Lacy flowers & butterfly

Hi everyone, I've been having fun playing with watercolour paints, and practicing what I've learned in  the online Craftsy watercolor course that Deepti is holding.

I have to get up really early so that our internet is fast enough but it's been well worth it!

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Scrapbook Boutique has this gorgeous inspiration pic.

I was inspired by the pinks and the white lacy icing and doily.

Seize the Birthday has an anything goes theme with the optional topping of border punches or die cuts.

At Cuttlebug Mania, the theme is no squares and you need to use a manual machine like a Big Shot or Cuttlebug.

Supplies:

Memory Box lunette & oriel butterfly dies: vellum and a scrap of white card, the butterfly is painted with twinkling H2O's to give it some sparkle. Hero Arts everything flower stamp; Kuretake watercolor paints in pink and dark pink;

Entangle embossing folder; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Joyful cats

Hi everyone, my original plan for this card was quite different, but I slipped with the sentiment stamp on the base card, so had to cover it up! The array of boxes//pressies did the trick lol!

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday has a blog hop and stamp theme.

The cats, boxes and banners were cut from scraps, so I'm visiting the snippets playground at 

Pixie's Crafty Workshop.

Word Art Wednesday has an anything goes theme.

Supplies:

Casual Fridays sentiment stamp from Breath set; Simon Says Stamp party banners die; Poppy Stamps cat dies; Stately embossing folder.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Brusho leaves

Hi again, this is the last of the light brown brushos sheet that I showed the other day. I inked around the edges of the leaves with distress ink to weather them a bit.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

AAA Cards has an Autumn colours theme with an optional twist of using fabric.

I bought this craft rope in ages ago in a bargains shop and think it looks a bit like hessian.
I layered it with a scrap of metallic copper and brown cardstock.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday's theme is no designer paper. I used Papertrey Ink's burlap impression folder to add some subtle texture to my base card.

Addicted to CAS has leaves as the theme.

Supplies:

Memory Box marvelous maple leaves die; watercolor paper; brushos; distress ink; PTI burlap impression plate; foam tape; craft rope; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Brushos tree

Hi again, this is another brushos panel that I've diecut. Here's the original sheet. It's amazing that all of these shades came from only one pot of colour, light brown.

I muddied the colours a bit by misting with a gold spray after I'd finished spritzing with water.

It does have a lovely sheen although it's hard to see once diecut. I have enough left to do another tree and some leaves. The border on the base card was inked with Delicata copper ink.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Outside the Box  has a Memory Box trees theme.

AAA Cards has an Autumn theme.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday has a die crazy theme.

I've used Memory Box Arboscello Tree and Impression Obsession letter dies.

Supplies:

Memory Box Arboscello tree die; Impression Obsession letter dies; Brushos; watercolor paper;

distressed stripes embossing folder; Delicata copper ink.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Brushos birthday tag

Hi everyone, I made a few backgrounds with brushos the other night and thought I'd try and use them. I'm always amazed at how different they look when you cut the pages up.

I diecut the stars from scraps of card, inked them with versamark and embossed with black sparkle powder.

Here's a pic that shows the sparkle better.

I'm linking up to a few challenges. At  Allsorts the theme is sparkle.

At Simon Says Stamp Wednesday  the theme is Die Crazy.

I've used MFT tag and pierced tag stax, and a star die.

At Pixie's Crafty Workshop you only need to use 1 scrap or snippet to play along.

Supplies:

Brusho paints;watercolor paper; MFT tag stax and star dies; black sparkle ep; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Autumn floral tag

Hi everyone, we had some long awaited rain here today to freshen everything up and help to fill up our water tanks.

 I had fun getting dirty potting up some hanging baskets with petunias, so hopefully there will be lots of Spring colour on our deck soon.

I was inspired by a few challenges to make this card.

At AAA Cards the theme is autumn colours, with the optional twist of using fabric.

At Addicted to Stamps & More the theme is to make your mark.

I coloured the flower with inktense pencils and I swiped over the embossed text on the tag with Delicata copper ink to make it stand out.

My foliage is die cut from snippets of card and I  modified it by snipping some off and gluing on  some from another project. so I'm visiting the playground at

 Pixie's Crafty Workshop.

At Simon Says Stamp Monday the theme is to love this technique.

I love a few techniques including fussy cutting and and did this with the flower, and using embossing folders for texture.

At Simon Says Stamp Wednesday the theme is die crazy.

I've used 3 dies and 2 punches on this tag (the centre of the flower is made up from 2 smaller punched flowers).

Supplies:

Stamp: SU flower shop. Embossing folder: SU text

Dies/punches: Memory Box fresh foliage and Primo label; MFT tag stax; Carl and Punch Bunch flower punches.

Other: versafine ink & clear ep; Delicata copper ink; distress ink for foliage; inktense pencils; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Birthday magnolias

Hi everyone, I hope you are enjoying your weekend.

