Play Date Butterfly

I just adore the colour combo at Play Date Cafe this week and as it happens I had already been playing with two of the colours for a new technique, so I decided to make it into a card with the addition of the avocado. http://theplaydatecafe.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/play-date-cafe-pdcc126.html

I started by covering the back of a strip of grey card with double-sided tape and die cut the butterfly from it.  I lightly adhered it to a sheet of paper and then carefully removed the positive shape, ensuring that all the negative shapes stayed in place on the backing paper.  I die cut the same butterfly from the blue mist card (this was actually an already sticky piece of card stock fro DCWV) and then I added the positive into the space left behind by the grey one so you end up with a flat surface a little like wood marquetry but with paper.  (I actually kept the negative blue bits and added them to the positive grey so I have another two tone butterfly but with no background)

I die cut a ring using two round nesties to create a frame for the butterfly from a lightly patterned DP and finished with a pair of PTI sentiments in versamagic oasis green which is the closest ink I had to the butterfly.  I really like the shape the ring and the strip created and might make a set like this with images in the centre of the strip.

CAS-ual LIM Blingy Butterfly Sketch...

So yesterday, I had this idea to use a new embossing folder to create another entry into this weeks LIM challenge which is all about butterflies.  The folder is called "flutterby" so was a perfect choice, but I wanted to try to add colour to it.  It turns out, that this is a technique which although looks simple, really, really isn't - and here are 4 of my disasters to prove it! 

 
At first I tried to put ink into the depressions, wiping off any that got on the flat bit of the folder, thereby leaving the background white (well lemon pearl in this case) and just having the embossing coloured.  Too much ink to wipe off, meant I wiped it all off nearly and what was left was too wet - hence - a disaster (top right)!  So I thought, ink the sticky up bits and have debossed colour - that had to be more simple and effective - er no - top left.  Right, just emboss without ink, and then use an ink duster to "gently" rub the colour over the embossing once finished - apparently I wasn't gentle enough (bottom left).  Perhaps a brayer over the flat bits to colour the background then and have white embossing?  Better but still not quite good enough and this (bottom right) was my second attempt at the same technique.  At this point, I gave up on fancy ink techniques, embossed the lemon pearl as normal and coloured the embossing with copics - technique fine - colouring rubbish!!!!  Anyhow - I made it into a damn card anyway as I was fed up with my reject pile and here it is (I kept seeing the bottom as corn - hence the overuse of yellow!)

So, I needed a better picture to load into the LIM gallery.  I remembered a sketch challenge I wanted to play in over at Annabelle stamps http://annabellestamps.blogspot.com/2011/04/absc037.html so I used this as the basis for another entry.  I used another butterfly embossing folder (I think I have more of these than any one crafter could ever need!) and layered it up to fit the sketch, adding a there she goes sentiment, some ribbon and a dufex butterfly.  The dots in the sketch became gems, which also makes it a second entry for this weeks CAS-ual Friday blingy challenge - 3 in 1 - much better than my earlier disasters.

That's it for me and crafting this week - I'm going to spend my time tidying up the mess I made instead of making any more messes!!!

Craftilicious x

A new challenge

I saw Lady LIM's blog tonight and she had entered a brand new CAS challenge - CASual Fridays (http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2011/05/cas-ual-fridays-challenge-cfc1.html) - a CAS challenge that isn't LIM - is that allowed?  Well I decided to have a play, but now I've done it, it does feel slightly like I'm cheating on LIM......

Anyhow - the challenge is to have text prominent on your card in some way.  I have this gorgeous Reflections paper pad in A4 size from Prima and lots of the papers have text on them.  I decided to use a stamp that also had text on it as well so opted for this thistle from crafty individuals which I inked up with my favourite - mix the inks on the stamp technique as you never can tell what you will get.  I used peeled paint and broken china distress inks and momento tuxedo black.  I finished it off with a tiny butterfly cut from the prima paper.

I may play on Fridays too but I will always be a LIMette at heart......  

....see you in the morning LIMettes :-)