CAS Watercolour Reminder - Maple Leaf

Hello friends.  Just a reminder that the October CAS Watercolour Challenge is still open for another week, so dig out those Maple Leaf stamps, dies, or stencils and come play along with us!

This month we are also celebrating our 3rd Birthday, so come play along for the chance to win one of the two SSS $25 gift cards!

I have another Twofer for you today using a very small Maple leaf stamp from Clearly Besotted's Autumn Flowers stamp set.

I used 3 Gina K ink cubes (Wild Wisteria, Red Velvet, & Jelly Bean Green) to ink up the stamp and then spritzing with water before pressing into a strip of white cardstock.  Before each one dried, I used my Aqua Painter to blend the colors together a bit more.  Once dry, I added it to a white card base along with a thin strip of Wild Wisteria cs and then stamped my sentiment (PTI) above the thin strip.  Very CAS and I love the combination of the colors together!

This card is very similar but uses more traditional Fall colors for my Maple leaves.  I also added one of the larger Maple Leaves from the same stamp set (Autumn Flowers) and then a thin strip of Pumpkin Pie and gold mirror cardstock.  This sentiment is also from PTI.

Make sure you check out all the beautiful inspiration from the DT and our Special Guest Ros, and then play along with us right HERE.  Remember to keep your card CAS, use a Maple Leaf, and Water Coloring.  Don't forget that we're celebrating our 3rd Birthday too, and that we have prizes to win, so come join in...can't wait to see YOU in the gallery!!

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

CAS Stencil Oct. 2019 - Patterned Paper

Hello friends.  There's a FUN challenge over at CAS Stencil where Loll is challenging us to stencil over PATTERNED PAPER!

Last year I got rid of stacks and stacks of patterned paper because I just wasn't using it!  But guess what??  I still have lots and LOTS of patterned paper left!  How is it that I got rid of SO much but still have SO much left?!  I think it breeds when I'm not looking!  Haha!!  But anyway, I used a piece of dotted Soft Stone (PTI's Bitty Big Pattern Paper Collection) and a stencil from ARTplorations called Barley to come up with these 2 cards...

I used a blender brush and some Walnut Stain Distress Ink to stencil over the dotted PP and I love how it turned out!  I framed the piece with PTI's Pierced Feature Frames die (I know, I know, I use these dies ALL the time, but I just can't help myself...I love them!!) and then added to a white card base.  I added a simple die cut sentiment from The Greetery's Bountiful Wreath set to finish off my simple card.

Because I still had a strip of the stenciled piece left, I made a 2nd card...just added a thin strip of Soft Suede cardstock next to the Patterned and stenciled paper, and then stamped my sentiment (also from The Greetery's Bountiful Wreath set.).

Two very CAS cards and I love how both of them turned out!  I always thought stenciling over PP would be too busy, but I'm hooked now and think I need to make some more!  Seriously, give it a try...I think you'll be hooked too!!

This challenge is open till the 24th and you can check out all the wonderful inspiration from the DT and then play along right HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Twofer Challenge #21 - SWEETS

Hello friends.  Playing along with this month's Twofer Challenge where Darnell and her talented DT are looking for cards using the prompt SWEETS.

I had a brand new stamp set from Simon Says Stamp/The Kitchen Sink Stamps (a Stamptember collaboration...Gingerbread Hugs) that I had bought because the gingerbread men were so realistic looking, but once I received it, I fell in LOVE with the Peppermint candies in the set!  They are SO realistic looking too and I thought they'd be perfect for this challenge!

I realize they are VERY similar looking as far as the same colors, but hey, one's a Christmas card and one's for a December birthday!

For my Christmas card I stamped a few of the peppermints in red and a few in green and then fussy cut them out.  I added them to a Lawn Fawn shaker jar die cut (It coordinates with the How You Bean set also from Lawn Fawn) along with a white sequin mix and attached to the upper half of my card, and then stamped the sentiment (from the Gingerbread Hugs set) in the same red and green inks as the peppermint candies.  Simple but fun and bright!

A close up so you can see some of the shaker bits better.

For my birthday card I stamped a background of the peppermint candies and then added my sentiment strip...I stamped the Peppermint Kisses in two colors of red for an ombre effect, and then added the "and birthday wishes" from an older Mama Elephant stamp set in the green.  I added a strip of red glitter paper and a thin strip of green cs above the sentiment strip to provide some balance on the card and then finished with a single fussy cut peppermint candy that I pop dotted.  I liked this simple card so much that I made a 2nd one since I have 2 friends with Dec. birthdays and I think this card will be perfect for both of them!

Make sure to check out all the FABULOUS inspiration from Darnell and her DT and then play along right HERE.  This challenge is open till the 24th.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Tag You're It Challenge #98 - FALL LEAVES

Hello friends.  Honored to be Guest Designing again for the Tag You're It Challenge, and it's another bright and colorful challenge with FALL LEAVES!

Have the leaves started turning color by you yet??  Ours are still mostly green yet, and they're saying we're a good two weeks behind this year because of the strange weather we've been having this year!  Sure hope they start turning soon and don't go right to Winter!!  But either way, I've colored up my own leaves in my craft room, so it's all good!

