CC&S #130: Sweet Poppy Stencils, Translucent Paste & Micro Beads

Lizy has given us a nice uncomplicated sketch at CAS Colours and Sketches and I have combined my DT card with three other challenges this week. I like to try and design to the sketch we have been given as far as possible and this week it has given me the chance to use my recently acquired stitched rectangle dies.

The technique of using stencilling/pastes features in two challenges this week; Theme week #229 at Less Is More and Game #42 at AAA Cards. I taped my stencil onto my die-cut rectangle having printed a computer-generated sentiment. I then inked gently through the stencil using two different colours of distress inks. I removed and washed the stencil leaving the ink to dry. Then I replaced the stencil and applied some translucent paste. Carefully removing the stencil I covered the image with micro beads and left it to dry overnight. I absolutely fell in love with this technique having first discovered it on Eileen Godwn's blog and then watching the lovely Lucy from Sweet Poppy Stencils demoing at a show. I especially like how the tiny beads also stick to the sides of the paste where it is raised giving a beautiful translucent outline to the image. Some of the stencil is too narrow to ink through successfully but when finished this gives a lovely clear accent to the coloured areas.

Inspiration for the colours has come from CAS-ual Fridays CFC: #140 Michelle's Idea of Summer where we are challenged to create a CAS project using tan, white and one bright colour.

I mounted the finished image onto a piece of tan linen cardstock using some twine at the base of the image to tie in with Lizy's sketch and then onto a white card blank.

Supplies Used:
Die: Stitched Rectangle Layers (Memory Box)
Stencil: Dove (Sweet Poppy Stencils)
Inks: Broken China & Antique Linen (TH Distress)
Paste: Translucent Paste (Sweet Poppy Stencils)
Beads: Clear Micro Glass Beads (Creative Expressions)
Sentiment Font: Bodoni MT
Snippets: White & tan linen cardstock, Turquoise baker's twine

Thanks Lizy for a fantastic month of colours and sketches. Hope you'll have time to play with this week's sketch!

Stef x

CC&S #129 and just a few challenges!

I set myself a huge challenge this week! Lizy's colours at CAS Colours and Sketches are just lovely and I wanted to do a butterfly (just because I love butterflies). But when I started thinking about a design I came across just a few challenges that if I was clever I could make one card to fit them all (how greedy is that)!

The code word for Challenge #65 at ATCAS is 'Butterfly' so I could already tick that box! I decided to die-cut a steel grey butterfly and use my Cosmic Shimmer mists in green and gold to match Lizy's colours.

I love the scrunched up cling film technique with the mists and the beautiful marbled effect that you get with the mica all drying in the folds (sorry, it probably has a more technical name than that) and decided to cut some shapes from it to sit the butterfly on! That fits with the second challenge as the June theme at Happy Little Stampers CAS Challenge is to use sprays or mists on your cards.

Then I discovered a great sketch for Challenge #127 at CAS(E) this Sketch featuring a butterfly and a square window!

This was when it started getting a bit trickier. There is a super colourful butterfly inspiration photo at Challenge #37 for The Card Concept this week. I don't think I've ever played there before so thought it was about time! My preferred style is definitely CAS but at heart I think I'm a little less 'S (simple)' and a bit more 'T' (technique) which isn't always necessarily simple; so CAT! possibly? I absolutely love trying out new techniques and getting inky and messy and have certainly dabbled in other styles along the way. I have a yearning at the moment to try out some mixed media stuff which very probably won't be CAS at all!

Studying the photo at The Card Concept, I really wanted to find a way of interpreting the writing icing on the butterfly cookies so went for a kind of zentangled background for the squares and finished with two gold star sequins either side of the printed sentiment to match the stars in the centres of the butterflies in the inspiration photo.

Phew! And that's it, card accomplished. I think it turned out OK and liked the colour scheme better than I thought I would.

