Playing with Bister Powders

Hi everyone.  I'm back with another masculine card.

Today I was playing with some Bister powders that I've had for ages ... I think over a year!!  Yep, they have been patiently waiting for me. :)  My friend Christine, picked them up in the UK when she was there.  They come in small resealable bags, so I found it hard to get out just a little to sprinkle on my card front.  Found some plastic containers (similar to the brushos pots) and spent last night putting them into the new containers, labeling, and adding a colour swatch (on watercolour paper with sticky backing) on top along with piercing a hole so the powders could easily be sprinkled.  The push pin holds everything in place and I can just pull it out and sprinkle easily.  Here's a pic of my containers ...

The colours are very muted compared to Brusho or Color Burst powders.  And they all contain a bit of walnut in with each of the colours, so they have very earthy tones.  LOVE them.  And perfect for creating a masculine card.  I simply sprinkled two colours (green and natural) over my fern stencil onto mixed media paper, spritzed with lots of water and quickly removed the stencil.  I got a very clean image. Added a simple tone-on-tone stamped sentiment banner to finish.

Stamps:  Fun Birthday Sentiments (HLS)
Paper: Mixed Media (Strathmore 140 lb.); Soft Suede (SU!)
Ink:  Bister Powders:  Green, Natural; Soft Suede (SU!)
Accessories & Tools:  Fern stencil made with my Silhouette Cameo, water mister

Hubby's Birthday Card

Hi everyone.  You  know how some cards that are pretty easy, just seem like they don't want to be made??  This was one of them. :)  It took me three tries to get this done.  I cut the "HAPPY" with my Silhouette Cameo cutting machine.  But when I trimmed it, it was very crooked.  Of course I didn't notice until after gluing it to the card front.  Into the garbage, made a new card front ... and again a problem with the sentiment. The second time the machine cut it weird, I didn't notice until it was glued down to the second card front.  Anyways, third times a charm (as they say). :)

The background was super easy (it's the best part).  Just taped the gears stencil over some white card stock and sponged with Evergreen Bough, Vintage Photo, and Rusty Hinge distress inks.  What a great colour combination.  And looks awesome with the black sentiment banner.

Hubby's birthday isn't for another week, but we are having a family dinner on Saturday, so needed to get it done early.  I think he'll like it.

Stamps:  Birthday sentiments (HLS)
Paper:  Neenah 110 lb. white card stock; Black (SU!)
Ink:  Distress Inks:  Evergreen Bough, Vintage Photo, Rusty Hinge (Tim Holtz); Versamark
Accessories & Tools: Mini Gears Stencil (The Crafter's Workshop), sponges, Silhouette Cameo, white embossing powder, heat tool

More Canvases

As I mentioned a couple of days ago when I posted my first two canvases HERE, I had a play day with Susan and Christine last Sunday and we experimented with acrylic paint techniques.

We first headed to two $1 stores in my area.  We picked up some acrylic paints and canvases for not much money.  The canvas above is 8" square and was $2.00.  I used four colours of paint ($1.25 ea).  Normally, I buy good quality art supplies, but these are just some fun techniques that work well with any type of paint.  One video I saw even used wall paint. :)  We lined our work table with large garbage bags before starting, which made clean up easy.

The one above is my favourite from the day.  This technique is called Dirty Pour and we followed this video.  We just diluted our paints with water, and followed the video about pouring the colours together and then giving a quick stir before adding to the canvas.  Then the fun begins as you tilt your canvas and let the paint flow over the sides.  I love the marbled look I got with this technique.

For the second canvas below, I smooshed it into the paint that overflowed from the canvas above and then dribbled on any leftover ink from my containers.  Didn't waste any of the paint, smooshing two small canvases and then card stock, coated card stock and yupo papers, just to see what worked best. They all worked great.

You'll see that I was in love with this paint colour combo, so I used it again for the third canvas.  This is a drip technique that we followed with this video.  Easy and fun to do.  All of the canvases done with turquoise, green and white are made with the $1 store acrylics (DecoArt).

