CAS-ual Fridays: CFC 196

Welcome to a new challenge at CAS-ual Fridays Challenge!

I started by white embossing the images from Casual Comfort onto watercolour cardstock. I then added colour using Zig clean colour real brush markers and blended the colour with a paintbrush and water. I heat set it and added more colour and water, but kept the colours very pale and pastel. I stamped the sentiment from Heartfelt Sayings onto vellum and white embossed that, too. I wrapped the vellum around the watercolour panel, attached it to a card front, and added a few sequins as a finishing touch.

 Make sure you check out the CAS-ual Fridays challenge blog for more inspiration from the Girl Fridays, and join in on our challenge!

Thanks for visiting :)

Fusion: Easter Bunny

Welcome to a new challenge at Fusion!

I made a fusion of the photo and the sketch. I used a floral stamp from Wplus9, embossed onto watercolour paper then coloured with Zig markers, along with a sentiment from Clearly Besotted.

  Make sure you check out all the rest of the inspiration at the Fusion challenge blog, and play along with your own creation!

 Thanks for visiting :)

Flora birthday

Still trying to build up my stash of birthday cards.

I used the Flora background stamp from Simon Says Stamp, embossed onto watercolour card, then coloured with Zig markers. I fussy cut around part of the image, then adhered it to a card front, and added a sentiment from Hero Arts.

Thanks for visiting :)

Die cut alcohol ink background

I'm seriously in love with these alcohol ink colours! I made this background ages ago, after seeing a post on Instagram by Jenny Colacicco where she used gold foil on top of alcohol ink. The foil sticks to the sticky areas of ink, leaving tiny little bits of foil, making it look like seams of gold in a background of Lapis Lazuli.
I die cut the piece, then added a die cut and stamped sentiment on vellum.

The background die is from Lil Inkers Designs, and the sentiment is from Hero Arts.

 Thanks for visiting :)

CASEing Simply Nailogical

Well, Holo everyone, it's me, Michelle.

Actually, there's no holo here (shock horror!) but I am CASEing a look by Cristine Rotenberg, AKA Simply Nailogical today. If you don't know who this is, you need to go and check out some of her videos on YouTube. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Well, whaddaya think?  Cool, right? Hilarious, too. I love checking out her videos for a little dose of pretty stuff and not a little ridiculousness to brighten up my day.

Anyway, I saw THIS video and decided to make a card. But not using nail polish. Because that would be messy. And I don't have any purple nail polish. Or orange. Or yellow.

I started with Strathmore Bristol cardstock, and created a scaled gradient with Distress Inks in Mustard Seed, Carved Pumpkin, Picked Raspberry, Seedless Preserves, Wilted Violet and Blueprint Sketch. I splattered on some Distress Paint in Picket Pence, mixed with Perfect Pearls mist, then added more Perfect Pearls mixed with water.  The sentiment is die cut and stamped with the Hello Stamp & Cut set from Hero Arts.  I added some Wink of Stella to the sentiment, and a few sequins from Pretty Pink Posh to finish it off. I know, I know, there's no holo. Sorry.

AND I made a video! (I know, shock horror!)

So, Cristine (@simplynailogical on IG) cased @pinkieconspiracie on IG (check her out at https://www.instagram.com/p/BYSL3UZj6dF/?taken-by=pinkieconspiracie ) who had originally cased @snh001 on IG ( https://www.instagram.com/p/BSJBxTVBppP/?taken-by=snh001 )

Thanks for visiting :)

Rainbow panels

Still trying to build up my stash of birthday cards, because people keep on having birthdays!

The rainbow was made using inks from Catherine Pooler. The sentiment is from Hero Arts. I stamped it directly across the top of the panels that I had already adhered to the card front (I had originally planned to add a die cut sentiment, but I changed my mind). Because of this, the sentiment had breaks in it, so I had to go in with a fine black marker to fill in the gaps.

 Thanks for visiting :)

Watercolour rainbow

What could be better on your birthday than to receive a rainbow in an envelope? Nothing, that's what.

The sentiment is an old wood mount stamp from Stamp-It. The rainbow is done with Catherine Pooler inks.

Thanks for visiting :)

Happy birthday on Yupo

I wanted to use some gold mixative over alcohol ink on Yupo, but I didn't want a heap of gold. So I tried flicking it on with a paintbrush, and this is what I got:

The sentiment is a combination of a Mama Elephant die and a stamp from Altenew. 

Thanks for visiting :)

Happy birthday bouquet

 I decided I wanted to play along with a couple of challenges this afternoon. So I did.

The "Beautiful Bouquet: Ranunculus" stamp is from Wplus9, white embossed onto Canson watercolour card and then watercoloured with Zig clean color real brush markers. The sentiment is from Hero Arts "Mouse Tea Party".

I'll be sharing this card at CAS(e) this sketch, and at The Flower Challenge.

Thanks for visiting :)

Beautiful swans for A Blog Named Hero

Hello! The theme for the new challenge at A Blog Named Hero is to use your favourite Hero Arts product. Working on the assumption that my favourite products are new ones, I made this card using a stamp set I've never used before.

