Christmas Card Club - Challenge 18

Welcome to another Christmas Card Club Challenge...The theme for Challenge 18 was selected by Zoe. Zoe's choice was Christmas Foliage/Trees. This group of card makers has a challenge every 2 weeks and our theme is chosen by one of the members. We also have the option to do something 'anything goes' as long as it's Christmas related. I hope Zoe will approve of my choice of "Christmas Foliage".

This is a Penny Black image which I decided to try water coloring with Tim Holtz DI markers. Used a Direct to Rubber technique, stamped and restamped using the Misti. After getting the ink down, I used a regular #4 round brush dampened with water to spread the color around a bit. I'm trying to get accustomed to the proper amount of water on a brush so that it moves the color and doesn't 'blob'. First stamped this using 140# watercolor paper on the smooth side, and was not happy with the result...too much texture. So tried again using a smooth Bristol card stock, and liked the results much better.

A Sue Wilson Double Stitched rectangle die cut the piece, which is popped up on craft foam; added some candy stripe washi tape to each side of a top fold card, then glued the berry piece and this one is done. 

Edit: Thanks to Brenda for advising  that the above card will also fit into the September CAS Mixup Challenge. So linking that allenge. 

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Decided to use another Penny Black cling image, but this one I colored with copics.

Used the same white Bristol card stock, stamped with Tsukineko Rich Cocoa, then used various copic markers to color...adding some white highlights to the berries with a white gel pen. Then used some DOX to edge around the corners and edges to tone down the 'white'. Used a snippet of Christmas paper as a mat (cut out the center)...and this one is done. I found coloring the pine cones much easier than  #1's berries.  I'll keep trying to work on my watercolor and hope I can improve over time. I know it takes practice, practice, practice.

Now I hope you'll take time to visit my team members, whose blog links are listed on the right side bar. As always, thanks for spending time to visit here. I'm trying to visit all the sweet people who leave comments - still not getting the comment notices in my email, although I've followed the instructions in order to get blogger to send me a 'subscribe' notice. Not happened yet. I hope I don't miss anyone.

Ya'll have a good day, and for my American friends, have a wonderful Labor Day weekend. Be safe. Hugs and Prayers to those of my friends who are needing them. Blessings.

CAS Watercolor for April

Hi, and welcome to another watercolor attempt by yours truly. Linking in at the last minute, sorry to say, to the April CAS Watercolor, and this month's theme is Birds. Thought of several ways I could try to watercolor something, using a die with a wash of color; but finally decide to use a stamp gifted by a very sweet friend (thank you!) and try the Zigs again.

 

 

 

 

Stamplorations clear stamp

 

Versamark inking using the Misti - inked twice, to get a good image

 

- embossed with Brutus Monroe Gilded Gold

 

- Watercolored with Zig markers.

 

- gold mat was just white c/s that was inked with Versamark, embossed with the Gilded Gold.

 

- dry embossed an edging frame with a S/Binder rectangle.

 

To get the darker shading in places where I wanted it, I used an under layer of Lilac, then various red Zig markers. At first I thought I'd ruined the image with the purple as it showed very magenta, nothing like a Cardinal color. A few layers of red covered it, and did what I'd hoped to accomplish. As I look at the photo, I wonder if perhaps a light blue background would have been a better choice?

 

The eye was embossed solidly, which looked odd, so used a drop of Nuvo to make it look like an 'eye'.

 

Off to link up with the April CAS Watercolor Challenge, scrambling at the last minute.

Thanks for joining me today. The rain seems to have stopped, the sun is trying to come out, so Blessings and Hugs.

 





CAS Watercolor - Spring Tulips

Good afternoon, and welcome. Today's card is another watercolor effort, so that I could join in with the Spring Celebration at the CAS Watercolor Challenge. Also Blog Candy #1 winner will be revealed later in the post!

 

 

- Stacy Stamp tulips inked Direct To Rubber with Tombow markers, spritzed and stamped the outline image. Then used a brush to pull the color out towards the center. This was the 3rd effort. Looked at it for a day or so, decided to try to use it, but alas, no background, no grounding...just 2 blooms dancing in the air. Cut a mask using effort #1 which was pretty rubbish, covered these stems, and inked up an old wooden script stamp with Memento Desert Sand very lightly. Thought for a second and decided Summer Sky (blue) might be better to suggest a sky background, so just inked the blue over the Desert Sand, and Voila. Because the mask was water color paper, of course there was a big space around the image, what to do? Got a finger dauber, used the blue ink, rubbing off the ink a bit on a scrap and tried to lightly smudge right next to the image, without getting it too heavy. What do you think?

