Addicted to CAS challenge: cute

Addicted to CAs, codeword: cute.
So what's cuter than a kitty in a shoe?
My kitties ;-) lol
No, seriously, I love all thing feline! Shoes? nah not so much ...nor chocolate....lol.
I' ve Stamped this Lili of the Valley image (puss in boots) with Black Stazon and watercolored it with Peerless watercolors.
The sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp (tilted banners), also stamped with Stazon, the Splatters is Dusty concord from Distress inks.
Some Wink of Stella on the kitten's nose, aww  my heart melts :-D....Ok you must be a cat lover to see this, but isn't she cute?

For more info on this Addiced to CAS challenge, see this

AAA cards challenge #36: Easter colors

AAA Cards challenge #36: Easter colors.
the simplest way to add color to a CAS card I think it this: make the sentiment colored ;-).
As this is quite the bold stamp (Neat & Tangled all my heart) I thought it to be enough color, leaving ample white space.
The Heart is part of the sentiment and could be the one and only embellishment.
I've used Pigment ink in pinkish red, lilac and blue tones, overlapping a little, which gave me a kind of orange and green as well. Muted it down by stamping white pigment ink on top for an even more pastelly feel.
Also all on one layer of Neenah white cardstock.
Don't think I could go  more CAS on this one...lol.

For more information on this week's challenge from AAA cards, see this

Scribbled flowers

Last week Sandy Allnock shared a Youtube video about scribble patterned flowers.
I loved the idea, but ofcourse  I didn' t have that particular stampset.
So I put on my brave shoes, took my black permanent marker (Sharpie) and a acetate full of circle diecuts I made for the various sizes.
Put on a circle where I wanted it and traced the stencil, then set off and scribbled the inner/outer lines, the circle was just a guideline.
I used Bistre/Bister powder to colour the panel as I was asked to try it out by my local craftstore.
I think the colours are very retro and these flowers just go with it, They have that feel of 50/60's?  wallpaper 
the first one with the blue I like the best the other could be oranges or some fruit.
I prefer working with a more controllable medium like water colours, but these were fun to play with ;-) (if you don't mind getting very dirty hands and or clothes). The colours are not as bright as my watercolours.

Thank you Sandy for inspiring me and giving me the confidence to just go for it.
they don't at all look like her fabulous flowers, but that wasn't my intention anyway.
I would never have just taken a Sharpie to paper without pencelling first, but If you trace your pencil line, you'll see it won't be as smooth al ine as I have now.
Kinda chuffed :-D

See Sandy's video here

please watch my video too

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: use stamp in different ways

Simon Syas stamp's challenge this week: use a stamp in different ways.
I did 3 techniques: heat embossing (left) water stamping (middle) and Distress ink stamping (far right).
For the background I used Distress inks (cracked pistachio and peacock feathers, my favourite combo), only the middle panel is just one colour (peacock feathers).
I've heat embossed on top wit  Lidny's stamp gang Hyacinth blue jade embossing powder.
The central panel is just water on the stamp. I've used versamark first on the stamp so the water clings a little to the stamp and doesn;t go all over the place. The Distress inks react to water, ofcourse, and bleaches the words.
The furthest panel is also sponged in  Distress inks and then stamped with Peacock Feathers. I've also used Versamark to make the Distress inks stick to the stamp , as we all know it doesn't stamp too well.
The Stamp I've used is from Hero Arts and is called K53344 La letter.
For the sentiment I've used  Simon Says Stamp Tilted Banner set and dies. I Sponged the banner in cracked pistachio and stamped with peacock feather.
I've added 2 blue metallic strips  and raised the outer panels for Interest.
Few pearls to even out design.

For More info on the Simon  Says Stamp Monday Challenge, see this

Freshly made sketches Challenge #178

 This is the first time I take part in a challenge from Freshly made sketches.
Instead of a circle I used a diecut heart that I distressed with various blue and green Distress inks and splatters of shimmer spray.
I initially started with a circle diecut like the sketch, infact I made 3 versions...didn't like any of them.
Because my Heart is so wide I didn't make a matte.
My banner is in front, like you see with tattoos.
Added a few matching sequins to help the eye travel across the card.
The sentiment and banner diecut are from Simon Says Stamp "tilted banner sayings".

For more info on the Freshly made sketches challenge, see this

The Less is more challenge #216, base your card on a card from the Design Team

 For this week's Less is more challenge I used Chrissie Stokes' card as my inspiration.
Mine is not a top folding card because I can't fit the paper in the cutter that way, still a portrait orientation.
Also used two panels, slightly raised, one with my quote sentiment from Kaiser craft Blue bay stamspet.
The Image is from Ranger/Dylusions and is called Mushroom Madness.
Coloured it in with my Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and for the spots I used some Ranger enamel accents in white.
The bigger enamel dots were not intended; one is covering up a boo boo I made with stamping the sentiment. Thought my hand were clean...
I think they help the eye travel from the top to the mushrooms, so for me they work. Kept them white as the spots in the shrooms and they are less intrusive this way. Ofcourse I could have Photoshopped the boo boo out, but that feels like cheating. I kept the panels bigger Than Chrissie's for I feel the sentiment needs it , or it would look top heavy if that makes sense; also it feels more CAS to me this way.

