Bokeh Butterfly

I've got another card for a few more challenges (yay!)

I've had this Tim Holtz butterfly for ages but never got round to inking it up, and seeing as one of my sort-of-New-Year's-resolutions is to tackle Mt NBUS, I thought it was high time it got an inking.  The bokeh circles were achieved by twizzing mini spongers round on the spot.  I then spritzed the circles with water, dabbing it off quickly to reveal - distressed bokeh.  The sentiment is from Altenew.

So, I'm playing along at:

CAS Mix Up - Bokeh (plus stamping and sponging)

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Clean & Simple

Fusion 5th Anniversary challenge - inspiration photo

Less Is More - water (spritzed onto distress inks)

Don't Let Life Ruffle Your Feathers

I'm over at STAMPlorations with this card tonight using the latest STAMP Club set, and seeing as I've used a glitter pen, splattering and a diecut, I thought I'd play along with the CAS Mix Up challenge.

Here's a view of the full card, but it doesn't pick up the glittery sparkle on that die-cut feather.

I love the font on that sentiment!

STAMPlorations Inspiration #124

It's Inspiration Tuesday at STAMPlorations, and this week we're focusing on Deepti's stamps.  I've used the watering can from Friends and Flowers for my card, along with the middle-sized Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle nesting die.

The background panel is a smooshing of Pickled Raspberry, Mustard Seed and Inka Gold paste.  I stamped the image over the background then watercoloured it with Distress Inks (Brushed Pewter for the watering can).

Pop on over to the STAMPlorations blog for some more fabulous inspiration from the rest of the design team, and don't forget to leave a comment there for your chance to win a gift certificate to the store.

For the next week, Deepti's stamps are 10% off, apart from Power of Words, which is 20% off.  And if you use my code STAMPGIRLSHIRLEY you'll get an extra 20% off any stamps, dies and stencils in the store.  Bargain!

I'm entering this into CAS Mix Up 1st Birthday Celebrations - Stamping + Smooshing + my choice of watercolouring.  And die-cutting.

And also CAS Watercolour Challenge, where the theme is Spring.

The Mixed Media Card Challenge - Reminder

Are you playing along in our Rainbows challenge at The Mixed Media Card Challenge?  Our optional element this month is Dragonflies.

My newest obsession is PaperArtsy Infusions, a mix of dye colour particles and walnut crystals.  I was only going to buy two or three colours, but I couldn't make my mind up, so I bought the set of 12 :)

I wet a strip of the mixed media paper and sprinkled the crystals on, spritzing and dripping, then wet another strip and moved on to the next colour, until I'd made the grungiest rainbow ever!

The dragonflies, from The Bee's Knees Winged Things, were stamped on another sheet of Infusions-filled paper and fussy cut.  I splattered some gold mica sparkle on the background, and added Wink of Stella to the main dragonfly and Stickles to the two smaller dragonflies.  I just stuck the dragonflies down by their bodies, and lifted the wings for dimension.

You've still got time to join us - bring your rainbow with you!

I'm adding this to CAS Mix Up where the theme is Stamping + Sprays + Your Choice (Fussy Cutting).

Coffee Lovers' Summer Blog Hop - A Cupful of Love

I'm trying to use up all my bits of stencilled and gelli-printed card, and this piece was just big enough to stamp the coffee cup on then fussy cut out so that I can play along with the Coffee Lovers' Summer Blog Hop.

The wonky stitched frame is one of the new range of CUTplorations dies from STAMPlorations which are coming out in July.

I'm also playing along with Virginia's View, where it's all about colour.

My coffee cup background started off by sponging Picked Raspberry, Spiced Marmalade and Abandoned Coral onto white card, then using a wet acrylic block to bleach a pattern (you can just see some of the bleached areas).  I didn't like that very much so I sponged Picked Raspberry through the hearts stencil to pretty it up.

And I'm playing along at CAS Mix Up where the theme is Stamps + Die cuts + my choice of sponging, bleaching and stencilling.

Everything In The Garden ...