My last canvas is another of the palette knife technique from this video.  This is the second time I've tried this and I ended up with lots of texture this time.  The colours are different.  I used different shades of blue, white, and just a little sea green.  This canvas was done with medium body Liquitex (Basics) acrylics.  Medium body or heavy body paint is thick which helps to create the texture that you see on the canvas.  Not in love with the results, but it's OK.  :)

I used soft gloss gel, diluted with water, to seal the canvases (two coats leaving 24 hrs to dry in-between coats).

I hope you've enjoyed seeing my abstract canvases.  They were so much fun to make!

Spring Tulips

Hi everyone.  One last card for the CAS Mix Up March Challenge - Smooshing.   My CAS Mix Up card has Stamping, Acetate Smooshing and Watercolouring.

We're celebrating our 1st Birthday this month with a few prizes. :)  The challenge ends in a few days.

I used acetate smooshing for the background behind my watercoloured and fussy-cut tulips.  It adds so much fun and visual texture.

And since tulips remind me of Spring, I'm also adding this to the CAS Watercolour March Challenge - Spring. :)  This challenge also closes in a few days.  I hope you'll find time to play along.

Stamps:  Love is Kindness (Stampin' Up!); Be Happy Sentiments (Amy R)
Paper:  White card base (Neenah 110 lb. card stock); Tulips (Watercolour - Arches 140 lb. hot press)
Ink:  Zigs, Archival Black, Memento Black
Accessories & Tools:  waterbrush, acetate sheet, water mister

Challenges:
CAS Mix Up March Challenge - Smooshing
CAS Watercolour March Challenge - Spring

Something Different

Hi everyone.  A few days ago I painted a canvas with acrylic paints following this video I saw about palette knife painting.  For my first try, I was happy with the results.  It doesn't have the texture of the one shown in the video, but I do love the colours and how it turned out.  Red and gold are the accent colours in my house, so I could hang it in just about any room.

Next I tried the same colours on a smaller canvas using a paint brush to paint on the same colours following this video.  It turned out great, but is much flatter than the canvas above.  I think it needs something more, but will leave it for now.

I still have to seal the canvases before they are completely finished, painting over top with some diluted soft gloss gel.  It will seal the canvas to protect it and will also give it shine and deepen the colours.  Just need to get to the store to buy the gel. :)

Both canvases were done using Liquitex Basics (medium body acrylics), in Cadium Red, Alizarin Crimson, Raw Sienna, White, and Gold.

Yesterday I had a play day with my friends Susan and Christine.  We spent the afternoon painting more canvases using three different techniques.  The paint was flying :) ... it was messy and a lot of fun!  I will share my canvases from yesterday in the next couple of days after they've had time to dry thoroughly.

Thanks for stopping by!

Copper, Gold, and Turquoise

Hi everyone.  I'm playing along with Merry Monday Challenge #239 (Copper/bronze, Gold, and Turquoise) which is hosted by my wonderful friend, Marcia.   I was super busy this week, so only managed to find a little bit of time today to play along.

I started by smooshing a piece of mixed media paper.  FYI, I buy my pads of mixed media, yupo and watercolour paper in 9" x 12" sheets.  I divide them into quarters (4 1/2" x 6") which gives me just the right size for a card front, with a little extra.  I smooshed only one piece with Gold and Turquoise Inka Gold waxes, a few drops of copper metallic acrylic paint and some water.  Such a pretty combination of colours.

The shine from the inka gold and copper paint is really beautiful, but doesn't show in the pictures.  Once dry, I cut the piece in half (3" x 4 1/2"), trimmed off just 1/4" from the bottom and used it for the card above.  Splattered the background with diluted white paint to falling snow, and added white die-cut snowdrifts and reindeer.  I heat embossed the sentiment in copper to finish.

I still had 1/2 of my sheet left, and managed to die-cut two pieces from it to create my "two-fer" and "three-fer" cards (a la Darnell). :)

ETA:  Thanks to Nonni, I'm entering the above card into Inkspirational Challenge #130 - Smooshing.

