19 March 2024

You Party Animal

Just Add Ink has a fun challenge up on their blog to choose two (circles or squares or sayings). I was not planning it but I ended up choosing all 3. I've used a confetti stencil to add wee circles, I've made a square card as that seemed the most balanced and I've added a sentiment which is kind of a saying "you party animal".


I am playing with two new items that have turned up recently for me; Alex Syberia Designs Confetti stencil. The really cool thing about this stencil is it has 5 layers and you can create a pattern (not sure if I would call it confetti) that is multi-coloured and no spot touches another. I managed to get 2 layers done and then my card I was inking moved as I was lifting off the 2nd stencil. My Waffle Flower sticky mat had lost it's stick and needed a wash as it wasn't really sticky enough. No worries I thought, I can start again but when I looked at what I had created already I actually liked how random it was and it was not too busy. So decided that higher powers were making sure I didn't overdo it! 

I have used Worn Lipstick and Mustard Seed Distress inks and blended on Lavinia's Smooth and Multifarious card as it's WHITE, smooth and great for blending on. The wee mat is just the 2 inks blended around the edge and the banner is just the Worn Lipstick swiped on card to make me a perfectly matched coloured card stock.

The second new item is Pink & Main's Party Animal stamp and die set - look at how much detail the die cut out around the streamers and confetti. I really love this set and am so pleased I shouted myself it, as I had to get it from overseas as this brand is not available here at my local craft store/s. I probably shout myself a couple of shops/ships a year and wait until there is enough things available on my wish list to make the shipping not hurt as much as it does.

I've also cut out 2 extra white die-cuts for the party doggie and 1 extra for the sentiment to add stability and dimension plus a few 1mm foam squares to make the doggie balanced.





Copics used (darkest >> lightest):
Grays: W4/W2/W0/W00 and W8 for nose
Yellow-browns: E19/YR27/YR24/YR31
Yellows: Y17/Y15/Y11
Pinks: RV14/RV13/RV21

I'm also going to play along with Seize The Birthday's latest challenge with the additional twist of a co-ordinating tag. I went pretty simple with my tag, the biggest problem was finding ribbons that matched the ink colours.





Thanks for popping in.
✿Karen✿

17 March 2024

AAA Card Challenges 261: anything CAS goes

I hope you can see there is a pattern this year at AAA Cards the odd-numbered challenges are anything CAS with an option, the even-numbered challenges are a sketch challenge.

So this week AAA Card's Challenge optional twist is Spring, which is funny as we are heading into Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.

I'm playing with a new stamp set to me from Altenew called Simple Flowers Add-on. It's interesting what smaller sets Altenew puts out apart from the affordable price they often also have matching dies. I've gone real CAS on this and stamped directly to an A2 card base using a block. I've actually CASE-d Altenew's sample for the stamp set as that is what made me buy the set in the first place. 



I was happy with the stamping and design but would you believe it there must have been a piece of something on the edge of the darkest flower (where the bee is). I thought no worries I'll re-stamp it again but the second time I grabbed the lightest ink again for the misbehaving flower, so decided I would fix the first card if I could before making a third card. I tried adding white gel pen on top which didn't really remove the smudge so to cover it up I ended up using these bought and not used for a long time Bumblebee trinkets from SU!

Inks above are all Pinkfresh Studio: Sunkissed, Mango Sorbet, Fruit Punch; Fresh Pear, Grassy Knoll and Misty Coast. I finished off with a sentiment from Label Love (ALT).

This is what the repeat card looked like, I added a bumblebee even though not needed to use another one up out of the stash.


I definitely prefer the first card colour combo but a really effective set to make some quick cards. I like the modern look of the imagery too and the extra dots/spots. I hope you can make sometime to play along with AAA Cards as Spring colours are the bestest but anything CAS goes too!



I also thinks my card fits perfectly with Addicted to CAS's latest challenge "Bloom" so will play along with their challenge too.