... is lovely, and growing like crazy in all this lovely warm sunny weather we've been having.  The stars have aligned for a few challenges with this card.  The leaf background (Penny Black - Fronds) had been sitting in my stash patiently waiting to be used, and I thought it would make a nice background for my new Poppystamps die.  I'm adding it to the following challenges:

AAA Cards -Watercolour (watercoloured background and die cut)

Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge - Summer Garden.  The team are showcasing Paper Artsy stamps, and although it's not a requirement, I did manage to use a Paper Artsy stamp (the text stamp on the background).

And because I've used a text stamp on the background, I'm entering it into Inkspirational where the word prompt is 'text'.

My first time playing along at Poppystamps - this month's challenge is Tic Tac Toe.  I've gone for the diagonal - flower, yellow, twine.

Happy Little Stampers - Anything Goes with Dies

And last but by no means least, CAS Mix Up where the challenge is stamping, dies and your choice.  I've used watercolouring, sponging (round the edges of the petals) and twine.

ARTplorations Blog Hop - Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of the ARTplorations Blog Hop.  Did you enjoy all that fabulous inspiration yesterday?  We've got another feast for the eyes today.

I've used the Dots All Over stencil on my background, inking it with Distress Inks, spritzing then laying the inked side down onto my card panel.  Love that technique!  I sponged the edges of the panel with Pickled Raspberry to define the edges.

I stamped three flowers (Dee's Blooming Buds), sloshed on some colour then fussy cut them and arranged them on the card panel, cutting the stem of the back flower.  Wrapped a bit of purple jute around the panel, then adhered it all to the card base, and added a bit of dotty washi tape to echo the dotty stencil pattern.  The sentiment is from Fond Expressions.

Hop on over to the STAMPlorations blog for more fabulous inspiration, and leave a comment here and on the main blog for a chance to win:

• THREE (3) winners will receive their choice of ARTplorations stencil (standard size - 5x7). Winners will be randomly drawn from all comments left on the designers' blogs.
• ONE (1) winner will receive a $15 gift certificate OR her choice of 2 ARTplorations stencils (standard size - 5x7). Winners will be randomly drawn from comments left on the STAMPlorations blog. 

Extra prizes for those who participate in the Flash Stencil Project Linky Party and link up by April 15:

• TWO (2) winners whose projects feature stencils (any brand) will each receive their choice of one (1) ARTplorations stencil (standard size - 5x7)
• ONE (1) winner whose project features an ARTplorations stencil will receive her choice of three (3) ARTplorations stencils (standard size - 5x7) OR a $15 gift certificate to the shop.

I'm adding this to Loll & Bonnie's CAS Mix Up - Stamps + Stencils + My Choice - watercolouring.

STAMPlorations Spotlight Feature

I'm over on the STAMPlorations blog tonight with a step-by-step on how I made this card.  Pop on over and take a look!

I'm entering this into Inspired By All The Little Things:

Can't see the connection?  The purply flowers, the tulipy flowers, how they radiate out, the sentiment banner....

I'm also entering it into Loll and Bonnie's new challenge, CASE Mix Up.  Stamping, watercolouring and my choice - gesso!  Lots of it!

NBUS Birthday Ballerina

I'm playing along at Loll and Bonnie's new challenge, CAS Mix Up (Mixed Media cards, but keeping them clean and simple).  This first challenge is all about stamping and watercolouring, then adding mediums/techniques of your choice from the list.

Well, the stamping and watercolouring is self-evident.  The background is a 5x3 Gelli Plate panel using pink and purple acrylic inks with lace, and bubblewrap stamping with white acrylic ink.  I also doodled a border around the panel with purple gel pen before fussy cutting it, stamping the sentiment and adhering it to the card base.  Oh, and there's a touch of Stickles on the little ballerina's tiara.

I'm also playing along at Darnell's NBUS Challenge with the ballerina stamp (Crafter's Companion).  I've got some other new NBUS stamps, but I can't remember where I put them....

ETA:  Just realised it's eligible for Simon Says Monday challenge - Make Your Own Background.