Pretty in pink

Hi everyone, I hope you've had an enjoyable weekend. I haven't been too productive, but I have done a lot of relaxing, so that's ok!

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

I sprinkled ost red and rose red brushos onto some watercolor paper and spritzed with water. I flicked some gold watercolor paint on too, though it's a bit hard to see in the photo. I scored either side of the border die for extra texture.

Outside the Box has a tickled pink theme.

Scrapbook Boutique has this mood board for inspiration.

Addicted to Stamps & More has a make your mark theme.

Supplies:

Brushos; Kuretake gansai gold watercolor paint Memory Box Fairytale Flower Border & Moonlight Butterfly dies; bling; sentiment sticker; linen cardstock.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Make me smile!

Hi everyone, I love brushos and the different effects you can get from them every time you use them!

They do make me smile!

The theme at Simon Says Stamp Monday is inspired by a song.

I love the song Make me Smile by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, it''s from the mid 70's so I'm showing my age lol!

At Addicted to Stamps & More it's make your mark. In addition to the brushos, I coloured the butterfly with prismacolor pencils.

Inkspirational has pop as the theme.

I've gone with pops of colour from the brushos,( I think using the  pop song as the theme might be a bit of a stretch!)

At Stamplorations CAS card challenge the theme is anything goes with an optional colour twist of red.

Supplies:

Darkroom Door butterfly stamp; versafine ink & clear ep; primacolor pencils; Penny Black smile die and MFT tag dies; brushos; entangle embossing folder.

Thanks for visiting, enjoy the rest of your week,

Cathy x

VW beetle birthday

We used to have a blue VW years ago and it was so much fun to drive!

 We had to sell it as getting 2 baby seats in and out of the back seat became too tricky!

The car was coloured with prismacolor pencils, then fussy cut.

I've used a Spellbinders MBossabilities folder called kickin rubber. The "tunnel"is a black diecut circle and the car is popped up on foam dots.

I'm linking up to the challenge at  Less is More where the theme is texture.

At Seize the Birthday I've gone with the anything goes non topping option.

Allsorts has a birthday wishes theme.

Supplies:

Kanban vw stamp; Spellbinders Mbossabilities kickin rubber embossing folder; Spellbinders circle die; Prismacolor pencils; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Bronze & copper thinking of you

Hi everyone, I've managed to make a few cards this weekend, although I've yet to do some baking for morning teas next week. I'll crank the oven up when it cools down this evening!

This started out as a CAS card but then I inked the edge of the base card, had to cover up a blotchy stamped sentiment, then decided to add a butterfly!

I wanted to keep the colours soft and tonal, so the vine is cut from a leftover brown brushos project, the flowers are cut from scraps of vellum painted with Indian copper twinkling H2Os. The butterfly was sprayed with antiqued bronze distress stain, and the sentiment was stamped with brilliance pearlescent beige. The base card was inked on the edges with delicata celestial copper. I think the colours all tie on ok.

I'm linking up to the snippets playground at Pixie's Crafty Workshop, you only need 1 snippet to join in the fun.

At Addicted to Stamps & More it's anything goes.

At Word Art Wednesday it's also an anything goes theme.

Supplies:

Dies: Memory Box Theo & Whidbey butterflies; Fancy blossoms & Savannah border.

Other: Happy Little Stampers thinking of you stamp; Papertrey Ink woodgrain texture plate; brushos; vellum; antiqued bronze distress stain; twinkling H2Os; brilliance pearlescent beige ink; Delicata celestial copper ink.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Floral heart

Hi everyone, I can't believe it's about 2 weeks since I've been here!

Been busy back at work and my hot flushes are so bad that I just want to lay down with a fan on lol!

This is a new die that has been on my wishlist for ages, tiny tattered florals. I coloured the watercolour diecuts with 3 distress inks, then spritzed the craft mat with water to smoosh up the leftover ink. It was enough to colour the heart base. The edges were brushed with vintage photo distress ink.

