The CAS Mix Up challenge ..........

Happy Monday! .........

Welcome to a new week .... and a busy one at that!

Time for a quick reminder about this months CAS Mix Up Challenge.

It's a Mixed Media challenge this month which means you need to include some stamping on your card,  you must follow the challenge theme which for August is ........ Emboss Resist, and you must also include one other Mixed Media element ......... you can find a list of ideas for that on the CAS Mix Up Blog

 

The theme this month was chosen by our host Nancy, and is a really fun technique to try.

If you're not familiar with it and haven't tried this before, then check out the links on the CAS mix Up Blog post ..... there's a few different ways you can do this.

For this card I started by masking off the bottom section of my card front.  I then stamped the pretty floral design across the top using Versafine ink.  I then sprinkled on some white embossing powder and heat set. 

With the bottom part of my card still covered,  I blended Uncharted Mariner Distress Ink over the top of the heat embossing ....... I think this is my new favourite shade of blue!

Once I was happy with the colour, I gently buffed over the top of the embossing with a paper towel to remove any excess the ink from the design.  The embossing powder had resisted the Distress ink so the white  came through nice and bright again.

For a little bit of added interest I splattered the card with a little bit of clean water.  I let it sit for a few seconds to react with the Distress Ink then I mopped up the excess with a paper towel, leaving this pretty speckled look ...... I never get tired of doing this.  It's such a simple technique that works so well, every time.

I added part of my sentiment stamped and die cut on the top, finishing it off with some stamping underneath and a few little gemstones for a touch of added sparkle!

Here's another one I did using the same Emboss Resist technique, only this time I used watercolour paints over the top 

I heat embossed the flower first, then blended the watercolour paints over the top

The embossing did take on a little bit of the colour from the paints so it's not quite as white as I would have liked but, it still looks pretty

To keep it CAS I added a sentiment strip over the bottom edge and a few pretty gemstones

I do hope you give this technique a go. 

Happy stamping! 

Well the weather forecast here for yesterday was spot on ........ the heatwave definitely broke last night!  

At around 4am we had the most spectacular thunderstorm that lasted for the best part of an hour ..... and Lauren slept through it all!  Alex on the other hand ended up in our room!  

The lightening woke me up first before the huge crash of thunder, right over the top of us ..... boy was it loud, and scary!!  

And the rain ........ the gutters on the house just couldn't handle the amount of water coming down and there was literally a waterfall coming off the roof!  

We did get up to check around the house ..... and the van!  Thankfully no damage was done, apart from a couple of mains switches had tripped off, which meant some of the house was in darkness but, other than that everything was OK ..... thank goodness.  And things are a little cooler today which is great, I've still lots to do before we go away.

  

We're off in the van again on Wednesday, for our longest trip so far.  We're away for 17 nights this time,  starting with a music festival ...... should be fun!   

It's not just a pleasure trip though, it's business too.  Turns out that hubby needs to work for some of the time, including a day, or possibly more, in London.  Fingers crossed it stays nice and cool for that!

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

Cheerio until next time .........   

Supplies

Card 1

Stamps: Vines & Roses (Tim Holtz - CMS298); Opposites Attract (The Greetery) for the sentiment

Inks: Versamark ink; Distress Ink - Uncharted Mariner; Versafine Clair - Nocturne

Other: White Embossing Powder (WOW!); Oppostie Attracts Die (The Greetery); Self- adhesvie gemstones

Card 2

Stamps: Be Happy stamp set (Julie Hickey Designs)

Inks: Versamark ink; Versafine Clair - Nocturne

Other: White Embossing Powder (WOW!); Altenew Watercolour Paints; Self-adhesive gemstones

Emboss Resist for CAS Mix Up!

Happy Monday! .....

Well, July was a bit of a whirlwind month ......... welcome to August!

A new month, means we have a new CAS Mix Up Challenge.  

It's Mixed Media month, and the lovely Nancy is our host.  The theme she's chosen for August is ......

Emboss Resist ......... one of my favourite techniques.

If you're not familiar with this, or you need some inspiration, then check out the CAS Mix Up Blog.  On there you'll find lots of ideas from the Design team and links to some really great videos on different ways of doing this really fun technique.

Emboss Resist will work with lots of different mediums ....... ink pads, spray inks, pigment powders such as Brushos, paints, watercolour markers, but one of my favourite things to use is Distress Inks.  Because they react so well with water, the embossing resists the ink colour really easily.  

