Gina K amalgam ink pad

Crocodile Cheers

Hello, hello, hello……..I new challenge has started at Happy Little Stampers CAS Challenge. The theme for this is ‘Bottoms Up‘……

Here is my card:

The images are from Heffy Doodle, stamped with Gina K Amalgam ink, coloured with Copics, then die cut using their matching die.

I tried to add some interest and dimension to parts of the crocodile using a technique recently learned from taking a Jenn Shurkus class – yes – yet another! Using one of the lighter greens to create some dots – the alcohol in the Copic almost bleaches the parts you touch with your nib……..varying sizes depending on how much pressure I exerted.

The sentiment is from Catherine Pooler and this time stamped before I added the dimensional images!

I hope you can join us – I’d love to see your CAS ‘Bottoms Up’ creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Sweet Stampers – animals/critters/birds

Clean and Simple On Friday – CAS green as main colour

Colour Crazy Challenge – anything goes colouring – week 21

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

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Long Distance Fox Hugs

Hello there. I have a CAS card to share today using masking, water-colouring, ink blending, stamping:

It took me a while, and a lot of thinking, on how to create this card. I knew I wanted to use this stamp set, knew I wanted some ink blending, knew I would need to do some masking – but once I had decided what needed to be stamped and ink blended in which order – off I went.

I’ve tried a ‘gallery’ setting to demonstrate the process – does it work ok?

I first stamped the fox and light images onto Distress Water-color card stock – smooth side – using Gina K Amalgam ink, stamped again and created a mask for the images, Then a circle stencil added from Honey Bee Stamps, lots of masking tape so I didn’t go outside the circle, ink blended Spun Sugar then Picked Raspberry, and removed the masks to reveal the images again. I always love that part – especially when it works!

I dried that with the Ranger Heat Tool – I was ‘Jennabled’ by Jenn Shurkus after doing a few of her online classes. The use of Distress Inks again for colouring, and the use of the heat tool – well worth it. I can’t seem to stop using them. I then used the other two colours of Distress Ink to water-colour the images.

After drying the water-colouring again, I stamped the sentiment which comes in the same stamp set.

I currently like to send ‘just because’ cards, as we haven’t been able to meet our friends for quite a while. I have found that making these kinds of cards helps me to have a reason to create, and also sends just a little bit of love and best wishes.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – Turquoise, rust, pink, megenta

CASology – FOX

Jan’s Digi Stamps challenge – anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – anything goes

Colour Crazy Challenge – anything goes colouring (week 7)

As You Like It Challenge – favourite reason to send a card and why

Alphabet Challenge – Use Kraft

Hello once again. I hope everyone is well. There is anew challenge beginning at The Alphabet Challenge. We have reached the letter ‘K’ and we want to see your creations using Kraft. Here is my card:

I have itching to use this stamp set from Heffy Doodle ever since I bought it – and it was probably last year! As soon as this letter came up, I swapped between a beach scene with the Kraft as sand, or using Kraft as soil – obviously the soil won!

Once I had stamped the images in Gina K amalgam ink, and coloured with Copics, I then used the matching dies to cut them out.

I used Lawn Fawn’s ‘Stitched Hillside’ die for cutting the Kraft, and sticking it down on the edges, but left the two hilly layers unstuck – just in case I wanted to slot an image in there.

I had to cut the scene out again in white so I could ink blend the blue sky – using a couple of blue Distress Oxides – this time not splattering as I liked the look of the smooth blue. I thought about adding some clouds – but decided against it as I wanted the stamped images to be the stars of the show.

In my mind, the man has just returned home in his wooden vehicle, the woman is playing catch with the dinosaur and the bone – and even the mammoth has arrived to welcome him home…..well – I did say it was in my mind! 🙂 🙂

I did ink the hill layers with brown distress Oxide for a little dimension, but not too much.

I hope you can come and join us and share your ‘Kraft’ makes with us. The Design Team has some amazing creations as inspiration – I hope to see you in our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Watercooler Challenge – occasions

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – anything goes

Craft Creations Challenge – anything goes

Creative Moments Challenge – anything goes

Jan’s Digi Stamps – anything goes

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Big Birthday Wishes

Hello. It’s raining here today, a little relief from the high temperatures last week – but I like whatever the UK weather tends to throw at us – barring the absolute extremes, of course.