Thanks for popping in.
✿Karen✿

Just one more Green card

I've found a new challenge blog called Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge. It looks a fun challenge site and it's always good to start on the Christmas cards early, the only twist is you need to add a hot drink to the card. Surprisingly even though I can't start my day without a coffee or two I don't own many coffee stamps (or tea or hot chocolate). But of course there are one or two in different sets. So this month's challenge is to link up a newly created Christmas/Holiday themed card with at least one Green element! Your card can be Coffee, Tea or Hot Cocoa! Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge and Simon Says Wednesday Challenge both would like A Bit O' Green too!




Supply List:
Stamps: Xmas Selfies (MFT), Holiday Helpers (LF - wee hot chocolate cup), Hand Lettered Holiday Background (SSS)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Clair Nocturne, Granny Apple Green (SU!)
Paper: Granny Apple Green (SU!), Xpress IT blending, Neenah Solar White #110
Other: Gelli roll 10 pen (Sakura), Quickie glue pen (Sakura), Prisma glitter (LF), Copics, Selfie square die (MFT), 1mm foam square (SP), Memento Tuxedo black pen


✿Karen✿

15 March 2024

Masculine Monster Fun

I have to admit when I saw the latest colour challenge at The Color Throwdown I wrinkled my nose up, thinking gosh that's hard and quite dull but wow do I love how my wee monster in the box tuned out in these colours, I would go so far as to say I love it!!



Copics I used (NB: I didn't use the E08 just the E07 to make the brown combo a tad more redder):


The blue panel has been cut with Altenew's Mix and Match Frame die-set. But this was a really easy card to create and just perfect for a nephew's birthday card. Well this colour challenge totally surprised me, so I challenge you to have a go, you too might surprise yourself. If you can't find time or feeling stuck do check out all the inspiration at The Color Throwdown blog.


Now the last time I coloured this wee monster up from Monster Fun set (Gerda Steiner Designs) it looked totally different (click HERE to see) but both ways are fabulous as it's such a fun set. I'm also going to enter my boy's birthday card at Addicted to Stamps & More's latest challenge as they are asking for "birthday".


Thanks for popping in and can you see the additional adorable wee watermark from Gerda Steiner on my "card alone" as they have a really fun challenge going on at the moment for an Easter Egg hunt if you use any of their stamps and share online.

✿Karen✿

12 March 2024

Reverse Blackout Technique

Gosh I'm seeing a lot of cards made with this technique or the blackout technique in my Instagram feed lately and I thought it would be fun to have a go at it for the latest challenge at The Paper Players (Green, Pink, Yellow, Black &White). I watched a video from Sandie McIver which explains the process really easily.

In a nutshell you need a 3D embossing folder, you spritz the A2 panel of white card with a light mist of water and run through your die-cutting machine in the embossing folder.

Now this is where the fun/magic happens. When dry working on the debossed side colour in your image with colour, you don't have to be too clean and can colour outside the lines as anything above gets blackened afterwards. I found for the folder I was using I needed my smallest blending tools (1/4") to get into all the recessed areas. When happy swipe over your black ink pad (I had to reink mine as it wasn't black enough). Try to go up and down so you don't get ink in the debossed areas. My folder may have had too much detail as it was really hard to not get black ink in all the areas. I would have liked it to be blacker but I didn't want to add more black ink to the coloured images but it really does pop in real life.

Here's a quick collage of the process. It's funny it looks like I am working on the raised areas but I am definitely shading in the debossed areas.


Supply List:
Stamps: Easy Expressions: Birthday (The Ton)
Ink: Sunflower (PFS), Sparkling Rose (PFS), Bubblegum (PFS), Grassy Knoll (PFS), Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper: Neenah white, random pink glitter paper scrap
Other: Dogwood Blooms 3D embossing folder (HB), small blending brushes (PFS and WF), Twilight Ombre glitter drops (PFS), black dimensionals (SU!)
Challenge: PP#680



Well that was a lot of fun and I'll definitely repeat the technique especially if I find a bigger flower embossing folder to try it on.

Well my original idea when I saw the colours was to make a pretty spring bunch of flowers but I'm pretty happy with my more dramatic card. It's always fun to try out different and new ideas.

✿Karen✿