ink blending

Sage Green Snowflake

Hello everyone. The ABC Christmas Challenge has reached the last challenge for this year. Helen is hosting this month, and having arrived at the letters ‘Y’ and ‘Z’, and we want to see your Christmas makes following the themes of:

Y is for Your Choice, Z is for Zebra – black and white or stripes

I chose ‘Y is for Your Choice’. Here is my card:

The background is using Spellbinders sage green card stock, and a Simon Says Stamp embossing folder. The circle is from Pinkfresh Studio, die cut using the same sage green card stock, and layered as you see.

The snowflake is from Pinkfresh Studio, stamped with one of the darker inks I used to ink blend with, then ink blended, using green/blue tones, and using a lighter or heavier hand to create even more contrast between the layers of the stencil.

I then used the matching die to cut it out, and attached it to the layers on the card base, then added some silver gems to the centre and four of the points.

The sentiment is from Lawn Fawn, silver foiled, then die cut using the matching die set.

I hope you can come and join us with your festive/Christmas creations – following our themes.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Mix It Up – anything goes – option of stamping

Christmas Bingo – column B – free, stamped image, ink blending

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Aud Sentiments – embossing folder and/or winter/New Year and sentiment

Most Magical Time Of The Year – anything goes Christmas or Halloween

Merry & Bright

Hello all. I had some time to play to create using a stencil and die set I have had for a few weeks – if not months – to create this card:

The stencil and die set are from Waffle Flower, and I used the colours from the current Color Throwdown Challenge. This took a little creative thinking, but I am pleased with the result.

There are four layering stencils, and I chose an aqua blue and darker blue from Pinkfresh Studio, a light brown Distress Ink, and decided to gold heat emboss some of the elements.

This did involve using some of the stencils a couple of times for the different layers, and masking some of the smaller parts off.

I remembered to ensure the ink was dry before trying to heat emboss, and to apply the embossing ink through the stencil I used a dedicated blending brush. This is a technique learned during a previous virtual event – and it works a treat, especially for those little dots – just use the brush, the embossing ink, and pounce through the stencil……

Once gold heat embossed, I used the matching postage die, matted it with a black layer, then added it to a top folding A2 card base.

The sentiment is a hot foiled and die cut one from a previous hot foiling session.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – blue, aqua, gold

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – use dies

Peace On Earth – anything goes Christmas

Mix It Up – anything goes – option of stamping not taken

Make My Monday – Christmas tree or forest tree

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

We Love to Create – anything goes mixed media (heat embossing, ink for blending, hot foiling)

Creative Artiste Mixed Media – anything goes mixed media (heat embossing, ink blending, hot foiling)

Christmas Cityscape

Hello everyone. Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge. Debbie is the host, and she has chosen the theme of ‘cityscape‘. Here is my card:

I started with the background by ink blending Distress Oxides onto a white panel. I kept the lighter blue on the centre portion, then the darker blue, then finally the black.

I then used the houses part of the stencil, beginning with the Shaded Lilac for the houses at the rear, more heavy handed for the centre row of houses, then black for the front houses. I also note that the background blue altered the lilac to some degree – but I am liking the effect.

I also used the stencil on top of the front row of houses and Simon Hurley Lunar Paste for the lights in the windows of the houses. I then set this aside to dry, before I went over the background with a glitter paste to create the snow flurry.

Once all was dry, I cut this panel down, glued onto a white card base, then added the foiled sentiment.

I hope you can come and join us with your ‘cityscape’ creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Girlz Creative Christmas – Christmas and based on a Christmas Song – ‘Silent Night’

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

My Time To Craft Christmas – Christmas and Snowflakes

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Ellibelle’s Corner Eye Spy – Sparkle and Shine

Stenciled Merry Christmas

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

I started by using the layering stencil from Simon Says Stamp to create the background and let the inks dry.

I then add some gold heat embossing to the centre of the flowers, and used a gold marker pen to add some extra small and larger dots around the background.

Using Gina K Master Layouts dies, I cut the black layer, then the stencilled layer, and added to a white card base.

The foiled sentiment was added, and then some iridescent gems here and there.

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas/festive creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Avenue 613 Create – anything goes – option embossing wet or dry

Peace On Earth – anything goes Christmas

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Stencil Fun – stencils – option of leaves taken

Crafty Gals Corner – dots and/or stripes (gold dots around the background)

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Holly Background

Hello once again. The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge has started a new ‘anything goes Christmas‘ challenge. Here is my card:

The background holly is a hot foil plate from Spellbinders, and hot foiled using gold. I then used the layering stencils to colour the images. As you can see, it is a whimsical kind of colouring – some bare areas not covered by the stencils – and I really like that look.

I used several shades of green for the leaves, and a deep red for the berries.

Once that was dry, I also added some gold with paint markers to the centre of the berries.

The sentiment was also hot foiled then die cut, and all layered onto a green card base with a thin gold matting layer.

