ink blending

A Sunny ‘Hi’

Hello there. After a busy week, I was able to get to my craft room and play. Here is what I created for today:

I used a couple of die sets which were cabin counsellor gifts from the Concord & 9th Summer Camp. I first created the hot air balloon in bright and sunny colours, then the sun – obviously in yellow.

The background cloudy panel was created using Milled Lavender Distress ink and a Simon Says Stamps stencil. The ‘Hi’ sentiment is also from one of the die sets, layered three times – even the tiddle….

I then used Gina K Designs Master Layouts for the black layer and the cloudy layer.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Addicted To Stamps and More – die cuts and/or stencils (both)

Cut It Up – die cuts and look up in the sky

Daisy Chain Challenge – summer time

Inkspirational – travel/journey mood board

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Simply Ellibelle’s I Spy Challenge – a sweet or warm and sunny colours

Hello Friend – Mushrooms

Hi once again. I have used this sentiment quite a lot in the past few weeks. I obviously like it, but I can’t keep having the blog post with the same title, so I just added the theme. Here is the card I created:

I have had this stencil and die set from Pinkfresh Studio since attending one of their virtual crafting events. I haven’t completed that class yet, but I wanted to use the set when I saw the colours for the current Color Throwdown challenge.

I stencilled the mushrooms in red and blue inks from Pinkfresh Studio, then stencilled the leafy sprigs in a brown from Altenew. A little grey for the ground/sand stuff at the bottom.

I then used the matching die and played around – for quite a while – with the layout and design.

The final card has a light brown dry embossed background, using a Spellbinders embossing folder. I then die cut the glass dome from some vellum, played around a little more, and decided the brown leafy sprigs were best going behind the vellum. In that way, they aren’t disturbing my trio of mushrooms, and yet still create some background interest.

The sentiment strip was added to the vellum, and behind the solid elements of the mushrooms and sentiment I added glue to adhere the vellum to the light brown embossed panel.

The mushrooms needed something more, so I added some gold shiny dots:

And juts a little more bling with some blue sequins.

This card looks deceptively simple – and yet it took me while to get the ink blending, the layering, and the final composition to where I was happy.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – red, blue, brown, white

Crafts Galore – anything goes

Creative Fingers – anything goes

Stencil Fun – stencils – option layering stencils taken

Inkspirational – emboss your background

Hello Friend

A change in craftiness with this card – I wanted some messy crafting:

I started by creating the background panel. This is a Spellbinders stencil from a recent class, and I masked off the centre oval shape, then ink blended the two Distress Inks that you see. I added some brown around the edges for some darker contrast.

I then ink smooshed a couple of card panel – Distress Mixed Media Heavystock – with darker browns on one panel, and lighter browns on another. Once they were dry I used the Tim Holtz ‘Merry Moose‘ die, as I haven’t used him for quite a while. I wanted to enter a challenge where the theme was ‘deer’ – and then had to Google if a moose was a deer or something quite different – thankfully, a moose is part of the deer family – phew!

A simple white foiled sentiment to complete the card.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

FarmQuest – deer

Just Us Girls – hello

2 Crafty Critter Crazies – anything goes with a critter

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

Here Is A Place To Start – anything goes

I’m Here For You….

Hello. I spent some time in my craft room yesterday and created this card:

I wanted to use this cute little duck from Spellbinders, so I die cut all the elements from some new colours from Concord & 9th.

The background was created using a stencil from Clearly Besotted, ink blending the umbrellas with Salvaged Patina Distress Ink, then stencilling some Ranger glitter paste on top of the umbrellas. Putting that aside to dry, I searched through the Color My Life app for a suitable sentiment, and this came up from Simon Says Stamp on one of their butterfly sets.

I stamped that in Versafine black onyx, and arranged everything onto the card base.

I felt the card needed something else, so I also die cut the umbrella from another Spellbinders set, and added that – thank goodness I didn’t glue the wing down completely on the duck – I was able to slot it in behind.

I feel that this little duck may be making some further appearances on my blog posts…..

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Allsorts – anything goes

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

FarmQuest – rain gear

Crafters Café – animals

Sparkles Forum – things with wings

Ellibelle’s Corner I Spy – things with wings

You Are LLamazing

The new challenge theme at Cardz 4 Galz has been chosen by Johanna – backgrounds. Here is my card:

My background was created using a stencil from Time For Tea Designs, and ink blending with Distress Oxides. I used three colours, but the overlap between each colour created two more, so I achieved almost a rainbow effect.

The images are from Heffy Doodle – stamped, coloured with Copics, then die cut with the matching dies.

I tried a different way of colouring – dotting instead of the usual solid colouring – and I think this creates dimension in their coats. I may well be doing this technique again as I like the effect.

I wasn’t going to use all of the llamas, but I just couldn’t resist.

