A Collaboration With Stencils

Today I am joining up with the wonderful Cat Craig from Cat luvs paper to share two cards made with two different stencils from Uniko. If you like CAS cards you will love the stamps designed by Bev at Uniko. She has a unique and wonderful CAS style. Having said that, my cards today aren't very CAS and I actually have four, rather than two,  to share. I can't wait to see what Cat has done with her stencils.

These are the 2 stencils we were tasked to use;

Natures treasures Stencil and Mask

Fun Flowers Spray Mask - OK strictly speaking this one is a mask

My first card uses the natures treasures stencil. I started by inking some glossy paper with different shades of green ink. When it was dry I used the stencil and some transparent glossy texture paste to cover the background with leaves. I had to do this one leaf at a time and let it dry before moving on to the next one. Once it was all dry I blended an olive green ink over the card front with a blending brush. The texture paste resisted the ink to make the leaves stand out. As the background is the star of the show I wanted to keep my focal point relatively simple. I stamped the matching stamp onto glossy paper, waited for it to dry and then blended some other green ink over the white paper to tone it down a bit, as the white was just too stark. I found the flower behind the leaf in my box of bits that I had stamped and fussy cut a long, long time ago. It is a stamp by Lavinia Stamps and I decided it would fit quite nicely on this card, just tucked behind the leave to add a little more interest.

The sentiment was foiled on a piece of scrap gold card and the panel was die cut, mounted onto some mat gold card before mounting onto a cream cardbase. I finished it off with 3 little gems.

My second card started in the same way, but this time I just blended some ink over the mask. The diecut flowers and leaves were also in my box of bits. I was pleased to use these as I had spent some time inlaying them. I finished this card off in the same way as card 1.

Card number 3 had a similar background but it started out much darker and became darker still after I had inked over the mask. I added the bright yellow lotus flower and foiled sentiment. I thought it had the feel of a pond with a waterlily. 

My final card started with one of my gelli plate backgrounds. I simply inked over the mask and added a foiled sentiment and mounted it on black to give a bit of contrast.

I am not really sure how or why I ended up with 3 cards using the fun flowers mask, I just kept experimenting and managed to get them all completed. These sorts of experiments often end in abandonment, but not this time, so that was a result.

As you can tell, I am very much into backgrounds at the moment, but I haven't made much of a dent in the pile of acrylic paint gel prints yet.

Thanks Cat for your wonderful crafty friendship. I am glad we managed to do a second collaboration this year. You can see what we did last year here and here. All I can say is doesn't time fly?

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it. 

Happy Birthday Allsorts

Today I am popping in quickly to help Allsorts celebrate their 14th anniversary. 14 years is very impressive and they have a really wonderful prize this week, so I thought there was no excuse. I may be way behind with my blog visits, but I just had to enter a card before I got waylaid. I have been away for a few days so have got a bit behind with everything.

This card has been waiting in the wings for a little while. I really like it, so I am glad it will find a home in the Allsorts gallery.

It was quite simple to make. The background is alcohol pearl inks on yupo paper and the meadow flowers are a die that has simply been cut from black paper, mounted onto a black scalloped panel and then onto a white card base. The sentiment is also a die, and is cut from dark silver card.

I think it is the pearly alcohol ink that makes this card shine.

Happy Birthday Allsorts

I am also sharing this at:

NBUS #50 - My third entry this month! It is the first outing for the Sizzix Thinlits Tim Holtz die 665369

Happy Little Stampers, anything Goes with Dies May challenge

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it. 

We Love Stamping May Reminder

Today is the 18th so time for a reminder for the current challenge over at We Love Stamping. The challenge where you can showcase your stamps and your skill at using them.

This month our theme is:

**Anything Stamped with the option of In The Garden**

As I said last time, if the theme is in the garden, it will be flowers every time for me.

My image was stamped onto watercolour paper and coloured with watercolour pens and a wet brush. The image was cut with the matching die and mounted on one of my gelli plate backgrounds. I have quite a pile of these at the moment having spent some time experimenting. This one is made using scrunched up deli paper.

The sentiment was foiled and the edges rounded

I enjoyed making this so much that I made another. This time the background is the scrunched up deli paper. I finished them both with a few sequins.

Which is your favourite?

Don't forget there is always a prize to be won and this month the prize has been kindly donated by Craft Stash and consists of a Lisa Horton embossing folder and matching stencils. Why don't you head over to the challenge blog to check it out? The prize winner is selected randomly and in addition the DT will choose one entry to join us as a guest designer for a future challenge.

I hope I have inspired you to join us this month, all you have to do is follow the prompt and ensure stamping is the main focus on your card. The challenge will close at noon (UK time) on Wednesday 31st May

I am looking forward to seeing you in the gallery.

I am also sharing this at:

Triple B May Challenge: I am linking up card 2

Supplies:

Cardstock: Various

Ink: Acrylic paint for backgrounds; Zig clean colour real brush pens for the flowers

Stamps: Tonic Studios 3717e Heartfelt Coursage

Dies: Matching die; stitched rectangle

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it. 

