Alcohol inks and foil.

Hi everyone, I'm back after a bit of a break.

 Life was so busy that I had no time in the craft room.Still getting through a huge list of things I have to do but I'm feeling like I can cope a bit better now !

I was inspired by the challenge at Freshly Made Sketches for this layout. I've rotated the sketch so I hope that's ok.

I used regular and pearl alcohol inks with blending solution on glossy card stock for the panel. I also spritzed some isopropyl alcohol lightly to get some more dotty texture. 

I added some patina foil onto the sticky ink residue and the stars are diecut from silver foil paper.

Here's a closer look.

The theme at Work it Wednesday is to foil it.

At Simon Says Stamp Wednesday it's anything goes.

Inkspirational has a choice of using 3 or 5. I've gone with three stars.

And at Watercooler Wednesday it's all about occasions.

Supplies:

Ranger alcohol inks, regular and pearl; Papertrey Ink star dies; Rebekah Meier patinal foil; silver foil paper; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Smooshed butterfly thankyou.

Hi everyone, this is the second card from the smooshed oxide ink panel that was a disaster as a background. I had to find a spot I liked for this butterfly, luckily it's fairly small lol!

I'll be sending this off to the lovely CWA ladies (and gent) who catered for my Step Dad's memorial at the end of April.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Happy Little Stampers anything goes with dies.

Inkspirational,

Word Art Wednesday,

Time Out. 

Supplies:

Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle and Memory Box drifting side butterfly dies: Simon Says Stamp thanks sentiment stamps; versafine ink & clear ep; distress oxide inks.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Smooshed distress oxide ferns.

Hi everyone, I made an inky background by smooshing some card into oxide inks misted with water.

It wasn't good! I should've taken a photo of the messy look lol! I think it was the type of card I used. The inks didn't move very well.

Anyway, not one to waste anything, I decided to dicut a few things and see how they looked.

I managed to make 4 different cards out of the sheet and I was pretty happy with the look of them!

I inlaid one of the ferns to reduce bulk and left the tips of the overlapping frond unglued for extra dimension.

I'm linking this one up to these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday where the theme is masculine.

AAA Birthday where the theme is watercolours.

Addicted to Stamps & More where they are celebrating their 7th birthday. Congratulations!

Happy Little Stampers Anything goes with Dies.

Die Cuttin'Divas where it's a masculine, or Father's Day theme.

Supplies:

Dies: Memory Box delicate fern; Crafts 4 U stitched rectangles.

Distress oxide inks; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Purple butterflies remake.

Hi everyone, a friend of my sister's asked me to make one of my cards that he had seen years ago.

He said "You know, that purple one"lol!

So here it is, although I've changed the placement of the sentiment sticker slightly.

The butterflies were stamped in versafine, clear embossed and coloured with Prismacolour pencils. There's a touch of diamond stickles on the wings , bit hard to see in the pic though.

I love this embossing folder as it leaves a smooth section perfect for the sentiment.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Anything goes feminine  at Watercooler Wednesday.

Nature at Time Out.

Stamplorations CAS where I'm taking the anything goes option.

Work it Wednesday has a summer vibes theme.

 Butterflies, flowers and being outdoors in the summer sun!

At Seize the Birthday it's anything goes with a birthday theme.

Supplies:

Couture Creations petal pleasures embossing folder: Hero Arts antique engravings buterfly stamp; versafine ink & clear ep; Prismacolour pencils: sentiment sticker; stickles.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Jade infusions and a flower.

Hi everyone, it's time for a new challenge at Seize the Birthday and this time it's anything goes as long as it's a birthday theme.

 Our party guest and the design team have some wonderful inspiration for you, so I hope you can play along.

I love this die for making cards in a hurry!

 All that you need is a  piece of card for the top layer and a background!

This one was made by mopping up some infusions powder that had been spritzed with lots of water. The walnut crystals leave a lovely vintagy brown colour, looks a bit marbelized to me.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

AAA Cards are celebrating their 5th birthday! Congratulations.

AAA Birthday have a watercolour theme.

Time Out has a nature theme.

