October's CAS Mix Up Challenge ......

Happy weekend to you,

Happy World Card Making Day too!  It's the perfect day to launch this month's CAS Mix Up Challenge

It's my turn to host, and the challenge for October is a Mixed Media one, with the prompt .....

Blackout Embossing 

Time to get out all your favourite embossing folders and have some fun!

This is a new to me technique.  I've seen it used a lot online, and it always looks stunning, but I haven't really done much of it myself. 

The first time I tried it, I didn't actually use any colour, I just simply used a black ink over the debossed side of an embossing folder design, so I'm not even sure if that can be classed as the 'Blackout Embossing technique'.  (I'll show you what I mean at the end of this post!)

Anyway, on with this month's challenge.  

I've got two cards to share with you, the first is using a pretty embossing folder from Simon Says Stamp called Blossom Field.  It's a pretty floral design, with lots of little details.

I simply ran the EF through the Big Shot with some plain white cardstock.

I then coloured the flowers, on the de-bossed side, using Distress Oxide Inks, in shades of pink and yellow.  I found the easiest way, for me, was to use small blending brushes to get the colour into the debossed detail of the card.

This is quite a thick EF so the detail is quite deep in the cardstock which is what you need for this technique, so that when you rub over with the black ink you don't get too much on the coloured bits.  Does that make sense?

I used Black Soot Distress Oxide on this card, but Nocturne Versafine Clair or any black ink would work just as well.  Try whatever you have to hand.

I gently rubbed the ink pad over the surface of the card, to bring out the coloured, debossed design ........ this was so much fun to do!  Try not to add too much black ink at once, I think less is definitely more with this technique.  Build up the depth of colour gradually .... remember it's always easier to add more than it is to take it away!

A simple stamped sentiment and a few highlights with a gold gel pen finishes off the card

This technique also works well with cardstock that has already got colour on it .......

I found this small piece of card in my bits box.  It's a leftover from a previous project I think, possibly a mop up piece by the look of it.   

The embossing folder is Piped Floral Lace from Altenew (I think this is my favourite EF at the moment ...... I love it!!!)  Again this is a deep, 3D, folder, giving lots of detail. 

Just remember, if you use already coloured cardstock, make sure you put it in the EF folder the right way up ..... you need the coloured side to be debossed.

For a bit of extra interest, but still keeping things CAS, I added my blackout piece to a white, die cut postage stamp frame and added the same in black, underneath.

If you need more inspiration for October's challenge, then check out the latest post on the CAS Mix Up Blog.  There you'll find more fabulous ideas from our Design Team and, there's also links to some useful videos showcasing this fun technique.

We also have a fabulous Guest Designer this month. Darnell from djkardkreations is joining in the fun so be sure to pop over there and say Hello!

Remember to follow the Challenge Guidelines ......  and keep your cards CAS.

Before I go, here's a picture of what I mentioned earlier ..... something I played around with whilst taking part in the #100 Day Challenge earlier in the year.  

It's the Blackout technique (sort of!) without any colour ....... I love this look, but then again I'm a big fan of black and white with just a hint of colour!

I'm really looking forward to seeing your take on the Blackout Embossing challenge.  I can't wait to see your entires in the gallery.  Have fun!

Thanks for popping by ....... enjoy your weekend.

We've spent the last few days in the lovely town of Knaresborough.  An historic market town in North Yorkshire. 

Nice walks, great places to eat, and the weather's not been too bad either.

We walked through Nid Gorge, quite a long walk but nice ....... I need the excercise!!

The next stop on our travels is one of our favourite places .......... we're off to the city of York!

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:

Card 1

Embossing Folder ...... Blossom Field - Simon Says Stamp

Inks ........  Distress Oxide Inks - Mustard Seed, Scattered Straw, Picked Raspberry, Black Soot; Versafine Clair - Nocturne (for the sentiment)

Stamps ....... Happy Birthday sentiment from my stash
Other ......  Gold Metallic Gel Pen

Card 2

Embossing Folder ...... 3D Piped Floral Lace - Altenew

Inks ........  Distress Inks - Mustard Seed, Scattered Straw, Wild Honey; Versafine Clair - Nocturne 

Stamps ....... Happy birthday Sentiment from my stash
Other ...... Postage Stamp dies; Small crystal gemstones, black cardstock

Finally finished the JOFY workshops .......

