CAS Mix-UP October and Less Is More #454

I told you I got carried away with the technique at CAS Mix-Up and here I am with six more cards using botanical prints.  Only one will enter the challenge and it will also go to Less Is More.  I'll post that one first and you can skip the rest if you want.

I went foraging in the back yard and found this leaf that I covered with VersaMark, pressed down on my card front and white heat embossed.  I gave it some color with Distress Inks and added the Altenew sentiment.

I made a similar one a little less CAS.

After inking outside the image, a PTI sentiment was added, the panel trimmed and placed on PTI Canyon Clay cardstock. 

Always in need of sympathy cards I made the next two.  

A tiny branch from a winterberry bush was inked with VersaMark and silver embossed.  The panel was bordered with Navy with a navy sentiment.

This is the same branch embossed in copper with a brown border.  The little extra leaf covers a smudge.

The next one is very interesting.  See if you can figure out how it was done.

When sending this cute little plant through my Big Shot I added a piece of paper towel to absorb the juices.  The image on the towel came out better than the one on the watercolor paper so I glued it to a scrap with an adhesive sheet and placed it under some green cut with an MFT oval.

The last one is a Christmas card.

I don't know what kind of pine tree this 'branch' is from.  It's soft and delicate but definitely pine since I could smell it when I ran it through my die cutting machine.  Those images didn't come out but this is what I got when I inked it with VersaMark and heat embossed.  A little Rustic Wilderness was all it needed to give it substance.  I added an ornament from SSS heat embossed in clear and silver and a sentiment from PTI.  An interesting thing about that ornament.  I embossed it three times but it kept soaking into the paper so I didn't get the shiny look I was going for.  

So there you go.  I'm done with this technique now.  I have to move on to other cards and challenges but I sure did enjoy doing these.  Thanks so much CAS Mix-Up team for the inspiration. 

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CAS Mix-Up - October 2021

I tell you those gals at CAS Mix-Up can come up with some fabulous ideas for getting us to try new techniques.  I had so much fun with this month's Mixed Media challenge that I couldn't stop until I needed to get my Halloween cards done.  Now that they are I may make even more botanical prints to enter.  There are a number of videos linked to give you ideas.

I sometimes forget about the "other elements" when I'm making my cards but since die cutting is an option all my cards should qualify.  I'll start with the first one I made.

I took leaves from the Ash tree in the back yard and pressed them with my BigShot on watercolor paper.  I didn't get a lot of color but you can see the veins.  I fussy cut them out, put them on Altenew Spicy Yogurt cs and attached a sentiment strip with tiny staples.  I thought this made a great masculine card.  

Card 2:

For this card I ran an Impatiens blossom through my BigShot.  I got a little more color with this one.  I cut a Lawn Fawn scalloped circle from lavender paper, making a 4 1/4 inch square card. 

Card 3:

This one features a Coleus.  I love how this color came out.   I did add paper towel to the sandwich to keep the juices from flowing down the card.  I die cut with an MFT square and roughed up the edges with a TH edger thingy.  I used the same watercolor paper for my card front and stamped the Altenew sentiment in purple. 

Cards 4, 5 and 6:

For these cards I used my Gel Press.  After braying a variety of Distress Inks, I laid on some Ash leaves, pressed down the paper, removed the leaves without disturbing the paper and pressed it down again.  I wish there had been more color variation on the backgrounds but I will try this again to see what I can get.  The panels and borders were cut with WF A2 dies and the sentiment from PTI was stamped directly onto the panel.  I have a number of Thanksgiving cards to make for my homebound people so this gives me a good start. 

Have you tried to make botanical prints?  I tell you it can be addictive.  The Design Team has some wonderful cards to inspire you.  Which one of these do you think I entered in the CAS MixUp gallery?

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Ellen Hutson Mix It Up Challenge

This is my first time participating in an Ellen Hutson Mix It Up Challenge. The few stamps I have never worked for one until now.  This is the photo inspiration.

I love all the bright colors and happened to have an inked panel in my stash that I thought would work perfectly.

I recently got the Rustic Botanicals and stamped them in Black Soot DOX ink to go with the DOX background.  The sentiment is from the Lovely set.

I can't remember a time when the weather has been so cold.  The temperature was -4 this morning with a wind chill of -15.  The sun is shining so that's a good thing but it is still only 7 out.  It promises to be more of the same tomorrow and I have a number of errands to run.  I'll be bundled up like the Michelin man. ;)

Thanks for dropping by.  Your visits and comments make me feel warm.