There's so many different ways of using Distress inks too ..... straight from the ink pad, blended with brushes for example or, as I've done for my inspiration piece ....... acetate smooshing!

 

I stamped the pretty floral bouquet onto a piece of white cardstock using Versamark ink, and then heat embossed in white.

 

Hmmm ........ white embossing on white cardstock?  Not an easy thing to see but, with the emboss resist technique all will be revealed in the end! 

I then swiped my Distress ink pads onto a craft sheet ...... Picked Raspberry and Salty Ocean .......

and spritzed the ink with a little water.

I used a piece of acetate to pick up the colour and then laid it onto my cardstock, over the top of the embossed image, pressing lightly with my fingertips to move the ink around a little, making sure that the whole of the embossed image was covered

I repeated this for both colours of ink, building up the depth of colour gradually. 

You can see I wasn't careful about keeping clean edges, I wanted more of the random, splattered look.  

I also overlapped the two colours to give some shading here and there 

Once I was happy with the colour, I moppped up any excess ink with a paper towel and then gently buffed over the embossed image to remove any residue left from the inks.  

Because the embossing resisted the Distress Ink, the original stamped image showed through nice and clear.

To finish off, I die cut the sentiment three times, from white cardstock.  I layered them together, heat embossing the top layer with a navy embossing powder and off setting this slightly to give that white shadow

So, my elements used for this challenge are ..... 1. the theme ...... Emboss Resist  2.  Rubber stamping and 3. Acetate Smooshing, or it could be die cutting,  I suppose.

The challenge is open until the 24th of the month, so lots of time to play along.

Check out the CAS Mix Up Blog for more Emboss Resist inspiration from the Design Team and also, pop by say hello to our fabulous Guest Designer this month ....... Brenda (Inkspired to Stamp) is joining us for this challenge. 

Happy stamping!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day and have a great week!

July was a busy month for me but, August looks even busier.

We're off out this evening for a birthday dinner ..... our favourite restaurant is 4 today!

Then I've got my big brother and family coming over for a few days on Wednesday, so we'll be off out again then.   

When he goes home I have a crafty day with the girls planned, we haven't had a get together in such a long time.  There's also lots going on with Alex and his pals (school holidays are so much fun!)  And then, we're off again in the van on the 17th, and we don't get back until 3rd September!!!  So, that's August done ......... like I said, a busy month!  I'd better get a move on!

Cheerio until next time .......

Supplies

Stamps: scented message wood mounted rubber stamp (Penny Black)

Inks: Distress Inks - Picked Raspberry, Salty Ocean; Versamark ink

Other: Bright White,  Pea Coat embossing powders (WOW!); thanks thin metal die from my stash (not sure of the brand)

Butterflies for the Twofer Challenge .........

Happy Wednesday .......

How are you? ........ I hope you're having a good week.
It's a little bit more relaxed here this week ..... thank goodness. 
I think we went a bit crazy after completing our quarantine last week.  It was so nice to be able to finally get out and about again, get back to normal ...... and the weather wasn't too bad either!

Hubby's still working from home, no change there, and I've been spending some time in the craft room.  Not doing anything in particular, catching up mainly and tidying up the place.  As hubby says ..... I've got some stuff!!

I've just got time to play along with one of my favourite challenges before the deadline closes ...... it's been a while!

Darnell's Twofer Card Challenge ..... always fun, and a great way to re-stock those card supplies.

Here's mine ....... A belated birthday card (ooops! I occasionally need those), and a Thinking of You card (for one of those just because occasions)

I love butterfly stamps, the big decision this time was which one to use.
I decided on a Penny Black favourite and used the emboss resist technique to create my birthday card

I stamped the large butterfly randomly all over a piece of white cardstock, and heat embossed in white. 
I then blended my Distress Inks over the top ........ I never get tired of this technique.  The more ink you apply and the darker the colour, the more your embossing will stand out.  The heat embossing acts as a resist to the DI's ...... once you've applied the ink just buff off any excess with a soft cloth  and the embossing shows through perfectly.

I also did a little splattering with some water just to add more interest to the background

I stamped my sentiments and added them as banners off to the side, and finished with a few crystal drops

I went sort of CAS for my Twofer ......