Watercooler Wednesday has an anything goes feminine theme.

Supplies:

Poppystamps Floral Stem Collage die; PaperArtsy a little bit jaded infusions; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Metallic perfect pearls.

Hi everyone, it's time for some new fun with stencils over at CAS Stencil Challenge.

There are some videos to tempt you and lots of fabulous inspiration from our guest designer and the rest of the team. I hope you get the chance to play along.

I used the Smash stencil from Memory Box and dabbed some versamark ink through it onto some black card. Next I used a brush to dab on some perfect pearls powder in copper, blush and patina.

I brushed off the excess then spritzed it lightly with water to set the perfect pearls.

I wanted a bit more coverage so laid the stencil down and repeated this process a couple of times!

Here's a closer look.

I diecut the nimbers layered 3 times, inked with versamark and embossed with copper ep. The sentiment is also embossed with this.

I cut and inked some white card with delicata copper ink to layer the pearly panel onto.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday where it's anything goes.

Mix it up Challenge Blog where I'm playing along with the anything goes option.

and to Just Us Girls where the theme is retro. I thik this coppery metallic look has a retro feel to it.

Supplies:

Memory Box smash stencil; perfect pearls powder; versamark ink; Memory Box Parker number dies; stitched circle die; Wow fine detail copper ep; Happy Little Stampers doodled Flowers sentiment; Delicata copper ink.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Butterfly note.

Hi everyone, this was a quick card that needs to get in the mail tomorrow.

I had a couple of these oxide inked photo paper butterflies in my stash, so decided to use one of them.

I'm linking up to the challenge at AAA Cards . These colours look brighter IRL but that might be the shine on the photo paper.

At Simon Says Wednesday there's a moodboard for inspiration.

At CASology it's a summer theme.

Butterflies, gardening and being outside, love summer when it's not too hot lol!

At Stamplorations CAS Challenge, it's anything goes with the option of lilac.

Supplies:

Memory Box drifting butterfly  and Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle dies; Annabelle Stamps sentiment; oxide inks; versafine ink & clear ep; glossy photo paper and a baby wipe.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Birthday Chickens.

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

The toppings option is presents,

but as always you can play along with anything goes birthday.

There are lots of wonderful ideas by our party guest and Design Team to inspire you, so I hope you can play along.

I've had this stamp for ages but this is it's first inking. I masked off the 4th chicken as I was happy with these 3, and they are coloured with Prismacolour pencils and Zig brush pens.

I stamped a 2nd present and cake, fussycut them and layered them up on foam dots for some dimension.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday where they have a bright colours moodboard for inspiration.

Addicted to Stamps & More where it's make your mark with pens, pencils, paint etc.

AAA Birthday where it's anything goes birthday.

Watercooler Wednesday where it's all about occasions.

Supplies:

Penny Black cluck cluck cluck stamp; versafine ink & clear ep; Prismacolour pencils; Zig colour brushes; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Dinosaur birthday!

Hi everyone, I hope you're enjoying your weekend.

I'm procrastinating again lol! Oh well, I'll do the ironing after dinner.

I made a few backgrounds with oxide inks and photo paper, swiping them with a baby wipe to bring out the colours. Now some of the backgrounds I loved, and some...I didn't lol!

But I'm not one to waste anything, so from a murky green piece I diecut this dinosaur.

For the background I was going for a rocky toned prehistoric look!

I put tea dye and pumice stone oxide inks on my craft mat, spritzed with water and smooshed onto cardstock.

The birthday diecut was embossed with black sparkle embossing powder.

Here's a closer look.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

CAS Mix Up Card Challenge.

My elements are the baby wipe technique, stamping, watercolouring by smooshing, diecutting and wet embossing.

CAS Watercolour Card Challenge,

The Male Room, anything goes option.

Uniko Studio,

and Watercooler Wednesday.

Supplies:

Tim Holtz prehistoric die; Simon Says stamp Happy Birthday die; Spellbinders circle die; distress oxide inks; photo paper; versamark ink; black sparkle embossing powder; happy sticker; Lawn Fawn reveal wheel sentiment stamp; versafine ink & clear ep.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x