Got there in the end ..........

Happy Thursday .......

I hope you're enjoying your week.  I've been catching up with all the boring stuff like ....... housework (boring!), paperwork (even more boring!!), washing and ironing (why are there so many clothes ..... we haven't been anywhere!!! I'm sure I've washed the whole of Lauren's wardrobe this week!)  I've even started cleaning out the kitchen cupboards ..... what's that all about!?

I am playing along with a couple of Blog Challenges today though.  

First up ........ I've got another Christmas card for this month's CAS Christmas Challenge.

The challenge is to use Kraft, Red and White ......

I've used a Julie Hickey stamp set, heat embossed with white powder and then coloured using a red Distress Re-inker ...... using the ink straight from the bottle, with a fine paintbrush.  I love the depth of colour from the re-inker .........

I coloured in the leaves using a white pencil and then I stamped the pretty poinsettia again, onto a separate piece of kraft card, heat embossed and coloured it in the same way, and then fussy cut before attaching it using a foam pad to add a touch of dimension. 

I stamped my sentiment top and bottom ......

And finished with a few white paint splatters .......

It's their 3rd birthday this month at CAS Christmas so ........ Happy Birthday to you!

This next challenge caught my eye on Facebook.  It showed up on my timeline via a FB friend and I thought I'd join in.

AAA Cards Challenge #185

It's been a while since I made anything this small ...... and you'd be surprised at how long it took me (and how many attempts!!!) In the end I went with this one, I think it was the third attempt ....... you don't get much more Clean and Simple!

It's a little 6x4 inch card and the stamp I used is from a lovely set by Tracy Easson.  I think it's called Just a Girl and her Forever Friend

I stamped the tiny image with black ink, directly onto my card blank. 

I was going to leave it at that and go with the optional twist of Black & White but, I felt it needed more. It was just a little too CAS even for me!  So ..... I added in the colour using an old Stampin Up! stamp and Distress inks ....... now I'm happy!

CAS, even something so small, can turn out to be the hardest cards to make.  This was my first attempt .... same stamped image, but I felt it need more.   By the time I'd added more  it was bigger than the required one inch!

Second try ....... something different this time but ..... broke the rules again!  By the time I'd added the word Art and the splatters,  it was bigger than one inch on the front ..... arggghhhh!!

I got there in the end though, just in time too as the challenge ends on the 20th!

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

Cheerio until next time ......

Products used:

CAS Christmas

Stamps: Christmas Joy (Julie Hickey Designs)

Inks: Versamark ink; Versafine ink - Satin Red; Distress Re-Inker - Festive Berries

Others: White Embossing Powder (WOW!); White Polychromos Pencil (Faber Castel); White Fresco Finish Chalk paint (splatters) (PaperArtsy)

AAA Card Challenge

Card 1

Stamps: Just a Girl & her Forever Friend (Tracy Easson Illustrations); Playful Backgrounds (Stampin Up!)

Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Distress Ink - Picked Raspberry, Salty Ocean

Card 2 

Stamps: Just a Girl & her Forever Friend (Tracy Easson Illustrations); Sarah's Choice (IndigoBlu)
Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Distress Inks - Mustard Seed, Festive Berries

Card 3

Stamps: Hey, Chick (Stampin Up!)

Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne

Other: Small Circle Die

Inchies for CAS Mix Up ........

Happy Thursday .......

I'm playing along with the CAS Mix Up Challenge today.  The theme this month is ....... Inchies

What are Inches?  Well, they're little pieces of artwork and when I say little I mean, one inch squares .... hence 'inches'.
I've made twinches (two inch squares) but I don't think I've ever done inches before ..... here goes

I don't know about inches .... I've got a whole foot here ..... 12 of them!!  Each square measures just a smidgen under an inch, and they're all on the same stamp so it was really easy to create the background.
I simply inked up the stamp using the new Opaque Pigment inks from Crafter's Companion. These are really nice ..... great colours and they stamp beautifully.
I did use my MISTI to stamp the two different colours.  I used the pale blue first all over, and then followed with the pink just around the edges

With my stamp still in place I used the 'kissing technique' to get the floral image onto the seperate inches.
I inked up the stamp using a Versafine Clair ink and then gently kissed the surface of the background stamp and then stamped it over the squares

A quick blast with a heat tool to make sure the ink was dry, before I inked up the inches stamp again, this time using Versamark ink.  I sprinkled over some clear embossing powder and then heat set

All it needed was a simple sentiment to finish off .

So that's Inches ...... done.  Stamping ...... done.  And the 'Your Choice' element was .... heat embossing ..... done!

Thanks for stopping by ...... enjoy the rest of your day.
We've got the little man overnight tonight.  Lauren and Robbie are off to the Villa Marina to see Level 42 would you believe.  Now there's a blast from my past!! 
Lauren bless her, has no idea who they are, a bit before her time.  It's Robbie, her partner who's the big fan!!  I'm sure they'll have a great night.  We've got fish and chips and a movie I think! 

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:
Stamps: 12 Up (Darkroom Door); Special Sentiments, ebullient (Penny Black); 
Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne, Glamorous: Harmony Opaque Pigment inks - Baby Blue, Pink Tulip (Spectrum Noir); Versamark
Other: Clear Embossing Powder (WOW!)