Happy Wednesday,

I hope you're having a good week.  It's the last day of September ..... that came around fast!

Before we came away I finally got around to completing the third, and last, of the latest JOFY Online Workshops.

These have all been so much fun to do, and I love the collection of finished cards.

This workshop was all about using stamp set JOFY147, along with a few other stamps from her collection and, JOFY's Vase Stencil (PS513) 

As always, the workshop was full of useful tips and techniques ........ colouring with pencils, and adding little extras to create more interest

Creating backgrounds ......

Using up scraps of patterned papers and card, and layering your stamped images

And also ways of altering stamps and stencils to get the most out of them.

There's always something to learn.  

I like using book pages on cards and journals but, you do have to be careful and check that there's no 'naughty' words on the bits that you use.  Jo came up with a brilliant tip, she uses foreign books, so that the text is not that easy to read ....... guess what I'm looking for now!!!

We're still in the motorhome, currently in the seaside town of Southport ..... nor far from where hubby and I grew up really.  

I can remember coming here for days out when I was a kid ...... the fairground, the boating lake and the pier, although that's been closed for a few years now.

The place itself hasn't really changed that much. The town is still the same, just different shops, and more places to eat.

The campsite we're on is only a short walk from the centre, right next to Victoria Park (where they hold the Southport Flower Show), and over the weekend we were treated to a fantastic fireworks display ...... the British Musical Fireworks Championships apparently.

We didn't have tickets for the park but, we really didn't need them.  We got to see the show from the campsite ...... boy was it loud!!!

The pictures are not great (sorry!) but, the fireworks were spectacular!

We're off out for a late lunch now, and a stroll around the town, enjoying the sunshine while it lasts.

Thanks for popping by, enjoy the rest of your day.

Cheerio until next time ......

CAS Christmas Card challenge .......

Happy Friday .......

Have you had a good week?  We've been very relaxed here in the Lake District, it's all so peaceful, and the weather's been great.

I'm feeling a bit festive today so I'm playing along with September's CAS Christmas Card Challenge

They want to see Woodland Critters this month (we've seen a few of those this week)

Here's a card I made for the challenge before we left on our trip.  Hope it fits the bill.

The cute little reindeer is from a Simon Says Stamp set ...... Bright Christmas.  He's simply been stamped onto white cardstock using a brown ink ..... I did use my MISTI so that I could repeat stamp to get a good coverage of ink

I added a little red pom pom onto his nose, a few dots of glitter glue in the night sky, and stamped my greeting underneath.  Part is stamped just in red ink, and part heat embossed in gold.

How cute is he!?  And so quick and easy to do.

As this is the first time I've used this stamp set I'm also linking up to Darnell's NBUS Challenge

I'm not really in the festive mood just yet, although I have seen Christmas cards and decorations in the shops.  And, I have started to order our festive food ..... don't think I've ever done that in September before!!  Oh well, nothing like being prepared I suppose.

Sadly our week in Keswick is coming to a close.  We do love it here.

The campsite we're on is right near the centre of town, and it's been full all week. 

The town is full of fabulous shops and places to eat and drink.  And we're also just a short walk from the lake (Derwentwater)

The views are spectacular.  It's so nice to just wander down there and sit!  It's a great spot for recharging your batteries.

We're also right near the bus station, and from here you can pretty much go anywhere in the Lake District.   We did a little loop yesterday ..... Coniston, Hawkeshead, Ambleside, through Grasmere.  We did a spot of shopping for some local goodies.  Hawkeshead Relish is one of our favourite Lakes producers, their jams are amazing!!!

And I couldn't resist the Grasmere Gingerbread ..... it's the best gingerbread EVER!!!  Unfortunately it's not Gluten Free which means hubby can't help me eat it ....... that's a shame!

Thanks for popping by, have a great weekend.

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used

Stamps ...... Bright Christmas - Simon Says Stamp

Inks ...... Versafine Ink - Vintage Sepia, Crimson Red; Versamark

Other ...... WOW Metallic Gold Embossing Powder; Quickie Glue Pen; Fine Crystal Glitter; Small Red Pom Pom

Happy Birthday boys! .....