I opened another new toy today. I'd seen lots of lovely cards done with this set by Altenew and really wanted to have a go at colouring them. I stamped and embossed  them onto watercolour paper, then coloured with inktense pencils. They look a little paler in the photo than they really are.

I'm linking up to a few challenges. New stuff means I can pop my last entry into Darnell's NBUS challenge, where there is a wonderful array of sponsors for prizes. Darnell's blog is a wonderful source of inspiration and so much fun to visit!

Karen from Word Art Wednesday invited me to link up to their 200th post celebration with my last card, shoot for the stars. Unfortunately I'd already linked to the maximum number of challenges with that card, so thought I'd link his one instead.

The team there also have an amazing array of sponsors with prizes to help celebrate their big 200!

The Card Concept are back from their break with this gorgeous inspiration pic.

I was inspired by the colours, blue and yellow. My style for this card probably fits the clean and simple category.

At Simon Says Stamp Monday the theme is to use a stamp and a punch or diecut. In addition to the Altenew flowers I've stamped a sentiment from Annabelle Stamps,

and I've used the Woodland branch die from Memory Box. (I added an extra piece to the end to extend it a bit.)

At Simon Says Stamp Wednesday they are celebrating Stamptember with a stamp theme and a blog hop.

Supplies:

Stamps: Altenew Magnolias for her; Annabelle Stamps sentiment from Fanciful flowers.

Other: Memory Box woodland branch die; versafine ink & clear ep;  inktense pencils; distress ink for the blue sky.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Shoot for the moon!

Hi again, I think this little guy is so cute but his expression could be so sad so I wanted to give him a positive sentiment!

I used my embossing buddy on the lower part of the black panel but thought the remaining stray silver powder on the top part could be extra twinkles in the night sky lol!

I'm linking up to the challenge at AAA Cards where the theme is spectacular embossing.

In addition to the silver embossing, I stamped the moon in black then sprinkled on liquid platinum powder. I brushed some off to give the moon some texture.

At CASology the theme is moon.

The sentiment, moon and stars are a Hero Arts set that I bought a while ago and this is their first use so I'm linking up to Darnell's NBUS challenge for never before used schtuff! I'm afraid I still have lots more!

At Happy Little Stampers CAS challenge it's a colouring theme.

I coloured this crazy bird with prismacolor pencils and blended with a stump and zest it.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge is celebrating Stamptember with a stamp challenge and blog hop.

Supplies:

 Stampers Anonymous Crazy Bids stamp & die; Hero Arts Shoot for the Moon stamp; versafine ink, clear ep; versacolor silver ink and silver ep; liquid platinum ep; prismacolor pencils; foam tape.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Bird Crazy NBUS

Hi everyone, I've wanted these crazy bird stamps for ages but they seem to be constantly sold out!

I finally had some luck ordering them and bought the die to match while I was at it!

Since it's brand new never been used schtuff, I'm linking up to Darnell's NBUS challenge.

There are lots of lovely prizes up for grabs so you could win even more more schtuff!

I'm also linking up to the challenge at Simon Says Stamp Monday where the theme is to use stamps and a die or punch. I've used the bird crazy stamps and dies, and a star stamp and balloon die.

At Simon Says Stamp Wednesday the theme is to make it colourful.

Addicted to Stamps & More has an anything goes theme.

Supplies:

Watercolor paper;  Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz Bird Crazy stamps and dies; Paper Smooches balloon dies;  Hero Arts tiny star background stamp; silver ink and Wow silver glitter ep; Kuretake watercolor paints; Inktense pencils; distress ink; sentiment sticker; foam tape; silver cord.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Trio of Christmas colours

Hi again, a friend said that she was planning her Christmas card design this weekend.

That made me realize that it's not really that far away, so I thought I'd better start organizing my cards.

This one  uses a modified sentiment and poinsettia stamp. The sentiment is part of a swirly Impression Obsession tree die. The stamp is a poinsettia stem from Memory Box that I fussy cut and layered.

I'm linking up to the challenge at Simon Says Stamp Monday where the theme is a trio of colours.

At Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge the theme is holly.

I've used a Cuttlebug holly embossing folder.

At Cuttlebug Mania it's an anything goes theme and you need to use a manual machine like a Big Shot or Cuttlebug. I used an embossing folder and a tag and sentiment die with my Cuttlebug.

The sentiment part of my tree die was cut from scraps of white card. I painted them with Finetec Inca gold paint. So I'm also visiting the snippets playground at Pixie's Crafty Workshop.

Supplies:

Stamp: Memory Box poinsettia stem

Dies: MFT tag stax: Impression Obsession 106 S (swirly merry christmas tree)

Other: Ranger archival ink; red & green brushos; gold liquid pearls; gold Finetec paint;

Cuttlebug Holly embossing folder; gold cord.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x