Using my most used stamp set for the latest Tic Tac Toe Challenge

Hi everyone it's time for another challenge chosen at Tic Tac Toe. This is a fun board and to be honest I was seriously thinking about using all 9 elements on my card which would have been relatively easy; as it is I have 3 lines ticked off. I'm using an oldie but a goodie stamp set, Mondo Hydrangea which makes the most dreamiest of watercoloured cards.

I've used this design on another card with more muted colours which you can see HERE. But I've gone for the parameter "bright colours" as one of my choices. I've actually used a trio of lines; the top line (friendship theme, gems, layers); a diagonal line (friendship theme, flowers, bright colours) and the central column (gems, flowers, watercolouring).

I'm also going to play along with Colorful Options Challenges as they are celebrating Aqua as the colour for June.

I've used my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers to watercolour up the image blending the colours with a barely wet no. 4 round paintbrush as below:

Flowers: Dark Pink, Pink and Lilac
Leaves: Apple Green, Lime Green, Light Green, Turquoise Mint 

Wash: Turquoise Mint

I've also used a different Strathmore Bristol Paper to watercolour on, I normally just use the "smooth" but I'd read good reviews of the "vellum" so when my local craft store got some in thought I should try it and I can confirm that for me it was incredibly easy to blend on so it may become "my go to" for my Zigs.

Supplies used:

Stamps: Mondo Hydrangea (EBE)

Ink: Versafine Clair Nocturne

Paper: Bristol Strathmore Vellum surface, Mermaid (LF), Basic Black (SU!), Glimmer specialty (SP)

Hot foil: Everyday Sentiments II, Glimmer machine,  Teal glimmer foil (all SP)

Other: Pretty Print EF (SU!), Master Layouts 3 (GKD), Spectrum AB crystals (SP), Featured sentiments die set (ALT), 1mm and 2mm foam squares (SP)

Challenges: TTTC #250, CO June2024

Well this truly is a beautiful board to play along with and I hope you can play along too. As always you have 2 weeks to submit your card to Tic Tac Toe Challenges.

Thanks for popping in and hope you have a beautiful day.
✿Karen✿

AAA Card Challenge 264: Sketch Challenge

Hi everyone it's time for another fun sketch this week at AAA Cards and if I'm honest I've emulated the sketch pretty good IMO. It reminded me of a wreath with a wee butterfly. So that's what I have created.

I'd forgotten how much fun or how effective it is using Gina K's Wreath Builder system. I have to be honest this is the first time I've done an A2 panel rather than a square. Gina has a video showing how to create an A2 Card which you can watch HERE if you're like me and have her wreath builder. Also I blogged HERE how you could make a wreath without a wreath builder.

I used the 4" template for my wreath builder and chopped a 1/4" of each side of an A2 panel. I also lightly blended Ocean Breeze on my wee butterfly die-cut. 

Supply List:

Stamps: Original Wreath Builder (GKD)

Ink: Ocean Breeze (PFS), Mint (PFS), Versafine Clair Nocturne

Other: Intricate mini butterflies dies (Memory Box), Aqua Glitter drops (PFS)

Challenges: AAA Cards #264, Colorful Options

Definitely check out the fab cards from the Design Team and others , I am always constantly amazed at what clever concepts my fellow DT came up with for the sketches. Hopefully something will "turn on a light bulb" and inspire you to play along too. Just a reminder AAA Cards is a CAS challenge site:

Well I hope you have time to join in with us, as always you have 2 weeks to play along. I'm also playing along with the Colorful Options challenge for April which is PASTELS, so I feel my colours are cool pastels.

✿Karen✿

Cake Inspiration

Playing along with Just Add Ink's latest challenge which is an inspiration photo which is good enough to eat and the DT have come up with some fab cake cards which truly are even scrummier plus lots of lovely flowers. It's also a really nice colour palate to play with. I've been inspired by the "cake" and the colour palate; I see cream, mint green, freesia purple and a darker purple in the image.

I actually only own 2 cake stamps one from a Simon Hurley Class kit and one from Studio Katia (Mini Birthday Cake). I went with the latter as it has a matching die. I did use the wee stencil of Simon's from the class kit which is a prototype/smaller stencil of the released Flip Flop Circles (stencil). I ink blended through the stencil Fresh Freesia ink (SU!) and then turned the stencil over and used a glitter paste I created with Fairy Dust stencil paste (LF) and Mint re-inker (PFS). I Copic coloured up my image in the following shades:

• Greens: G05/03/02/000
• Violets: V17/15/12
• Yellow-reds: YR23/21/20/31/30 

The sentiment comes from MFT's Itty Bitty Celebrations. I've also added a Just Double-Stitched Rectangle (LF) pattern to my card to add a subtle bit of detail.

Hopefully you can see the homemade glitter paste in this snap better, but it is very pretty IRL. I love minty greens.

Just a very quick post and card as I happy to report that I have adopted a rescue cat ~3months old and it is day 2 of being "mum" but she is quite lost and lonely at the mo but seems extremely smoochy so will post some pictures soon of her. 

I'd also like to play along with Colourful Options who are challenging us to use "PASTELS" in April.

And also entering at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - where this week the theme is "HAPPY BIRTHDAY"

 Thanks for popping in.
✿Karen✿

Going green (again)

Looking at my fav challenges sites, there's quite a few wanting "green" still so thought I'd try the luck of the Irish again and play with a free stamp set I earned from Simon Says Stamp 1 or 2 years ago (End of the Rainbow). It has a cool big sentiment complete with a shamrock and a lucky horseshoe but no Leprechaun just a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, which was cute but I green rainbow wasn't doing it for me, so I thought I'd try and colour up a wee gnome "leprechaun-style" complete with gold beard from my Little Gnome Agenda set (ME).

Lots of firsts here I'm not really sure how you are supposed to use Distress embossing glaze but I bought it as I love lime green awhile ago. I used it on the card like embossing powder i.e. stamping sentiment with my Versamark, coating with the Twisted Citron embossing glaze and then melting with a heat gun, it's definitely a pretty lime green. I added a few metallic gold pearls to add a tad more gold to the card.

Challenges I'm entering:

Just us Girls: Green, Lime Green and one other colour - hope gold is a colour

Inspired By: I've been inspired by the green shamrock plus a touch of gold

Colorful Options monthly challenge - this is a new site I have just discovered but it looks like it will be a colourful and fun one - this month the colour is green. 

I'll re-enter at Simply Clean & Simple as they have the option for March of Green as well. And it seems silly to not add to SSS Wednesday Challenge as they just want/need a sentiment.

This was totally different than my last green card which you can check out the wee frog and green clouds HERE. Well it looks like we all need to play with our greens a bit more which is perfectly fine with me. Do check out all the fab cards on all the sites, it certainly makes me happy.

EDITED 13/3/24: My wee card got a shout out at Just Us Girls "where they loved my fabulous CAS design."

✿Karen✿