Just Add A Sketch

We have a fun sketch to play along with at the latest challenge at Just Add Ink. I dislike sketch challenges personally but push myself to do them as I've found in the past I've actually made some of my fav cards in sketch challenges. 

For this week's sketch I actually had so many ideas but thought I would do something a little bit out of the box and use a stencil to make my rectangles or in my case brushstrokes ;)

I'll also play along with Just Us Girls as they have a stencil challenge happening too.

I've used 4 pink Distress Oxide inks in the stencil starting off with the lightest.

I used warm grays on the mouse and toner greys on the paint brush.

Then all I needed was to add the wee "Picasso" of a mouse from the Love Art stamp set and a cute saying and viola done. I also added 3 other diecuts behind the mouse to give him/her some dimension.

Supply List:

Stamps: Love Art (CCC)

Inks: Spun Sugar, Saltwater Taffy, Kitsch Flamingo, Picked Raspberry, Versafine Clair Nocturne, Jet Black (LF)

Paper: Neenah Solar White, Dragonfruit (C9)

Other: Brush Stroke stencil (SSS), Master Layouts 2 (GKD), Copics, white Gelli Roll no. 8 pen, blending brush (TE)

Challenges: JAI #712, JUG#737

Well I can't wait to see what everyone creates with this fabulous sketch so hope you can join in with the fun. Thanks for popping in.
✿Karen✿

Love Art - YES I DO!

Love Art is the name of a really cute stamp set from Colorado Craft Company that I received in my Creative Art Retreat with Jenn Shurkus recently. I love how we have made our own hearts by hand drawing with a wet paint brush and filling in colour with Distress Watercolor pencils, drying, and adding 2 more inner layers. Then everything splattered with matching Distress Paint. The images have been coloured in with Copics. I also added paint to the paintbrush tip the mouse is holding. Prisma glitter has been added to the outer edge of the hearts. I was lucky and found the matching die in a craft store in Australia as this is one set that you definitely need the coordinating die.

I did two versions, one with Saltwater Taffy and the other with Salvaged Patina.

This set has some really lovely "arty" sentiments but I felt that this one made the card quite versatile to use for any occasion. This was a really fun card and I'll definitely play with the techniques I learnt here again.

✿Karen✿

Another Creative Art Retreat kit and card "one" reveal

My favourite virtual class kit in a box last year's was Jenn Shurkus's Art Retreat mid-year and I enjoyed it so much that I told myself it was a definite yes for 2024. As I follow Jenn on social media I looked on as she was planning an in-person retreat at Cape Cod late Nov 2023. The venue looked amazing and I told myself if I won Lotto I would go, of course I didn't win Lotto but think I won the Lottery as I actually managed to snag one of her extra kits that she sold after the event. The day they went on sale her website couldn't cope and kept on returning error messages. I though oh well it wasn't meant to be BUT around 30 mins after it was live I managed to order one. And no I wasn't sitting on my PC trying, think I'd actually given up and gone off and made coffee and toast for breakfast. Shortly after that time they were all sold out, so I was lucky.

I chose the cheapest shipping option and lo and behold USPS got it here in under 2 weeks. This is how my box of goodies looked when it arrived.

Opening the box:

Peeling back the tissue paper; of course it has to be teal ;)

Below; Simon Says Stamp stamp set, Gina K stamp set, another exclusive stamp set from Stampers Anonymous (the images are from other sets but have been resized), last but not least a small pack of Distress Watercolor Pencils from Ranger in the wee striped bag. As I already own all 3 sets I have a few spare pencils now, which I probably will gift to a friend to play with.

Below; stamp sets from Pinkfresh Studio (and bling), Trinity Stamps and Honey Bees (and bling).

Below; stamp sets from Hero Arts and Colorado Craft Company plus a Floral Banner die from Gina K.

Below; Lawn Fawn goodies, Corner Rainbow stencil set and Fruit Salad 6x6" DSP pack, both of the latter I already owned but surprisingly I didn't own the stamp set.

Below; wee racoon stamp from  Purple Onion Designs, stamp sets from Avery Elle and Newton's Nook. Jenn has also collaborated with Stuff by Belle to design her first stencil.

