CAS Mix Up April Challenge #2

Hello friends.  Played around with Mixed Media elements this weekend and came up with 2 more cards to share for the CAS Mix Up challenge.

This month the challenge is about using stencils, so thought I would show you what I started with:

This layer was smooshed with Night of Navy and Pool Party inks, and a little bit of Inka Gold Champagne, and then while still wet, I pressed down a Winnie & Walter stencil (Circle of the Rings), and then used a paper towel to blot up the excess water.  It really shimmers IRL...wish I could photograph that!!

 
This is what it looks like after I got done "playing"!  I added a Hero Arts background stamp in Smokey Slate ink (Leafy Vines), a vellum die cut using a Cheery Lynn die (Fanciful Flourish), and a SSS bird die (Bird of Roses) that I embossed with Frantage Aged Copper embossing enamel.  I mounted this layer to a black layer, and then layered that to a white card base.  A simple black banner with my sentiment from PTI's Winter Woods embossed in white, finished off this card.  I really love how this card turned out, even though you can't see the stenciling now. 

 
My next card I wasn't sure I liked at first, but it's growing on me, so I decided to show it anyway.  This was my first venture using embossing paste, and I mixed in a bit of the Inka Gold, thinking it would shimmer like my first card, but not so much when blending with the Opaque Matte paste.  I wonder if I had used the Transparent Matte or Transparent Gloss, if the Inka Gold shimmer would have shown up better?  Oh well, another time.  Anyway, this is what I came up with using the same Winnie & Walter stencil:

  
I used the same Leafy Vines background stamp, and also a retired SU! background stamp (En Francais) with Tea Dye Distress ink over the embossing paste, and then added a Memory Box die cut butterfly (Vivienne Butterfly) from Soft Sky cardstock, that I also embossed the edges of with regular gold embossing powder.  I also embossed the edges of this layer with the gold embossing powder, and then the sentiment too (also from PTI's Winter Woods set). 

I'm not sure if Mixed Media will ever be my first love when it comes to stamping, but I sure am having fun playing around with it, and am loving the learning something new part of it!

 
There is still time to play along with the April challenge, so get out your stencils and give it a try!  You can find everything you need to know to play along and link up right HERE.

Thanks so much for stopping by today...I love it when you do!!  :0)