Seeing Stars

     Another week , another CASE-ing Christmas challenge. This time we have a lovely card by DaenY's to case. I struggled a little with this one, not sure why, but when I saw a challenge for stars I was set.
     I chose to use the sketch of DaenY's card and join a few other challenges with colour schemes and themes.
     The backing card is embossed with stars and mounted on some green holly paper from my Christmas stash. I also used this green paper to die cut two Sizzix Tattered Banners, there is a brown banner too. The banners are all glued on to the backing card.
     The star is die cut using a Spellbinder set and white glitter card. The outside star is stuck down on to the backing card but the solid star is mounted on foam pads.
     I stuck the backing panel on to a white 7x5 card blank and added some tiny green star gems to a few of the embossed stars to give it a little twinkle.

     The deer looks black but is actually green, I have used some Cosmic Shimmer embossing powder called Lapis Black which gives him a lovely sheen.
     I have used Stix2 foam pads to mount the deer, where his head is only has one layer of pad but his legs needed two layers because the star was already raised.
     The greeting is a silver peel off coloured brown with an alcohol marker, I couldn't find a greeting stamp I liked that was small enough.
     I hope you like my case card, pop over to the CASE-ing Christmas blog to see lots of gorgeous ideas from the team, then come and join us with your creation.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Tis' The Season - Nature's Colours (green & brown)

ABC Christmas - D is For Die Cuts

Merry Monday Christmas - Stars

Christmas Card Challenges - Anything Goes

Target Practice

     This weeks card for Creative Expressions was fun to make, I loved the sentiment and it's that that inspired the target flowers.
     I began with a square of Foundations Coconut White card and embossed it with a Couture Creations folder called Large Retro Flowers.
     I used an acetate mask with circles cut out in three different sizes to lay over each flower and colour it. Beginning with Scattered Straw DI and the largest circle, then Wild Honey and the medium circle, followed by Rusty Hinge and the smallest circle.
     Once the ink was dry I wiped over the panel with an anti static bag and using Single Stamp 'The Ex' I stamped my image in Perfect Medium and embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Detail Black powder. The image did not touch some of the card because of the embossing, if you want a clean silhouette then it is best to stamp before dry embossing your background. I was rather pleased with the 'Zoro' type mask that my lady is wearing as a result of the embossed relief, it wasn't planned but I like it.

     The image panel is mounted on some Foundations Black Card and then on to a white card blank that has the edge coloured with Scattered Straw DI to make it match.
     I have added a red gem to the centre of one of the flowers to make it a little prettier and give the impression of a bullseye.
     The sentiment is stamped and embossed on an off cut of Coconut White card, then trimmed to an arrow shape and mounted on foam pads across the top corner.
   



Materials used
Single Stamp - The Ex
Couture Creations Embossing Folder - Large Retro Flowers
Cosmic Shimmer Embossing Powder - Detail Black
Perfect Medium
Distress Ink - Scattered Straw / Wild Honey / Rusty Hinge
Foundations Card - Coconut White / Black

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Sister Act Card Challenge - Anything Goes

Red Rubber Inspirationals - Let's Hear It For The Girl

Addicted To Stamps - Embossing Dry Or Heat

Sea Foam

      We have a new challenge over at The Male Room, this fortnight we would like to see you make your own background paper.
     This tag has been coloured using the bubble technique, add colour and washing-up liquid to water and blow bubbles. I did mine in the lid of an A5 clear box with some acrylic paint as I have no re-inkers (as yet!). Once you've blown a load of bubbles and got a nice froth in your container gently touch the tag onto it, this will burst the bubbles and spread colour over your tag as it does so.
     The stamp used on here is from the same set by Inkadinkado as used last month for The Male Room Blues called Down By The Seaside. The images have been stamped in Archival Ink Cobalt with the stripes on the lighthouse coloured with a blue pen.
     The edges have been coloured with Distress Ink Lilac as this was closer to the blue paint than the blue ink I have. Two small holes are punched in the bottom of the card and a dolphin charm is added hanging on some bakers twine.
     I have kept the decoration simple as it's all about the background pattern for this one.  Do come and join us with your background creations at The Male Room. 

I would like to enter this tag in the following challenges:

Stampavie And More - Blue and White

Top Tip Tuesday - Rubber Stamps Only

Mmm....Chocolate

     Why is it chocolate makes me think of purple? Well this stamp by Creative Expressions is called Chocolate so I just had to make a purple card.
     The base card was a large white DL size, it reminded me of a large chocolate bar. The purple wrap in the middle is Foundations card Amethyst which is cut about 1/2 inch shorter each end to allow for the 'foil' ends to show.


     The ends have been coloured with Distress Ink Dusty Concorde, but they need to shine like foil, so I have used Perfect Medium on top of the Distress Ink and then dusted with Cosmic Shimmer Mica Powder Purple Orchid. This comes in a set called Subtle Shades, it looks pink in the pot but it has a blue interference colour in it, so when it's dusted on it has a purple shine.
     I decorated the purple wrap before attaching it to the card just incase anything annoying should happen. The silhouette stamp was done using Perfect Medium and Cosmic Shimmer Detail White embossing powder.

     The lovely swirl pattern is a JustRite stamp called Elegant Fronds stamped in Perfect Medium and allowed to dry, it gives a great watermark type effect.
     The sentiment comes with the image stamp, again done with CS Detail White on to lilac card and then die cut using Spellbinder Labels Twenty-One. I have also used a little Dusty Concorde on the lilac card before removing the die, this is mounted using foam pads.
     Once happy with the wrap I have used red line tape to stick it down on to the card blank, I have found that mica powder can make it rather difficult for ordinary tape to grip. The tiny corner decorations are some little peel offs I found in my stash, I wanted something small but all my corner stamps were too big.