I hope you can come and join us with your background themed cards. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

2 Crafty Critter Crazies – anything goes with a critter

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

Crafts Galore – anything goes

The Crafty Addicts – anything goes

Cutie Pie Challenge – cute and four legged friends

Love To Craft – anything goes

Floral Birthday Border

Hello. I attended the online Spellbinders Glimmer class this past weekend, and played with foiling – with just about every plate and sentiment set I had. I was glimmering for absolutely hours. Once I got the hang of it – I just kept foiling. Here is a card created with a foil plate from Pinkfresh Studio:

I had foiled the plate onto a white panel, then I used the matching stencils in Pinkfresh pink and lime green inks. I just stencilled harder with the same pink to create some variation, and added extra lime green to the base of some of the leaves.

I didn’t blend the centre of the flowers, but added some gold dots with a metallic gold paint marker from Spectrum Noir. I had bought them to use when I was doing the wax seals and highlighting the image – yet another kit I haven’t really played with yet……!

Once the blended panel was dry, I die cut the border with the matching die set, and added two more die cut layers in plain white for stability.

I thought the centre of the border was a little plain, so I dry embossed a stencil and inserted that embossed ‘off cut’ to create more interest in the centre.

The sentiment is also from my foiling sessions, added with some 3D foam strips, and I searched my stash for some pink and lime green sequins, and added them as you see.

I’m afraid I have become addicted to foiling – you are definitely going to see more of that in my future posts…..beware!

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Catz – anything goes, option of lace, ribbon or twine not taken

Allsorts – anything goes option add embellishments – taken

Color Throwdown – pink, lime green, white

Here Is A Place To start – anything goes option of flowers and one other thing taken (+ sequins)

Get Creative – flowers

Double D Challenge – flowers

You Are Amazing….

Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge. Sue J has chosen the theme of Mother’s Day (US) or flowers for a friend. I went with flowers for a friend:

Onto a white card base I added a die cut layer from a Pinkfresh Studio die set to create the interest around the edges.

The main image was stamped and gold heat embossed, and the layering stencils used, including the one which allows you to colour the background behind the flowers. I then took a smaller die from the same Pinkfresh set and die cut that panel, and added it to the layers on the card base.

I added a foiled sentiment and some gold gems for more interest.

I hope you can come and join us with you creations following our themes. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Allsorts – anything goes – option one for the girls

Make My Monday – flowers

Cupcake Inspirations – Mother’s Day of someone special feminine

Beautiful Blossoms – anything goes flowers/florals

Ellibelle’s I Spy – April Showers or May Flowers

Stencil Fun – stencils and option of flowers

Birthday Peony

Hello. I have a card to share using some die sets from Honey Bee Stamps:

I wanted to use the three colours for the current Color Throwdown Challenge and was stumped. I mentioned the colours to a friend of mine, and she instantly said ‘peony’…….I searched the Color My Life app for what peony items I had (quiet a few actually) and this die set just spoke to me.

I ink blended a panel of Distress White Heavystock with Spun Sugar Distress Ink – keeping it quite light, and not being too perfect – and die cut the leaf from that due set twice.

On another panel I die cut the flower layers first, then ink blended the Tattered Rose Distress Ink afterwards – I wanted to vary how strong, how blended, and how smooth I wanted the blending to be, depending on which part of the flower showed when all layered together.

I die cut three of the ‘Lovely Layers Heart Vine’ outlines and arranged them behind the rose and leaves:

Once I had the placement I wanted, I used some ‘Press’n’seal’ to pick the whole arrangement up and attach 3D foam to the back, and then stick down. The leaves were not stuck down any other way and left loose to give even more dimension.

I stamped the sentiment then used the matching die to cut it out, and arranged as you see.

I also added some enamel dots to the top right corner.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – blush, dusty rose, white

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – make your mark

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – anything goes

Krafty Chicks – occasions

Make My Monday – flowers

Ready to do some gardening…..?

Hello. I have a CAS card to share today, using an older Sizzix die set:

I searched the tags in the ‘Color My Life’ app for any of my products with ‘garden’. Quite a few came up – I use tags a lot – and this older Sizzix die set came up. I am sure many of us are preparing and planning our gardens at this time of year – what to plant and where – and as I was searching for our wheelbarrow a few days ago, this die set seemed to speak to me.

I used a selection of different coloured card stock for the pots and watering can, with a silver framed wheelbarrow. The sentiment if from Spellbinders.

I was going to attach the die cuts to the base card, but I felt it needed a little something behind it, so I ink blended some blue that was left on my blending brush, then ink blended again using a stencil for some darker areas.

Although there are layers to this card, I feel they are clean layers, and therefore give an overall clean effect.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Addicted to CAS – CAS garden

Clean and Simple on Friday – CAS Spring

Simply Less Is More – anything goes CAS

Peaceful Olive Branches and a Dove

The new challenges has started at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge. The theme is always ‘anything goes Christmas/festive‘. Here is my card:

I stencilled the olive branches onto a white panel using some more muted colours and ‘peaceful’ colours, then cut that panel and a black panel using Gina K Master Layouts.

I stamped and gold heat embossed the sentiment, then added some gold gems and a die cut gold dove.