Thinking of you

Here is another card for the CAS Stencil Challenge which is to use Gilding Flakes.

I used a Sizzix die to cut a stencil from vellum and then applied Versamark through it. After removing the stencil I added Stamp 'n' Bond and heat set it.

I sprinkled on the remains of some gold and some green Gilding Flakes which were mainly dust, but they seemed to work well enough for most of the stencil. As I wasn't too happy with the complete thing, I decided to cut it down and just use part of it! The filigree layer of the butterfly was cut from one of the less successful areas.

It was difficlt to know what to do about the embossing for the sentiment in order to have it tone with the gilding, so I mixed some silver and gold embossing powder together and I was pleased with the end result.

I am waiting for a pattern for some surgical scrubs to arrive, it's on its way apparently.  I have dug out some fabric from the loft which was been stowed away for years (some was bought in the US in about 1978) it's fabulous stuff so hopefully I'll be able to make some up jolly ones and then offer them to any takers. My son (a GP) is well supplied apparently so I'll have to see who would like them! Let's hope the pattern comes today!
Crafty Calendar - Add a Butterfly

Gilding Flakes

It's a while since I used gilding Flakes and I don't believe that I have ever used them with a stencil before, I think that I have mainly used them with stamps. So to begin this project I cut a stencil from vellum using a Sizzix die. This is actually a die which normally leaves an aperture so it is perfect for using to make a stencil.

I inked through the stencil with Versamark, sprinkled on some Stamp 'N' Bond and heated it. I tipped on some Gilding Flakes and pressed them down firmly, before brushing away and then burnishing with a scoochie thingy. I was really pleased with how it turned out. I wanted to do a sentiment in embossing powder rather than flakes but neither the gold nor the copper were a good match for the flakes so I mixed some of each together. It's not a bad match IRL.

CAS Stencil Challenge

I really love how the girls at CAS Stencil make me think outside the box.

Thank you SO much!

AAA Cards

A New Stencil

The challenge over at CAS Stencil is to use a new Stencil!

Well this one couldn't be much newer as I only made it this morning and I haven't previously used the die to make a stencil either...in fact I think it's the first time the die has been used.

It's from Memory Box  and I cut the stencil from a piece of vellum. I wanted to use embossing paste but my homemade pot had dried up a little too much and although I tried to reconstitute it, it wasn't playing ball. I managed to dig out an old pot of Poppy Stencil embossing paste, but that too was on its last legs, but it just about coped.  I sprinkled on some WOW embossing powder and heat set it. The joy of using vellum stencils for embossing paste means that there is no clean up afterwards... I just toss the lot into the bin. The palette knife is the only thing that needs a wipe. The foliage die is by Alexandra Renke, which I stacked, adding a deep green bottom layer which I offset slightly. I simply added a few tiny pearls to the berry sections of the die cut.

The sentiment is from Clearly Besotted.

Job Done!

The design actually used the sketch from Case this sketch but inverted!

Home sweet home

Having had a few problems with getting my head around the updated Silhouette software for my Portrait cutting machine, I thought I would try again. When I loaded up the program, I was aghast to see that another update was necessary! Fortunately I think it must have been just a tweak rather than a completely new set up, so I was able to go ahead and make this 'home' word  for this card. I cut it about 4 four times and stacked them to give some dimension then coloured with Copic pens. The dry embossing is from Cuttlebug and the house I think was a little cheapie die from Hobbycraft. I wrote the 'sweet home' using the computer with the same font as the cut word, in a size to fit under the 'm'.

Time out - Home Sweet Home

Here is another try at a Stencil Monoprint. I used a stencil from Tando Creative. I inked it with various shades of green Distress Ink and spritzed liberally with water before pressing onto some cardstock. I covered it with a piece of paper to press down all over the  stencil and in fact as the stencil was really wet, I got a good impression on the paper too. I'll use that for something else.

I die cut the W&W hello from the image and also three more times from white card which I added underneath in order to give the dimension necessary to be able to actually read the word! I mounted the palin card onto a base of textured card to give a little contrast. IRL the colour of the two types of cardstock is much closer in shade than it appears on the picture.

CAS Stencil - Stencil Monoprint

I like this one more

Here I have some more pieces from the stencil monoprint which I made for the previous card. It seemed such a waste as there was quite a bit left. I simply cut two little squares and added a sentiment from Inkadinkadoo., topped by a triple stacked, foliage diecut from Sizzix. This time I took a deep charcoal for the backdrop.

I must say that when the challenge at CAS Stencil was created, initially, I was less than enthused, but with all the suggested techniques and ideas, for me stencilling has had a complete renaissance. Thank you ladies!

Just Us Girls - Thanks

Monoprint

Those gals at CAS Stencil have done it again... introduced me to yet another technique whose title was new for me. I had done something similar when using up splodges of ink from stencils so as not to waste it, but didn't realise that it was a technique in itself.

Here I used a stencil from Memory Box and 3 shades of blue Distress Inks. The complete image was too large for my card base so I decided to use just a portion of it. (Also I hadn't managed to get the stencil square on my watercolour paper, so I was careful to arrange my die squarely on the paper when cutting out!)It was difficult to find any white cardstock amongst my supplies which went with the watercolour paper, hence the use of blue as a background colour.

