More Spring Flowers (in Fall colours, because it's Autumn here!)

You still have time to play along with this month's Penny Black Saturday Challenge. It's so easy - the theme is always Anything goes with an optional twist. The month's twist is SPRING FLOWERS.

The stamp is called Softly. I heat embossed the stamped image and coloured with Maimeri Blu

Watercolours and Zig Markers.

You can enter the challenge here

Mixed Media (Alena Hennesy style)

I started an online class this week with Alena Hennesy and it is so wonderful. I could watch her create and listen to her commentary all day - so relaxing and inspiring!  Here is something I made based on her teaching.

I have used Ampersand Aquabord for the this project and it's beautiful to work on. For the background, first I wet the board to activate and used various acrylic inks and high flow paints with brushes and fingers! When it was dry I added the decoration using stencils, stamps and freeform. The dragonfly stamps are from Stamplorations, designed by the talented Shirley Bampton. As well as inks and paints, I've used Posca Markers, Zig Wink of stellar, Jacquard pearlex powder and gold leaf.
I've used split-complimentary warm colours and these are colours I would normally never put together, but I love the drama of the constrast. The first sizing glue didn't go tacky so I used another one, but it's a textural glue an I forgot to squish it down, so the gold looks like blobs:) That's ok - it's a happy accident!

I'm entering the following challenges:-

Let's doodle (leaves )

Watercolour Pelican

Life has been crazy busy and I haven't had any time to make cards since Easter. However I do want to share a card i made while I was at Queenscliff.

I went for a walk each morning and one day I was lucky enough to get fairly close to a pelican and quickly snapped it with my phone, before it decided I was too close! Coincidentally I had recently received a new stamp set from Inspired by Stamping, which had a Pelican stamp, so of course I had to may a card to imitate life! I noticed the CAS Watercolour challenge had 'Birds' as their theme so it was serendipitous! I was planning to make a 2nd card a bit more CAS, but as I said I haven't had time.

I used Maimeri Blu watercolour paints and I must say they are really yummy!
The sentiment stamp is from Altenew (thanks Loll!).

Mythology/Inspired by story

Mine is inspired by an aboriginal Dreamtime story 

Goolay-Yali 

Penny Black Saturday Challenge (April)

It's time for another Penny Black Saturday Challenge! The theme as always is ANYTHING GOES, with the optional theme being 'SPRING FLOWERS'.

I adore magnolias and I've got several Penny Black magnolia stamps so of course this was the perfect opportunity to make yet another magnolia card:) This stamp is called Magnolia Rhapsody and I took a bit of poetic licence and went extra bright!
I used Zig Markers and a bit of distress ink.

You should definitely jump on over to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge Blog and check out the amazing creations from the rest of the DT and I do hope you have the chance to join in. if you do, you can link up your cards here.

I'm entering the following challenges:-

Theme - Say it with Flowers

Hero Arts Favourites

I have another card for the challenge at A Blog Named Hero, which is to use your favourite Hero Arts product. It's impossible to have one favourite and in this card I've used 2 stamps.

I stamped the HA background stamp called 'Friends' with white ink and then I stamped the HA 'Flowers Bird Garden' with distress ink and heat embossed with Pearl Embossing powder.  The sentiment is from Stamplorations. I've used the 'Friends' stamp many times over the years.

I'm entering the following challenges:-

ANYTHING GOES

A TRIO of SOMETHING (3 birds)

Black & White

I noticed a beautiful black & white card on Ellie's blog, which she made for the Allsort's Challenge and I decided to play in the challenge myself.

I stamped the Doc Marten boots (Deep Red Stamps), then masked the boots and stamped the Artsy Border (Stamplorations). To finish I stamped the sentiment (Impression Obsession), matted the panel with black and added to the white card base.

I love the look of the black and white and think it can give great impact.

I'm entering the following challenges:-

ALLSORTS CHALLENGE 'Black & White only'

Quickest Shaker ever!

I'm very proud of myself, because as I've mentioned before, shakers are a bit of a challenge for me and this one I managed to make in 15 mins (already had the alcohol ink background in stash) as I had the architect coming for a meeting and was also cooking a roast! So I must be getting the knack!

Once again I used Alcohol Inks (this year's Pantone Colour) and gold foil as well as Gold AI.  It's fun getting messy with the inks and then turning it in to a CAS card by using dies cuts. The butterfly die is an oldie from Memory Box and the window is from MFT Dienamics. The stamp is from Clearly Besotted. 

I'm entering the following challenges:-

Frame It