Say it with flowers.

Hi everyone, I was asked to make an anniversary card that was a simple floral one, preferably red!

They didn't really want butterflies, but an accident with some distress ink meant I had to cover it up!

I've used this die a lot lately but it is one of my all time favourites!

I've coloured the stem with distress markers and the red is diecut from a scrap of watercoloured paper, and I do mean a scrap!!

I'm linking up to the anything goes challenge at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday.

At Allsorts the theme is Let's Celebrate.

At Addicted to Stamps & More, the theme is anything goes.

Supplies:

Simon Says Stamp Fresh Daisies die; Memory Box Butterfly Delights die; distress markers; Kuretake Gansai paints; Stately embossing folder; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Colourful Congrats!

Hi everyone, I'm having trouble with our nbn satellite internet again! 

It's so slow...

Anyway, I finally managed to upload a card so that I can play along with a couple of challenges. I did a blue and a purple version. 

These are retired Stampin Up sets that I was able to buy recently, so they are new to me, and this is their first inking.

Darnell is hosting another NBUS challenge to use your never before used stash of stuff! Perfect!

There's lots of great inspiration in the gallery, (if your internet lets you have a look!)

At Addicted to Stamps & More the theme is anything goes.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday also has anything goes.

(the graphic won't load!)

Supplies:

Distress inks in blues and purples; Stampin Up say it with scallops stamp and extreme elements star stamp;; versafine ink & clear ep; Mpress scallop die; Cuttlebug stars embossing folder.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Rustic Butterflies.

Hi everyone, it was about a year ago that I last played with rusting powder.

I had to look up my post from then to see how I'd done it lol!

I tore a piece of cardboard to reveal some of the corrugations, painted it with white gesso, then sprayed on antique bronze distress stain. When that was dry, I painted on some collage glue, sprinkled on the rusting powder, tapped off the excess and sprayed with white vinegar to watch the magic begin!

These colours remind me of the bark on spotted gum eucalypts that we have growing here. The bark sheds every year, so it's like a new beginning, and that's the theme at Less is More this week.

I hope my card is CAS enough to play along.

At Simon Says Stamp Monday the theme is spread your wings.

I've gone with butterflies, coloured with Inktense pencils.

At Simon Says Stamp Wednesday, it's anything goes.( I'm having trouble copying and pasting the badges for SSS!)

At Inkspirational the theme is flutter.

At Seize the Birthday there's an option of dashes or doodling, I've gone with anything goes.

Supplies:

Hero Arts Antique Engravings butterfly stamp; versafine ink & clear ep; Antique bronze distress stain; rusting powder; sentiment sticker; Inktense pencils.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Embossed watercoloured hearts.

Hi everyone, I'm using up the last of my watercoloured panels that I made a few weeks ago.

I thought I'd try embossing the paper and luckily it didn't tear!

 I've also diecut the small hearts from the last scrap from this piece. 

I'm linking up to Happy Little Stampers anything goes with dies challenge.

I've used the love script and heart dies.

I'm also linking up to to a new to me challenge, Inspired by all the Little Things where they have this gorgeous inspiration picture.

I was inspired by the luscious red hearts, the silver Love ornament and the pop of black from the board.

At Stamplorations CAS card challenge, it's anything goes with an optional colour twist.

I've used aged silver frantage enamel on the love script.

At Bizzy Becs Store Blog the theme is anything goes.

Supplies:

Kuretake Gansai watercolour paints; Couture Creations Love script die; versamark ink and aged silver embossing enamel; Memory Box Heart Delights die; Stampin Up hearts embossing folder; the stamped you is from Happy Little Stampers Thinking of You set; versafine ink & clear ep.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Watercoloured fresh daisies

Hi everyone, having a go at another sketch. I really struggle with layers but in 2017 I want to try some more styles!

The daisy tops were cut from watercolour paper painted with Kuretake Gansai paints and the stems are coloured with distress markers.

 I used to colour the stems with ink and a distress tool and the ink usually got on the back of the diecut, This made it very tricky to glue to the card base as the colour on the back would bleed out!

Haven't had the problem since I used the markers.

I'm linking up to the latest sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches,

and to the anything goes challenge at Word Art Wednesday.

Supples:

Simon Says Stamp Fresh Daisies die; Entangled embossing folder; Kuretake Gansai watercolour paints; distress markers; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Yupo and alcohol ink flower.

Hi again, it's been so hot outside that I've been cooped up in the craft room!

Except when I dawdle out to jump in the pool, the water temp is 30 degrees but it's all in the mind right lol!

I used up the rest of my yupo alcohol ink panel that I made the other day to diecut  this flower. The yupo needs to pass a few times through the cuttlebug as it has a plastic coating. I diecut a black flower and inlaid the yupo petals into it.

This is a new to me stamp set called scripty sayings. The squiggle is the length of a card so I masked off an area near the embossed border to contain it.

I'm linking up to these challenges.

At AAA Cards the theme is hello!

At the CAS Mix Up Card Challenge you need to use liquid colours in creating a CAS mixed media card.

I've used masking to stamp the sentiment, wet embossing, alcohol inks, dry embossed a frame and used the inlay technique to assemble the petals.

The challenge at Work it Wednesday is new,

Supplies:

Memory Box tilth floral die; yupo paper; alcohol inks and blending solution, isopropyl alcohol; Lawn Fawn scripty sayings stamp; versafine ink & clear ep, Stately embossing folder.

Thanks for visiting,
Cathy x

Recycled perfume box.