Below; last but not least all 17 card kits ready for us to create with, in each card kit there will be Ranger Heavy or Distress Watercolor card stock if needed. As you can see no stamp sets came with dies this time and finding them can be problematic and expensive to get to NZ. This time quite a few of the sets are quite old so it will be even more problematic to track down would be my only negative I can say about this class kit. It's great value and I love, love that everything is just waiting for me to colour and make colourful backgrounds, it really make it so fun. I normally only try and find the die if I want to play with the stamp set again and it's fiddly like the CCC Hedgehog one.

It's a 3-day weekend here and it's a bit wet and dreary so it seemed the perfect weekend to start on my 17 cards I will be creating. I was very diligent yesterday and Copic coloured up all the stamped images.

This little cluster of sea-faring images have all been fussy cut out by hand and then the outlines have been inked up with a Black Memento brush marker. I can't wait to make this little scene card it is fabulous in the guide book, looking above you can see the wharf scene we still have to colour up.

I'll finish off today's post as it is very long with "card one" in the guide - the main supplies are the Colorado Craft Company's Hedgehog Day stamp set, Lawn Fawn's Corner Rainbow stencil and Fruit Salad DSP.

Isn't this just adorable! There is no doubting that the Anita Jeram images they sell as stamps are stunning but isn't that a fun rainbow too. I also love the Copic dotted "ground", plus of course there is glitter and the bling from Honey Bees (Crystal Glimmer Enamel stickers) gives just a hint and looks almost like a wee water drop.

✿Karen✿

More ink smooshing

Yah more ink smooshing with Jenn Shurkus. Every time we do smooshingshe shows us a different technique. This stamp Mermaid & Whale (Anita Jeram) from Colorado Craft Company is a big background with a lot of detail. I have white embossed it on Distress Watercolor paper, I have also stamped with black ink on Neenah #80 and then fussy cut out the mermaid and Copic coloured her up and added glitter with Prisma glitter and Distress Rock Candy. I'd like to have a go using a more no-line ink rather than black for my next attempt but she is rather fabulous and doesn't the background just pop.

✿ Karen ✿

Kids Kard Challenge

I have to say being a Karen and trying to be a KReative person because of my name I like a challenge that changes words to start with the LETTER K!

 So I was very excited to see the challenges at The Paper Players and Addicted to CAS are all about Kids and CAS. Congratulation to The Paper Players on their 600th Challenge too!

The hardest thing is choosing what image to use. I picked up my first Colorado Craft Company stamp and matching die whilst up in Auckland for the weekend. I have been meaning to buy a stamp from CCC for ages as their stamps are just adorable, but they normally are centered around mice. So I saw this wee cutie and  it had a cat so I was sold. 

I really enjoyed doing the  "calico-coloured" cat recently so  thought I would do something similar but it ended up being a tabby cat. I regret deciding I wanted to do no-line colouring so ended up going over the image with my Polychromo Burnt Sienna pencil to give it a bit of definition.

Now as this card is for kids it definitely had to have sparkle and jewels and I tried to cover up one of my raindrops I decided I didn't want but Hero Arts glitter paste is too sticky so next time leave alone or mask off my stencil!! The raindrops are created by mixing my HA glitter paste and some ink I smooshed from my Tumbled Glass distress oxide pad,  Hopefully the rest is obvious.

And showing off my Wink of Stella on the watering can.

Supply List:
Stamps: Mini Watering Can by Anita Jeram (CCC), Look for Rainbows (Avery Elle)
Ink: Memento Desert Sand, Versafine Onyx Black, Tumbles Glass distress oxide
Paper: Xpress-IT blending card, Neenah Solar white

Dies: Mini Watering Can by Anita Jeram (CCC), Master Layouts 2 (GK) - banner die
Other: Raindrops stencil (SSS), Ocean Breeze jewels (PF), Glitter Hero Paste (HA), clear Wink of Stella, Burnt Sienna Polychromo, mini stampin' dimensionals
Challenges: The Paper Players #600, Addicted to CAS #224

Copics Used:
Cat:E11/40/41/42/43; R30; YR20/21

Watering Can: BG10/11/13; Y35/38; RV66
Puddles: BG0000; B00/02

✿ Karen ✿