Watercoloured Branches and Pine Cone

Christmas is coming faster and faster and I still need Christmas cards so my reminder card for December's CAS Watercolour challenge is yet another one!  This month it is "Anything Goes" as long as it is clean and simple, and includes watercolouring.

I recently bought this Penny Black stamp and love the way it lends itself to the techniques I learned from Jill Foster (see this video for the way she lays down colour on the stamp using small ink pads or markers and then adds details by watercolouring, and this one where she colours the stamp while in the MISTI, then going over it with Versamark and clear embossing powder so that it is really easy to do either a watercolour wash or sponged background).

With the stamp in the MISTI, I coloured it with Memento Dewdrops, stamping and repeating till I had the basic image on my mixed media paper.  I then put some ink from Distress inks onto my palette and, using water and a paint brush, I filled in the details and added shading.

When all was dry, I restamped with Versamark and clear embossed.  I could then add the icy blue wash around it to ground the image (without worrying about the brown or red running into it).

I added some glitter to the snowy bits of the branches and the pinecone.

As well as making it easier to add a background wash, I really like the way the heat embossing makes the image have more definition.  I did another version without the heat embossing to show the difference.

I used a very neutral coloured wash and kept it away from the image as best as I could.  I added some sequins as well as the same bits of glitter to this one.

I'd be really interested in knowing which one you like best!

Be sure to check out the other mid-month inspiration from the Design Team at CAS Watercolour, including Guest Designer, Hideko, and link up your card by December 24th!

Supplies:

Stamps - Penny Black, Rubber Soul sentiment

Ink - various Memento Dew Drops and Distress inks, Versamark (on first card only), sentiment on first card - Versafine Crimson Red, sentiment on second card - SU Real Red

Paper - mixed media cs, red and white cs

Size - 6.75x4.75"

Accessories -  glitter, clear embossing powder (on first card only), sequins (on second card only)

Peace on Earth

I know everyone is really busy getting ready for Christmas, Hanukkah, etc., but it's time for a bit more inspiration from the CAS Mix Up Design Team.  You have until December 24 to get a card made for our challenge.

I went with a stamped sentiment, brushos, and die cuts for my card:

The background was made using various blue brushos and spray starch.  I sprayed the starch on mixed media cs, sprinkled the brushos over it, and then placed cling wrap on top and scrunched it up.  When dry, I had this beautiful background.

I trimmed the piece down, and added a die cut dove and branch to it, and a simple stamped sentiment beneath it.

This might well be my favourite of all the Christmas cards I've made this year!

Head over to CAS Mix Up for more inspiration and ideas of what the Design Team and Guest Designer, Ina (of Little Bits of Craft) chose for their stamping and optional items combinations.

Supplies:

Stamps - A Muse sentiment

Ink - Ranger Archival Cobalt

Paper - white cs, mixed media cs

Size - A2

Accessories - Impression Obsession dove die, various blue Brushos, spray starch, cling wrap, Spellbinders rectangle die

The Paper Players Colour Challenge

I'm taking a one day break from posting Christmas cards in order to post something for The Paper Players' colour challenge:

 

I needed a card to send a dear elderly family friend who has to move into a retirement residence.

The flowers are heat embossed in white and watercoloured. The background panel was masked, coloured with the same paints, using the green where I wanted the sentiment, then stamped with the sentiment, and die cut with a stitched rectangle.

It's popped up on fun foam and the flowers are partly taped flat and partly popped up with foam tape.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for some mid-month Christmas inspiration for CAS Mix Up!

Supplies:

Stamps - SU Fabulous Florets, Chocolate Baroque sentiment

Ink - Memento Bamboo Leaves, ColorBox Frost White

Paper - watercolour paper, rustic green cs

Size - A2

Accessories - white embossing powder, Gansai Tambi watercolour paints, Lil Inkers stitched rectangle die, foam tape, fun foam

Sparkling Ornaments

Addicted to CAS is challenging us to use "sparkle" this week.  And so is AAA Cards!

And what better to sparkle than glitter on a Christmas card:

I used a brass stencil with two colours of glitter.  See this video for the technique.

Here's a close-up photo so you can see how sparkly it is:

It's finished off with a simple vertical sentiment, stamped and heat embossed.

I'm adding it to CAS Mix Up's "Stamping plus 2 Items of Your Choice" (mine are stenciling, heat embossing, and glitter).

Supplies:

Stamps - Northwoods sentiment

Ink - ColorBox Gold

Paper - white cs

Size - A2

Accessories - Dreamweaver ornament stencil, gold and clear glitter, sookwang tape, gold embossing powder

An Old Cardinal Two Ways

Merry Monday has a colour challenge this week:

I chose the red, the darker green, and the light blue.  I used one of my first Christmas stamps from many years ago.  I'm looking at my stamps critically in an attempt to weed some out, especially the older ones.  But this one I still love!

It's stamped and watercoloured with a pierced frame (cut twice for more dimension) over it, and the panel popped up on fun foam. I added Glossy Accents to the berries, though it doesn't show in the photo.

I'm also going to add it to CAS Watercolour where December's challenge is "Anything Goes" and CAS Mix Up for "Stamping and 2 Items of Your Choice" (mine are watercolouring and die cutting).

While I had the stamp out, I decided to make a second one:

Same stamping and watercolouring, but die cut with a stitched circle and mounted on fun foam on a green cardbase.

Which layout do you prefer?

Supplies:

Stamps - SU Cardinal Christmas, Rubber Soul sentiment

Ink - Ranger Archival Jet Black

Paper - watercolour paper;  linen cs for the first;  green Bazzill cs for the second

Size - A2 (first one), 4.75" square (second one)

Accessories - Gansai Tambi watercolour paints, fun foam, Glossy Accents;  first card - MFT Pierced Rectangle Frame;  second card - Lil Inkers stitched circle die

Gingerbread House

For the Paper Players challenge:

I only ever made one gingerbread house in my life but I remember it being a lot of fun - I was about 12 years old.  So here's my card in memory of that:

Stamped, coloured with pencil crayons, a bit of glitter added, and then I distressed the edges and sponged.  The twine goes with the rustic feel of the kraft panel and the distressed / sponged edges.

Because of the distressing, I'm also adding it SCS Ways to Use It "Distress It" challenge.

Supplies:

Stamps - Tim Holtz gingerbread house, SU sentiment

Ink - Archival Jet Black, Distress Tea Dye and Antique Linen

Paper - white and kraft cs

Size - A2

Accessories - coloured pencils, glitter, Tim Holtz edge distresser, green twine