Happy Monday .......

I hope you've had a lovely weekend.

We were on the boat on Saturday, starting our motorhome trip, and, for me, the crossing was not great.  

Let's just say I was glad when we docked!!!  And I'm definitely not looking forward to the trip back!

Before we came away, we had some special birthdays to celebrate, both grandsons.  One was 5, and the other 16 ....... not quite sure where those years have gone!!!   Anyhow,  I had some cards to make.

I don't know about you but,  I always struggle making cards for boys.  

Pinterest is always my first stop for ideas and it hasn't let me down yet.

The first card was for the youngest grandson ....... Arthur.  He's a Minions fan, so this is my version of a design I found on Pinterest

All done using coloured cardstrock, dies, punches and a little bit of stamping.  It was so much fubn to make and  Arthur loved it!

The second one was for Alex who was 16!!  Teenage boys ...... hmmm, not really interested in the birthday card, more interested in whats inside I think

An easy design that says it all ....... stamped using Versafine Clair inks, a few ink splatters on the bsackground, and then the die cut numbers added to the front using small strips of acetate, concertina folded to create a small spring so that the numbers move around.

I can't believe he's 16!!

Thanks for popping by, enjoy the rest of your day.

We're off for a stroll shortly, and a spot of late lunch.  It's nice to be back in the van!

Cheerio until next time .....

Have you played along with the CAS Mix Up Challenge? .......

Happy Wednesday .......

I hope you're having a good week.

Sorry I've been a bit quiet on here, it's been a busy couple of weeks.

Have you played along with September's CAS Mix Up Challenge yet?  

If not, then there's still lots of time to get your entries in.

It's a Watercolour Challenge this month, with the added prompt of Sunflower.

I must say, the gallery is beginning to look fabulous with all those beautiful blooms.

Here's a quick and easy idea using the gorgeous Sunflower Garden stamp set from Simon Says Stamp.

This stamp set is quite large, there's just the one bunch of sunflowers and also some fab sentiments to go with but, that doesn't mean you can only use this for large cards.

My card is 6x6inch square and I've kept things CAS by just using part of the image, stamped off the bottom edge.  This would work for any size of cardblank.

I stamped onto watercolour card using black ink, and then coloured the flowers with Altenew Watercolour Paints

A simple sentiment, a little natural twine for added detail, and a few paint splatters to finish off.

The challenge runs until the 30th September so, have some fun and watercolour those sunflowers!

Thanks for popping by, enjoy the rest of your day.

I'm busy this week getting the motorhome ready.  We're off on a road trip at the weekend (fingers crossed.  I'm taking things extra carefully on the stairs!!!)  It's not the trip we had booked back in June/July but, we're really looking forward to getting away.

We start off in Keswick in the beautiful Lake District, which should be nice this time of year.  

The season is definitely changing, Autumn is on its way.  

It's my favourite season of the year, I love the changing colours of the leaves, the cooler mornings and of course it's time to get those cozy woollies out!  I'm just hoping the nice weather holds out a little longer, you can't beat a bit of Autumn sunshine!

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:

Inks ........  Versafine Clair - Nocturne

Stamps ....... Sunflower Garden - Simon Says Stamp; Tiny sentiment from Soul Whispers stamp set by Tracy Easson
Other ......  Watercolour card, Altenew Watercolour Paints, Gold Ink for splatters, Natural Twine Thread

September's CAS Mix Up Challenge ........

Happy Thursday ........

Well, we're in September!!  It's going to be a busy month I think.  There's two birthday's coming up.  We're going away in the motorhome in a couple of weeks (finger's crossed!), so I need to start getting things ready for the trip.  And, it's been quite the emotional day today.  Schools are back, and our eldest grandson, Alex, has started his final year at secondary school (where has that time gone!) and, for the youngest one, Arthur, it's his first day at Infant School (he's growing up too fast!!!)

But, that's not why I'm here ........... a new month means a new Blog Challenge.

Welcome to September's CAS Mix Up Challenge. 

Bobby is our Host this month, and the challenge is a Watercolour Challenge.

Watercolouring Sunflowers to be exact.

Sunflowers, for me, are happy flowers.  They always make me smile.

I don't know about you but I'm always a little nervous when it comes to watercolouring.  I love the look of watercoloured images but it's not always easy to create.  As they say ........ practice makes perfect!