The die-cut snowflake and the sentiment were dropped into the inkiness on my craft mat, before being embossed with clear glitter embossing powder.

I did emboss a few splodges onto the stencilling but it's not too clear in the pics.

This is something that I will probably be trying many times in the future.

Christmas kickstart - Snow
Shopping our Stash - Here comes Susie Snowflake

Stencilling

The challenge from CAS Stencil came a little late for me, as I had just been to the charity shop to donate a lot of unused stash, which partly consisted of many packets of Designer paper. When I first began card making I thought that this was what I had to have, until my personal style of making CAS cards evolved. Thereafter lots of designer paper remained unused in drawers. I kept a little of the stuff which was 'less patterned', this piece of splodgy green was amongst it. I simply inked over a Stamplorations leaf stencil with Versamark and heat embossed in gold. A die cut from Alexandra Renke and a simple sentiment from Sugar Pea Designs completed the card.

CAS Stencil Patterned Paper

A couple of cards

Here is another card for the challenge at CAS Stencil which is to use Baby Wipes.

I made a stencil in  vellum from a Sizzix die. After daubing some Pumice Stone Distress Ink onto  a piece of  card, I laid the stencil over it and removed some of the colour with a Baby Wipe. I cut a couple of leaf sprigs, one from some packaging (in fact I think it was the rolled centre of some wrapping paper) and the other from some white card which coloured slightly here and there with some more Pumice Stone ink.

The sentiment is from Clearly Besotted and a few tiny pearls finished the card.

This next card is for a few challenges

I took the sketch from CAS(E) this Sketch

The Theme from Inspire Create

and the word prompt from Inskirational

I cropped the corners of this card with my We R Memory Keepers 3/8 corner rounder. It matched the contours of my Framelit die cut (which I used for the embossed piece) perfectly.  I actually used a rectangle die but shortened it to make a square. 

I used Paper Mill Direct pearlised card for the base and backdrop of this card. It's a really pale blueish colour. I've had it for ages... waiting for the opportunity to use it! I have so much hoarded away since before their retail outlets closed. The foliage stamp is from Altenew and the sentiment from Avery Elle. I dry embossed the background with a Sizzix/SU embossing folder.

Both of these cards are similar in sentiment and i think that both have  tranquil feel.

Feel better

A short time ago I saw a card using these fabulous fish on the internet and just loved them, so I just had to get them from Rubbernecker. The die which complements them fits amazingly and I am delighted with my purchase.

This card uses the baby wipe and stencil technique as requested at the CAS Stencil challenge. I made a stencil in vellum from a Sizzix die and used it over a daubed Distress Ink backdrop, removing a little colour with a baby wipe. I wasn't too keen on the transition at the top of the inking and so decided to use this La La Land  die to effect the join.

I simply added a little seaweed from a Sizzix die, and a sentiment from Sugar Peas Designs.

New Technique (to me)

The girls over at the CAS Watercolour, Mix Up and Stencil challenges are constantly introducing me to either new techniques or ones I need to revisit. Here is a new one to me... using Distress Inks with a stencil and baby wipes!

To begin, I daubed some Wild Honey Distress ink onto the card, before covering it with a stencil I had made from a Sizzix corner die and some vellum. Holding it still, I gently removed some of the colour through the stencil, using a baby wipe. I think the effect is terrific. I stamped a few blotches over this in the same DI which of course appears a much stronger shade.

The little bees I think are from Memory Box dies... I've had them absolutely ages and never used them... after trying to assemble these I can understand why... there were very fiddly!

I cut them from white card, coloured the components with different alcohol pens and then stuck them together before clear embossing a few times.

The sentiment, stamped in deep deep brown ink, I think may have been a freebie

CAS Stencil - Baby Wipes

Shimmer

Here is another card for the challenge at CAS Stencil.

I had tried unsuccessfully to unblock many of my shimmer sprays (which have not been in use for quite some time) and so finally simply decanted a little into another mister to use on this card. It's Cosmic Shimmer Sunlight Mist. I bought the stencil following a retreat in Swindon with Happy Little Stampers, where Kathy, one of the attendees had just bought it from a local craft store, needless to say I had to purchase one too! I loved it then and love it still. It's from The Crafter's Workshop!

 The diecut flower is from Pink Fresh.

The panel on this card is a save from a bit of a booboo. I was stamping a sentiment for another card and dropped my inkpad onto it. As this is quite thick card I decided to use the other side for this card. Recently I have been using some Hemp cardstock from Paper Mill Direct. The reverse side is not textured, so I decided to emboss it with a plate from Papertrey Ink. After doing it I think I actually prefer the reverse side of this embossing but it was done and so that's that.. I'll remember next time... perhaps!

Several people have emailed recently asking about the card I have been using of late.... if you can't get a textured card in your part of the world, you can always stamp your card and then emboss a texture onto it afterwards, as I have done here. I quite like the dark chocolate cardstock which I used for the card base and die cut, against the subtle gold shimmer!

