ink blending

CAS Hello

Hello again. I have a card to share for my next voyage into the CAS realm.

This card was created by using a Spellbinders stencil, selective masking, and ink blending.

I took the stencils and decided which part of the whole image I wanted to put down into the bottom left corner. This was done directly onto a white Neenah 110lbs card base, used some low tack tape to mask off areas I didn’t want, and used Pinkfresh Studio inks.

This did take a little planning, and initially I didn’t want the two buds on there, but when it came to ink blending the uppermost flower and the leaf and stem, I realised that there would be gaps – so I went back in with the relevant stencils and joined everything up to my liking.

The complete image takes up most of an A2 card, with a total of three flower heads and 4 buds, but as you can see I ink blended two flowers and two buds, moving the stencil down further past where it should be so they were coming off the edge.

The stamped ‘hello‘ is also from Spellbinders, and the same monthly release.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

CAS on Friday – CAS Botanical

Simply CAS – CAS – option of baskets not taken

Dragonfly Dreams – CAS

Stencil Fun – stencils – option of rainbow colours not taken

Sending Springtime Smiles

Hello. I am here to share a card using more products from the recent Crop & Create run by Scrapbook & Cards Today:

My goodness – these cards are hard to photograph to cover all aspects – I’m afraid there are a few more through the post – bear with me….

I started by stamping and ink blending the Lawn Fawn mouse images using the supplied colouring stencils, then die cutting with their matching dies….Jenn Shurkus taught this class at the event, and I stamped a few more than was needed for her cards so I could have a play.

I then turned to the Pink & Main products, which included the ‘Pull & Surprise‘ die, and created the interactive card base. I first created one with white, so I could how it all went together, then used a teal card, and added some Polkadoodles patterned paper – which you see with the sweet little birdies.

To create the grass and sky scene, I used a piece of light blue card stock and an MFT stencil for the cloud area, and just ink blended green over the bottom for the grass.

The Spellbinders sentiment was stamped onto the patterned paper – after it was put together – so I girded my loins and used an acrylic block and my trusty Versafine black onyx…….phew! It turned out perfectly….. :)

I don’t often make interactive cards, nor even fancy fold cards, but I enjoyed playing and putting this together – even though it must have taken my quite while to figure it out – even with the videos for the event…..maybe I should make more now I have it in my head how to do it……..!?

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Tic Tac Toe – top row – Spring/colouring technique/fun fold

Allsorts – Springtime

Sparkles Forum – Springtime

Fab ‘n’ Funky – Easter/Spring

Stencil Fun – stencils – option of rainbow colours not taken

The Magic Is In You

Hello everyone. I am settling down from my retirement and have made time to create this card for the current challenge at Festive Friday, choosing three items from their list:

I am currently working my way through the projects from the recent ‘Crop & Create‘ 3 day virtual event, run by Scrapbook & Cards Today. I always buy this event – so much product, so much teaching from the gurus of the card making and crafting world.

This card was created using the Gina K Designs product suite from this event – stamps, dies, and stencils. I stamped more when completing the cards she was teaching and took these two images, ink blended with Pinkfresh Studio inks in bright colours, adding some slightly darker blending around the edges of the florals and the base of the leaves with a darker tone of each colour.

Once the two images were completed and die cut, I used some bright green dotted patterned paper from Heffy Doodle for the background, die cutting the ovals from Pinkfresh Studio in that same paper, and some white card stock.

These were layered onto a white card base – the top white layer with 3D foam – then the florals attached with a mixture of glue and 3D foam.

I searched through the CML app for the word ‘magic’ (on the Festive Friday list) and found this one from Pinkfresh Studio. I die cut the shadow layer out of vellum, then the words three times from black card stock.

The first two layers were glued onto the front of the vellum, the third layer glued onto the back of the vellum. I find this is a good way to be able to add glue for attaching the sentiment, instead of trying to glue vellum and getting smears and smudges of glue.

