...and Another Drop

While I had the alcohol inks out on my desk I decided to use them on some Yupo paper which I bought ages ago and which, to my shame, I'd never used for some reason.  I'm sure I'm not the only one guilty of buying things maybe at a show, bringing them home and promptly forgetting to actually use them.  Anyway I did enjoy my recent dabble with the alcohol inks and in this case once the surface was dry I popped a stencil onto it and applied a little of the blending fluid using the felt applicator - this had the effect of lifting off some of the ink to leave a pattern.  My next move was to find some scraps of white pearl card, the largest of which was coloured with the same shades of alcohol ink before die cutting a large oval.  Smaller dies were used to cut a frame and an oval to back the stencilled piece before layering it all together.  I wanted to make a feature of the stencilled pattern so have simply added a die cut sentiment with its own backing.  A linear design was added to the base card before adhering the ovals into place for this CAS style of card.

Ovals - die set from Tonic
Sentiment - Gemini die
Ranger alcohol inks and blending solution used

A Drop of Alcohol

No, I've not been drinking it but have dragged my alcohol inks out from the depths of my stash, prompted by seeing the post HERE from Di (of Playground fame) who had been trying out some of the new Tim Holtz silver sparkle card which I believe was developed with alcohol inks in mind.  I treated myself to some of this card and it certainly does have a lovely surface appearance.  Luckily my inks hadn't evaporated, although I must say they've been in storage for a long time, and I coloured a piece of the sparkle using pinks and purples blended with blending fluid.  There is a link in Di's post to a good video on this topic, well worth watching.

I've made a card using the resulting piece behind a window style die.  First I cut a square of lilac card using a stitched square die before placing the window die in the centre and cutting it out.  I then repeated this with white pearl card so that I could mix and match.  The sparkle piece was trimmed to fit behind the 'window' in the lilac layer before placing the white frame into the centre.  This is much simpler to do than to describe!  A sentiment was stamped onto the bottom of a white card blank using my trusty Misti.  The next move was to die cut a flower in black to match the sentiment and contrast with the other colours.  I've been left with a white stitched square piece and a lilac window piece ready to make into a similar card.  There really is a super sparkly effect on the coloured card but sadly the picture doesn't do it justice.

Sparkly Layer - Silver sparkle card from Tim Holtz, alcohol inks used
Square Die - Noble pierced squares set from Sue Wilson Creative Expressions
Window - Card Creator 1 die from Paper Rose
Flowers - Tim Holtz for Sizzix - wild flowers
Sentiment - from freebie set of stamps given away with magazine

Snow Globe

The weather for this holiday weekend seems to be pretty good with blue skies and lots of sunshine so it does seem a bit weird to be showing you a wintry Christmas card!  The backing paper is from a sheet I remember printing to use for cards last Christmas but of course I've completely forgotten the source.  The snow globe was die cut using White pearlescent card and a  blue circle was cut to place at the back as sky with the addition of some snowy ground, various snowflakes, trees and a young deer to complete the scene.  A Christmas greeting was stamped onto a die cut label and two tiny sprigs of holly added.

Snow Globe - die set from Crealies
Trees and snowflakes and holly - cut from various seasonal die sets
Label - Sizzix die
Words - stamp from a Stampin' Up set
Deer - from a Sizzix die set

Owl Congratulations

I've made a 'congratulations' card to go into my card box and which would be suitable for maybe an anniversary, engagement or other happy occasion.  The image is a digital download which has been printed and the background paper was printed from a CD which I've had for many years.  Some swirls were stamped around to give it a bit of interest and to tone with the mat layer on the image.  A piece of white card was run through a heart embossing folder and brushed with matching ink.  A small heart was punched to add to the sentiment banner.

Image - download from Polkadoodles (Pink Gem)
Background paper - Artylicious CD, over stamped with swirls
Sentiment - stamp from a Stampin' Up set
Banner - Sue Wilson die set, stitched banners
Heart embossing - folder I've had for many years, probably no longer available

Snippets Challlenge #359

Apart from the card blank this card is made entirely using bits and pieces left over from a variety of other projects and which were lying around on my desk with the smaller items being 'saved' in little containers. This of course makes it a good card to take along to the Playground for the Snippets Challenge.  As usual there is a super card made by Di to show an interesting way of using what will be the prize this time around - why not pop along to take a look?

I started with the coloured wavy line borders and then looked for other bits which would tone with them.  The two circles were plain but I embossed the larger one and sponged with some ink, then added the die cut motor bike to the kraft circle.  The banner was already stamped with a sentiment but I also sponged the edges of that to match the other pieces. Next I went to a pad of script paper which I have and searched amongst the off-cuts which I keep in the back and found a suitable piece for the background..

Wavy Line Borders - Swirly Scribbles die set Stampin' Up
Embossed Circle - Industrial style folder by Tim Holtz for Sizzix
Kraft Circle - Stitched Circle die Sizzix
Banner - Stitched Banner dies Creative Expressions
Background - Script Paper Pad by Prima
Motor Bike - die from unknown source

Flowers

I thought it was about time I did some colouring so I stamped some flower images onto watercolour paper and coloured using Inktense pencils.  I also overstamped the background paper with flower heads using grey ink.  Next I cut the image using a stitched detail rectangular die and also cut another one in blue.  More scraps were used to die cut a fancy label for the sentiment which was produced on the computer.

Stamps - flowers from Polkadoodles

Fancy label  - die from Sue Wilson

Poppies

I've used a set of multi-layer poppy stamps to make this summery card.  I have to confess that I was again tempted by the 'free' stamps attached to a magazine.  I am partially successful in resisting at least some of these offers but this one caught my eye at a weak moment!!

The layered effect of the flower was achieved by inking the first (base) flower stamp and 'stamping off' onto scrap paper before using it on the card.  I only used one shade of red ink and one green.  The completed flower was die cut into a rectangle and layered up with some red card.  A splatter stamp was used on the main card and the sentiment added before assembling everything.  The trusty Misti comes in so handy for this kind of layered stamping - other brands of stamp platform are available!!

Poppy - Alt'new stamp set free with magazine
Splatters - stamp from French Foliage set Stampin' Up
Sentiment - Woodware stamp
Rectangle die - Spellbinders