Stay Cozy

Hi everyone.  Don't you just love Gerda Steiner images??  This one is Coffee Hedgehog.  I HAD to buy this cute hedgie all bundled up for winter.  He is watercoloured with distress inks and then fussy-cut.  

The background starts with a debossed frame (Fine Frames Square Die Set - Altenew), using the frame through my embossing machine with a silicone mat.  Then some pretty patterned paper with the hedgie popped up on top for added dimension.  Sentiment (Merry Up - Penny Black) is stamped in red to match his scarf (dotted with an acrylic paint pen) and finally, red chalk for his cheeks.  :)

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This was so much fun to make! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps:  Coffee Hedgehog (Gerda Steiner); Merry Up (Penny Black)
Paper:   Mixed media (Strathmore 140 lb.); White card base (Neenah 110 lb.); Patterned paper (gift)
Ink:   Black (Memento); Distress Inks:  Antique Linen, Brushed Corduroy, Rusty Hinge, Fired Brick, Aged Mahogany (Tim Holtz)
Accessories:   Clear embossing powder (Ranger), Waterbrush, Fine Frames Square Die Set (Altenew),  Red chalk, White Posca pen

CAS Challenges November Reminder

Hi everyone.  We are half way through November, which means it's time for the CAS Challenges reminder cards.  Two very fun challenges this month.

First up, CAS Mix Up - Off the Edge (Watercolouring), hosted by Bonnie.  Watercolouring is the technique this month and Bonnie wants to see images Off the Edge.  It's a great way to have a different look with your stamps, stencils or dies.  Make sure that your main image is watercoloured and design is CAS (clean and simple).

Bonnie is our host.

I'm using a favourite stamp of mine, Perfect Peonies (Clearly Besotted).  I love this sweet stamp and die.  I stamped onto mixed media paper and then watercoloured.  I kept changing my mind about the colours I wanted to add so started with a soft peach, then layered on top with fired brick and seedless preserves distress inks, and finally added a layer of wilted violet distress ink.  The paper couldn't take any more layers before it would start pilling, so I had to stop. :)  Bright green for the leaves.

I die-cut the card front with a pretty corner die from AliExpress.  Then added my die-cut peonies so that they went off the edge, trimming away the excess.  Final step was to stamp the sentiment 'Love you" (Cosmos - retired: Technique Tuesday).

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Heading over to NBUS #20 to add the above card.

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Trina is our host.

CAS Christmas Reminder.  What do you think of purple poinsettias??!!  Turns out there is such a thing, although I've never seen one in real life.  I started by created an angled panel from my main panel.  It's a layout that I rarely use, but it just seemed right for this design.  I white heat embossed the simple sentiment at the bottom of the black panel which gives a lot of contrast to all the white space.  The poinsettias - Holiday Bouquet (Avery Elle) were stamped on to mixed media paper and die-cut using a matching die Holiday Bouquet Elle-ments (Avery Elle).  The image was watercoloured with distress inks.  Sparkle was added to the flowers with a clear Wink of Stella pen.  Crystal drops were added to the berries and the whole thing was splattered with white to lighten the image a bit.

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I hope you'll check out the challenge blogs to see the amazing cards from our Designers, Guest Designers, and participants.  If you haven't had time to play along, there's over a week left before both challenges close on 24th at midnight PST.  Come join us!

This is the final challenge for CAS Mix Up and CAS Christmas for 2020.  Thanks to all my followers for supporting me over the past year.  

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

CAS Mix Up Reminder - Love you

Stamps:  Perfect Peonies (Clearly Besotted); Sentiment: retired (Technique Tuesday)

Paper:  Mixed Media (Strathmore 140 lb.)

Ink:  Black (Versafine); Distress Inks:  Ripe Persimmon, Fired Brick, Seedless Preserves, Wilted Violet, Mustard Seed (Tim Holtz)

Accessories & Tools:  Corner die (AliExpress); Perfect Peonies die (Clearly Besotted), waterbrush

CAS Christmas Reminder - Purple Poinsettias
Stamps:  Holiday Bouquet (Avery Elle); Snowglobe Sentiments - retired (MFT)
Paper:  Mixed media (Strathmore 140 lb.); White card base (Neenah 110 lb.); Black card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Distress Inks:  Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Fired Brick, Wilted Violet (Tim Holtz); Versamark
Accessories & Tools:  Holiday Bouquet Ellements (Avery Elle); white embossing powder, heat tool, White Posca acrylic paint pen

Challenges:
CAS Mix Up November Challenge - Off the Edge (Watercolouring)

CAS Christmas November Challenge - Non-traditional Colours
NBUS Challenge #20

The Flower Challenge #50 Reminder

Hi everyone.  We are half way through November so it's time for The Flower Challenge #50 Reminder.  

I started with a beautiful image sent to me by a good friend.  I do love this beautiful image (Hellebores from Power Poppy Stamps) and will definitely buy this set for myself once it's back in stock.  Hellebores is also called a Christmas Rose because it blooms this time of year.  It comes in many colours ... white, pink, red, purple and more).  I used distress inks to watercolour.  Added highlights using zigs and watercolour pencils.  The sentiment is retired (Stampin' Up!).

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There's still 10 days left before the challenge closes, so lots of time to join in the fun!

Stamps:  Hellebores (Power Poppy); Painted Petals - retired (Stampin' Up!)
Paper:   Mixed Media
Ink:   Distress Inks:  Worn Lipstick, Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Tumbled Glass); Shadow Grey (Archival); Zigs (Kuretake), watercolour pencils
Accessories:  water brush,   

Challenges:

The Flower Challenge #50 Reminder

Christmas Wreaths

Hi everyone.  Playing with a new-to-me Christmas Wreaths stencil from STAMPlorations.  I masked off the berries on the stencil and then placed my wreath off the edge of the card front.  Used distress inks with my blending tools to add two shades of green ink to the leaves (Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn ... then Twisted Citron again to blend).

Next, masked off the leaves and used distress inks and my blending tools to colour the berries (Candied Apple, Aged Mahogany ... and then Candied Apple again to blend).

Removed the stencil and when the ink was dry, stamped a Tim Holtz sentiment that fit perfectly in the opening of the wreath.

To finish I used a white Posca acrylic paint pen to add details to the leaves and berries as well as adding some "snow" on the leaves.

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I wanted to try doing a second one using clear heavy gel over top of the stencil.  Same masking, ink blending and then the heavy gel.  I got a few streaks of gel onto the background of my card front which makes the card stock shiny and there's no way to get rid of it.  I fussy cut the wreath and put it onto a clean card base.

I adhered the straight edge of the wreath flat to my card base; added pop dots along the outer (rounded edge) of the wreath.  Love the little bit of dimension and shine this design has.  LOVE happy accidents!  Added the white pen details at the end.

Close-up ... shows some of the shine from the gloss gel ...

This is an awesome stencil that has a smaller wreath on the same stencil.  Hope to play with that soon!

I'm entering this second card into the November Stencil Challenge at STAMPlorations.

Since this is my first time using this wreath stencil, I'm sending this card over to the NBUS #20 Challenge.

Stamps:  Deco Christmas - retired (Tim Holtz)
Paper:   White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.)
Ink:   Distress inks:  Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Candied Apple, Aged Mahogany (Tim Holtz)
Accessories:   Christmas Wreaths stencil (STAMPlorations), ink blending brushes, White Posca paint pen, Heavy Gloss Gel (Golden); palette knife

Challenges:

STAMPlorations November Stencil Challenge - Anything Stencil Goes

NBUS #20 Challenge