The final touch was to attach some ombre glitter gems – also from Pinkfresh Studio – to the centre of the large flowers, and more dotted around as you can see.

So – that takes care of three of the items on the Festive Friday list – bright colours, sparkle gems, and ‘magic’ sentiment.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Festive Friday – choose three from the list – bright colours, sparkle gems, ‘magic’ sentiment

Craft Rocket – layer it up

Yellow Flowers

Hello once again. I have a card to share for the new challenge at The Alphabet Challenge. Billie A is hosting, and she has chosen the theme of:

Yellow Flowers

Here is my card:

The floral images are from a stencil set from Gina K Designs and their ‘12 Days of Christmas‘ box called ‘Magnificent Magnolias‘.

The layering stencil is 6 x 6 inches, and I ink blended onto a square piece of white card stock using Pinkfresh Studio inks. Once blended. I used a Master Layouts die to cut out the are I wanted, then matted with black and green card stock, before adhering to a card base.

The sentiment is also from the same Christmas box, stamped and die cut with the matching die, attached to the card, then some small black gems also stuck down.

I love the abstract look to these flowers, and I can see that I will be playing with this stencil set in various colours in the future.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Ellibelle’s Garden Party – anything in or from the garden

Seize The Birthday – birthday – option to add a tag not taken

Addicted To Stamps & More – any occasion

Colourful Options – yellow or rainbow

A Splash of Green

Hello everyone. A new challenge has started at Cardz 4 Galz, with the theme of ‘a splash of green‘ hosted by Pamela:

The centre image is from Pinkfresh Studio ‘Garden Tapestry’ and consists of a stamp, die, stencil, and hot foil plate. I didn’t use the hot foil plate this time round, and chose the stamp and gold heat emboss the main image.

Once heat embossed, I used the layering stencils to colour the image, choosing softer colours, then use the matching die to cut it out.

The background panel was created using some light green card stock and running it through with a Spellbinders embossing folder ‘branching out’, cutting it down slightly and attached to a white card base.

The die cut image was added with 3D foam, then the foiled sentiment attached.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

CYHTP – embossing folder – option of sewing/sewing related not taken

Stencil Fun – use stencils – option of vine/vinery

Craft Rocket – no designer paper

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Blue & White Christmas

Hello there. I have a card to share for the new challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown. I was lucky and fortunate enough to win their February colour challenge, and as such was invited to be Guest Design Team Member for this challenge.

The theme is: Blue & White Christmas

Here is my card:

I first started by stamping the image from Kristina Werner/Concord & 9th in black, then heat embossing with a clear powder. I prefer to do this if I am going to ink blend straight away, to stop any smudging.

The matching layering stencils were used to colour the image in, using blue inks from Pinkfresh Studio, adding a light shade to the whole flower petals, then a darker shade towards the centre.

The foliage was ink blended using a light grey ink, and a lighter blue for the holly leaves and berries.

Once the image was coloured, it was die cut using the matching die, and a second piece die cut out of white card stock to add some stability and thickness.

Onto the square white card base, I added a shimmery blue piece of card, then glued the coloured image straight onto that.

The sentiment is also from the same stamp/die/stencil set, die cut and attached as you see.

For added interest and a little sparkle, I glued blue gems from Pinkfresh Studio onto the centre of the poinsettia, and three smaller gems surrounding the sentiment.

I hope you can join the team with this colour challenge. I look forward to seeing you in their gallery. xx

Birthday Wildflowers

Hello once again. I have a card to share for the new challenge at The Alphabet Challenge. We have reached the letter ‘W‘, and Tee has chosen the theme of:

Wildflowers

Here is my card:

I decided to go mixed media with this, as I already had the background panel made from a class with Jenn Shurkus.

