercolour.

This is an outline stamp.  I started by inking up all the different parts of the image with markers in a variety of colours.  By the time I finished inking the whole image, some parts were dry, but I stamped it onto my mixed media paper anyways.  Then I used a mini mister with water to give a very light, fine mist over top of my stamp.  Mini misters are great for that!  I stamped onto my mixed media paper again.

I then took a wet paint brush and moved some of the colour from the outline to fill in the blooms.  Once finished, the tiny flowers looked like blobs. :)  So I inked up my stamp again, this time one colour at a time and stamped over top to reestablish the outline.  It turned out great.  The only thing that didn't work well was moving colours on the leaves, there just wasn't enough ink from the outline.  So I watercoloured them separately.  Added a happy birthday sentiment (Special Sentiments 30-574), masking off the top line so I just had "happy birthday".

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I'm entering the card above into Seize the Birthday #193 - Watercolouring.

Made a second card using the same beautiful stamp.  This time I stamped the image in black onto white card stock and added a little bit of colour with my zigs.

I wanted a different type of layout, so I cut the image to the size I wanted and then cut the panel into three equal parts to create a triptych.  What a different look with changing up the colours of the image and cutting the image into three.  The sentiment is from a new set called Grown with Love (30-713).

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Thanks for stopping by!

Products
Illustrious (40-735)
Special Sentiments (30-574)
Grown with Love (30-713)

Card #1 - Happy Birthday
Stamps:  Illustrious; Special Sentiments (both from Penny Black)
Paper:  Mixed Media (Strathmore 140 lb.)
Ink:  Stampin' writers:  Gumball Green, Turquoise, Elegant Eggplant (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories & Tools:  paint brushes, mini mister (Ranger)

Card #2 - Especially for You
Stamps:  Illustrious; Grown with Love - sentiment only (both from Penny Black)
Paper:  White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.)
Ink:  Black (Memento); Zigs:  Light Gray, Gray, Geranium Red, Light Violet (Tsukineko)

Challenges:
Seize the Birthday #193 - Watercolouring