The challenge at The Card Concept has this gorgeous inspiration pic. I think my card fits the clean and layered category.

At Simon Says Stamp Monday the theme is spritz and spray.

Addicted to Stamps & More has this pic for inspiration.

At Time Out challenges the theme is inspired by words.... Love is the flower you've got to let grow, from a John Lennon song.

My leaves were cut from snippets of green card, so I'm also popping over to the snippets playground at Pixie's Crafty Workshop. You only need to use 1 snippet to join in the fun!

Supplies:

Dies: Tim Holts tiny tattedered florals; Mpress heart.

Other: distress inks; birds & swirls embossing folder; sentiment sticker; pearl headed stamens.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Mini canvas with cogs and rusting powder

This corrugated panel nearly ended up on a kraft card base, but I thought it looked better on this mini canvas. 2 down 3 to go in the pack I bought late last year!

I used black gesso on the canvas, then added stripes with black texture paste and a stripes layering stencil. I coloured a scrap of corrugated card with brushed pewter distress stain spray, then added some glue and rusting powder and a spritz with white vinegar. Love how the rust appears like magic!

 I diecut some Memory Box cogs and coloured them with the pewter stain spray and brushed them with black soot distress ink on some edges. The heart is an Mpress die that I coloured with weathered wood and black soot distress ink. The last time I used these gears in a heart was when I cut up a Johnny Walker scotch package. Still have some of those so I must do some more!

 The sentiment is from 2 different sets stamped onto tissue paper and glued on with glue n seal. 

I found some little d rings at an art supply store to glue onto the back of these canvases so I can hang them up.

I'm linking up to a few challenges.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday has an anything goes theme.

Stamplorations Mixed Media Challenge wants us to use a stencil. I used Tim Holtz stripes layering stencil.

I used snippets of card to decut the cogs so I'm visiting the playground at Pixie's Crafty Workshop

Supplies:

Tim Holtz stripes layering stencil; black texture paste; Dusty Attic rusting powder; brushed pewter distress spray stain; black soot & weathered wood distress inks; Memory Box antique gear set & min gears dies; Mpress heart die; Annabelle stamps and Happy Little Stampers stamps; heart brads from stash.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Rusting powder on a corrugated scrap

Hi everyone, I've been playing with a new toy, rusting powder.

I had a piece of a cardboard box and tore most of the top layer off to expose the corrugations.

I sprayed with antiqued bronze distress stain, well actually I painted this on as the nozzle was blocked! 

When this was dry I painted on some collage glue then sprinkled on the rusting powder, tipping the excess back into the jar. Next, spray with white vinegar and set aside to dry. I love the rusty texture as it is really rough and scratchy.

I'm linking up to a new to me mixed media challenge at Anything but cute.

You can create any project but you must use a wet medium. So distress stain and vinegar count hopefully! The rusting powder is my new item.

I stamped the tiny you onto tissue paper and attached it with glue n seal.

The heart was cut from a snippet of metal sheet. I painted it with snow cap alcohol mixative then coated it with glossy accents. I decided I wanted a red heart so I coloured it with an alcohol pen.

The bird was punched from a scrap of watercolor paper and coloured with distress inks.

The love diecut was coloured with platinum inka paste watered down and painted on.

I'm also linking up to the challenges at Simon Says Stamp Monday where love is in the air with a touch of red.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday where it's anything goes.

The playground gates are about to clang shut, so I'm rushing over there too.

Pixie's Crafty Workshop. You only need to use 1 snippet to play along.

Supplies:

SU bird punch: Memory Box woodland branch and heart delights dies: Couture Creations Love script die; Dusty Attic rusting powder; antiqued bronze distress stain; Happy Little Stampers thinking of you stamp; versafine ink; tissue paper; glue n seal; platinum inka gold paste; distress inks.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Owl love!