Always great when I can add to my Christmas card stash. :)  The challenge closes tomorrow at noon (PST), so if you want to play along, you need to be quick! :)

Since I smooshed on all my cards, I'm adding them to the CAS Mix Up March Challenge (and 1st Birthday Celebration) - Smooshing. :)  Come check out the gallery of beautiful entries.

And since I used snippets for all three of the cards, I'm heading over to play at the Snippets Playground. :)

Stamps:  Festive Snippets (Penny Black)
Paper:  White card base (Neenah); Mixed Media (Strathmore 140 lb.)
Ink:  Versamark
Accessories & Tools:  Inka Gold (Gold and Turquoise), copper embossing powder, heat tool, Snow drifts die (My Favorite Things), Peace love joy die (Penny Black), Ornament - Set 2 Dies (Elizabeth Craft Designs), Retro Deer Die (Simon Says Stamp)

Challenges:
Merry Monday #239 - Copper, Gold, and Turquoise
CAS Mix Up March Challenge - Smooshing
Snippets Playground - Week 273 and 274
Inkspirational #130 - Smooshing

Spring Watercolour

Hi everyone.  Today's card is a reminder about the CAS Watercolour March Challenge - Spring.  There's just over a week left to play along.

I had a really difficult time photographing this card.  Sorry for the poor quality, but the camera seemed to be fooled by the splattered lime green background with gold embossing.  This was as good as I could get. :)

Here's a close up ...

I started with a Splash Watercolour background (click HERE for video tutorial), using twisted citron and mowed lawn distress inks.  The colours definitely say Spring to me.  I used a couple of small flower and leaf stamps, heat embossed in gold and watercoloured with more distress inks.  I added a small gold embossed sentiment to finish.

I hope you'll come join us for this fun challenge.  Use any products that give a watercoloured look (distress inks, dye inks, acrylic paints, inka gold, gelatos, distress crayons, etc.).

Check out all the reminder cards from the rest of our Design Team and our wonderful Guest Designer, Heather by clicking HERE.

Hope to see you in the gallery!

Stamps:  Spring Flowers (Simon Says Stamp); Enjoy (Penny Black)
Paper:  White card base (Neenah 110 lb.); Watercolour (Arches 140 lb. cold press)
Ink:  Distress Inks:  Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Picked Raspberry (Tim Holtz); Versamark
Accessories & Tools:  Water mister, gold embossing powder, heat tool

Challenges:
CAS Watercolour March Challenge - Spring

Just for You

Hi everyone.  We are celebrating our 1st birthday at CAS Mix Up.  Come join the fun!

Made this card as a reminder for the CAS Mix Up March Challenge - Smooshing.

I started with a smooshed Inka Gold background from my stash (blue and dark blue). A mini dot stencil was placed over top and embossing paste was randomly added. The bird and branch were die-cut from watercolour paper and painted with diluted distress inks and then Wink of Stella was added for a bit of sparkle.  To finish, a simple sentiment was stamped onto a white banner.

My CAS Mix Up card has Smooshing with Inka Gold, Stenciling with embossing paste, Die-cuts and Watercolouring. :)

I hope you'll take some time to check out the reminder post at CAS Mix Up.  There you'll see more CAS Mix Up Smooshed cards from our Guest Designer, Marcia ... and from the rest of our Design Team.  I know you'll be inspired by their wonderful creations.

I'm playing along at Inkspirational, where Watercolour Smooshing is the theme. :)

Stamps: A Little Sentimental (Clearly Besotted)
Paper:  Mixed Media (Strathmore 140 lb); Watercolour (Arches 140 lb. cold press); White cards base (Neenah 110 lb)
Ink:  Black (Memento); Distress Inks:  Mowed Lawn, Peacock Feathers (Tim Holtz)
Accessories & Tools: water mister, Inka Gold (Steel blue, Cobalt Blue), Mini Tiny Circles stencil (The Crafter's Workshop), embossing paste, Perched Reed Bird die (Memory Box), Little Leaves die (Sizzix), paint brush, Wink of Stella

Challenges:
CAS Mix Up March Challenge - Smooshing
Inkspirational #130 - Watercolour Smooshing

Leafy Birthday

Hi everyone.  Sharing another make from a crafting day with my friends, Susan and Christine.  I recently received Clarity Brushes from a dear friend and the three of us took them for a test drive.  All three of us agree that they are fun to use with stencils.