For more info on the Less is more challenge, see this

the Friday Mashup challenge #201: can you see it?

This week's Firday Mash up is to use a window element and 3 colours: Rich Razzleberry, Smoky Slate & Pacific Point.

I don't have those (are they Stampin'up?), so I used 3 pigment inks of the same family, raspberry, a blue and a grey that looks a bit brown in the pictures. These are a generic pigment ink from the craft store.

Pigment inks can be used with the mini blending foams just like Distress inks and actually blend really well as the ink stays wet on top of the paper longer.

I've then splattered some water and white Dylusions spray to add interest.

Sequins and sentiment are from Neat and Tangled.

I've used a white Sharpie to highlight the sentiment, so it would show through the vellum better.

I first wanted to use acetate, then decided I wanted a more muted window, but  that might have been a mistake  ;-)...

For more info on the Friday Mash up,see this

AAA cards challenge #35

The challenge: a bare naked baby's bottom.
I have to say it stumped me for a few days.
Bare bottom, does it mean the bottom of the card needs to be bare? all of it? I didn't know how to proceed...but I finally came up with this white on white design with a little pop of pink.
It is the 4th time I redid it as well.
Previously I made a bigger stencil for the flowers (just a circle and oval dies). But as I use regular acetate I couldn't see where it was, so I decided to color it in with alcohol markers, which worked, until I put on the embossing paste from Dutch DooBaDOO, it smeared the brown alcohol ink :-(.
Then I made smaller flowers and the stencil broke.
Made another stencil, but the Dutch doo ba doo paste remained yellow upon drying.
Switched finally to Wendy Vecchi embossing paste and had grease spots on the paper..sigh.
Now I finally got is as I wanted. 
Initially I wanted to use a Memory Box stencil with a flutter of butterflies and the Translucent Embossing paste, also from Wendy Vecchi, which I did on the first card, didn' t like that. Also ruined card #1 and #2 with pink stamping and pink washi tape.
Instead now I made a few faux enamel dots with pink punched dots and Aleene's Paper glaze.
I just got that and was hoping it would be alike the glossy accents, it seems it is, so I was happy with that ;-).
Punched a few butterflies and creased them a little to give dimension and shading so you
can see them. The sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp and I diecut that also from white and stuck it on ( I use Elizabeth Craft 2.5" double sided adhesive on the back and run paper and adhesive throught my Big Shot at once and get instant stickers, very sticky stickers!.
Taking a picture was the final hurdle, it didn't want to come out white with my normal camera, so finally shot it with my phone under the daylight growing lights I use for my allotment plants.
All in all I'm now happy with the result and I think it's as bare as you can go ;-). It was quite the delivery  (of a baby lol)...
For more info on the AAA challgenge, see this.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Spring

For this week's Wednesday Challenge  over at Simon Says Stamp the theme is Spring.
Nothing says Spring to me more than the awakening of all bees, butterflies and, yes, I had to kill one today : mosquitos, but not before it had bitten me 3 times already...lol

I've mounted all panels slightly offset/tilted.
I inked the edges of the white cardstock with Cracked Pistachio Distress ink. Also colored the embossing paste with said colour.
Then passed it through a stencil from Memory box (Honey comb)
Stamped the bee from Hot off the press in Memento black ink and colored it with Copic, Spectrum Noir and normal markers.
The sentiment is from the Dragonfly set also from Hot off the press. I meant to mount the Dragonfly at first, but then the Honeycomb wouldn't make sense.
The Polaroid is the left over from my Monster photobomb from Monday, thinking I could/should use it, I diecut it already centered and everything.
The bee is raised with foam dots and one wing and leg are sticking out of the frame.
For more information on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge, see this

Lawnscaping Challenge: Distress Addicts

Distress Addict? yes I think that applies to me very much.
Love the stuff, for breakfast, lunch...erhm crafting, watercolouring lol..
Used the Lawn Fawn Critters from the past to  make a shaker card where the egg stamp and a few seed beads are the shaker materials.
Distress inks: cracked pistachio and Peacock feathers, straight from the refill bottle instead of the pad to sponge the background.
Distress spray stain in brushed pewter and Dylusions white, and Colour unlimited for the blue splatters.
Colored the eggs and Dinosaurs with Copic and Spectrum Noir alcohol markers.