A little bit of stencilling

Today I have a stencilled card to show you. I have recently started to dip my toe into the world of layered stencils and bought this set by Concord & 9th. This was very easy and very satisfying to make, and, just for a change, it didn't take me hours and hours!

I used my Catherine Pooler inks, can't remember which colours exactly. I think they work well on this type of stencil as the colours are quite vibrant and solid. To make it extra easy I followed the colours used on the illustration on the packet. I opted out of making decisions that day!

The sentiment and matching die are also by Concord and 9th. I finished it off with a few little silver embellishments.

I am sharing it at:

Try it on Tuesday - Use a stencil

Happy Little Stampers May Stencil Challenge - Anything Goes

NBUS #50 - the stencils and sentiment are NBUS

May Stencil Fun Challenge - Flowers

Before I go I just thought I would share the completion of a recent project for my front garden. I received several new pots for my birthday and last weekend I managed to fill them with plants. I thought they would go well with my front door. I am quite pleased with how they look. It is a shady spot so they are all woodland plants. If you have been following me for any length of time you will not be surprised by the colour. I hope you like them.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it. 

We Love Stamping May Challenge

Today is the first Sunday of the month so time for a new challenge over at We Love Stamping. The challenge where you can showcase your stamps and your skill at using them.

This month our theme is:

** Anything Stamped or 'In The Garden'  **

I would like to welcome our guest designer this month: Chris from 'and here's one I made earlier'. I hope you get a chance to pay her a visit. Welcome Chris.

Whenever I have an 'in the garden' challenge it is always going to be flowers, so here we have gold heat embossed flowers coloured with metallic watercolour paints. Simple and dramatic. I found another stamp for the insert and envelope that I thought coordinated quite well.

I finished it off with 3 tiny sequins to add some more shine and to break up the harshness of the black centre. I am sorry you can't see the shine.

I enjoyed making this one, it was very satisfying.

Don't forget there is always a prize to be won and this month the prize has been kindly donated by Craft Stash and consists of a Lisa Horton embossing folder and matching stencils. Why don't you head over to the challenge blog to check it out? The prize winner is selected randomly and in addition the DT will choose one entry to join us as a guest designer for a future challenge.

I hope I have inspired you to join us this month, all you have to do is follow the prompt and ensure stamping is the main focus on your card. The challenge will close at noon (UK time) on Wednesday 31st May

I am looking forward to seeing you in the gallery.

I am also sharing this at:

Happy Little Stampers May Watercolour Challenge - Anything goes with the option of flowers

Supplies:

Cardstock: Black watercolour card; Hunkydory adorable scorable coated card

Ink: Gansai Tambi gem colours

Stamps: Taylored Expressions Blooming Background; Spellbinders, loves me, loves me not

Dies: A6 scalloped edge stitched die

Other: Gold Heat embossing

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it. 

Pretty in Pink

Today I am sharing a card I made with my new foiling machine which I absolutely love. This was so easy to do. I used smooth white stamping card. It is important that the card is really smooth. I think the card I used for this one was from HeffyDoodle, but I also find that coated card works really well, and have had good success with glossy photo paper.

Everything is foiled on this card, the background, the flower and the sentiment and I used the left over foil to foil the insert. Not sure that I like that look so may not do it again.

The flower was cut with the matching die and painted with zig watercolour pens. I used a diecut circle to frame the sentiment and backed it with vellum just to mute the background slightly.

You can just catch the shine on the close up picture.

I am sharing this at:

The Flower Challenge 80 - pretty pastels

NBUS #50 - this is the first outing for the flower hot foil stamp

Supplies:

Cardstock: HeffyDoodle white letter sized cardstock

Foil: GoPress gold foil, iridescent shavings

Hot Foil Stamps: Spellbinders anemone glimmer blooms; Pinkfresh Studio scripted sentiments and matching die

Dies:  Heart cover plate by Sunny Studio

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it. 

April Card Chain Challenge

Today is 2nd of the month so time for the Card Chain Challenge big reveal. This month 34 card makers took part and I sent my card to  Viv in UK. 

I struggled for inspiration this month so in the end I used the themes of spring and friendship, found some appropriate dies, and carried on playing with my hot foiling machine. The panel was foiled in silver, the tablecloth (hope it looks like a tablecloth) was also foiled in silver and then coloured with an alcohol marker, one of the tulips was foiled in green, the 'amazing' was cut from a piece of waste foiled card, the friend was foiled and coloured and the vase was also foiled and coloured. The other tulips were cut and coloured with metallic pens.

There is a stamp set that goes with the tulip dies, so I used that to stamp the insert and envelope.

I have no doubt that you will see a lot more foiling from me in the coming months. I have definitely taken to it, as if you hadn't already guessed!

I was very lucky to receive this gorgeous card from Imke in Germany:

Thanks Imke, I love those sequins too.

If you would like to take part in the next card chain challenge, you have until 6th to sign up here

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it.