Floral with smooshed oxide inks.

 

Hi everyone, this die is one of my all time favourites from Memory Box.

I always seem to reach for it when I need a sympathy or thinking of you card.

I put some oxide inks onto my craft mat and smooshed some cardstock into it.

I love the random effects it gives.

I layered the inked diecut onto a white one for dimension, added some bling and  a sentiment sticker.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday, beautiful botanicals.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday, anything goes.

Watercooler Wednesday, 

Word Art Wednesday, anything goes.

Supplies:

Memory Box catalina border die; distress oxide inks; sentiment sticker; hammered card base.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Embossing texture paste disaster...beautiful butterfly results!

 

Hi everyone, it's time for a new challenge at Seize the Birthday and TaeEun has chosen the theme, add gold.

or you can play along with our anything goes birthday option.

The design team and our party guest Jen have some wonderful ideas to inspire you, so I hope you get the chance to play along.

I wanted to use a stencil with texture paste and thought I'd try heat embossing some powders in gold, liquid platinum and turquoise to add colour to the texture paste.

Well the gold must be ancient as it wouldn't melt. So, I added some versamark ink and add a different gold powder. But because I'd removed the stencil, the powder went everywhere and looked a blobby mess when I heated it.

Never one to give up, I thought I'd make it look better with some Brushos Sprinkle it in gold. Sprinkled it on and spritzed on water......no, still not much chop!

It did have a lovely shimmer though lol!

Never one to waste anything (I am Scottish!) I thought I'd diecut a butterfly and see what it looked like.

I like it! 

I traced around the butterfly to create a vellum layer too.

Here's a close up.

Here's the mess I diecut it from.

I stamped the sentiment, then added some gold ink through the same stencil as a border for the butterfly.

I'm linking up to some challenges:

Mix it Up Challenge, anything goes with the option of embossing.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday, anything goes.

Watercooler Wednesday

Cupcake Inspirations with a birthday celebration of their 500th challenge, congratulations!

Supplies:

Memory Box texture diamond stencil; Ranger opaque matte texture paste; Ranger liquid platinum and turquoise ep; gold ep; Brushos gold sprinkle it; Sizzix scribbly butterflies die; Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle die; vellum; Annabelle Stamps fanciful flowers sentiment; versafine clair ink & clear ep; Encore ultimate metallig gold ink.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Flying High!

 

Hi everyone! Playing with another new stamp set!

The aviator is a Katzelkraft one, stamped in Versafine Clair nocturne and clear embossed.

I used Inktense pencils to colour him in, with a Prismacolour pencil for his face.

The sentiments are from 2 sets, Clearly Besotted and Stampendous, also stamped then clear embossed.

I blended some distress ink in tumbled glass for the sky.

I'm linking up to some challenges:

Watercooler Wednesday,

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday, oh so cute!

AAA Birthday where it's a tic tac toe. I went with bright (blue), embossing and masculine.

The Male Room, where the team are celebrating their 7th birthday, congratulations!

Supplies:

Stamps: Katzelkraft aviator; Clearly Besottedlaugh out loud again; Stampendous birthday fun.

Other: Versafine Clair nocturne ink; clear embossing powder; tumbled glass distress ink;

Inktense and Prismacolour pencils; Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle die.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Birthday Tools.

 

Hi everyone, I was asked to make a birthday card for a guy who loves his tools!

I used a stamp set that I've had for ages, but never inked up!

Darkroom Door's Tool Shed.

I stamped some of the images in versafine smoky gray ink, sprinkled on some silver embossing powder, then heat embossed them. I then used a finger dauber to rub some vintage photo distress ink over the images to fill in any white gaps.

Next was lots of fussy cutting!

I wanted a few of the handles to stand out so inked over the silver embossing with versamark ink and added aged black frantage enamel. I didn't like the result, so used versamark on top of that with some Ranger brick embossing powder. That gave a great speckled effect.

The background was made from spritzing frayed burlap, aged paper and speckled egg oxide sprays.

The edges of the background and kraft mat were roughed up with a distressing tool, and daubed with vintage photo ink.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Just Add Ink, T for tools.