One easy way of achieving the watercoloured look is to use stamps, and water reactive inks.

I've used one of the stamps from an old Stampin Up! set ...... Painted Harvest.  (I'm not sure if its still available or not.  I haven't bought from Stampin Up! for a long time!)

There's two layers to the flower, the base layer I used Mustard Seed Distress Ink, then the second layer I used Fossilised Amber, then Wild Honey over the top

I inked my stamp using the ink pad, then before stamping I spritzed the stamp with water, not too much just enough to react with the ink.

You can repeat the stamping process until you're happy with the depth of colour.

I used Brushed Corduroy and Walnut Stain to colour the centre, applied with a paint brush.

I stamped my sentiment underneath using a brown Versafine Clair (I think it was Acorn), and I finished off with a few splatters using the Distress colours.

I also decided to have a go at painting my own sunflower ...... what do think?

(I can't take full credit as the idea came from Pinterest)

This time I used my Altenew Watercolour Paints, and a small brush ......

It's not perfect but, it's a start ..... maybe next time I'll go for the full flower!!!

I masked off the edges of my card, painted the sunflower, then doodled the frame around the edge using a black fine liner.

A tiny simple sentiment, a bit of sparkle and some gold splatters to finish it all off

Check out the CAS Mix Up Blog for more Design Team inspiration for this months challenge.

You'll also find some links on there to some great videos using this technique.

We also have a fabulous Guest Designer this month.  Barbara is joining us from My Creative Room so be sure to pop by and say hello there too.

Remember, follow the simple challenge guidelines (you can find these on the Blog), use the monthly prompt, and keep your cards CAS (Clean and Simple) .......

I look forward to seeing you in the gallery!

Thanks for popping by, enjoy the rest of your day.

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:

Inks ........  Distress Ink - Mustard Seed, Fossilised Amber, Wild Honey, Brushed Corduroy, Walnut Stain; Versafine Clair - Acorn; 

Stamps ....... Painted Harvest - Stampin Up!; Siunshine Wishes - Inkylicious; Tiny sentiment from Soul Whispers stamp set by Tracy Easson
Other ......  Watercolour card, Altenew Watercolour Paints, Small Heart gemstone, Black Finer Liner, Gold Ink for splatters

CAS Christmas Card Challenge

Happy weekend .........

The sun is shining again ..... yeah!   The temperature has dropped a little though ........ over here it has anyway!  And I must confess, the 'C' word (dare I say it .......Christmas!) has been mentioned a couple of times lately.  Don't worry, I'm not going full on festive just yet but, I am playing along with this month's CAS Christmas Card Challenge ...... well, I have to make a start on those cards at some point!

As you can see the theme is .... Santa's Sleigh

I smooshed a little bit of Distress Ink onto my card using a piece of acetate ...... I love this technique.  Everytime you smoosh the results are different, and no matter how hard you try you can't repeat one particular 'smoosh'.  I know this because, it took me three, no wait four attempts to create this finished card!  The harder you try not to make a mistake, the more they happen ....... don't you just love CAS designs.  Anyway, I got there in the end!  

Once the smooshed ink was dry, I stamped the cute little Santa and Sleigh over the top, using my MISTI and a black Versafine Clair ink.

I dotted around some falling snow using a white gel pen, and added in a few dots of glitter glue here and there to give a touch of sparkle.

To finish off  I stamped my sentiment ...... the words in red are an old wooden Penny Black stamp (yes I do still have a few wood mounted stamps that have survived all the clear outs).   

The small text underneath is from a Stampin Up set.

I do love CAS card, even though they can be a little difficult to achieve!

Thanks for popping by, enjoy your weekend.

We've got the Manx Grand Prix going on, so I don't think we'll be going very far this weekend.  

Oh well, at least there's horse racing on the TV and the football season is underway so, every cloud and all that!

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:

Inks ........  Distress Ink - Chipped Sapphire; Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Versafine - Crimson Red

Stamps ....... Holiday Home stamp set - Stampin Up! (Santa & Sleigh and small sentiment); Wood mounted ..... to all - Penny Black
Other ......  Acetate (for the smooshing); White gel pen; Crystal Stickles Glitter Glue