Hi everyone, my fave perfume is Chloe Narcisse and it happens to come packaged in a beautifully coloured box. Perfect for recycling! It's my niece's 21st soon and she likes colourful things, so hopefully this card will fit the bill.

I'm linking up to the challenge at The Paper Players where the theme is to use something recycled.

It's anything goes at Seize the Birthday,

and also anything goes at Happy Little Stampers anything goes with dies challenge.

Supplies:

Perfume box; Memory Box ribbon candy border, winged circle and Parker number dies; Spellbinders circle die; Stampin Up sentiment; versafine ink & clear ep.; wink of stella clear pen.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Alcohol inks on Yupo.

Hi, I'm back with one of my other alcohol ink experiments!

Loll from Stamping with Loll, has been making some amazing cards with alcohol inks and Yupo paper. I decided to buy some and give it a go. She also has some great videos and tutorials for using these inks and the different effects you can get  by adding blending solution.

I added 3 blues and butterscotch to a piece of yupo and watched the ink spread! Then I pounced the piece with some blending solution on a foam pad, I also misted it with 99% isopropyl alcohol and got some great spotty effects happening, although the effects were more dramatic with the blending solution dropped onto the paper.

This is such a lot of fun! Thanks for the inspiration Loll.

I've used a scrap of black card to frame the yupo, so am popping in to the snippets playground at Pixie's Crafty Workshop, you only need to use one snippet to join in.

I think these colours would be fine for a male so I'm also linking up to the anything goes 

challenge at The Male Room.

Seize the Birthday has an anything goes birthday theme.

I'm also linking up to Happy Little Stampers anything goes with dies.

and to the anything goes challenge at Bizzy Becs Store Blog.

Supplies:

Alcohol inks; yupo paper; Poppystamps jumbled birthday die; versamark ink and aged silver frantage enamelling powder; Kaiserkraft sentiment stamp; versafine ink & clear ep; Darice Crackle embossing folder.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Blue & Yellow flowers.

Hi again, been playing with alcohol inks, blending solution and isopropyl alcohol!

These flower tops are diecut from glossy cardstock that has been pounced with a couple of blues and butterscotch alcohol inks. I added some blending solution to the pad and pounced some more, then I sprayed with isopropyl alcohol. Not much changed on the cardstock but I was excited by what happened on the yupo paper! (my next card to be posted).

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Word Art Wednesday where the theme is anything goes.

CAS MIx Up Card Challenge where in addition to stamping you need to use liquid colours and at least one other technique. I've used die cutting, wet embossing on the sentiment and dry embossing on the frame.

The flower Challenge where it's a colour theme to use blue and yellow. My colours have blended into a bit of green so I hope that's ok.

Supplies:

Simon Says Stamp fresh daisies die; glossy card; alcohol inks; distress markers for the stem; Stampin Up Thoughts & Prayers sentiment; versafine ink & clear ep; Stately embossing folder.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Happy Anniversary with washi tape.

This washi tape was in my Christmas stocking, thanks Santa!!

I was inspired to make this card by the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.

I struggle majorly with sketches but thought this one would be perfect to try out my new tape!

I'm also linking up to Simon Says Stamp Monday where it's start afresh, and

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday where it's something new.

The Card Concept has this pic for inspiration.

I was inspired by the gold and the sparkle, and I think my card

 fits the clean and simple category.

Supplies:

Gold stripe washi tape; Poppystamps jumbled birthday die; Aged Black frantage enamelling powder; versamark ink; Simon Says Stamp Happy clear stamp set; versafine ink & clear ep; sequins.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Flowers for you!

Hi everyone, been playing with some new toys in the craft room!

Flower frolic die from Penny Black. I've coloured it with distress markers and popped it up on a layer, quick and easy.

I'm linking up to the challenge at Simon Says Stamp Monday where the theme is to start afresh, using something new.

The theme at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday is also to use a new something.

(I can't seem to get the badges for these challenges to copy and paste!)

Just Us Girls is also kicking off the new year with a new theme.

Edited to add: I'm also linking up to a new challenge for me, the Penny Black Saturday Challenge, The theme is anything goes and you need to use a Penny Black item as your focal point.
Thanks Cat!

Supplies:

Penny Black Flower Frolic die; distress markers; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Watercoloured butterfly

Hi everyone, got some birthdays coming up so need to get a stash of cards ready!

This butterfly was cut from a scrap of watercoloured paper.(I used the bigger panels behind some diecuts for a stained glass effect). The happy diecut was inked with versamark and sprinkled with aged black frantage. When heat embossed it gives a great enamelled look.

I'm linking up to a few challenges:

At Less is More it's recipe week, add dimension.

I've popped the butterfly up on foam dots to add dimension.

Using the scrap of watercolured paper means I can pop over to the snippets playground at Pixie's Crafty Workshop.

It's anything goes at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday. 

(This is the only badge that would copy here!)

It's also anything goes at Word Art Wednesday

 (with the option of using the inspirational bible verse on your card too).

At Happy Little Stampers Watercolour Challenge it's anything goes with the option of using stencils.

I've used a scrap of watercolour paper painted with a mixture of Kuretake Gansai paints and some Finetec gold shimmer paint, for the butterfly.

Supplies:

 Stampin Up Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die; Memory Box Moonlight Butterfly die for the body; Kuretake Gansai & Finetec gold watercolour paints; Poppystamps jumbled birthday die; versamark ink and aged black frantage embossing enamel; Kaisercraft birthday stamp, versafine ink & clear ep; Stately embossing folder.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x