Simon Says Stamp Monday, grunge it up.

Retro Rubber, anything goes.

The Darkroom Door Tool Shed set is dated 2015.

The Male Room, is celebrating their 7th birthday, Congratulations!

Since the tool stamps are seeing their first inking, I'm also linking up to Darnell's NBUS Challenge.

Supplies:

Darkroom Door Tool Shed stamps; versafine smoky grey ink; versamark ink; Wow fine silver metallic and Ranger brick embossing powders; Aged black frantage enamel; vintage photo distress ink; Distress Oxide sprays; sentiment sticker and distressing tool; Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle die.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Pearl alcohol inks & a flower.

 

Hi everyone, still playing with pearl alcohol inks but this time with white yupo paper.

I diecut this flower from white card, coloured the stem with distress oxides and the glued on a flower head diecut from an AI piece of yupo.

Here's a closer look at the pearl sheen.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Less is More, summer flowers.

Just Add Ink, T for Thanks.

Simon Says Stamp Monday, Summer memories. These colours remind me of  a colourful Summer garden.

Make My Monday, a clean and simple theme.

Uniko Challenge, this time using hot Summer colours.

Supplies:

Sizzix Wildflower Stems #1 and Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle dies; Ranger pearl alcohol inks; yupo paper; Ranger blending solution; distress oxide ink; Simon Says Stamp Thanks sentiment stamp; versafine clair ink & clear ep.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Dylusion sprays & butterflies.

 

Hi everyone, I've been playing with some of my little used sprays.

I need to play some more as the background I made was quite a mess lol!

I diecut these circles and butterflies by being careful diecutting and avoiding the muddy brown.

I''m linking up to these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday, summer memories.

 These colours remind me of blue skies and mowed lawns!

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday, midsummer blues.

Watercooler Wednesday,

Double D Challenge, butterflies.

NBUS Challenge, The stitched butterflies are making their first outing!

Supplies:

Memory Box sketchy rings and Poppystamps stitched butterfly trio  Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle dies;

Dylusion sprays and sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Rainbow colours in pearl alcohol inks.

 

Hi everyone, it's time for a new challenge at Seize the Birthday and Barbara has chosen rainbow colours as the theme.

You can always play along with the anything goes option too, as long as it's a birthday card.

Our party guest and the design team have some wonderful cards to inspire you, so I hope you get the chance to join in the fun!

I recently bought some black alcohol ink cardstock and wanted to try out alcohol pearls on it.

I need more practice as I'm used to using yupo which lets the inks slide around a lot more!

The colours didn't photograph very well, looks better IRL so here's a close up,

and here is the black cardstock I diecut the flowers from. That's the best photo lol!

I inlaid one flower to reduce bulk and stamped a sentiment.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Watercooler Wednesday

CAS on Friday with a nature theme.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday, midsummer blues (I've used pearl blue alcohol ink).

Supplies:

Ranger pearl alcohol inks and blending solution; Memory Box chloe stem die; Paper Smooches sentiment stamp; versafine clair ink & clear ep.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Lace and Flowers.

 

Hi everyone, I started my 4 weeks of long service leave from work today so had time to play with some new goodies! 

I was inspired by this amazing tag by Tami.

Diecutting the intricate lace die was tricky with my Cuttlebug, even with a metal shim.

 I ran it through my Big Shot Plus a few times and all of the tiny details cut properly. 

I added a crochet trim diecut to the bottom then used multi medium matte to glue it all onto some card, then added another layer of the glue over the top.

When that was dry I added some speckled egg distress paint but wasn't happy with the coverage, so  I added some oxide ink in the same colour.

The flower is coloured with tattered rose oxide ink and has 3 layers, shaped for dimension.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Watercooler Wednesday

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday, use your favourite tool.

My Cuttlebug!

Mix it Up Challenge, I'm playing along with the anything goes option.

Uniko Challenge, without the optional twist.

Supplies:

Dies: MFT traditional tag stax ; Sizzix intricate lace, crochet and wildflower stems 1. 

Distress oxide ink and paint; Ranger multi medium matte; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x