CAS Mix Up March Challenge

Hi everyone.  Today is so exciting!  Bonnie and I are launching our very first challenge at CAS Mix Up.  We hope you'll come check out the challenge and play along.

CAS Mix Up is all about CAS (clean and simple) design combined with mixed media techniques and products.  I do love techniques!! :)

The challenge has three parts to it.  For March, each entry must have stamping, watercolouring, plus a third item which is your choice (technique or product). There's a suggestions list over on the challenge blog to help you decide on a third item. Check out the right hand sidebar for the list and the rules for the challenge.

For today's card, I started with the soft, watercoloured background using the acetate smooshing technique.  I used subtle colours so that they didn't compete with my flowery branch, instead just providing a bit of interest for the background.  You can use watercolour paper for this technique, but for today's card I have smooshed onto regular white card stock.

I die-cut a long, leafy branch (which I split into two branches) from soft green card stock and then sponged green around the edges of the leaves to give them dimension.  Several blooms were punched from soft pink card stock, and then sponged around the edges with a darker pink.  For even more added dimension, I used my stylus and mat to shape the leaves and the flowers.  I pinched a few of the blooms to create "buds" and left some open, adding more interest.  The flower branches were arranged over the background so that the ends tucked underneath the sentiment banner.  Lots of fun to make.

My card has stamping (sentiment), watercolouring (background) and my third choice was die-cuts.  See, it's easy to play along. :)

I'm also excited to announce that my good friend Susan (Cardmaker's Garret) is our Featured Designer this month.  Welcome Susan!!  I hope you'll find some time to visit her blog and leave some love.

And please drop over to Bonnie's blog (Stamping with Klass) as well to see her beautiful CAS Mix Up card.

I hope you'll come play along with our challenge.  The link is open until March 24th so there's lots of time to enter.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps:  A Little Sentimental (Clearly Besotted)
Paper:  White (Neenah); Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink (SU!)
Ink:  Distress inks:  Tumbled Glass, Peeled Paint (Tim Holtz); Certainly Celery, Regal Rose, Pear Pizzazz (SU!)
Accessories & Tools:  piece of acetate, water mister, Lavish Branch die (Memory Box), Hydrangea Punch (Martha Stewart), sponges, stylus and mat

Challenges:
CAS Mix Up March Challenge - Watercolouring