Colour Throwdown Meets The Paper Players

Hello folks, 

My inky mojo has been lacking lately - when that happens I try and learn a new technique to get it going again. 

  I love Michelle Short's Altenew tutorials, particularly this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxuSeXw8_6A&t=461s in which she uses white pigment ink to highlight embossed details using an Altenew embossing folder :

I have quite a few Altenew EB's - I love them as they produce really deeply etched images but in hindsight I wish I'd used a different one for this technique. I think a simpler one, like the one Michelle used, would probably work better. I used the colours from The Color Throwdown but then realised the white pigment ink didn't work well with cream, so I went over it with some Antique Linen distress oxide, then added some gold embossing powder. 

Since the challenge at Simon Says Stamp is to use embossing and I've used both wet and dry, I'll link up to their Monday challenge. I'm also popping it over to Addicted to CAS where the code word is 'bloom.'

Happy stamping!

Claire

 

MFT Three-fer

Hello inkers!

It's not often I get to combine all 3 MFT challenges at once:

I didn't look at the latest colours and immediately think Christmas card but I do love a non-traditional Christmas palette. I used SY Selfies With Santa and Selfie Square Die-namics.

This one's going over to the MFT Sketch, Colour and Ready, Set Christmas challenges and Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge which has the theme of '4-legged friends.'

Happy stamping!

Claire

Rainbows at Time Out and MFT Sketch and Colour Challenge

 Hello, hope you're enjoying your weekend!

A couple of cards for a few different challenges - Time Out's photo inspiration which features all the colours of the rainbow, Seize the Birthday's candle-themed challenge (thanks for the prompt Elizabeth!) and MFT's Sketch and Colour Challenge:

I do love a rainbow and made a very simple card using Whimsy Stamps Happy Everything which has seen a lot of ink over the years. I think I managed to get all the colours on - red, yellow, orange, blue, green and purple pretty much covers the spectrum!

For the MFT card I used Let Your Hair Down with Garden Flourish background stamp (retired.) I didn't use a heart - I find big hearts very hard to incorporate on a card so switched it to a circle instead. I mentioned in an earlier post that this little stamp makes me think of my beautiful niece in the UK - since this one's for her birthday I've tried to colour her hair blonde to look just like hers!

Hope you've had the time to get your inks our this weekend!

Happy stamping!

Claire

Critter Christmas!

Hello inkers,

Just a few more Christmas cards to go and then I'm done. Most of my cards are winging their way across to the UK as I write, my wallet almost empty due to the astronomical postal costs! 

These two are for a couple of different challenges - the first a combined MFT Colour and Sketch:

 

I've used Sweet Holiday Penguins with a sentiment from Itty Bitty Holiday.

My second card's for Your Next Stamp's latest challenge to add 'sparkle and shine.' I used Reinbeer and gave him a sparkly red, glitter nose and added a couple of strips of sparkly card.  This one's also going over to Simon Says Stamp's Monday challenge where they're in 'sparkle mode.' 

Happy stamping!

Claire

Alex Syberia Blooms

Hello folks,

Only a week to go until 'Freedom Day' for Sydney - there's light at the end of the lockdown tunnel! It's the little things I've missed...just to go into a shop and browse, have a drink at a bar and catch up with friends. We take so much for granted!

Here's another card featuring one of Alex Syberia's pretty Digi stamps called Dog Rose:

I've used the colours from Colour Throwdown, coloured the blooms with Copics and stencilled a distress ink panel splashed with a little water. The sentiment's from Just Add Ink.  It's also going over to Time Out's Inspired by Words challenge and Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday challenge where 'anything goes'.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Claire 

Addicted To CAS #198

Hello inkers,

I've made a very CAS card for Addicted to CAS' 'ombre' challenge:

 

I recently spoilt myself and bought a huge set of Brutfuner pencils with every colour under the sun - I've never really used pencils before and I have to admit I'm finding them far more difficult to get to grips with than markers. I feel like it takes ages to get an even spread of colour on the paper and colouring shadows definitely take a lot of patience! 

Anyway, this pretty Stamplorations butterfly has been die cut from a panel coloured using said pencils. I used about 6 or 7 different ones to try and get the ombre effect. I also added a white embossed swirl from Paper Smooches - the sentiment's from Poppy Stamps. 

This one's also going over to Simon Says Stamps' Wednesday challenge where 'anything goes.'

Happy stamping!

Claire

Your Next Stamp - Challenge #163

Hello inkers,

I haven't had a chance to play along with Your Next Stamp for ages - their latest challenge is to go bright,  with a burst of colour:

 

I made a very CAS card using two of my favourites - Dancing Dragonflies and Honey Bee. I created a little scene by die cutting a circular window and stencilling a background of grass, cloudy sky and sun rays.  

This one's also being entered at Addicted to CAS where the theme is 'bugs',  CASology where the cue card is 'outside' and Addicted to Stamps and More with the challenge to use stencils and die cuts.  I'm also popping it over to Simon Says Stamp's Monday challenge where there's a 'things with wings' challenge happening.

Happy stamping!

Claire

MFT Cupcakes

Hello, happy weekend to you,

The latest CASology challenge,  'wheat,'  inspired me to ink up these sweet cupcakes from MFT:

 

I normally make my CASology cards a little simpler than this but I kept adding elements like the stencilled brick background, the tiny frame and scalloped edge at the top. It's still clean though, so I think I can get away with it.

I've also used the colours from MFT's Colour Challenge 154 and I'm popping it over to Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday challenge where 'anything goes.'

Happy stamping!

Claire

Clean and Simple Christmas

Hello inkers!

It's been a while since I've played along at CASology  Their cue card this week is 'stag' so I used this fun image from Your Next Stamp called Reinbeer:

The background is CAS-ual Friday's Amazeballs - it kind of made me think of the bubbles in a beer. I'm also popping it over to The Paper Players who have a clean and simple holiday challenge and Simon Says Stamp's Christmas themed Wednesday Challenge. 

Happy stamping!

Claire

Last Ever Paper Smooches Challenge

Hello again,

I can't let the final Paper Smooches Challenge pass by without making a card for it.  I used the crazy looking rabbit from A Little Lovin:' 

I'm not good when it comes to masking. I can never work out what needs to be stamped first and always seem to stuff it up, especially if I've had a glass of wine! I kept it very simple, colouring them with Copics and adding some Glossy Accents to the eyes. 

I'm also popping it over to Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday challenge with it's 'oh so cute' theme.

Happy stamping!

Claire 

Playing with Watercolour

Hello fellow inkers,

I've been playing with the sketch over at The Paper Players  - it's just the type of layered sketch I like but I minimised the layers and kept it simple by embossing the diagonal strip behind the panel:

I often lament my lack of watercolouring skills - love the look of it on other people's cards but I just don't seem to have the knack for it myself. However, I found a pack of Derwent watercolour pencils in my drawer (yes, I have that much stuff, I actually didn't know I had them or where they came from) and thought I'd see how they'd look on grout gray card stock rather than standard watercolour paper. Surprisingly, the card stock held up well with the addition of the water and I'm actually happy with the results. The white embossed stamp rose is from PTI's Botanical Blocks.

I'm also entering it into Simon Says Stamp's 'Anything Goes' Wednesday Challenge!

Thanks for stopping by,

Claire 

 

MFT Colour Challenge #142

Hello stampers,

The colours over at MFT are perfect for a masculine card this week so I inked up Viking and Wood Plank Background (both retired) to create this rather blokey card:

 I used this week's Freshly Made Sketch and I'm popping it over to Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday challenge calling for masculine cards.

Happy stamping!

Claire