TONE ON TONE STENCILING

The October challenge at CAS Mix-UP is to do tone on tone stenciling - a technique I have never done.  So today I gave it a whirl and made two cards.

I used the same technique on both cards - stenciling first with a light color (champagne metallic), shifting the stencil and stenciling over with a darker color (DI brushed corduroy).  On the top card I used Pretty Pink Posh's autumn leaves and on the bottom I used Artplorations autumn falling.  I felt the bottom card needed a little something extra, so used an old Hero Arts maple leaf and stamped over the tone on tone in a dark gray ink.  I added some simple berry die cuts on the top card for a little added interest.  A little sentiment finished both cards.

I am also entering my first card in the NBUS challenge as I've never used the autumn leaves stencil.

Thanks for stopping by today.

GOING BATTY

I am so pleased to let you know that I am now one of the design team members at the Tic Tac Toe Challenge.  I discovered this fun challenge last February and have really enjoyed playing along just about every week since then.

This week the board was designed by LeAnne and I went diagonally from bottom left to upper right - die cut, circle and stitching.

I first created my background on a piece of navy cs by using a cloud stencil and blending DI blueprint sketch.  Then used a wonky rectangle stitch die to cut it out.  Die cut my circle and added the sentiment which was stamped in black and clear embossed.  After making the shaker part I added this to a gray/blue card base, attached the bats and done.

Am sure you'll find three elements on this week's board that will inspire you - so be sure to enter your creation here.

Thanks for stopping by today.

AUTUMN BOUQUET

Wanted something a bit different than the usual oranges, yellows, rust, etc. for my card today using the new and lovely Autumn Bouquet die set from Hero Arts.

I die cut all the flowers from white cs and then used copic and Altenew alcohol markers to color everything - it really went very quickly because I just put my darkest color down first and then blended out with a lighter shade not really being very detailed about it.  For my background I smooshed weathered wood DI on my craft mat, spritzed with water and smooshed my paper until I was happy with the result.  Did my flower arrangement and put it together with a little twine bow onto a pale gray card base.

A new challenge begins tomorrow on A Blog Named Hero with two great gift certificates from Hero Arts to be won - so be sure to check it out.

Thanks for visiting today.

GOLD FALL LEAVES

Created two cards this afternoon for two challenges and also because my sympathy card stash was running very low - sad to say, but you never know when one of them is needed.  Both cards are going to entered at the Color Hues Challenge (cream and gold) and one will be entered at a new challenge begun just this month by Gail and Jo - Let's Squash It - (embossing folder plus geometric and metallic).

I used a stencil and "mother of pearl" embossing paste for the background on the top card, die cutting the piece with a stitched die and adding the gold gingko leaf.  Put it all together on a cream background along with a little sentiment and a few sequins.

For my second card, I embossed a piece of cream cs with a hexagon folder.  Matted this with gold and used foam to mount onto my white card base.  Added my gold maple leaf and the little sentiment and done!

Thanks for visiting today.

FESTIVE FRIDAY CHALLENGE

My card today is for the Festive Friday Challenge - I've had quite a few cats as pets - but no more - still love them though.

I used my new SSS Stamptember Kitchen Sink stamps on a slimline card and love how this little Halloween scene turned out.  The elements from the challenge are a cat, sparkle (Spectrum Noir glitter pen on the bats), embossing (black heat embossed the sentiment) and a circle (moon).  I used DO inks to blend the sky and ground.  To create the moon, I die cut a circle on a piece of cs and used it as a stencil.  Also made some masks to do the stamping and blending around the pumpkin and the moon.

Thanks for stopping by today.
 

TIC TAC TOE CHALLENGE

So pleased to be guest designing today for the Tic Tac Toe Challenge085.  It's a really great autumn board with many ways to create a card.  My choice from the board is down the left side - pumpkins, orange and fall. 

I have always found downloading images, resizing and whatever else is involved rather daunting, but when I saw Alex Syberia's new Autumn Bouquet release, I had to give it a try.  My printer won't take anything heavier that 80# cardstock, so that's what I went with using my copic markers to do all the coloring.  My slimline card is 3.5x8.5.  Added my little sentiment, a few sequins and done.  I really would like to color this image with watercolor - maybe will pop over to Kinko's and see if they can help me out.  Anyone have any other ideas??

Be sure to have a go at this inspiring board and enter your fall cards here. 

Thanks for stopping by today.

 

SEPTEMBER CARD CHAIN CHALLENGE

This month my card is going to Lucille in Colorado.  I used the sketch and colors for my card.

After the flower and leaves were embossed with rose gold powder, I watercolored them with DO inks - crackling campfire, wild honey and shabby shutters.  The inks left on my work surface were spritzed with water and the background piece was smooshed into them.  Spattered a bit of gold paint on it before adding the flower and leaves.  Finished it off with a few gold sequins.