Same butterfly stamp, only this time I used coloured inks to stamp the image

I added my sentiment over the top, and I made a mask to cover the butterfly before using the same colours of ink to add some splatters onto the background

Two cards, for two different occasions using the same stamp!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day.
No sunshine here today ..... it's been raining for most of the day.  Let's hope it's a bit better for the weekend, although we've nothing planned as yet!
Last weekend we took the van across the island on a little trip to Peel.

Peel's really nice, Sunset City as it's sometimes know as.  Lovely beaches, there's a great walk around the castle, especially when the sun's going down, and there's a couple of really nice restaurants there that we don't visit very often.  However, thanks to Remi (the van) that's about to change.

We had a lovely weekend.  We stayed on Peel campsite which was fab.  Large site, not very busy, with great facilities and, about a 15 min walk into town ..... perfect!
We had dinner at Filbey's on Friday which was delicious.
 

The kids joined us on Saturday, the first time we'd seen them since the end of June,  and we went to The Boatyard for a lovely family dinner.

We're off out again tomorrow .... our regular table at Wine Down.  I suppose you could say we're making up for lost time ....... I'm just enjoying not having to cook every night!

I'm cooking this evening though ....... nothing fancy, we're having a curry night. 
We've also got the little man staying overnight so it could be movie night too ...... another Star Wars film maybe!

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:
Belated Birthday card .....
Stamps: Butterfly Trio (Penny Black); Banner Bits (Avery Elle); Tiny Words Birthday (Mama Elephant)
Inks: Versamark ink; Distress Inks - Mustard Seed, Dried Marigold, Carved Pumpkin, Abandoned Coral; Versafine Clair - Nocturne
Others: Nuvo Crystal Drops

Thinking of You .....
Stamps: Butterfly Trio (Penny Black);
Inks: Catherine Pooler Mini Inks - Aquatini, Fiesta Blue, Something Borrowed; Versafine Clair - Nocturne
Others: Crystal gems from my stash

Are you playing along with the Craft Stamper challenge? .......

Happy Friday .......

How's your week been? Back into the swing of things yet?

It's all go around here.  January is always a busy month ....... birthdays, birthdays and more birthdays!
We've got a wedding to look forward to next weekend ..... must try my dress on again, hope it still fits!  And we've been looking at possible holiday destinations for this year, and next.  Exciting stuff!

There's lots going on in the craft room too, including ...... new stencil designs from Sweet Poppy (more about those soon).  There's a fun blog hop happening tomorrow from the Uniko DT and of course the current Craft Stamper challenge is well underway.  Have you played along yet?

As always, the theme is Anything Goes ....... just remember to include some rubber stamping on your project
You can have up to 3 entries, each one with it's own blog post.  And don't forget to link back to your actual blog post for your entry, not just your blog. The DT can find your project easily then, when we pop by to comment.
Only one project per post please, remember sets of cards, or ATC's etc, count as more than one project, and won't be eligible for the draw for the prize.   And please NO DIGI IMAGES either (sorry!) ...... we want to see actual rubber stamping.

The prize for the challenge winner this month is a fabulous Prima Art Daily bundle ...... that's 2 great stamp sets and some amazing sentiments,

And don't forget we also have a monthly Design Winner, chosen by the DT.

Need some inspiration? ....... here's a card that's really fun and simple to do, but looks fab.

Brushos ..... those little pots of magic, are what I've used to colour the flowers.  Just one pot gave all the different shades on those pretty peonies, I just let the water do all the work

I stamped and heat embossed the flowers in gold onto a piece of watercolour card.  This beautiful bloom is from the December release from Uniko ....... Pure Florals - Peony

I used a watercolour paint for the leaves then used the Brusho Pigment Powder to add colour to the flowers.
I painted the petals with a little water first and then sprinkled a tiny amount of powder (Crimson Red I think) on top and just let it to do it's thing.
Once the colour started to spread into the water I spritzed a little more to move the colour where I wanted it to go, and also create some shading,  keeping the pink away from the leaves as best I could. Because I'd heat embossed the flowers, the raised lines helped the colour to pool in places.
I love how the colour has spread outside the flowers too, and created this really pretty background.

I repeated the process a couple of times ..... more water here, a touch more Brusho there .... until I was happy with the result,  mopping up the excess water with a paper towel.

A simple sentiment, and a few pretty sequins here and there ......

