CAS Christmas - Birds

Hi everyone, it's so exciting to have CAS Christmas back with the monthly Christmas challenge. 

I definitely need incentive and inspiration to add to my Christmas card stash, what about you?

For our first challenge we are looking for som Birds on your cards

Just a remind of how we interpret CAS

This month our Guest designer for this month is Bobby of Bits and Pieces, don't forget to stop by and say hi.

My card is a quick CAS card using the Grumpy birds from Unity. I stamped the image using memento ink and quickly coloured it using alcohol markers. I left the stamp in the positioned as I painted the white parts of the hat with a white ink, let it dry and then re stamped the image. I die cut the image using a decked edge die and layered it onto a card base. The sentiment is from Stamping Bella.

I love using these guys because the have such wonderful grumpy expressions on their faces.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Unity (Grumpy Brids), Sentiment Stamping Bella
Paper: 110lb White
Ink: Memento Black
Accessories: Alcohol pens, Deckled Die cut
Techniques: Alcohol pens

Group of Cardmakers - Direct to Paper inking

Hi everyone, it's time for Group of Cardmakers technique for May. This month we are doing some direct to paper inking

Videos:  Serene Forest Cards by Kristina Werner (13:22)

I swiped distress inks to cover the card and also blended to get rid of any hard edges. I splattered some white ink and water onto the background and also used my white gel pen to add some extra stars in the sky. The trees are a die cut and Santa and his sleigh is a stamp. The sentiment is a BetterPress sentiment.

Card Recipe
Stamps:  Stamping up Santa and Sleigh (retired)
Paper: Mixed Media, White Card 110 lb,
Ink: Distress inks
Accessories: BetterPress Sentiment, Die cut trees
Techniques: Direct to paper inking

Group of Cardmakers - Split Card Design

Hi everyone, it's time for the Group of Cardmakers technique for April. This month we are trying some split cards. 

Split cards work better with large images which can be divided up to cover your card, it's fun to make two cards out of the stamped images.

 I must admit I prefer the cards with a small section of coloured card andI think my first card is my favourite.

Here are some videos so you can see how the cards are made.

Videos:

Split Colouring by Jennifer McGuire (11:29) - Jennifer creates 2 cards with one image.

Split Card Designs by Mindy Eggen Design (11:56) - Mindy shows how to create 2 card with one large image.  

My first and second card are made with an AAL and Create Tracy Evans stamp, I added a little colour to the flowers and the bottle and went with a bold colour in the side panel.

My third and fourth cards are to add to my Christmas stash and I used a Tim Holtz Christmas stamp and Sentiment. Again I prefer the card with the bigger white panel.

Card Recipe
Stamps: AAL and Create, Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous
Paper: 110lb white, Red
Ink: Versafine Black
Accessories: Pencils
Techniques: Split card Design, Pencil colouring

Group of Cardmakers - Bleaching

Hi everyone, it's time for the Group of Cardmakers monthly technique. This month we are playing with some bleach either in the form of Kitchen bleach or water.

Here are some Videos for you to check out:  

Using Bleach:

Coloring with Bleach - Jennifer McGuire (13:07)
Watercolour card with bleach - Andrea Kidman (6:16)

When using bleach remember to leave it dry thoroughly before painting over it otherwise it will pull the colour out of the new paint.

If some bleach does move out of the lines then just add a little water to your brush and re blend the ink around the area.

Bleach is also really helpful for removing colour if it has spread too far in your regular watercoloring. I find it's wonderful for those red seepages you really don't want 😂

Here are my examples of using bleach to remove colour.

My first card is a penny black stamp which has been heat embossed, the colour removed with Bleach and then re watercolored.

Card number 2 is a Carablelle stamp, sadly they're no long in business. I pulled the inky background from my stash, it was sprayed with ink sprays. I stamped the image and then used the bleach on the magpie.  Because the colour was so strong I did add a little white acrylic paint and then re stamped again. 

For my third card, I used a Magenta Stamp on coloured card stock and stamped the image using bleach.  I poured a little bleach in saucer and used a folded piece of paper towel soaked with bleach to apply it to the stamp. You have to use a stamp positioned for this. The bleach pulled colour out of the card which gave a gold colour print. This does take a few attempts, you can watch the colour change and add more bleach where it's needed. I used pencils to colour the image. I think this is my favourite of all the cards, it looks so much nicer IRL.

My final card is a Magenta stamp  I smooshed different colours of blue ink on to the card then stamped and heat embossed the image. I removed the colour from the image using bleach and re coloured with water colours. I splattered some bleach over the background for interest.