I have couple of cards to share today using the same stamp set from Hello Bluebird, and for a few different challenges:

Both are one layer cards, stamped onto folded card-stock from Catherine Pooler I received many eons ago in one of her kits.

For the hippo card, I stamped the hippo in Gina K amalgam ink, then coloured with warm grey Copics, adding some white gel pen for details.

The grass was drawn on – to fit in with one of the challenge themes – and coloured with Copics. I must say – drawing grass is far harder than it might look. 🙂

The second card, the elephant, was coloured in the cool grey Copic markers, and this time I just drew in the top of the grass and coloured the rest with the same as the previous card, but adding bunches of grass with the darker green instead of drawing more black lines.

The hippo card will be entered into the following challenges:

Simply Less Is More – CAS and doodles

Animal friends Challenge – hippo or rhino

Watercooler Challenge – occasions

The elephant card will be entered into the following challenges:

Moving Along With The Times – Elephants

Pink Gem Challenge – anything goes

Seize The Birthday – birthday anything goes with option rainbow colours (not taken)

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You Really Are The Sweetest…

Hello there. I have a ‘berry’ sweet card to share today – pun intended:

See what I mean?

I used the Clearly Besotted ‘Pick a Plushie‘ stamp set and – obviously- the strawberry. Once stamped with Gina K amalgam ink and coloured with Copics – I then had to fussy-cut them out……I know – not usually my thing, but these were quite easy.

I then used some white gel pen for details and turned to the sketch layout, using three die cut squares which were left over when I die-cut the Heffy Doodle ‘Stitched Slimline Trio die’ a few cards ago – I always keep these little squares or circles for future uses – but sometimes I forget I have them! These were still on my craft desk and just begging to be used.

The inner small squares were cut using a Stampin Up ‘Stitched Squares’ die set – a staple in my craft drawer and used frequently.

The sentiment is from the same Clearly Besotted stamp set and stamped directly onto the card base.

I am continuing to make cards for non-specific reasons and just sending them to friends as a little encouragement and contact.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Fusion Card Challenge – sketch and/or photo – photo inspiration of the berries

CAS Colours and Sketches – sketch

Crafty Sentiments Designs – anything goes

Arty Divas Challenge – anything goes

Inkspirational – word prompt ‘Face‘ – my strawberries have faces 🙂

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Curvy Girl with Diamond

Hello once again. I have a card to share today as a new challenge has started at The Alphabet Challenge – this time we have the letter ‘J‘ and we want to see ‘Jewels or Jewelry’. Here is my card:

This curvy girl is from Stamping Bella, stamped with Gina K amalgam ink then coloured with Copics.

Once die cut, I turned to plan my layers and colours for the card, raiding my stash of coloured card to find some that would match the dress – I didn’t think of that before I coloured her – and cut the layers as you see.

I thought it needed a little more bling/jewels, so I used some blingy purple tear-drop thingies……….no clue where I got them from but the colour seemed to match to dress…….and also found some Nuvo drops that matched too, but I restrained myself with those and only added eight drops….. 🙂

There is a lot of shiny jewels and jewelry from the design Team, such a joy to see. I hope you can come and join us – I look forward to seeing you in our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Aud Sentiments – anything goes with a sentiment

Crafty Calendar Challenge – anything goes

QKR Stampede – anything goes

Dragonfly Dreams Challenge – anything goes

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Life’s a beach…..

Hello there. I have a CAS card to share today which stretched my Copic colouring knowledge – research was undertaken! – to create a beach scene:

I used Make It colour blending card and stamped the Clearly Besotted scene onto the bottom of it in Gina K amalgam ink.

Once stamped, I then turned to the tinterweb and searched for ideas on colours and ‘how to‘ colour a beach scene and the sea. Most of the colours and methods came from watching Mindy Baxter do her magic – very inspiring. I added some more colours – and actually used a couple of different ‘blues’ for the sea as I didn’t want it too dark or even too light – but kudos to her for her easy to follow instructions.

Here is a picture of the colours I used:

I think I missed the dark brown Copics somehow!

I find taking a picture of the colours helps me to look back and see what I was happy with, and what combination of colours I may use again. I do write these down in a note book – very OCD at the moment – and write where I have used them on what card and what post so I can easily look back and see if I was happy with the colours or not.

