Tic Tac Toe #10 and Seize the Birthday

Tic Tac Toe challenges are a fun way to pick a design for your card. Stamping Smiles Designs has such  a challenge and I've made a card using the middle row across.

I clear embossed the SSS grid on some watercolor paper and made an ombre' wash with a Zig.  This panel is covered with  Neenah that has an oval cut with Spellbinders and is mounted on thick foam.  The daisy is a die from Penny Black that I added a little Distress Ink to.  PB also makes the sentiment that is stamped in Soft Granite.  There you go.  Resist, ombre', grid.

The topping at Seize the Birthday is 'Dimension' and this has it so over it goes to join the gallery.

Thanks for taking the time to drop by.  I love it when you do.

HLS CAS and CAS Mix-Up March

I sat down one day last week and did some background techniques.  I love doing them and here are a couple of the cards that resulted.

This one is for Happy Little Stampers CAS Challenge where you are to use the faux mother of pearl technique.  I used DecorArt white pearl acrylic paint that I bought at our local grocery store.  After applying the paint with plastic wrap, I smooshed Twisted Citron, Peacock Feathers and Cracked Pistachio Distress Inks.  For my vegetation I used a Casual Fridays die in blue and frosted vellum. Not having any matching paper, I inked up a scrap with DI and stamped the sentiment from PTI.

This card is for the new challenge created by friends and fantastic designers Bonnie Klass and Loll Thompson called CAS Mix-Up.  They are encouraging us to delve into Mixed Media and each month give us a two item challenge that you can add another item of your choice.  I think this is going to stretch me to follow in Loll and Bonnie's footsteps to create some wonderful Mixed Media cards.  This month the challenge is

I started by using a technique that Jennifer McGuire showed here called watercolor lifting.  Using watercolor paper I did a color wash of the same inks I used in the first card.  When dry, I stamped and heat embossed in clear the background stamp from SSS.  Then I went back over the card with a wet brush and paper towel to remove some of the color.  That takes care of the watercoloring and my choice of resist.  I actually did three choices because I used vellum to stamp and heat emboss my sentiment in Liquid Platinum.

If the words Mixed Media scare you, I encourage you to check out this challenge.  It's a lot easier than you think to combine a variety of media on a card and Bonnie and Loll and guest designer Susan have some cards to inspire you.  I've linked to their personal blogs where you'll find even more inspiration and Loll also has tutorials.

Thanks for dropping by.