Thanks for stopping by today. 

 

CLUSTERED LEAVES

A quick card today for the current Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge and also the SSS Flickr Challenge.

 

I die cut the leaves from a piece of green alcohol inked yupo paper. The background was sponged with speckled egg, weathered wood and stormy sky DO inks and spattered with water.  Added the sentiment and sequins and done.  The SSS challenge is "anything goes" and I used slimline card, splatter and green for the Tic-Tac-Toe challenge.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

CLEAN AND SIMPLE

A Blog Named Hero has "clean and simple" for its challenge this month and I've made a twofer with a new (to me) set - Togetherness Flower Bouquet.

In order to make two top folding cards, I cut my cardstock to 4.25"x11".  With the cs horizonal, I lightly marked the center with pencil (5.5") and stamped the image with half on either side of the pencil mark - and then turned the stamp and repeated.  I colored all the flowers and leaves before cutting the piece in half - so ended up with two pieces 4.25"x5.5".  If you look at both cards you will be able to see where they match up.  On the bottom card, I added some striped washi tape and the sentiment from the stamp set.  On the top card, I just cut a narrow strip of black, added a different sentiment and a few black enamel dots.  To finish both, I used some black spatter before adhering to a white card base.  Two CAS cards for the price of one!!!

Hope to see your CAS cards this month on the challenge blog - and you may win either a $25 or $50 gift card from Hero Arts!

Thanks for stopping by.

PINK AND BROWN

The colors for The Flower Challenge are pink and brown and finally had some inspiration today and sadly, even a reason to make this card.

I watercolored the bouquet with Karin markers - just used pale pink for the flowers, but different shades of brown for the various leaves.  Before coloring, I embossed the bouquet with rose gold ep.  For some added texture, I dry embossed the card base with a striped cover die, used foam tape to mount the bouquet, added a few brownish sequins and the sentiment and done!  

I am also entering my card at CAS Mix-Up Challenge as I used embossing with a die, wet embossing and watercoloring.

 Thanks for dropping by today.

 

TREES AND TRIANGLES

Two cards today for the Twofer Challenge (trees), the Color Hues Challenge (navy & turquoise) and CAS Christmas (Christmas tree).  Since I used die cuts I'm also entering my card at Die Cut Divas (holidays).

Began by blending chipped sapphire and broken china DO ink on a piece of white card.  Die cut the tree line in white, also the larger tree and hand cut the second snowbank.  Put this all together on a card base.  Then added the sparkle snowflakes, some spectrum noir shimmer on the snowbanks and the little sentiment.  Difficult photographing the shimmer so it wouldn't be so dark.

For my second card, I snipped off the trunks of the largest tree from the tree line die after cutting it multiple times from watercolor paper.  Loosely watercolored them in pale pink, yellow and lavender.  Brushed the edges with some copper metallic ink.  Arranged on a background piece and added a copper border.  Die cut the sentiment several times for dimension and completed with copper sequins. 

 Thanks for stopping by today.

 

 

STRIPES AND SUNFLOWERS

Currently, there's a wonderful photo for inspiration at The Card Concept Challenge and had to use my Botonicuts sunflowers for my entry. 

Used some yellow cardstock for my flowers and sponged on some darker yellows for a variety in color - same thing for the green leaves.  Die cut the black stripe background, added it to a white card base - the little sentiment was stamped in black and embossed with clear ep.

The black and white striped pillows and the sunflowers were the inspiration for my card.  I think my card fits in their clean and layered category - or even just clean and simple.

I am also entering my card at Seize the Birthday where the challenge is die cuts only with a stamped sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by today.

FALLING LEAVES

Back in the "olden days" I belonged to a group of lovely ladies who gathered once a month to make cards together.  Now that we haven't seen each other for months, one of our members suggested that each month we follow a theme and make a card for each of our friends (6 cards).  This month the theme is "fall/thanksgiving".

My production line began with an 8.5x11 piece of white cardstock on which I randomly blended DO inks in oranges, yellows, greens and browns.  Then I spattered the piece with water and next with gold metallic paint.  Die cut a bunch of leaves and used some walnut stain DO ink to smudge the edges of all the leaves.  Stamped my card base with a retired Hero Arts flourish cover stamp - also did the tag - MISTI used for this stamping - fast and easy!  Thought the swirl design of the stamp went so well with falling leaves.  Arranged the leaves, added the sentiment, a few gold sequins and done.  After I had the first card finished, assembling the other five cards went quickly.  

Thanks for dropping by today.

A PUMPKIN AND A BLACK CAT

Just a quick post with an entry for the current TicTacToe challenge.

I used cat, pumpkin and orange/rust from the challenge board.  Gave my pumpkin some texture with a Halloween embossing folder.  

Thanks for stopping by.