A Happy Hello and Birthday Balloons .......

Happy Friday .......

The weekend is here again!  Although I thought it was Friday yesterday, and then today has felt like Saturday so, my weekend is almost over!
  
It's time to give you a little reminder about this month's CAS challenges.
First up ....... the CAS Mix Up Challenge.

I'm Hosting this month and the theme is Gesso Resist

This is just another fun way using gesso.

If you're still not sure about the technique, check out the CAS Mix Up Blog for links to some really useful videos.

Gesso is great for stamping with, especially when doing the resist technique.  You just have to remember to clean your stamps straight after use .... don't let the gesso dry on there.

I've used an old Penny Black, wooden stamp here. 

I simply put the gesso onto a craft mat, brushed it out to a thin layer and then used it like I would an ink pad to ink up the stamp. 
I then stamped the image randomly over a piece of watercolour cardstock ......

Once the gesso was dry, I spritzed over the top with Distress Ink sprays and let the colours sit for a while.  I then mopped up the excess and the stamped images started to show through.
I repeated the sprays until I got the depth of colour I wanted.

Once that was dry, I used a circle die to make my topper.  I stamped a sentiment, added a touch of pen work using a white gel pen and a few sparkly gems

To add a bit more interest to the card, I used the same floral stamp to add the design to the actual card.

CAS Stencil challenge next ......

This month is all about Layering your stencils ........

Again, if you need to know more, check out the CAS Stencil Blog for links to some great videos

I've gone for a really quick and easy design here, using just one stencil but, layering the balloons over the top of each other .......

I used various colours of Distress Inks, applied through the stencil with blending brushes, across the bottom of my cardblank

I added a simple sentiment above ......

And finished off with a few ink splatters

The CAS Challenges are open until the 24th of the month so there's still lots of time to join in the fun.

Just to let you know that from next month (June) there's going to be a few changes to the CAS Challenges. 
Three of the challenges are coming together to make up a new CAS Mix Up Challenge which will include Mixed Media, Stenciling and Watercolour.  More details will be in June's CAS Mix Up post.

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your Friday and have a great weekend.

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:
CAS Mix Up
Stamps: clique (Penny Black); Happy Mail (Gina K)
Inks: Distress Ink Sprays - Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade; Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Catherine Pooler inks - Party Dress, Tiara, Tiki Torch
Others: White Gel Pen; Nesting Circle Die; Clear Gemstones

CAS Stencil
Stencil: Balloon stencil (Uniko)
Stamps: Tiny Words - Birthday (Mama Elephant)
Inks: Distress Inks - various colours: Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Gold and Silver Delicata inks for the splatters
Others: Black gel pen

Do more of what makes you happy ........

Good morning ........

It's Friday!!!  It's a Bank Holiday weekend for us ..... fingers crossed the weather stays nice.

It's also time to remind you about this month's Craft Stamper Take It Make It Challenge.
As always the theme is Anything Goes, just remember though, you must include some ACTUAL rubber stamping on your projects.

I've been playing with some new JOFY stamps ..... I love this large flower! There's also a matching stencil which is great.

Something else I've been playing around with is the gesso resist technique.  A different way of using your pots of gesso.

I started off by stamping the words in the background using white gesso .....

Using a paint brush I applied a thin layer of gesso directly onto my stamp and then stamped the image in the usual way.   You could use a brayer to apply the gesso, or another way of doing it is to paint a thin layer of gesso onto a craft mat and then use it as you would an ink pad ..... taking your stamp to the gesso.  Whichever way you choose, stamp your image and then immediately place your stamp into water, you don't want the gesso to dry on your stamp.

Once the gesso was dry, I used Distress Sprays over the top to build up the colour. 

I mopped up the excess ink and you can see that the gesso has resisted the colour and the text shows through .... cool eh!

Once the spray ink was dry I used the new JOFY stencil and some white paint to add the large flower.

When doing the resist technique with gesso you can get a flat surface, as opposed to using the emboss resist which gives a raised finish. 
It's then easier to add more layers over the top with stencils, or rubber stamping.

I let the stenciled paint dry and then took the matching rubber stamp and stamped the outline over the top using a black ink, and heat embossed with a clear powder. 
I also stamped some smaller flowers around the edges and heat embossed those with a sparkle powder

I finished off with a few sparkly sequins and added a stamped sentiment ......

OK ... now it's your turn.  TAKE a stamp and MAKE something fabulous!

As with all the Craft Stamper challenges there is a prize .... two in fact.
Our Designer Winner, chosen by the DT, will get their winning project featured in the Craft Stamper magazine, a Winner's Profile post on the Craft Stamper Blog, and an invitation to be a Guest Designer on a future Craft Stamper challenge.

Our second winner is randomly chosen from all the eligible entries, and they receive the Blog Challenge prize which this month is ........ this amazing Eileen Hull die from Sizzix

Seeing as I'm hosting this month's CAS Mix Up challenge, and the theme is Gesso Resist it would be a shame not to link up my card there too.

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy your Friday and have a lovely weekend.
I'm joining in with another journal wokshop tomorrow which should be fun.

Cheerio until next time ........
 

Products used:
Stamps: JOFY 89, JOFY 93, JOFY 38 (for the words) - PaperArtsy
Inks:  Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Versafine
Stencils: JOFY stencil PS185 (PaperArtsy)
Other: White Gesso, Distress Ink Spray - Picked Raspberry, Scattered Straw, Sparkling Sand Embossing Powder - JOFY Dockside Trio (WOW!); Crystal Sequins

The CAS Mix Up Challenge ........

Hello again ......

I hope you're having a good day.  The weekend is just around the corner ..... although I think everyday is the weekend at the moment!

It's time for a new challenge over at CAS Mix Up.
I'm hosting the challenge this month, and we've got a fun technique theme for you  ....... Gesso Resist

You've probably got a jar or two of Gesso in your stash ..... white gesso, black or even clear.  There's various textures too ..... some brands are thick, some are thinner and more like paint and then there's heavy Gesso.  To be honest I'm not too sure of the differences, they all seem to do the same thing, just try this technique with whatever you have in your stash.

Gesso is normally used as a base, to prime surfaces before adding paint, but it can also be used to give a resist effect to your projects.  Use it to stamp with or apply gesso through stencils.

I used white Gesso thorough my stencil onto a piece of plain white cardstock.  You only need a thin layer, it's not like texture paste .... I applied mine using a sponge.  If you're going to stamp over the top of it, you need the gesso layer to be as smooth as possible.

 
Once the gesso was dry I used Distress Inks over the top.
Simply brush over the colours and watch the gesso 'resist' the ink.   
This isn't the same as doing an emboss resist ...... your finished image may not be perfectly crisp and clear, it depends on how careful you were with the stenciling, but I quite like grungy look.

I cut my panel down to size and then stamped directly on the top using a black ink

You'll find more inspiration over on the CAS Mix Up Blog, along with some links to videos on using this fun technique ..... have fun!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day.
I'm off to finish my journal pages from an online workshop I did this afternoon ....... enjoy your weekend.

Cheerio until next time ......

Stay Safe, Stay Well, Stay at home

Products used:
Stamps: Happy Wishes (T for Transparent stamp set - Penny Black)
Inks: Distress Inks -  Picked Raspberry, Abandoned Coral, Scattered Straw; Versafine Clair - Nocturne
Others: White Gesso (IndigoBlu's Gee-Sso Good); Bouquet Stencil (Tim Holtz)