 

Die cut with a set of Sizzix dies that came with some magnetic plates, don't know the name. Then used a piece of 'failed brusho' experiment to cut the skinny mat, with the next size of the same die set.

 

The Brusho piece was made at an earlier effort, just testing colors when trying to use the cling wrap. Started with sprinkling different colors of the crystals, nothing was working, and I had the brilliant idea to use a little black. Nah, not a great idea...looked awfully dark. So just stuck a piece of the cling wrap over it, left it (forgot it is more honest!). When making this card, I spotted that piece, pulled off the cling wrap. Yeah, it's still pretty black looking, but the Gotcha - was that you could see some color and sparkle where some gold spray hit the colors. It doesn't show in the photo, but IRL, there is quite a sparkle that just hints around the frame. So don't just toss the mistakes into the garbage...Look at a few days later.

 

- CTMH clear set inked with blue Versa Fine ink for the sentiment, tied the baker's twine and scored a top edge line. I hope this will be considered CAS enough to fit in with the CAS Watercolor Challenge which is open for a few more days!
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NOW: for the winner of the Blog Candy #1 which ended March 19:

Winner 230: https://rmgcreations.blogspot.com/ (which turned out to be Rita, who is also on my Christmas Card Club team! ). I really had to work to get a winner, as the names that kept coming up, either didn't have the blog candy pic posted on their blogs OR had previously said they didn't want to be considered for the give-away! So Rita, please contact me by Saturday(3-25), with your information, and I'll be sending the first set of blog candy on the way to you!!!

Don't forget there is another blog candy draw - so if you are interested, do place that picture on your sidebar! I don't want to have to work so hard next time!!! LOL

I'll be back later this evening with another post, and I will be sharing some Cards by Friends, AND have some Welcome Shoutouts to a couple of lovely new followers.

Thanks for joining me, and big hugs.

CAS Water Color Challenge with Brusho Background for Spring

Good afternoon & welcome.Still sorting, storing, etc, and have quite a mess here, but progress is being made. Thanks to the advice of a sweet blog friend, I am trying to think of this effort as 'bites in time'....set a time goal as to how long to work, what to accomplish in that space of time, and rest when the time is up. Good advice, because this is certainly a daunting task.

Hope that anyone in the path of Storm Stella has shoveled out, kept their power going so there was heat, and nobody had any serious problems during the storm.

Check in the sidebar for another blog candy picture...as of now, TWO giveaways. Since the first week expires on the 19th, and I've not done a post until today, there will be a 2nd blog candy. Who knows, maybe another one??? Perhaps I can do one weekly and find loving homes for some good NBUS. And YAY I finally got to 350 followers, so another cause for celebration!!

There is still time to join in with the March CAS Watercolor Challenge. I've been trying to carve a bit of time to make something, and last night, on a little sort break, decided to try the brusho-cling wrap technique done by my sweet friend Loll on this card. Tried the first stage of this last night, so the background could dry overnite. I'm happy to say my 2nd effort turned out better than when I tried the cling some time ago. Think the fact that I used more intense colors this time made the difference.

 

 

 

- Lemon Brusho crystals sprinkled onto dry mixed media (90# canson), sprayed with a silvery/pearl spray - let that bloom. Added Emerald Green brusho, spritzed again with the pearl spray. That didn't seem to spread the colors as much as water does, so then sprinkled Color Burst Turquoise powder, spritzed this with several sprays of water, keeping about 12" above the piece. IMHO, the brusho crystals are easier to control than the C/Burst powders.

 

When this color started to spread nicely, used a cling wrap larger than the background size and just bunched & scrunched it over the wet color. Left overnight. IRL the pearly spray added a nice silver look to the scrunched patterns, but the photo doesn't show this.

 

Die cut with a Gina Marie Double Pierced Oval (and the negative has a nice row of double piercing too.) This die came from Gina Marie site - but couldn't find to link there. Probably just overlooking.

 

G.Marie Spring Flower layering set cut from white snippets...the flower has 3 layers, the leaf has 2.

Adhered together, edged with some Distress Inks. We will soon have dogwood blossoms in our area, and this shape made me think of the dogwoods.

 

- stamped the sentiment from a clear set, cut the snippet into a fishtail shape, scored 2 lines to add a little emphasis, and called it done.

 

Sharing at CAS March Watercolor AND at the Snippets Playground week 271-272, where Parsnip may say "You are a stranger". (but I hope not).

 

Thanks for joining me this afternoon. I'll be back to the Craft Salt Mines once I find some lunch.

Hugs