I hope you get a chance to remove some colour and paint over your images either with bleach or water.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Penny Black, Magenta BetterPress Sentiments.
Paper: Watercolour, 110lb white, Red
Ink: Versafine Clair
Accessories:  Stamp Positioner, Better Press, Pencils, Watercolours
Techniques: Bleaching, watercoloring, pencil colouring, smooshing

Group of Cardmakers - Faux Cyanotype

Hi everyone, it's time for the Group of Cardmakers to try a new Technique. This month we are playing with Faux Cyanotype. 

Cyanotype is a photographic technique using photographic chemicals and sunlight to create a negative image. The images produced have a blue to green colouring with light areas where items have been placed on the paper or fabric. this can be replicated by using blended ink and either the same ink to stamp or by using white ink.

Here are two videos showing how to create a card using the technique

1. Faux Cyanotype using White Ink By Tracy Evans

2. Faux Cyanotype using the same ink as the blended background By Understand Blue - Lydia Fieldler

Both techniques mask off a border then blend a blue colour over the whole area. If you use white paint the blending will need to be much darker. The blue stamping or same ink can be a lot lighter.

For my first card I blended the background and used an old Serendipity stamp.

My second card I used the ink pad direct to paper to give me a deep blue and then stamped in white, Again I used and old Serendipity stamp. I did mask of the edges but the ink pad worked its way under the mask. I don't mind as I like the rougher edges in the darker ink.

My third card I blended a very pale blue ink and then stamped the image using the same ink. The circle was embossed using a circle die and a mask cut out of the centre of some copy paper to blend inside of the embossed area. I'm not sure who makes the bird.

My last card I again used a direct to paper technique with the ink pad but this time I didn't use a masked border. I decided to try the technique with another colour other than blue.  I actually like the rough more organic edges from the ink pad. and the colour. The leaves are a Magenta stamp.

I hope we have inspired you to try Faux Cyanotype stamping.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Serendipity, Magenta
Paper: 110 Lb White, Black, Pale Blue
Ink: Ranger Distress Inks, Hero Arts White
Accessories: Stamp Platform
Techniques: Cyanotype, ink Blending

Group of Cardmakers, Layered card scene.

Hi everyone, it's time for the Group of Cardmakers technique. This month we have layered scene as our design theme.

I need to get a start on my Christmas cards so sorry if you aren't ready for a Christmas reminder yet but I need close to 100 by the end of the year 🤣

Layered scenes can be done in a couple of ways, the idea is to add depth to your scene by adding foam tape or using folds in your card. It's amazing how much dimension you get with both.

I created a tunnel card using die cut apertures similar to the one on Caroline Paton of KISS (keep it sweet and simple) blog and some foam tape behind each layer.

I used a Hexagon die and cut the layers out of white cardstock, the reason I used white was I wanted the edges to be white from the sides. I coloured the apertures with alcohol pens and used a scrap of black card with a cling wrap print on it as my sky. The die cut snow scene was cut from an old Stamping up Die set (now retired). I added some tiny sequins to the sky as stars. I really enjoyed making the card as it was fun creating the layers. I think I'll be giving this one out in person as it's little bulky to mail.

I hope you check out the technique and perhaps try one of them.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Unity Christmas Sentiments
Paper: 110lb White, Black
Ink: Versafine Claire
Accessories: Alcohol pens, Hexagon Layering Die, Stamping Up Christmas die (retired), Sequins
Techniques: Die Cutting, Clingwrap background

Group of Cardmakers - Acrylic Painting on Coloured Cardstock

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are getting ready for your New Year celebrations.

Our Group of Cardmakers technique for this month is Andy Skinners acrylic paint on coloured card. Andy used White on his card but any colour works well. 

Sorry about all the Christmas cards but when I tried this technique out it became my go to for finishing my Christmas card stash, I had so much fun I couldn't stop. I used Gesso for the white on my cards and acrylic paint and Posca Paint pens for the other colours.

My First card is the Tim Holtz Snowman

My Second card is a Penny Black stamp and BetterPress Sentiment

Penny Black stamp Acrylic Paint and Paint Pens

I also borrowed this stamp and I'm not sure which one it is.

