A Swirly Valentine

Paper Players want a Valentine this week.

A friend wants to buy some Valentine cards from me and I don't have that many Valentine products so borrowed some from my dear friend, Loll Thompson.  One of her dies was the beautiful swirly heart that I used here:

I kept it very simple as the die is so beautiful and should stand in its own right.   I die cut it out of dark red cs, glued it onto white, added a sentiment, trimmed the panel with a stitched rectangle die, and popped it up with fun foam.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:

Stamps - PTI sentiment

Ink - Memento Rhubarb Stalk

Paper - white and dark red cs

Size - A2

Accessories - heart die, Lil Inkers stitched rectangle die, fun foam

Mainly Red Christmas Card

The Christmas Cards All Year Round challenge for February is very appropriate for the month when we have Valentine's Day:

"The challenge for FEBRUARY is {use mainly RED} on 

your Christmas/Holiday themed project."

 

I went with red berries on a red card base:

 

 

I put the berries stamp in the MISTI and inked up with various shades of red and brown, stamping (with mini Distress inks and Distress markers) and reinking (with a little bit of spritzing for a slight watercolour look) until I got the colours as I wanted them.

I added a bit of brown and black splatter, and a die cut black sentiment, and popped it up on fun foam on a red card base.

Thanks for dropping by today!

Supplies:

Stamps - Penny Black Berry Bramble

Ink - various mini Distress inks and markers

Paper - watercolour paper, red cs

Size - A2

Accessories - TH sentiment die, fun foam

Pastel Hellebore

Merry Monday has an interesting challenge:

I don't make many cards in pastel colours so this really was a challenge - somehow they just don't seem as Christmas-y as vibrant colours.  Here's what I came up with:

Technically the hellebore variety known as the Christmas rose is white, whereas the hellebores that bloom in the spring are often in shades of pink.  But for my card, it seemed better to go with some pink.

I stamped on hot press watercolour paper and then watercoloured with my Gansai Tambi paints - I lifted off any excess colour by patting with paper towel after each addition of colour.  I added a bit of Wink of Stella to the hellebore centres and the berries.

I bordered it with very pale gold cs, then popped it up on fun foam on a pale green shimmer card base.  One of my resolutions for 2018 is to use up some of my coloured cs so I'm trying to make the occasional card with a coloured card base.

I'm happier than I thought I'd be with the pastel colours.

Supplies:

Stamps - SU

Ink - Archival Jet Black

Paper - pale green and pale gold shimmer cs, mixed media cs

Size - A2

Accessories - Gansai Tambi watercolours, Wink of Stella, fun foam

A Tiny Wreath

Back to Christmas challenges after a brief stop for a Valentine!  This week it's for the Merry Christmas Challenge where it's anything goes with an optional element of wreath.  I went with the optional element.  Here's my card:

I punched some pine branches from various green dps and glued them to a small die cut circle to create a tiny wreath, small enough to fit onto my die cut tag.  Love the way that tag adds the sentiment to the card!

I used some small bits of silver ribbon on the wreath and tag, and mounted everything on a piece of silver cs.  Added some silver gemstones to the wreath and it was done!

Supplies:

Paper - white cs, silver mirri cs, various green dps

Size - A2

Accessories - Impression Obsession word tag, Martha Stewart pine branch punch, silver ribbon, silver gemstones

Love You Just the Way You Are

It's February so what better theme for the CAS Watercolour challenge than "heart"?

I used a never-before-used older SU stamp and sentiment:

I put the stamps in my MISTI and used my Zigs, a mini-mister, and watercolour paper.  I coloured the stamps with my Pale Pink Zig first, misted it, and stamped.  I then repeated the process with Pink, but not covering the stamps completely.  And a third time with just a bit of Carmine Red just on the top of the heart and on the sentiment.  The misting each time gets the colours to blend nicely.  I wanted to darken up the sentiment a bit so scribbled some Carmine Red and Dark Grey on my palette and applied it to the sentiment with a small paintbrush.

I had a perfect scrap of coloured cs to border the panel and then popped it up with fun foam on a larger piece of the same watercolour paper.  It looked too bare (too CAS!!!) so I found a perfect little scrap of ribbon to add as a banner and a few tiny hearts die cut in white shimmer cs leftover from a larger die cut.

Here's a close-up showing the blending of the colours on the heart and the embellishments:

We hope you'll link up your cards inspired by the word "heart" at CAS Watercolour.  There's lots of inspiration from the rest of the Design Team and our Guest Designer, Sue (of Sue's Card Craft).  You have until February 24th.  Don't forget to keep your cards clean and simple!

Supplies:

Stamps - SU Sprinkled Expressions

Paper - watercolour paper, cream and dark burgundy cs

Size - A2

Accessories - Zig watercolour pens, scrap of ribbon, Nesties perfect layers rectangle dies, white shimmer cs hearts left from a previous die cut

Cork with Wooden Snowflake

A new challenge from CAS Mix Up (and did I ever find this a challenge - took me ages to come up with an idea!):

I found some cork tags in a dollar store and decided to use one of those.  My first idea was a birthday card with a stamped sentiment and a small die cut on the tag, but then I remembered my old SU wooden snowflakes and I liked the idea of the combination of wood and cork.

My criteria for choosing a sentiment to stamp was that it fit the width of the tag and was a fairly thick / heavy font so that it would show up on the cork.  I found the perfect one, put it and the tag in my MISTI and stamped it a couple of times with StazOn ink until it was dark enough.

I used an embossing folder I've had for awhile but never used.  It's quite a neat one.  It both debosses and embosses at the same time - I really like the effect.  I embossed it on cream cs and layered over a kraft card base.

CAS Mix Up is open until February 24th for you to link up a card.  Please be sure that it is clean and simple, and that it includes felt, cork, or canvas, stamping, and one other thing of your choice - I have wood and dry embossing.   For inspiration, check out the cards by the rest of the Design Team and our February Guest Designer, Marianne (Marianne's Cards 'n stuff).

Supplies:

Stamps - PTI sentiment

Ink - StazOn black

Paper - cream and kraft cs

Size - A2

Accessories - Forever in Time Paper Crafts cork tag, SU wooden snowflake, Ultimate Crafts Snowflake Frame embossing folder