I made this large background brushing green and blue inks over a leaf stencil.  I then splattered with water, let it sit for a few minutes and then blotted with a paper towel.  I like the subtle water spots in the background (ghost splats).   Speaking of ghosting, I'm excited today that my Ghosting video is the subject of the Mix-Ability (#215) challenge at Splitcoaststampers.  Thanks to MariLyn for choosing my video for inspiration. :)

To finish my card above, I added a vellum banner sentiment so as not to cover any of the pretty background. And I used my glossy accents to add some "rain drops".

Thanks for visiting!

Stamps:  Sweet Sentiments (Amy R)
Paper:  Neenah White (110 lb); Vellum
Ink:  Distress Inks:  Mowed Lawn, Mermaid Lagoon (Tim Holtz); Archival Black (Ranger)
Accessories & Tools:  Leaf stencil (Carabelle Studio), Clarity brushes, water mister, Happy die (Simon Says Stamp), glossy accents

Challenges:
SCS Mix-Ability215 - Ghosting

Daisy Smoosh

Hi everyone.  I've made another card for the CAS Mix Up March Challenge - Smooshing.

This month we are also celebrating our 1st Birthday and we have a few prizes to give away - check out the details HERE.

I used a small scrap of smooshed background that I had in my stash.  I made this a while ago, so I'm not positive, but I believe it is smooshing with Inka Gold and a few distress reinkers (ripe persimmon and picked raspberry).  The colours are so pretty and bright.  I added a white punched and layered daisy with a gold center, and two die-cut white leaf sprigs.  The sentiment was stamped in Delicata Gold ink which matches the colour of the Inka Gold used in the smooshed panel.

Since this bright and cheerful card reminds me of spring, I'm also sending this to the gallery at CAS Watercolour March Challenge - Spring.  I hope you'll join us there too! :)

I'm also entering this card into the Snippets Challenge - Week 271 & 272.  I used snippets for the smooshed panel, daisy and leaf sprigs (everything except the card base). :)

Stamps:  Fun Birthday Sentiments (Happy Little Stampers)
Paper:  White card base (Neenah 110 lb. card stock), Watercolour (Arches 140 lb. cold press)
Ink:  Distress Re-inkers:  Ripe Persimmon, Picked Raspberry; Delicata Gold
Accessories & Tools:  Inka Gold, water mister, Small Daisy punch (Punch Bunch), hole punch, glossy accents, Olive Branch dies (C.C. Designs)

Challenges:
CAS Mix Up March Challenge - Smooshing
CAS Watercolour March Challenge - Spring
Snippets Playground - Week 271 & 272

All is Bright

Made this card for the current Merry Monday Challenge #237 - Shimmer or Sparkle.

I actually made two this colour and two with green under the glass bead gel with gold stars and glitter strip at the bottom.

This is my favourite colour combo of the two cards.  Evergreen Bough Distress ink was sponged over top of the tree stencil onto regular card stock.  I washed the stencil, dried and taped it back over top, lining up the tree image.  A layer of Glass Bead gel was added over top using a palette knife.  This gel is amazing.  The sparkle you get from it can not be shown in a photo.  Very beautiful.

I have a close-up below that shows a bit more detail of the sparkle ...