Wet Saturday

What better way to spend a wet Saturday than in my craft room making cards and listening to a little Finzi... perfect!

This first card is for the challenge at CASe this Sketch

I had stamped the visible Image butterfly some time ago and couldn't decide how to treat it until I saw the sketch at CASe this Sketch and then this ame into my mind!

I inlaid the love die into the front panel by cutting out the first one and replacing it with four plain die cuts, layered on top of each other and finally adding the original on the rest. After this I simply scattered a few tiny seed pearls across this image.

This next card is for the challenge at CAS Stencil.

I made a stencil of uneven chevrons from acetate, using my Portrait. I laid this over my card, masking some of it with paper towels, then sprayed with Cosmic Shimmer Mist in Golden Mint. Actually I was limited in what spray I could use as they have been sitting for quite some time in their box and a lot of the jets were blocked. I managed to get this one functioning by putting the  spray part in hot water and pumping away. It was enough to clear this one but the others were more obstinate. I may end up decanting their contents into other spray bottles.

This in fact was not the card which was sprayed, this is a print that I took from the stencil after I had taken if off the original card! SO I had two images, one positive and one negative.

I cut a couple of leaf sprays, one from card and one from the paper towel I used to mop up the work surface! The sentiment is from Stampin' Up and the butterfly die cut from All Occasion Dies.

The ink I used for the sentiment is Twisted Citron Distress ink... stamped a couple of times to give greater strength of colour. I thought it a good match for the shimmer spray!

She thought she could, so she did!

This card was a bit of an experiment. I made it for the challenge at CAS Stencil which is Alcohol Ink / Alcohol lift. As my friend of many years Anne Ray says... "Alcohol really does give you a lift!"

Anyway for this card, I thought that I would try NOT to use YUPO paper, NOT to use Alcohol Lift ink and NOT to use a commercially produced stencil... I did however use alcohol ink!

To begin with I cut a stencil with a Sizzix flower die from a piece of vellum. I used a piece of the smoothest card in my arsenal and added a few drops of various blue toned alcohol inks and some blending solution onto it. Because this card is more porous than Yupo it dried quite quickly. I then put my 'stencil' over the card and used Stazon Stamp cleaner fluid dabbed onto a piece of paper towel to lift some of the ink through the stencil. It worked reasonably well and gave a somewhat hazy outline but I really rather like the effect!

I used the actual vellum die cut as a bit of an overlay and the glue I used to stick that, makes it somewhat translucent.

The sentiment is from a set by Clearly Besotted.

Now you may see the reason for my post title.. things like this don't always work out, but this time it did!

PS Big WELCOME to Viv on the Design Team at CAS Stencil... what a great addition to the team. well done Viv!

CAS on Friday Use a Stencil

CAS Mix Up Alcohol ink lift

PS Just saw that I had already added three cards to the Mix Up challenge so this one can be ignored!!!!

Maidenhair fern

There's still time to join in with the challenge at CAS Stencil this month where the challenge is to use Perfect Pearls or Pearl Ex.

Here I used a large stencil from Ryn Stencils. As it is such a huge stencil I used just part of it. I stamped through the stencil with Versamark Ink and the after removing the stencil added Perfect Pearls in two shades of green... Interference Green and Green Patina, using a soft brush. After buffing away all the excess powder I set the image by wafting the card through a mist of water, not spraying directly onto the card. As I wanted to keep some 'white space' in the card, I added the sentiment (Clearly Besotted) over part of the image and dusted the fronds with a few minuscule gems!

It was a real delight to be Guest Designer this month, as I simply love the challenges at CAS 'Central'!

Birthday Butterfly

The theme this month at CAS Stencil is to use Embossing Paste. These challenges are SO good for me as they make me use techniques sometimes forgotten, sometimes new and sometimes ones which need a little refining of my technique (to put it politely).  Actually some need a lot of practice!

The first pot of embossing paste I picked out of my stash ... I couldn't open... it was totally stuck, probably due to the fact that it wasn't cleaned up properly before closing the last time I used it!

Anyway I digress!

For this card I cut a stencil out of vellum from a Memory Box die, through which I applied some Sweet Poppy Pearl White Embossing Paste. It was quite pretty as it was but I thought that a tiny sprinkle of Gold Glamour Dust over it would make it even prettier, which I think it did!
Using vellum as a stencil is great as there is no clean up involved... I just throw it away when I'm done!

I cut a berry spray from vellum which I just popped onto the paste whilst it was still wet. The butterfly, from Cutplorations was cut from white card and the top layer glued and sprinkled with the same gold  Glamour Dust. I had though that it might look a little too fussy but I liked the effect as the gold twinkle is so delicate.

I treated the sentiment in the same way but thought it looked a little tacky, so I added another layer in plain white card over the top. A tiny bit of the gold peeks out which looks really nice IRL. 

Sadly I don't remember where the sentiment die came from!

CAS Stencil Challenge

This coming week we will be having 2 of our grandchildren staying with us as it is the beginning of the Easter holidays! By mid-week all three will be here! What fun!