Pretty

Today's share uses one of my all time fave dies which I bought a long time ago!
It's not cutting as good as it used to - probably worn out.... 😧

My base card this time is an ivory shade of linen textured card - I have lots and don't use it enough- it's a subtle shade and makes a change from stark white I think.

Simple card to do and I like how it turned out.

Stitched die cut square from an odd leftover, lightly dusted with green and pink ink.

I watercoloured the poppy cut from another odd bit and used some foam pads to pop it up off the front.

The card sent to a close friend who had a birthday shortly after a devastating bereavement - after so much sadness wishing her a 'Happy' Birthday didn't seem right.   

Weather has turned cloudier and cooler here and we even had rain yesterday -it's not often we go a while without rain so it was a bit of a novelty - anyway it did the plants good and Himself was pleased as he had put some weedkiller on the lawn and he didn't have to water it in!

Sharing my little make over at -
Pixies Playground #401
Cardz4Galz - Special Lady
Double Trouble #82 - Flowers

Sky

The current challenge at Addicted to CAS has the word prompt of SKY. 

This night sky was an experiment using watercolours to create instead of inks and although only a small piece I was quite pleased with the result and made it up into a card.

I tried to make a tiny silhouette skyline/treeline in the bottom left in an attempt to convey the vast sky we have around us - not sure if it worked!

I added some white heat embossed stars and a few spatters with a white Posca pen.

On the base card I did some light spatters using some very watered down blue paint.

The sentiment was a freebie a long time ago and although it looks a bit wonky in the pic it isn't in real life!

I am currently experiencing a little lack of mojo - and as we are having blue skies, sunshine and some warm days I can't blame it on the weather!
Thanks for looking today and I hope all is OK with you in your part of blogland. x

Twofer April Challenge

Twofer's April word prompt is 'Leaves'.
I used a rarely seen daylight stamp and die set  from Thirsty Brush to make my two cards - and although there are some flowers on the stamp I hope there's enough leaves to fulfil the challenge!

This was my first use of black watercolour card and despite me using an anti static bag across it, I still managed to get little white specks from the embossing powder!

I recently bought some metallic watercolours to try  - they didn't cost a lot so I wasn't expecting great results but I have to say I was impressed with them - the shine on them is good and they were great value for the money!

Finished this card with a few spots of Perfect Pearls for the berries and the flower centres.

My second card used the die set.
Painted the image with watercolours and popped it onto the card base with some 3d foam tape.
I stamped another of the leaf designs from the set and die cut.
A few paint spatters and a big sentiment and job done! 

We've had some lovely Spring weather the last few days. It's lifted the spirits being out in the sunshine without a coat and watching the plants and trees burst into life.
Here's a pic of my two cards together

and a little pic of the shine from the paints!

April CAS Mix Up Mid Month reminder

 Our 'Paper Piecing' challenge set by Linda is mid way through at CAS Mix Up.

I chose this rose from the Visible Image 'Flower Art' set.
Having had a massive (and I mean MASSIVE) clear out of most of my paper pads I began a search for something to use.

Some time back I had a little play with Acrylic Dirty Pour - I made several cards with my finished piece and I had a teeny 2" square piece left which I kept - (only cos I was so proud of myself for mastering the technique😊) -  and I found it whilst scrabbling through a small box of patterned off-cuts which I had kept.

I started by using a 'stone wall' stamp as a background inked in Smokey Grey before stamping the rose.

I fiddled about a bit with the rose head on the dirty pour piece as there was a lot of black/grey tones on the saved bit and I wanted more of the red/pink and although the rose head is quite dark I am quite pleased with the result.

And I couldn't bear to throw out the remainder of the poured piece - I tucked the cut out bits under the card so what you can see is all there is left so probably not enough to use for anything else but it's gone back in the box anyway! 

Sharing at
SSS Wednesday - CAS
SOS - Plant Life
Addicted to CAS - Flower

Tree House!

 A very very windy and cold day here - occasionally we get a patch of blue sky but the wind is blowing the clouds in as quickly as the blue sky appears, so it's heating on and sat at the desk day for me I think! 

Had a bit of a watery fest with some Distress Oxides and made this card.
The Stampendous birdie is a recent acquisition for me, previously loved and I have decided I love him too.

Once my smooshed background was dry I stamped him and his branch. I fiddled about a bit with the branch using both Peeled Paint and Twisted Citron to give more leafy bits!

Birdie was stamped again with DO's, watercoloured and fussy cut then popped back on his branch.

The bird house is from a stamp set called 'Live Out Loud' which I have had for a long time - from Chocolate Baroque before it became Chocolate Baroque!

I think that birdie is eyeing up this very posh ornate house 🏡 and imagining himself in there snuggled up with Mrs Birdie! 💕

It was a change for me to stamp in the DO colours and I probably wouldn't have done so had I not seen the idea on Pinterest - I like the way the stamped images pop out of the co-ordinated background and will definitely be doing this again.

Thanks for looking today! x
Sharing at-
613 Avenue Create - In the Garden
SOSS#182 - D for Distress
Country View Crafts - Birds and/or Bees
Beyond the Blue - DO Background

CAS Christmas April Challenge

It seems even weirder now to be making Christmas cards when we have blue skies and sunshine BUT - having ventured outside it is really cold so it feels more like Winter!
This month's challenge at CAS Christmas is RAINBOW
Here's my card which I am hoping is CAS enough 

I am still trying to keep using all the coloured cardstock that I have so black for this one which is normally used for layering!
For a long time I have tried to achieve a decent attempt at a night sky reminiscent of the Northern Lights.
(I have a burning ambition to actually see the lights for real and it is number 1 on my wish list.)

I used sooooo many inks for this sky but you know, I was really happy with it!

Flicked some white Posca pen across it to give a 'starry' effect.

I cut out two rows of trees, one in black and another in watercolour card.

I tried to watercolour the trees in the same colours as the sky immediately above them!
I offset the black trees behind to give a little 'shadow'.

The sentiment is one of my fave Christmas dies.

I am feeling very pleased  as it is now month 4 and I have kept my promise to take part in CAS Christmas every month!
(But I keep reminding myself it's only a quarter of the way through the year!!!)
Wishing you all a Happy Easter weekend. x

Sharing at
Jingle Belles - Dies

CAS Mix Up April Challenge

It is Mixed Media month at CAS Mix Up and Linda has chosen the theme of 'Paper Piecing'.

I have lots of coloured cardstock which I very rarely use as I much prefer crisp white backgrounds for CAS but once I'd decided on which stamp and paper I was going to use I thought I would try a different coloured base.

I stamped the Funky Fossil Lotus Reflections stamp onto the card first, then used the additional flower from the set, stamping and heat embossing onto the patterned paper which is so old I can't remember anything about it!

I also stamped and embossed two of the smaller elements.
The sentiment is from another Lotus set (no packaging so no idea again!) but I think I may have bought it from Amazon.

The thick black line looks really odd on the pic but it is straight and true on the card!
My elements for the challenge are Stamping, Heat Embossing and of course the theme - paper piecing.

Please go visit the challenge blog and my talented team mates and we have Bonnie (Paper Crafter at Large) as our Guest Designer this month too.

Hope to see you linking up your creation in our gallery! x