I created the background using alcohol inks. I hand cut the wavy lines, and popped up the Copic coloured and fussy-cut swans (from Hero Arts "Swans and Cattails"), as well as the white panel on dimensional adhesive. The sentiment is from Hero Arts "Color Layering For You".

 Make sure you visit the A Blog Named Hero Facebook page for your crafty inspiration!
I'll be sharing this card at Addicted to CAS, where the code word is Birds.

Thanks for visiting :)

CAS-ual Fridays: CFC 195

Hello! I'm back again for a new challenge at the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge!

I created a green background on gloss paper using alcohol inks. I then stamped in versamark and white embossed the tree image from CAS-ual Fridays "Calm and Gentle". I added a sentiment from "Pretty Posies" embossed onto grey cardstock, and then a few clear sequins as a finishing touch.

 Make sure you check out the CAS-ual Fridays challenge blog for more inspiration from the Girl Fridays, and join in on our challenge!

Thanks for visiting :)

Fusion: Rain or shine

Welcome to a new challenge at Fusion!

 I went with the photo inspiration, but not the sketch today. The stamp set is from Annabelle stamps, coloured with Copic markers, and the little raindrops are from Studio Katia.

 Make sure you check out all the rest of the inspiration at the Fusion challenge blog, and play along with your own creation!

 Thanks for visiting :)

Embossing over alcohol ink

I love the look of alcohol inks on glossy paper. But I REALLY like the look of white embossing over alcohol inks!

Both the background stamp and the sentiment are from Simon Says Stamp. 
And I'm trying a different backdrop for my photos. Just because I can.

 Thanks for visiting :)

Wonderful birthday

I had this panel left over from a card I made in February.

The panel was made with the layered pansies background stamp from Impression Obsession, white embossed then watercoloured with Zig markers, then sprayed with Perfect Pearls. I cut it down with two dies from Lil' Inkers, adhered it to a card front and added a sentiment from Stamp It (a company that, sadly, no longer exists). 

 I'll be sharing this card at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where the theme this week is Girl Power. 

Thanks for visiting :)

Alcohol ink and a die cut sentiment

OK, so there's a story behind this card. I got some red, pink and yellow alcohol inks and this is the first piece I made with them. I even added gold foil on top, and it looks so cool. It was a much larger piece but I had to cut it down and cover it up with a diecut. HAD TO. Because I'm a biologist, and this background looks like something very specific. Read on if you dare - you have been warned.

The die is from Mama Elephant, and the happy stamp is from Altenew.

And the background looks like a cross section through a testis. Seriously. You read that right. I did warn you.

I will be sharring this card at the CAS(e) this sketch challenge.

Thanks for visiting :)

Alcohol ink on glossy cardstock

I really like the look of white embossing over alcohol ink, but I wanted to try making a card with some more white space (love my white space!). So this background was done on glossy cardstock, not Yupo - one reason is that Yupo warps when you heat emboss (it can be done, but you have to be VERY careful!), and also I wasn't sure how I would go stamping the sentiment on Yupo. So I went with glossy cardstock. 

I used a floral stamp from Penny Black, and a sentiment from Clearly Besotted. I stamped the sentiment in Versafine onyx black, and I embossed it with clear embossing powder.

 Thanks for visiting :)

Using up leftover pansies

I made a panel from the Layered Pansies background coloured with Zig markers a little while ago, and made a card, but because it was a whole panel I made, I had leftovers! Yay!

I added a spray of Perfect Pearls all over the panel of pansies, added it to the card with fun foam behind it, then added a sentiment from Avery Elle, white embossed onto black cardstock.

Thanks for visiting :)

Hello from the A Blog Named Hero Facebook team!

Hello A Blog Named Hero fans! I'm back for 2018 posting for the Facebook team, and I'm starting with my favourite combination - blues, greens, and a background stamp!

I stamped the Garden Tile Pattern stamp from Hero Arts onto watercolour cardstock, and white embossed it. I added colour with my Zig clean color real brush markers and a spray of water. I added a stacked die cut and stamped sentiment from the "hello" stamp & cut set, also from Hero Arts, before cutting the panel down a little bit and mounting it onto a navy card base. A scattering of sequins finished the card.

Make sure you visit the Facebook page for A Blog Named Hero every day for the next week and a bit - the new challenge blog design team are being introduced, as are the Facebook design team! There's one more introduction for the Facebook team being made today, but you'll have to visit Facebook to find out who's joining the Facebook DT!

Thanks for visiting :)

Sweet baby girl

I made this card for a choir friend who recently had a baby.

This card made me REALLY wish my Simon Says Stamp order would arrive, pretty please, because I NEED Distress Oxide ink in Squeezed Lemonade - the Fossilized Amber was just too heavy. I was going for a much softer look, but I started with the yellow in the middle, and because it was too dark yellow, I went a bit heavy handed on the rest of the colours, too, and a soft and pretty background became bold and bright instead. I think it looks OK, but it wasn't the look I was going for.

 I'll be sharing this card at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where the theme this week is Anything Goes. 

Thanks for visiting :)