For more info on the Lawnscaping challenge, see this

Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge: animals

I'm not sure if monsters qualify as animals, but I feel they do.
Yesterday I saw a tweet from Mama Elephant's (  I think, I can;t find it anymore, Was about the CHA) new stamp Photo bomb, which inspired this card, also Nicole Magourk has just posted a video similar, but I was already making this card then, I'm sorry if it feels like I pinched her idea, I didn't.
The monsters are from Lawn Fawn monster mash and I used Peerless watercolors to color the "Polaroid".
I've cut a piece of white cardstock to size and then diecut a square from the middle, I don't have a polaroid or instagram die.
I've toned down the party patterned paper with vellum onto which I stamped the Sentiment; which is a partially stamped sentiment from Kaisercraft blue bay set, stamped with Staz-on. I've added the ! mrk with a black Sharpie.
Two googly eyes, because monsters need googly eyes...lol.
A few confetti like, faux, enamel dots and Wink of Stella on the girl monsters.

For more info on the Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge, see this

Sparkle and Shine challenge #2

The second Sparkle and shine challenge is based on the sketch below.
I haven't made a shaker card since I started participating in all these CAS challenges, so the time was ripe..lol.
Love making shaker cards and for a while they seemed to be all I was making, Burning rubber, oh excuse me foam like there was no tomorrow...ha!
I'm guessing the circle in the sketch is supposed to be the focal point, I used the sequins for that instead of a stamp or image.

I sues a floral patterned paper, some shimmery steelblue cardstock, loads of sequins, some of them Pretty Pink Posh and a matching ribbon.


For more info on the Sparkle and Shine challenge see this

Simon says stamp Wednesday challenge 1

This week's Wednesday Challenge is:  things that fly.
I made this card this afternoon, when I saw the challenged posted.
I'm quite taken by this green and teal combo (cracked pistachio and peacock feathers) from Distress inks, I also used something similar for the Monday challenge, so now I feel a bit quilty and am in the proces of making another, glossy accents is drying as I type, so i'll upload it shortly.

The only thing Amercian crafts I have is glitter tape, which didn't make sense and double sided adhesive which you can't see.
I'm wanting to get the stampset with the mason jar, but haven't managed to order it yet :-(



more info on this challenge, see the Simon Says stamp Wednesday page  (clikc this)

Simons Says Stamp Monday challenge: B

B as in blue, button, baby boy, didn't take me long to come up with the idea, the execution took longer.
I've inked Neenah solar white cardstock in different blue tones with Distress inks.
I've die cut the word baby with Lawn Fawn Finley's ABC, used rhinestones for shimmer, made a few flat dots with the same blue inks and added a blue button  with some embroidery silk.


more info on this challenge, see the Simon Says stamp Monday page  (clikc this)

less is more challenge: yellow and green

I used Distress inks on the panel for the yelloa (mustard seeds) and green (mowed lawn) I splattered it with water for some speckles.
I die cut Hoera from white yellow and green card stock and stuck them on top of each other.
I made flat enamel dots but punching circles out of cardstock and covering them with glossy accents to resemble confetti.

I'm anticpitaing a lot of yellow flowers in this challenge and I wanted to stay away from that. A Dutch soccer club from The Hague (ADO) had yellow and green as their colours, so this might be a good birthday card for a soccer fan

For more info on this challenge see this

Ahoy!

Thanks to Sandy Allnock's Youtube video I found another challenge I just had to take part to.
I had really no idea there were this many out there, until I started  participating in a few and visiting fellow cardmakers' blogs.

Anyway this Friday Mash up #200 is all about Black and white and bling, based on challenge #71, #60 Masculine card, #6 monochromatic, #89 heat embossing, #119 anyshape with a banner, #166 Hi or hello (ahoy) with use of sequins, #175 shaker card, #178 use vellum,

I made a shaker card out of this skull and bones die from Provo Craft.
I used clear seedbeads and silver sequins in two sizes for the shaker material.
And the sentiment is made with Eline's alphabet clearstamps from Marianne design.
I've heat embossed it in white on a piece of Vellum onto which I added some rhinestones to hide the gluedots.

for more info on this challenge see thishttp://www.fridaymashup.com/

Simon Says Stamp Monday chalenge: just a hint of clover

Shari Caroll posted a Youtube video for Simon Says Stamp making Luminaries with dies and cardstock.
I liked the idea, I thought I wouldn't have any suitable dies.
I made a clover like image by using a heart die and passing it through my Big shot 4 times.

I made 2 versions: a plain green one and an inked one in my go to method of splattering and sponging etc.
I used Distress inks and washi tapes a bit of thread and I must say I  like them. I thought the Distressed one would be too busy, but I think I actually prefer it.


to see Shari's video click here

for more info on this challenge see this