We hope you will try this technique  with us, it's so addictive 😀

Card Recipe
Stamps: 
Paper: 110lb white, 65lb coloured card stock
Ink:  Versafine Clair
Accessories: Gesso, Posca Pens, Acrylic paint, Stamp Positioner
Techniques: Painting on Colour paper with Acrylic paint

Group of Cardmakers - Stenciling with Mica Powders

Hi everyone the Group of Cardmakers  are playing with Mica powders for this months technique.

Mica powders are not all the same so when you buy them be aware some need a binder to hold them on the paper others have a binder as a part of the powder. Check out the write up on the Group of Cardmakers blog for instructions on all the different powders, binders and how to use them.

For my first card I use a Tim Holtz poinsettia stencil and a versarark pad pressed directly onto the stencil. I removed the stencil and lightly brushed Lavinia mica powders over versa marked areas trying to kethe colours separate. Lavinia Mica's have a binder in the powder, but you can always spray with a fixative as well. The dots at the centre of the poinsettia didn't get fully inked as they were so small so I use a metallic pen and added them after. I also used the metallic pen on the edge of the base layer to give a faux layer,

My second card was done in the same way as the first, I also added some glossy accents to the berries and used the sentiment to hide an area which didn't quite pick up enough versamark ink. If you have a versa mark pen you could use it to touch up missed areas.

The sentiment is from one of the BetterPress Christmas sentiment sets, and the frame is a postage stamp frame die.

My last cad was done using sticky powder and mica. You don't see it in the picture but the sticky powder leaves a texture which makes the powder look more like glitter than mica powder.

I used an edge sentiment die in silver mirror card to complete the card.

I think my favourite is the first for the colour but I also love the texture on the snowflakes in the last.

We hope you check out this technique and pull out your mica powders if you have any.

Card Recipe
Stamps: BetterPress, SimonSays Stamp
Paper: 110lb White, Black
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: Sentiment Die, Postage Stamp Die, Square Stitched Edge die
Techniques:

Group of Cardmakers- Textured Tissue Paper with Dry Dmbossing

Hi Everyone, it's time for our monthly technique over at the Group of Cardmakers.

This moth we are Dry Embossing tissue paper and braying on some colour.

I added colour to tissue paper by spritzing it with water and swiping it through ink on my craft sheet, you could also spray some colour onto the tissue paper. When it dried I crumpled it up then opened it out again and stuck it to card stock using craft glue (careful handling it while it's wet, it will tear easily). You can leave as many of the creases as you want when you flatten the tissue paper out. The creases give it a more distressed look when you bray with the paint. When the glue is dry run the sheets through some 3D embossing folders then brayer acrylic paint over the embossed area.

As the tissue paper makes the brayred surface more uneven, sometimes the paint does'n come in contact with all the embossed image. You can touch up some of the areas with acrylic paint to get the effect you want.

Loll has a video on adding colour to Tissue Paper,

For my first card I used a Poinsettia Embossing folder and bartered a metallic blue acrylic paint over the image and then went over it again with some black in to give it a more distressed grungy look.

My second card I used a berry and foliage 3D embossing folder and gold acrylic paint.

My third card I used a holly and berry embossing folder and gold acrylic paint.

I hope you find some tome to try this technique with us, it really does give a cool effect.

Card Recipe
Stamps:
Paper: Tissue paper, Card stock
Ink: Versafine clair
Accessories: Gold acryl
Techniques:

Group of Cardmakers -Inlaid Die cuts

Hi everyone the Group of Cardmakers are playing with dies again. This month we are inlaying some colour inside the die cuts. Inlay can be clouding the die cuts, using Designer Paper ore scraps of leftover backgrounds.

Videos:

Inlaid Paper Backgrounds by Cathy Zielske (7:52)

Inlaid Die-cutting with Dimension - 2-for1 Cards by Charlene Madrid (10:30)

Die-cutting Hack for Intricate Dies by Anna Helman (6:56)

For my first card I watercoloiured the inlay pieces cut from white card into a black outline, the background is a script embossing folder.

For my second card, I used one of my favourite poinsettia dies I've blended inks on the first die cut image without removing the pieces then die cut the outline a second time in gold.

My third card I rummaged through my stash and found a scrap of salted water colour background. I die cut the frame twice in white card and layered them for a little dimension, then die cut the background. the sentiment was die cut twice, once in the watercolour card and again in black, the black was off set slightly to give a shadow effect making it stand out a little more on the background.

We hop you give this fun technique a try, it's a great way to use up some scraps and have fun with your dies.

Card Recipe
Stamps: see individual cards.
Paper:
Ink:
Accessories: Embossing folder, Dies, 
Techniques: Inlaid die cuts