I'm working on making multiples of cards so that I build my Christmas card stash throughout the year.    Hopefully I'll have enough cards when it's time to mail them out in December! :)

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Stamps:  Festive Snippets (Penny Black)
Paper:  White (Neenah 110 lb.); Silver glimmer (SU!); Black (SU!)
Ink:  Distress Ink:  Evergreen Bough (Tim Holtz); Silver (Delicata); Versamark
Accessories & Tools:  Christmas Trees stencil (STAMPlorations), Glass Bead Gel (Golden), palette knife, white embossing powder, heat tool

Challenges:
Merry Monday #237 - Shimmer or Sparkle

CAS Watercolour March Challenge

Hi everyone.  Welcome to the start of the CAS Watercolour March Challenge.  This month we are celebrating SPRING!  I can't wait for it to be officially here in a few weeks.  It has been one snowy winter here and I'll be happy when it's over. :)

Today's card started with an experiment.  I have seen many cards done with Brushos, spray starch and cling wrap and wanted to try that technique.  Haven't been able to find spray starch, so I decided to try the technique, just leaving the starch part out. :)

I sprinkled Brushos onto my mixed media paper, spritzed with lots of water until the colours were flowing, and then placed a piece of cling wrap over top, scrunching it up to create lots of creases.  Left it to dry for about an hour, and when I pulled off the cling wrap I got the background you see above, behind the trees.  LOVE IT! Experiments are fun! :)

I also used a NBUS die that I bought from Gina Marie Designs called "tree frame". A white heat embossed vellum sentiment banner was used so the beautiful colours of Spring in the background would show through.

We are excited to have Heather (bits and pieces) as our Guest Designer this month. Please check out the challenge to see the gorgeous Spring-inspired cards by our talented Design Team, along with Heather's gorgeous card.  I know you'll be inspired to play along!

Entering this card into these challenges:
AAA Cards #84 - Watercolour
Inkspirational #129 - Connect (trees are connected)

Stamps:  Sunny Sentiments (Amy R)
Paper:  Mixed Media (Strathmore 140 lb.); Vellum; Neenah 110 lb. card stock (die-cut tree frame)
Ink:  Brushos (turquoise, lime green, leaf green); Versamark
Accessories & Tools:  Tree Frame die (Gina Marie Designs), water mister, cling wrap, white embossing powder, heat tool

Challenges:
CAS Watercolour March Challenge - Spring
AAA Cards #84 - Watercolour
Inkspirational #129 - Connect

CAS Mix Up March Challenge

Hi everyone.  Bonnie and I are excited to celebrate CAS Mix Up's 1st Birthday Celebration.  We are so thankful to Nancy, Susan, Julia and Joanna ... our wonderful Design Team.  And we are so thankful to all our challenge participants that have made CAS Mix Up a success!

To celebrate, we are offering two prizes this month.  One for Challenge Winner and one random draw from all entries.  Bonnie and I hope you'll celebrate with us for a chance to win!  See details on the challenge blog HERE.

On to this month's challenge ... hosted by ME! :)

Smooshing is fun and easy to do.  You can smoosh with so many different products.  Here's links to a couple of videos I have done on Smooshing:

Smooshing Inks
Smooshing with Inka Gold


The card above has a smooshed background of Liquid Watercolour Concentrate (yellow, orange, red).   Once dry, I used a dotty circle stencil and gold ink to add some gold dots in the background.  A tulip stencil was placed over top and I used embossing paste coloured with gold acrylic paint.  Then I didn't like it ... the gold tulips were lost on the background, so I lined up the tulip stencil back over the dry embossed image, and then stippled white acrylic paint over top.  Happy how it turned out.  And happy I was able to save the pretty background.

CAS Mix Up is excited to have Marcia (Marcia's Stampin' Pad) as our Guest Designer this month.  Marcia was our January Liquid Colours Winner.  Welcome Marcia!

Please check out the Design Team's and Guest Designer Marcia's smooshed cards by clicking HERE!  I hope you'll join us for our 1st Birthday Celebration!

Stamps:  Sweet Sentiments (Amy R)
Paper:  White card base (Neenah 110 lb); Mixed Media panel (Stratmore 140 lb.)
Ink:  Delicata Gold
Accessories & Tools:  water mister, Always Round stencil from Carabelle Studio, Blossom cut file to make tulip stencil (Silhouette America), white acrylic paint, stipple brush

Challenges:
CAS Mix Up March Challenge - Smooshing