Opal painted butterfly.

Hi everyone, I'm trying out some new opal magic paints in violet green and coral teal.

They are much bolder colours than the others that I have and initially I was disappointed that they didn't look the same as the ones on this unicorn card.

Once I'd stamped this detailed butterfly on the painted background though I was happier, I think it needs the stronger colours, whew!

Still a bit of shimmer, here's a closer look.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Perfectly CAS with a birthday theme.

Addicted to Stamps & More where it's a CAS theme.

AAA Cards where I'm playing without the geometric twist.

Watercooler Wednesday where it's all about occasions.

And a new to me challenge Sisterhood of Crafters where it's also a CAS theme.

Supplies:

Nellie Snellen butterfly stamp; Annabelle Stamps sentiment; versafineclair ink & clear ep; Art Alchemy opal magic paint; hammered card base.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Belated birthday candles!

Hi everyone, I hope you have been enjoying the new challenge at Seize the Birthday!

Shirley has chosen the theme this time and it's candles. 

Of course, you can always play along with the anything goes birthday option instead!

Apologies for being late to the party this round. Hopefully life will settle down again for a while so I have time in the craft room!

This is an ancient candle stamp that I forgot I had! Stamped  in Versafine ink, clear embossed, fussycut and coloured with markers.

The diecut sentiment is from one of my remaining reject pieces of glossy photo paper, smooshed in distress oxide inks and wiped with a baby wipe to remove the chalkiness.

Here's a closer look at the shine.

I'm linking up to a few challenges:

Watercooler Wednesday where it's all about occasions.

Work it Wednesday where it's time to celebrate.

AAA Birthday where it's a colour palette, use any 2 of the colours.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday where it's fall or autumn colours.

Supplies:

Amazing Creations candle stamp; versafine ink & clear ep; Zig markers; Simon Says Stamp sentiment die; glossy photo paper and distress oxide inks; Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle die.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Embossed stencilling and patterned paper.

Hi everyone, have you had a chance to enter this month's CAS Stencil challenge yet? 

There's still plenty of time.

 The theme is stencilling on patterned paper. You can use sprays, pastes paints, inks, anything you'd like to stencil with.

The design team and our guest have some great ideas to inspire you, so I hope you can play along.

I had some beige paper with textured patterns on it that I thought went well with this Funky Fossil Design tree stencil. I used the branches at an angle to create a pattern with versamark ink. Next I embossed it with some midnight copper powder. I did a couple of embossing layers to add some height and shine to the embossing.

Here's a closer look:

I fussy cut and coloured the butterfly with Inktense pencils and added a sentiment sticker.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Mix it Up Challenge Blog where it's anything goes.

Stamplorations CAS challenge where I'm playing along with the optional twist of using orange.

Supplies:

Funky Fossil tree stencil; versamark ink; Lindys Stamp Gang midnight copper ep; Hero Arts Antique Engravings butterfly; versafine ink & clear ep; Imktense pencils; patterned paper from stash; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Feathers and oxide inked photo paper.

Hi everyone, I had a few more backgrounds in my reject pile that I wanted to try and use up!

These were made by smooshing oxide inks onto glossy photo paper and then wiping away the chalky residue with a baby wipe or damp cloth. I thought they made pretty colourful feathers.

I'm linking up to the feathers challenge at CASology.

Dies R Us where it's anything goes.

Supplies:

Hero Arts feathers and Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle dies; oxide inks; Paper Smooches Word Salad stamp; versafine ink & cler ep; sequin from stash.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Infusions and eucalypts!

Hi everyone, I'm on the last day of the school holidays here!

 Back to work tomorrow...sigh! It'll be a busy Term 4 in our office too but I guess it'll be Christmas holidays before we know it lol!

I bought this die a little while ago and thought it went well with this Paper Artsy infusions background. The colours remind me of the bark on the eucalypts we have growing here.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Watercooler Wednesday where it's all about occasions.