I started with a piece of Rustic Cream cs and stamped leaves from Clearly Besotted's Autumn Flowers and Gina K's Fall Foliage with Spiced Marmalade, Fired Brick, Mustard Seed, and Peeled Paint Distress Inks and water.  Next I die cut my tag shape (Casual Fridays) and then ran the tag through an older Sizzix embossing folder.  To bring the embossed words more into focus, I used Tea Dye Distress Ink and a sponge and lightly rubbed it over the tag.

Here's a closer up photo so you can see the actual leaves and words a little better.  I added a little acorn to put my sentiment on and added a jute bow to the stem and then finished with a piece of heavy cream bakers twine.

There are lots of BEAUTIFUL tags from all the DT, so check them all out right HERE and then play along!

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

CAS Christmas - Winter Scene

Hello friends.  Susan has a wonderful challenge over at CAS Christmas this month and is looking for a WINTER SCENE.

Quite a while ago I had won a gift certificate to Serendipity Stamps and had fun shopping, but then had never gotten around to using the stamps I bought!  So anyway, perfect timing to pull out the Winter Fenceline stamp to create my Winter scene...

I started by blending my background with Salty Ocean, Worn Lipstick, & Stormy Sky DOX inks and then splattering lightly with white acrylic paint.  Once dry, I stamped my fenceline image in Versafine Black Onyx ink and then die cut using a Lil Inkers Rectangle Stitched die.  Before attaching to my card base, I stamped the "Peace" portion of my sentiment (PTI's Think Big Favorites: #21) and then sprayed with Sheer Shimmer Sparkle Spritz.

Here's a closer up where you can kind of see the sparkle better.  Before attaching to my card base I added the rest of the sentiment ("on earth") and then added my stamped panel that I backed with some foam for a little added dimension.

One more for my Christmas stash, and I think I'm getting pretty close to being done!  Now if I can just get them all addressed and signed and actually mailed out before Christmas!!  Check out all the absolutely GORGEOUS Winter Scene cards from the DT, and then play along right HERE.  This challenge is open till the 24th.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Christmas Kickstart Challenge #20

Hello friends.  Playing along with the current Christmas Kickstart Challenge where the theme is "It's A Gift".

I pulled out a Pure Innocence stamp from MFT called Holiday Cheer that I thought was perfect for this challenge and came up with this card...

Isn't she a cutie all dressed up in her Winter gear and shopping for all the special people in her life?!  I colored her up with my Copics and then fussy cut her out before attaching her to a card base layered with Pure Poppy Bitty Big DSP and a kraft panel that I die cut with a Lil Inkers cover plate die that I borrowed from sweet Michele.

The sentiment is also from the Holiday Cheer set, and I finished off with a snowflake die cut from PTI's Fancy Flakes, a piece of polka dotted gross grained ribbon from my stash, and a few clear star gems (Michaels).

How is your Christmas card collection coming along?  I'm happy to say I have almost enough done thanks to challenges like the Christmas Kickstart Challenge!!  There's still a couple days left to play along in this challenge, so check out all the inspiration and play along right HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

CAS Watercolour October 2019 - Maple Leaves

Hello friends.  Welcome back to the CAS Watercolour Challenge where this month we're celebrating our 3rd Birthday!  And birthdays mean gifts, so play along this month for a chance at winning a couple different gifts!

Loll is our hostess this month, and she would like to celebrate our birthday with the Fall theme of Maple Leaves!

I have a twofer for you today because Darnell has rubbed off on me and I can't seem to make just one of anything anymore!!  I used a Impression Obsession Maple Leaf stamp by Dina Kowal (E13817) and some Distress Oxide inks to come up with this first card...

I inked up the stamp with Aged Mahogany, Ripe Persimmon, & Tattered Rose DOX inks and then spritzed quite liberally with water before pressing into my card stock.  Once the ink was dry I sprayed Sheer Shimmer Sparkle Spritz, and when that was dry, I fussy cut the leaf out.  For my top panel I used a diamond die from Tim Holtz's Mixed Media set and then stamped my sentiment from Impression Obsession (C14672) before attaching to a white card base and then gluing down my leaf over the die cut diamonds.

The leaf looks a little muted in my pictures, but IRL it's really pretty with all the sparkle and I'm really loving these 3 colors of ink together!  I'm also loving the more matte finish of the DOX inks and how they react to the water...ask me how many leaves I've done in different color combinations with the DOX inks!  Lets just say I have enough leaves to make LOTS of Fall themed cards!!  :0)

My 2nd card is very similar to my first one...just a different colored leaf, a different die from the same mixed media set, and a different sentiment.

For this leaf I used Fossilized Amber, Ripe Persimmon, & Barn Door, again spritzing with water before I stamped the leaf onto my cardstock.  My sentiment is a favorite from Clearly Besotted's Autumn Flowers stamp set.

If you need some MAPLE LEAF inspiration to get you started, make sure to check out all the beautiful samples from the DT and our Special Guest Designer Ros, and then play along right HERE.  And don't forget that we're celebrating our 3rd Birthday and that there are prizes to be won!  Remember to keep your cards CAS and most of all, have FUN!  This challenge is open till the 24th.    

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!