August CAS Mix Up Reminder

Hello, 

Time for a reminder card for CAS Mix Up August challenge. This month it is watercolouring, our host is Loll and the theme is beach.

I am very pleased to report that our excessive heat has gone and we now have a very comfortable 22C but unfortunately the sky is grey but there is still no rain for us. Thunderstorms for everyone except us, it seems. Never mind our turn will come.

I struggled to come up with an idea for my reminder card (think I might have said that for my first card too), but eventually something happened and I produced this card:

It was quite hard to take a good photo of this card because of the colour and the card is coated so it has a shine. It was also quite dark when I took the photos so I had to use my light box.

I took a strip of cold pressed watercolour card and stamped and heat embossed the shell and star fish before colouring with my Zig real brush pens. I used a spellbinders edge die to cut the card front and attached the watercolour paper behind the edge. To finish I stamped and heat embossed the beach sign. I like to think that the shells and starfish are leading the way to the beach.

I do hope you are able to join us this month. I shall look forward to seeing your card in the gallery.

I am also sharing this at:

AAA Cards CAS game #171- along the edge, with optional twist - beach

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

xx

Shiny Flowers

Hello, 

It is another really hot day here and I am struggling, I really hope we get some rain soon.

This card started out as a design team one, but I changed my mind as I wasn't that happy with it. Anyway, I quite like it now, so I have decided to share it. I struggled a bit with the colours to start with but it has grown on me, I think they are what you would call split complementary. 

I used a leaf die by the Works to emboss the leaves on the green panel and then used the die as a mask to add yellow splatters with a paint pen. I am determined to get braver with using splatters on my cards. I love them but they terrify me, so I tend not to use them that much.

The die is by memory box, I cut it several times coloured and then inserted the flower petal pieces back into the die cut, added another layer and filled the spaces with glossy accents finishing with a final layer in the same card as the card base once the glossy accents was dry. The green panel was mounted on fun foam and the sentiment heat embossed on vellum.

I am sharing this at:

Die-cut divas - Flowers. This is my second entry because this one showcases die cuts better than my first.

The Flower Challenge - Sparkle. The glossy accents have a great shine.

Double Trouble Challenge - Embossing. I have used both dry and heat embossing.

Mix it up Challenge 40 - Embossing

           

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

 Hilary 

xx

I love Hydrangeas

Hello, 

I have been enjoying Hydrangea flowers this year and have 3 growing in pots in my garden. They are in pots because it is far too dry for them where I live, so they don't thrive in the garden. I took the photos at the end of this post a few weeks ago and love how lush and green they look with those amazing flowers and the tiny little bud in the centre that opens to a wonderful delicate flower. I have also been  practicing my watercolouring and bought some Rachel Vass digital stamps that I have been using. This one is called Happy Hydrangea:

I printed the design onto watercolour paper and painted it with my Zig clean colour real brush pens and a plain brush to add water and blend. It took me sometime but I am quite pleased with the result. the sentiment is heat embossed and the panel cut with a scalloped frame die and mounted on a coloured card base.

I am sharing this card at:

Seize-the-birthday #196- - Tic, tac, toe, diagonal line large sentiment, flowers, one image

Uniko challenge 60 - In my garden with an optional twist of hot summer colours

For my second card, with the same stamp I printed it off the edge of some white card and then coloured it with my Polychromo pencils. I then fussy cut it out and mounted it on a die-cut panel that I had smooched with distress ink and black and red splatters. The sentiment is white heat embossed and is on quite a large banner because I managed to get the flower wet while it was sitting on my desk. I hoped it would dry OK, but no,  it had a big splodge on it! Actually I decided I quite like the contrast from the black banner. The flower is repeated on the card insert.

Here is a close up:

And here are the hydrangeas in my garden, there are 2 plants in this picture:

A close up of those amazing flowers:

I am sharing my second card at:

Die-cut divas - Flowers

Finally I am sharing them both at:

NBUS #17 - I hope digital stamps are allowed.

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

Hilary 

xx

July CCC Reveal

Hello, 

Today is the second of August so it is time for the July Card Chain Challenge reveal.  June was a celebratory month with loads of games to keep us entertained and remembering all the cards that have been exchanged since the challenge started over 10 years ago. I was lucky enough to win Game 2 and so I was delighted to receive this Clearly Besotted stamp set, it is waiting for me to get some inspiration to use it. It is also my first Clearly Besotted stamp set. I am sure it won't be my last.

Anyway, onto the reveal. My card for June went to Gail in Norway, I got a bit worried because it seemed to take a very long time to get there. 

I used the layout option for my card although I did flip it because my flower didn't really sit well on the  right hand side.

The flower is by Uniko and was heat embossed, coloured with alcohol markers and fussy cut. The background is an EF which you can see better in the next picture.

I was very lucky to receive this gorgeous card from Jeanne H in MN

She used the 'under the sea' option, don't you just love that jelly fish?

There is still time to sign up for the August challenge here. I hope you will join us.

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

 

xx

August CAS Mix Up

Hello, 

Today is the 1st of the month so it is time for another CAS Mix Up challenge. This month it is all about watercolour and our host is the wonderful Loll who has chosen beach as the theme. Our guest designer this month is Brenda, so do go and check out her inspiration for this challenge.

It took me a while (as always) to come up with my design this month as I made a beach themed card for June CCC and I couldn't think of anything different even though that one wasn't CAS. Eventually I came up with an idea and was pleased that I pulled it off at my first attempt. I am always very nervous around watercolours!

I started by masking off a strip down the front of the card and then I used another piece of post it tape to mark the horizon. I got out my Zig watercolour brush pens and set about making a seascape. I achieved the blending and variation by using a wet brush to move the colour about. Once I was happy with that I let it dry, moved the horizon mask and set about doing the sky, fading to a pale bluey grey.  

I stamped the grasses and sentiment (which I used on my previous beach card too) in versafine toffee ink.

The sentiment really resonates with me as I grew up by the sea and that's where I go if I need to clear my head, so I wanted to use it again and I hope it doesn't spoil the CAS nature of this card.

You can see from this close up that I didn't quite position my post it tape right up against the edge of the sea but I decided that the little strip of light that resulted was a positive rather than a negative mistake.

There is lots of inspiration over on the challenge blog so do head on over and I shall look forward to seeing your creation in the gallery.

I am also sharing this card at:

Double D Challenges: Let's go to the beach

CAS on Friday #185: Summer

  

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

xx