The background was created using ink blending onto a white panel, adding water splatters and then ink splatters. I created two panels – one slightly darker. Once dry, I cut down the lighter panel using the Tim Holtz ‘Deckle’ guillotine to give a torn edge effect, then with the darker panel I used a Gummiapan die from their 2024 Advent Calendar to create two tickets which I overlapped.

I like the torn edges, the holes, and the lines on these dies, which added further interest.

The next step was to create some wildflowers, and for this I turned to a Tim Holtz die set. I die cut them out of white water-colour card stock, but left them in the panel. To colour them I used Distress water-colour pencils in varying shades, keeping the colouring quite ‘rough’ for want of a better word, and left them to dry.

I found a big loopy bow die in my stash, and pulled out a previously created wax seal.

All the elements were now ready for me to assemble the card.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations following our theme of wildflowers. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Ellibelle’s Corner Garden Party – anything in or from the garden

Seize The Birthday – birthday – option of anything goes with wings not taken

We Love 2 Create – anything goes mixed media

AAA Birthday – birthday and die cuts

Heat Emboss Resist Christmas

Hello. I thought I had posted this card a day or two ago – but obviously forgot to even write it – never mind post it.

This card was created as I was intrigued by the current challenge at 52 CCT – their Christmas technique theme this time is for using heat emboss resist. I thought of a Gina K Designs stencil I had of a large snowflake, so decided to give it a go:

The first step was to tape the 6×6 inch stencil onto a piece of white card which measured slightly bigger, and pounce some embossing ink through it. I think I remember doing this on a previous virtual event, so I had a blending brush already set aside for using this embossing ink.

I first brushed some anti-static powder onto the card stock, then taped the stencil down round the edges. It took a little doing, a lot of pouncing instead of brushing, but I managed to get the whole image done, then used white embossing powder and heat set the design.

I then took three colours of Pinkfresh Studio inks and blended them all around, wiping it down between each colour to not cross-contaminate.

The blending was taken to the edge of the larger piece of card, so I could choose which part to use, and die cutting with a Gina K Designs Master Layout die set to get a stitched rectangle.

This rectangle was then matted with brushed gold card stock from Spellbinders, then a deep purple card, and attached to a white card base.

The foiled sentiment was then added.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

52 CCT – heat emboss resist

Inkspirational – use stencils – option of plaid not taken

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Daffodil Dimension

Hello again. The Alphabet Challenge has started a new challenge, having reached the letter ‘V’, Helen has chosen the theme of :

‘volume – use foam pads or gel to raise apart of you design’

Here is my card:

I decided to go with a springtime fell with these daffodils. Having had what seems like months of rain here in the UK, the snowdrops are appearing, and I felt a spring card was needed to encourage brighter weather.

The daffodils are from Hero Arts, die cut and then a little ink blending to the petals before adding the corona, which was attached with 3D foam pieces.

The background panels of green, then the stitched white layer were cut using a Gina K Designs Master Layouts set, and the green circles die cut with nesting dies to be slightly larger than the two white scalloped circles – also cut with a Gina K Designs die. Before attaching the white circles to the green, I ran them through an embossing folder to give a little more interest.

The sentiment is foiled and die cut from Pinkfresh Studio.

I hope you can come and join with your creations following our theme. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafts Galore – anything goes

A Cut Above – anything goes with die cuts

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Craft Rocket – flowers

You Got This

Hello once again. The Alphabet Challenge has started a new themed challenge. We have reached the letter ‘U’, and Melanie has chosen the theme of:

‘Uplifting – positive and encouraging’

Here is my card:

The background was created using a Waffle Flower die and layering stencil set. When the panel is die cut, the elements stay in place – it is only partially die cut so you can create added dimension if you wish – and then I used the matching stencils and Pinkfresh Studio inks to colour each element in.

The butterflies were also die cut and coloured with their own matching layering stencils, then attached to the background with 3D foam pieces.

The sentiment is from Concord & 9th (So Many Sayings) stamped then die cut, and attached as you see.