New Butterfly

 

I just received this new die.. it's by Alexandra Renke  and I've wanted to try one of these 

three quarter view die cuts for some time. I began by cutting out the butterfly and then adding colour by using some paper towels that I had used for mopping up other projects (and saved specifically for this purpose) and transferring the colour to the die cut by spritzing with water and pressing the towels onto the card.

I used the colours from Color Throwdown daubing on a little Frayed Burlap ink to define the body of the butterfly. I overprinted the wings with a script stamp from Stampin' Up in the same ink.

The hexagons are also designed by Alexandra Renke.

I've really been enjoying colouring die cuts of late, you  can achieve some really interesting results!

More paper towel!

Here is another card for the Paper Towel challenge at CAS Mix Up

I rather liked the splotchy bit of paper towel here and so cut a circle from it to put behind this Alexandra Renke die cut. I cut a second circle in card to stiffen it, so that it could be popped up on dimensional pads. The Sentiment from Alley Way stamps was stamped using Ranger die ink in Electric Lime, which matched my spray shimmer ... from the project which was being mopped up! It will appear at sometime soon I hope,  but today we are on granny duties.. so this is a quick post.

Lots of people have enquired recently about the textured card stock I've have been using.. its Hemp from PaperMill Direct. I've had it for ages and thought it was about time it was used up, hence all the cards using it.

This is my almost completed first try at an Octopus for a Preemie. I was helped enormously my fellow crafter Susan Morris, she must have been so frustrated watching me try to manhandle a crochet hook, but it at least looks like an octopus. Sadly I don't think it would pass scrutiny as I have since realised that I have made more than a few booboos doing this. But put it all down to experience.. .the next one should be better!

Simply CAS

I love making Christmas cards and I was eager to see what CAS Christmas was going to challenge us to make this month.

What a perfect challenge for a Christmas card!

 When I was teaching, my classroom was bestrewn with glitter from about mid November onwards, much to the chagrin of the cleaning staff. Their vacuum cleaners never quite managed to gather up all the stray bits... but it was the kind of detritus that brought a smile to my face... I hate litter with a vengeance. When in Japan recently, I was SO pleased to see that to litter was a prosecutable offence and so the streets were pristine... why can't it be like that in the UK?

Anyway, I digress!

Here is a card made with an SSS tree aperture die. The panel beneath this was made with a Sheena Douglass Snow embossing folder, inked on the smooth inner side. The sentiment die is from Cutplorations, layered and glittered with some superfine glitter.

This card is for the challenge at CAS Mix UP

Here instead of transferring the ink from the paper towel to the card, I just separated the sheet into single layers and added a portion behind the Peek a Boo aperture.  I think it adds texture as well as colour. I also used a piece for the back of the butterfly. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up.

This is my second attempt in as the first one, the paper towel was stuck down badly and so was chucked! I think it looks particularly good for the butterfly's wings so I may be using this technique again in the future.

Today I am going to visit a friend I made through crafting and she is going to teach me how to crochet an Octopus. These are very special and are made to very exacting standards to give to premie babies in their incubators or cots, as the tentacles seem reminiscent of the umbilical cord and seem to give the babes a sense of reassurance and comfort. Many mums of premie babies have been really grateful for them. I only hope that I can manage to get the hang of the technique. Only the perfect ones which pass the scrutiny test will be accepted to give to the little ones.

Wish me luck!

Paper Towel Background

Loll Thompson never ceases to amaze me with her boundless ideas for fabulous techniques. This time at the CAS Mix Up Challenge she has invited us to make backgrounds using paper towels which have been used to mop up ink or watercolour during the process of making other projects. Often I have thrown them into the bin and thought how lovely the colours were. I vividly remember Darnell blotting up some Brusho colour from a stencil at a retreat and the paper towels looked amazing! 

Now Loll has come up with ways of using them for more cards.

I began by using a similar technique to Darnell... using 3 shades of green Brushos through a stencil with added spritzes of water. (Those cards will appear at some time in the future,) but for now here is the first attempt at using my blottings.

I put my inky towel over my watercolour paper and added another spritz of water before pressing it down onto the card. The colours here are really subtle and made me think of Spring so I went with a snowdrop die from Alexandra Renke. I cut out three layers and  just added the infils to the bottom layer.

The sentiment is an old stamp from Clearly Besotted. I thought that the coloured card base made a pleasing frame for the image.

CAS Mix Up - Paper Towel

Thanks again for your inspiration Loll!