I was inspired by a few challenges with this card.

Color Throwdown for the colours.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge, create with critters. I've already recently made cards with dogs and frogs, so my choices were limited, and the owl won!

The background was made by soaking my watercolour paper in water and adding brushos. I ended up smooshing it all around on my craft mat so I could get more of an even blue. 

Happy Little Stampers CAS challenge has a smooshing theme.

I coloured the owl with prismacolor pencils, so I'm also linking to Addicted to Stamps & More where the theme is to make your mark.

Supplies:

Stamps: SU owl; Lawn Fawn scripty sayings.

Other: versacolor and versafine ink; clear ep; brushos; prismacolor pencils; hearts diecut from snippets from another project using Memory Box heart delights; googly eyes.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

More smooshed soft colours

Hi everyone. my holidays are nearly over so I thought I'd better get back into the craft room before life gets too busy again!

This tag uses up the rest of the sheet I made smooshing leftover distress inks from another project. I'd used fired brick, mustard seed and walnut stain. This piece has less yellow and more red so I thought I'd go with a valentine's theme. The colours are pale as I used a lot of water picking up the inks.

The hearts are diecut from some of the pink sheet and 2 are coloured with gold champagne gelatos, they turned out kraft coloured! The Love diecut was coloured with the gelatos too. I masked the tiny you stamp from a stamp in the Happy Little Stampers thinking of you set.

I stencilled on top with TH flourish stencil and antique linen distress ink.

Inkspirational is celebrating their 100th challenge, congratulations!! I've gone with the colour challenge#87, anything goes with Kraft.

Happy Little Stampers CAS challenge has a smooshing theme.

Simon Says Stamp Monday has a best friends theme.

That would be my hubby, so this card is for him!

At Addicted to Stamps & More the theme is to make your mark. I used distress inks.

Supplies:

Dies: MFT tag & pierced tag stax; Memory Box heart delights; Couture Creations script love.

Other: distress inks; Tim Holtz flourish layered stencil; Happy Little Stampers thinking of you stamp; versafine ink; gelatos; scrap of ribbon; foam tape; kraft card base.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Smooshed distress inks & a stencil

Hi everyone, when I colour butterflies I usually do a couple or more. It makes sense while you have all the bits and pieces out.

 I used the partner of this one on my canvas and thought I'd try another technique that I don't do very often, stencils.

The background was made when I picked up or smooshed distress inks left over on my craft mat from another project. I'd used fired brick, mustard seed and walnut stain. They are very pale as I spritzed them with lots of water so I could cover the watercolour sheet.

I used the flourish stencil by Tim Holtz with antique linen distress ink to keep the colours muted.

The theme at Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge is to use a stencil.

At Seize the Birthday its anything goes birthday with the option of clean and simple.

I don't think there's enough open space on my card to be CAS so I'm going with anything goes.

At Addicted to Stamps & More it's anything goes.

I've used a snippet of black card in my layering so I'm also visiting the playground at Pixie's Crafty Workshop. You only need 1 snippet to play along.

Supplies:

Watercolour paper; distress inks; Darkroom Door butterfly stamp; versafine ink & clear ep; Inktense pencils; Tim Holtz flourish layering stencil; bling; sentiment sticker, kraft card base.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Inka gold flowers

Hi everyone, I made up a card using the leftovers from my butterfly canvas.

The flowers are inlaid and the border is embossed.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

CASology where the cue word is simple.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday are looking for something new, my inka gold pastes.

Happy Little Stampers CAS challenge where the theme is smooshing. Jade and champagne inka gold pastes were mixed with water and watercolour card smooshed through it to pick up the colour.

Since I've used  snippets I'm also visiting the playground at Pixie's Crafty Workshop.

Supplies:

Simon Says Stamp fresh daisies die; inka gold pastes; Annabelle Stamps sentiment; versafine ink; 

Stately embossing folder.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x