Material used
Foundations Card - Amethyst
Single Stamp - Chocolate
Cosmic Shimmer Embossing Powder - Detail White
CS Mica Powders - Subtle Shades
Distress Ink - Dusty Concorde
Perfect Medium Ink Pad
JustRite Stamp - Elegant Fronds


   
   

Santa 's Chimney

     Mid month reminder for CraftyHazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra sees Santa in action again. This time he looks a little warmer in traditional colours. The image is called Chimney Santa and it comes from Bugaboo Digital Stamps.
     I did print several images of Santa at the beginning of the month. I coloured two and used the blue one first, this one is coloured with alcohol markers as well.
     The image panel is matted on gold and then offset on red, I didn't have a red to match the pen I had used, so I cut a white mat and coloured the edges that would be seen with the red pen.
     The green backing has been embossed with a holly folder from Sizzix. it looked a little dull so I have rubbed gold ink over it with my finger to jazz it up a bit.
     CraftyHazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra accepts anything for Christmas so if you have been busy creating come and show us.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

ABC Christmas Challenge - Colourful

Jingle and Tinsel

     Welcome to another project for CASE-ing Christmas, this weeks design was inspired by Donna. I liked Donna's card so much that I have used the colours and the layout. It's a great non traditional card that would suit some of my friends perfectly, so that's another one for the box. Come and join us and help build up your Christmas card stash ready for the festive season.

     The greeting is from a set by Hot Off The Press called Christmas Cheer, stamped and embossed in white on black card. Spellbinder die set Labels Two has been used to cut out the main image, the turquoise layer and the silver mirri layer, all have been passed through again with the embossing mat to get the crisp edge.
     The backing card is silver satin mirri card embossed with a folder by Creative Expressions called Eternity, then coloured with CS gilding wax Teal.
     There is a strip of turquoise card across the middle of the backing under the image panel, then the whole thing is mounted on a white card blank that has had the edges coloured black with Distress Ink Black Soot.
     I do hope you come and join us at CASE-ing Christmas, we would love to see you seasonal makes.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long - Anything Goes
Sweet Stampin' Christmas - Only Words

Best Friends Secret

     Here is the second card for Creative Expressions this month. I'm really enjoying working with these silhouette stamps, it gives a chance to play around with some interesting backgrounds. This Bokeh background was made using a technique I learnt from my fellow DT member Tracey Heaton.
     This stamp is called Best Friend and it comes with a great sentiment which I have used inside the card, read on and you'll find out why.
     This was going to be an A6 card but things went wrong and rather than throw it in the bin I decided to try and save what I could use. The background went well, using Distress Inks I coloured the base card stock and then following Tracey's instructions used the Snowcap ink and made my circles, so far so good.
     The image stamp went well, I stamped in black Archival ink and used Cosmic Shimmer Clear embossing powder, still on track......then it happened!......I stamped the sentiment and it all went horribly wrong!!!
     I had inked the stamp with black Archival again, looked at it to make sure all was well, (note to self- need to get eyes tested!) and so stamped it at a jaunty angle on the card....OMG!....where did that lump of fluff come from?   result - big black blob over 'be' and 'friend'. Now what?
     After a little huffing and puffing and a strong cup of tea I decided to cut the top off and make a square card, it meant loosing some of the great background but I really couldn't leave that mess on there, you couldn't even cover it with an embellishment!
     That was not the end of it, oh no. Taking a closer look at the image I noticed a nice little finger print on one girls arm, this just wasn't my day. By this time I was loosing the will to craft, but I will not be beaten without a fight. I had by now adopted a determined attitude, no four inch square of card was going to beat me, one of us was going to win and the bin was not an option.
     How to fix an embossing mess up? Eureka!...use a Perfect Medium pen.....very carefully draw over the damaged area and sprinkle some more embossing powder on it, get the heat gun nice and hot and then quickly heat the touch up area being careful not to over cook the rest and guess what?......it worked!!
     Having got this far I then had to decide how to mount this challenging piece of work, thankfully this is when it all calmed down and flowed rather nicely. I chose black to set off the image but I didn't want much of the white card blank showing, this meant a wide black border that had to have some small interest on it, so I used my Tim Holtz ruler to prick holes along the edge and yes I did practice on a piece of copy paper first, wouldn't you after how things have gone so far?

     The corners of the image panel are rounded inwards with a punch and I have put tiny gems in the corners, trying to match the colour of the card at each corner means they are all different.
     So now you know why the sentiment is inside the card on a thick paper insert that has the corners rounded to match the outside panel. I have added some coloured circles to the sentiment area to mirror the Bokeh circles.
     Well there it is, finished at last. This card has been a mini challenge to complete but I hope it shows that we all make mistakes but you can overcome most of these little hiccups with a good cup of tea and calm determination.
     Please leave a comment and tell me about how you have saved a creation from the bin, I would love to hear your hints and tips.....and lets face it, I may need them!!!

Materials used
Best Friends single stamp
Archival Ink Black
Adirondack Ink  - Snow Cap
Distress Inks - Salty Ocean / Picked Raspberry / Evergreen Bough
Cosmic Shimmer Embossing Powder - Clear

I would like to enter my mini challenge in the following challenges:

Crafty Calendar - Anything Goes

Inspiration Destination - Anything Goes

Lisa B Designs - Inked Backgrounds