Addicted to Stamps & More where it's make your mark.

CAS on Friday where it's a masculine theme.

The Male Room where it's a stay CAS theme.

Stamplorations CAS Challenge where I'm playing along without the optional colour twist.

Supplies:

Paper Rose die; Paper Artsy infusions; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Cowgirl Birthday!

Hi everyone.
 Lately I've been looking through my stash of patterned papers and found this Creative Imaginations one that I've had for years.
I cut the strips I wanted from the paper and  teamed them with some Jolee 3D stickers and thought it would fit the topic for the new challenge at Seize the Birthday. Lindsey's theme choice is for the kids.



Of course, you can always play along with the anything goes birthday option too.




Our special party guest and the design team have some wonderful cards to inspire you, so I hope you can play along.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Just Us Girls, where the theme is designer paper.



Simon Says Work it Wednesday where it's a celebrate theme.

Watercooler Wednesday where it's all about occasions.



Supplies:
 Creative Imaginations paper Samantha Walker: Jolee 3D stickers; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,
Cathy x

Patterned paper and a stencil.

Hi everyone, it's time for a new challenge at CAS Stencil and Loll has chosen patterned paper as our theme this month. The design team and special guest have lots of wonderful ideas to inspire you, so I hope you can play along!

Here's the paper that I started with, or the part that's left anyway! It was a 12 x 12 paper from Kaisercraft that had icecream cones on one side and this pretty colour scheme on the back.

I used the Scribbles stencil by Tim Holtz and spread some gesso through it. Love the muted colours!

The diecut is one from Memory Box. The green background is also cut from the pp.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday has a think pink theme.

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

Watercooler Wednesday also has an anything goes challenge.

Supplies:

Kaisercraft Party Time - Double scoop paper; Tim Holtz Scribbles stencil; gesso; Memory Box jotted script  die; Kaisercraft sentiment stamp, masked to use certain words, stamped in Versafine Clair nocturne and clear embossed.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

80th Birthday Banner!

Hi everyone, it's time for a new challenge at Seize the Birthday

TaeEun has chosen the theme of geometric shapes, and there are loads of fantastic ideas by our party guest and design team to inspire you.

Although you can always play along with anything goes as long as it's a birthday theme.

I made this card for one of the residents at the nursing home where my Mum is living. He was so excited to tell me that his big birthday milestone was approaching!

The banner is diecut from a "failed" background made by smooshing distress oxide inks on photo paper, then wiping away the chalkiness with a baby wipe. Diecutting the banner toned down the discordant colours a lot lol!

I've inked the numbers with versamark and embossed with black sparkle powder. I added a couple of layers for dimension.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday where it's anything goes.

Watercooler Wednesday where it's all about occasions.



Happy Little Stampers anything goes with dies.

Stamplorations CAS card challenge.

Supplies:

Simon Says Stamp party banner and Memory Box parker number dies; distress oxide inks; glossy photo paper; versamark ink & black sparkle ep; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Lots of pink!

Hi everyone, have you had a chance to play along with the challenge at CAS Stencil yet?

Julia has chosen baby wipes as our technique to use with a stencil. There are some wonderful ideas for inspiration on the challenge blog, so I hope you can play along

I think I'm a bit too heavy handed with the wipes! Inking up some card and then blotting or wiping away the ink wasnt working for me. I was tearing the cardstock. 

So I decided to add some white gesso through the stencil onto white card, then used some pink oxide ink to add colour.

I laid the stencil back on and used the baby wipe to remove the ink from the flowers.

I managed to get a result I was happy with!

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Seize the Birthday with the anything goes birthday option.

AAA Birthday use a stencil.

Simon Says Stamp Monday where the theme is monochrome.

Supplies:

Kaisercraft blossoms stencil; white gesso; distress oxide inks; Memory Box Moonlight butterfly die from my UFO box!; Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle die; sentiment sticker; pink pearlized cardstock.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x