Make it Pop

I have to admit Seize the Birthday's latest challenge to make it pop had me a bit stumped for a bit, I was trying to work out what they meant by "make it pop" as it wasn't really that obvious looking at the inspiration from the DT. They always have a "topping" or "anything goes, as long as it's birthday related" but TWO of the DT had champagne bottles on the cards then I realised that was what make it pop was implying so off to look for something related to champagne. I found in my stash an old set from Avery Elle which I used to use for making wine tags so thought that would be bang on with the theme.

I also made an embossed sparkly layer using Hand-drawn Dots background stamp from Stampin' Up! and Raven Sparkle embossing powder from Brutus Monroe.

And inside the card:

Trying to snap how pretty the black sparkly dots are in real life:

I've used my Copics to colour up the champagne goblets, now I've never coloured up champagne before but attempted to emulate the colouring of Melania Deasy HERE. Unfortunately she hasn't listed her Copics used and I'm not as good a colourist as her but am very happy with the final effect.

These are the Copics I used:

B00/000/0000

Y02/00/000/21 YR21

Supply List:
Stamps: Sip, Sip Hooray (and matching die - Avery Elle), Hand-drawn Dots (SU!)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark, Versafine Clair Nocturne

Paper: Neenah Solar White, Black, Xpress IT blending

Other: Raven Sparkle EP (BM), clear EP, Copic markers, A2 Layer dies (WF), foam squares (SP), white gel pen (Signo)

Challenges: Seize the Birthday #262

I have a friend celebrating her 60th birthday soon, so will make a tag to match to go on the champagne bottle for real so very pleased with my classy card that pops.

✿ Karen ✿

Playing with Magicals again

I say magicals, but it is a combination of Lindy's Magicals (cattail copper brown and ponderosa pines olives), Nuvo Shimmer Powders (falling leaves) and Ken Oliver's Color Burst powder (burnt umber).

Lately I have been playing with my shimmer powders trying to do water colour wash backgrounds with limited success. I am happier with today's play and the shimmer is pretty amazing IRL.

AAA Cards current challenge is hot and or cold drink. I was thinking of doing a coffee card but decided I would play with my powders some more and use them to colour up some die cuts. I sprinkled a small amount of powder on my wee glass mat from WRMK and added 1-2 drops of water with a pipette then swiped the die cut through the pools of colour, dried with my Ranger heat tool, and added more colour.

Hopefully you can see the copper shine below better, I'm sure coconut trunks are not coppery and shimmery but wow it does look magical!!

When I think of AAA cards I think smaller images which is where the idea of a cocktail came from. This one comes from a set called On the Beach. I normally do more watercolouring with my Zigs on Strathmore Bristol smooth and even though I'm using the rough side of the Ranger distress watercolor cardstock, the Zigs worked fab on it.

Supply List:

Stamps (all LF): On the Beach (coconut cocktail plus matching die), Beachy Christmas (sentiment and coconuts - hand cut out)
Ink: Versafine Clair Nocturne Black, Early Espresso (SU!)

Paper: Distress watercolor (RNG), Neenah Solar White 110#

Dies: Tropical backdrop (LF)

Zig Real Colour brushes: Dark brown, mid brown, oatmeal, orange, yellow green, light blue, shadow mauve

Other: 1mm foam squares (SP)

Challenges: AAA #241

A few of our family are flying to Fiji on Wednesday for a week, so I'm thinking my subconscious me wants to go too but I hope they enjoy those cocktails in the sun whilst we battle cold, rain and fog back home. There's plenty of time to join in with the challenge as they always give us 2 weeks. I love having some time to think of an idea, create a card and manage to take a picture on a gloomy winter's day. Have a fab day and you can be like me dreaming of cocktails in the sun, thanks for popping in.
✿ Karen ✿

Dry embossing with CAS on Friday

CAS on Friday has a fab and easy challenge to do some "Embossing", it can be dry or heat embossing plus it should be CAS (clean and simple).

I am very thrilled to be a guest designer this week. It's been quite a while since I have used an embossing folder and I had a lot of ideas but decided to not make a white card and to make my "white space" Crushed Curry and add a few bees and a wee hexagon shaker, I love how it all turned out and you forget how fab embossing folders really are and how much dimension they can add to a card, this really old Hexagon folder is long retired from Stampin' Up!. Googling, it looks like it was released about 2014 but it's still a goodie and it's not 3D and doesn't need any fancy set-up, so easy to use.

Supply List:
Stamps: Bee Yourself (SSS)

Ink: Memento Black, Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper: Crushed Curry (SU!), Black, Neenah Natural White, XpressIT blending

Dies: Bee Yourself (SSS), Honeycomb shaker (LF)

Other: Sequins for Everything (SU!), stamping foam (SP), Honeycomb textured impressions EF (SU!), Quickie glue pen (Sakura), Prisma glitter (LF), white gelli roll 10 pen (Sakura)

Challenge: CAS on Friday - Embossing

Copics (darkest >> lightest): 

Gold: YR04, Y17, Y11

Black: W6/3/2

Wings: BG11/10

Cheeks: RV10

Well I hope you can join in with the fun but do check out what the other DT and entrants come up. One of the things I really love about being a guest designer is I don't know what the rest of the DT are doing either, so it's great fun to see what everyone else comes up with.

Thanks for buzzing in, have a fab day.

✿ Karen ✿