I hope you can come and join us for this challenge. I am looking forward to seeing you in our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Peace On earth Christmas Challenge – Christmas anything goes

Creative Fingers – anything goes

Daring Cardmakers – a bit of bling

Girlz Creative Christmas Challenge – Christmas anything goes

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Thinking of You

Hello. I wanted to share a card I made using some dies from The Greetery and Pinkfresh Studio:

The white panel is dry embossed using a Spellbinders embossing folder. The blue circles are from Pinkfresh Studio, and die cut using some Creative Expressions card stock.

I then took The Greetery die set, and cut the gourds and bushel out of white card stock. I used Distress Inks to colour them, Antique Linen was one colour, and I think the orange was either Carved Pumpkin or Spiced Marmalade……I can’t check as – for once – I tidied away after myself before I took the photo…..!

The elements were added as you see with either wet glue or 3D foam pieces, and a foiled sentiment strip attached, and then some iridescent gems for a little more interest.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – orange, pale blue, cream

The Crafty Addicts – anything goes

Cut It Up – die cuts and add a sentiment

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – anything goes

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Stencilled Floral Birthday

Hello. I have created a card using some Taylored Expressions products from the March 2023 Crop & Create:

The background stems are stamped and heat embossed with brass embossing powder.

I then used each of the four stencils to ink blend the flowers and leaves using a light yellow and a light orange ink from Pinkfresh Studio.

The layer for the darkest part of the flowers are on one stencil, but I used an itty bitty blender brush – also from Pinkfresh Studio – and blended a darker orange and a darker yellow onto the respective flowers. This wasn’t as daunting as you may think – those teeny tiny blending brushes worked a treat.

I then cut down the panel and mounted onto a white card base, adding the heat embossed sentiment – layered three times for extra thickness – and added some green gems which has some gold on them. I think these are from Spellbinders, and another virtual event – but I may be wrong…..

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – orange, yellow, green

The Flower Challenge – anything goes with flowers

Pinspirational – birthday and orange

Stencil Fun – use a stencil, option to use orange taken

Beautiful Blossoms – anything goes with flowers

Crafters Café – flowers

‘O’ is for Owl

At the Alphabet Challenge, we have reached the letter ‘O‘, and Meg has chosen the theme of ‘Owl‘. Here is my card:

This gorgeous owl die is from Honey Bee Stamps, and was part of the Crop and Create virtual crafting event in March of this year. I didn’t make all the cards from that event – yet – but this owl was just waiting for the right time for me to bring him out…..

The owl pieces were die cut from white woodgrain card stock, and following the video tutorial for that event, I ink blended some grey Distress Oxides, using varying pressure, to create the layered effect, and ink blended some bro for his feet. I used some brown woodgrain cardstock for the branch.

The background is a silver hot foiled frame from Altenew from a previous hot foiling session, and set into a Pinkfresh Studio die cut frame.

All elements were adhered as you see, and the sentiment is a also hot foiled – white onto a black strip of card.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations featuring and owl. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

2 Crafty Critter Crazies – anything goes with a critter

Ellibelle’s Corner – anything goes

Triple B – Birds and/or butterflies and/or blooms

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Framed Snowflake

Hello. I have a card to share using a snowflake set from the recent Pinkfresh Studio Create and Connect event:

I created the background by stamping the snowflake image in Abandoned Coral Distress Oxide. The frame is from Pinkfresh Studio also, die cut in white, the inner portion die cut out, a layer of vellum also die cut with outer-most layer, glued to the back of the frame, and placed on top of the background.

I then stamped the snowflake in a light brown ink, left my snowflake where it was in the Misti, used all three layers of the stencils to colour it in, masking off portions so I had dark blue towards the middle, and light blue towards the outer portions. Those small blending brushes came in very handy for the itty bitty parts of the snowflakes.

I then placed the panel back into my Misti, and stamped with black ink.

The technique of stamping in a light colour, using the stencils, then stamping again in your darker colour, was learned from Pinkfresh events. It is a little anxiety provoking the first time you do it, and you have to ensure your card is placed into the corner both times of stamping – and you don’t remove the stamp, but I do like the darker outline when you stamp at the end.

I used the matching die for the snowflake, die cut another one to add to the back for a little more stability, then glued onto the card.

The sentiment is foiled and added with glue, then I added some gold sequins around the snowflake, and some dew drops to the four points and the centre.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – coral, light blue, navy blue

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – stencil fun

Addicted to Stamps and More – die cuts and/or stencils

Peace On earth Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Most Magical Time Of The Year – anything goes Christmas or Halloween

Three Snowmen

Hello. ABC Christmas Challenge has reached the letters ‘S’ and ‘T’. Fabiola is hosting, and the themes are ‘S for Snowmen’ and/or ‘T for Three of a kind’. I used both the themes on my card:

For the background, I die cut the Lawn Fawn ‘Four Square Backdrop’ and then each of the four insert panels I ink blended with Distress Oxides. I then splattered with water, and also splattered with some silver shimmer acrylic paint and set aside to dry.

I stamped the images from Time For tea Designs, coloured them with Copics, and die cut with the matching dies.

Onto a white card base I adhered the frame with 3D foam, added the ink blended panels and the images, found a foiled sentiment to add to the fourth opening, and adhered some sequins for even more shimmer and shine.

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas creations following one or both of our themes. xx