And I also added a little touch of Fran-tage Shabby White Embossing Powder ..... this is a little bit like the Chunky White I like to use on my Christmas cards, except this has some added gold flecks in there .... really pretty.

I added one of the blooms inside too .....

Well that's one birthday card done ....... it's now in the post and on it's way.  Must ring the florist this morning!

Thanks for popping by ..... have a lovely Friday and enjoy the weekend.
We've got to go suit shopping ..... hubby needs a new one for this wedding we're going to.  Why do men always leave things to the last minute?  It'll probably mean new shirt, new tie, and new shoes too! 
You never know, maybe we could pop into the travel agents too.

Cheerio until next time .....

On the sixth day of December .......

Happy Thursday ......

This week is flying by ..... and surprisingly, I've managed to blog everyday in December so far .... whoo hoo!! 
We're only six days in I know ..... can I keep it up all month? ....... I doubt that very much.   Lets see how far I get shall we.

Today I'm playing along with this month's CAS Mix Up Challenge .....

 
and yes, I'm still making Christmas cards!

The theme this month is Emboss Resist ...... one of my favourite techniques and I've teamed it up here with Brushos

I started out by stamping the snowflakes onto white cardstock.  I used a blue ink and a silver and heat embossed both with a clear powder, so that the colours wouldn't run when I spritzed with water later

The larger snowflakes were stamped using Versamark and then heat embossed in white. 
I added the sentiment onto the bottom and heat embossed that in silver.

Now for the fun bit ....... I sprinkled Cobalt Blue and Turquoise Brushos onto the card, keeping the powder just at the top edge

I spritzed the powders with water, again just at the top edge and let the water move the colour down the card to give a sort of ombre effect. I did repeat this a couple of times until I was happy with the colour.
Because the snowflakes had been heat embossed they resisted the colour from the Brusho and the raised lines help to pool the ink and give this fabulous shaded look
I love how Brusho powders are made up of so many different colours ..... each time you use them the results are always different.  Look how the shades of lilac and purple have come out on this .... love it!!

I added a little sprinkle of Chunky White Embossing Powder, and a touch of glitter for a little festive sparkle.

Well I think I've covered everything .....
Emboss Resist ....... check!
Stamping ....... check!
And one other ...... Brushos .... .check!

That's another card I can cross off the list ..... still a few more to go.

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

Cheerio until next time .....

This week is flying by ......

Happy Wednesday .......

It is Wednesday isn't it ........ I never know what day of the week it is after we've had a Bank Holiday!

It's full steam ahead in the craft room too ...... talk about multi-tasking!  I'm trying to get things finished before the weekend.  I'm off on my little trip across on Saturday, for the Happy Stampers Festival at Port Sunlight and I need to take some stuff with me. It'll be a long day ..... but so worth it!

Last weekend we had our monthly crafty get together. We had a lovely day ..... we spent most of it chatting, mainly about what we're all going to be buying at Port Sunlight!!
We did manage to get some cards done though.  Here's a quick look at what we were doing ......

We were playing around with a faux bleached look .... using Distress Inks and Distress Oxides and plain old clean water.
You know, I never get fed up with how these inks react with water, and depending on what cardstock you use the effects can be quite different.
This was Oxides on watercolour card ...... I love this chalky look that you get.

There was quite a bit of stamping, and heat embossing going on to begin with ......

Then the big decisions on what colours to use over the top .......

Then it all went quiet for a while whilst they did the 'bleaching'.
Once you've stamped and embossed, coloured over the top (emboss resist technique) then it's time to start taking some of the colour away.

You can use actual bleach ..... not the thick stuff that you might use down the loo ...... you need cheap, very thin bleach, and use it with a paint brush like you would a paint to colour in your stamped image.
And again depending on your card stock it will react differently.  Dark card obviously will give the most dramatic effect.
I like to use simple plain old water  though ...... you don't get the terrible smell, and you don't ruin your best jeans when you spill it either!!!

Here's a few of my left over sample pieces .... you never know these may actually make it on to a card eventually!

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

It's back into the craft room for me ....... I'm playing with stencils, pastes, and glitters today. Along with rubber stamps (oooh!) dies, paints and lots of ink.  Yes .... the craft room is getting messy!
Could it be that Lucy's back on our TV screens very soon ....... hmmm ..... new Sweet Poppy Stencils maybe.  Sorry ...... you'll have to wait a little bit longer!

Cheerio until next time .......