Supplies used:
Dies: Butterfly (free with Simply Cards and Papercraft magazine) & Classic Squares Large (Spellbinders)
Mica Sprays: Meadow Lush & Rich Gold (Cosmic Shimmer)
Patterned Paper: Colour with Candi (Craftwork Cards)
Sentiment Font: Bodoni MT
Snippets: Metallic steel grey cardstock, Watercolour paper, Gold star sequins

Bye for now and thanks for visiting!
Stef x

CC&S Challenge #128: Three Linear Squares

As soon as I saw Lizy’s sketch for this week at CAS Colours and Sketches, I knew what I was going to do! I have been wanting to make a card inspired by Stephanie (Mama Bear Ink) who made a lovely shaker card using vellum and was one of our weekly winners from last month.  I was also lucky enough to spend a day in Leeds over half term at a workshop run by Craftwork Cards where I finally met up with Julie Hickey, who I feel as though I’ve known for years! And by no means last, the colours from the photo over at the FUSION Challenge (blue skies and smooth sailing) drew everything together. So inspired by Lizy’s sketch, Stephanie’s card, FUSION's photo and some Craftwork Cards goodies, here is my DT card for this week:

The patterned papers are from a gorgeous CWC set called 'Harbour Bolulevard', ideally suited to male cards without being dull and gloomy! The choice of the 'anchor' paper was inspired by the photo at FUSION and fits with Lizy's sketch. Without boring the pants off anyone who is well-versed in making shaker cards, I reminded myself of the technique and picked up some tips by watching one of Jennifer McGuire's wonderful YouTube videos HERE. The windows are covered with a piece of printed vellum and I also adhered some CWC Candi inside the window base to act as 'stoppers' for some of the other elements.

As you can see I stuck faithfully to Lizy's sketch which is what I like to do as far as possible. The colours were inspired by the photo challenge, using different shades of blue with little bits of gold in the sentiment and the sparkles behind the windows.

Obviously I haven't used FUSION's sketch this time around as I followed our own at CC&S. I really enjoyed making this card and will definitely be doing some more. Now all I need is a special person to send it to - don't worry, I have someone in mind!!

Supplies Used:

Patterned Paper & Candi: Harbour Boulevard (Craftwork Cards)

Die: Classic Squares Large (Spellbinders)

Snippets: White linen cardstock, Printed vellum, Assorted sequins and sparkly bits!

A huge thank you to everyone that inspired me to make this card. Can't wait to see what you make using the DT's cards at CC&S to inspire you!

Thanks for visiting

Stef x

CC&S #127: Colours

It’s June and Lizy is our hostess over at CAS Colours andSketches this month; she has some super colours and sketches lined up for you. I hated the first card that I made for this week’s challenge so it ended up in the bin!  I was tired and really needed to get to bed but had to make something as I don’t have any more free time this week. And quite surprisingly I loved the second, completely different, card I made and think it’s one of the nicest I have created for a while even if it was after midnight when I went to bed!

I love the colours Lizy has chosen for us this month and they work so well together. I ended up CASEing a card I’d seen on Loll’s blog HERE (that’s probably why it ended up so nice)! I sponged and blended the three different inks onto a piece of white hammered cardstock. I don’t have any fancy curved line dies, so for the top layer I simply measured a piece of white linen cardstock and cut across it at an angle with my craft knife. I cut a piece of the inked cardstock and adhered it under the top layer leaving a gap. This piece was then mounted onto an A6 card blank with foam tape. The sentiment was stamped along one edge and I die-cut a butterfly from a spare piece of the inked cardstock highlighting the edges with the orange/pink ink. This has been mounted with some foam tape in the centre and finished with a few adhesive pearls.

Supplies Used:
Ink pads: Celadon, Cement & Old Rose (Versacolor)
Die: Sizzlits Butterfly #12 (Sizzix)
Snippets: White linen and hammered cardstock, Unknown sentiment stamp, White adhesive pearls

Thanks for visiting my blog today. I hope you’ll find time to design a card with these gorgeous colours and enter it into this week’s challenge!

Stef x