The card was then die cut using some stitched rectangle frames, then adhered to a white card base. The Make It card isn’t thick enough to be used as a one layer card, so if I want to do one of those, I tend to colour on Neenah Classic Crest – but I find that doesn’t blend as well, so I have to choose my colours carefully – or colour using another medium.

I hope you are all well and managing to stay sane……!

I shall be entering the following challenges:

AAA Cards – CAS along the edge with option of ‘beach’

Lemon Shortbread – anything goes

Crafty Sentiments Designs – anything goes

Colour Crazy Challenge – week 30 – anything goes colouring

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Hope to Sea You Soon

Hi there. I have a card to share – quite a CAS card – made with a dear friend of mine in mind:

I have seen this particular friend just once since March – and so I am hoping we can get together again soon for a catch-up – and maybe one day we can hug again!

The stamp set I used is from Heffy Doodle – You Go, Gull – and I first stamped the tree stump in Stampin Up ‘Terracotta Tile‘ ink – then used a water-brush to pull the colour out a little.

I then stamped the birds in Gina K amalgam ink and coloured the grey areas with Copic cool greys, and used the same Stampin Up ink and a little water to colour the beak, legs, and wing detail.

The base card is three and a half inches by eight and a half inches, and the black layer and white window layer are cut using Heffy Doodle ‘Stitched Slimline Trio‘ die set. I love the scallops on the windows. And I have three scalloped squares to use on another card now…….

The sentiment is from the same stamp set, heat embossed in white – though I did have to go over the letters with a white gel pen as it didn’t quite emboss fully.

The hearts are cut from a piece of card I coloured with the same ‘Terracotta Tile‘ ink.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – black, white, terracotta

Water-Cooler Challenges – anything goes

Freshly Made Sketches – slimline sketch

Krafty Chicks – anything goes

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Tropical Summer Corners

Hello once again. A new challenge has just begun at The Alphabet Challenge. We have reached the letter ‘I’ – and we want to see your ‘Island Fun’ – anything tropical.

Here is my card:

I used the ‘Summer Corners’ stamp set from Clearly Besotted, stamped with Gina K amalgam ink, then coloured with Copics.

The ended up being e a one layer card too – something I struggle with – but felt I just had to give it a go again.

I actually enjoyed colouring these images, enjoyed the colour selection process and just playing around with blending. The sentiment is from Heffy Doodle – and required some surgery……..!

I know – I don’t do this very often, and instead of masking and failing – which would ruin the hard colouring work I had already done – I cut the sentiment in half to place as you see………..I must have been very brave that day!

I hope you can come and join us with your Island and tropical makes – I look forward to seeing you in our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Aud Sentiments Challenge – things with wings and a sentiment

Crafty Sentiments Designs – anything goes

Digi Choosday – anything goes

Color Crazy Challenge – week 29 – anything goes with colouring

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – anything goes

Birthday and Hello

Hello there. I have a couple of cards to share which used just one stamp set between them, and then I die cut a couple of rectangles from the image:

The circular floral image is quite large, and I was going to use the whole image on one card, but decided to cut it up to make two CAS cards.

Here is the original stamp set picture, just so you can see what I started with:

Beautiful Inside and Out Clear Stamp Set
Funky Fossil Designs, A5 stamp set

I stamped the circular image in Gina K amalgam ink, then coloured with Copics, sticking to the colour scheme from one of the challenges.

Once coloured I then used a small stitched rectangle die from Susan Wilson to cut two pieces out, and attached them in different places in two different sized card bases.

The ‘Hello‘ die is from Simon Says Stamp and part of a recent kit of theirs, die cut in black 4 times and layered together.

The birthday sentiment is from another Simon Says Stamp set called ‘Bee Happy‘ – I was after a small birthday sentiment and this fitted perfectly.

I’m off to get the house ready for having visitors this evening – the first time since March. We are lucky to have a downstairs cloak room – so I have sanitised it, and shut the door so hubby and I won’t use that for the rest of the day. I’ve even ordered a take-away restaurant meal…….not quite ready for going out to a restaurant yet……Can you also imagine I’ve also got out separate cutlery, plates and glasses for them that haven’t seen the light of day since Christmas? Yep – that’s my OCD kicking in!

Anyhoo, I shall be entering the following challenges:

Watercooler Challenges – occasions

Color Throwdown – yellow, orange, green

Krafty Chicks – occasions

Here is a place to start – flowers/floral

AAA Cards – CAS max white space and option of flowers