April CAS Mix Up - Rubber Band Technique

Happy Easter everyone!    It's April 1st and I'm also hosting this month's CAS Mix Up Challenge!!  And my challenge is to use a Rubber Band Technique!  

What?  You've never heard of using rubber bands to ink a design?   Or maybe you have but haven't done it in a long time??

Not to worry!  We have some links to videos using the technique over at the CAS Mix Up blog

Here's my card.

And here are a few photos of how I used a rubber band technique on the colored strip on my card.

First I masked off a column on a panel of white card stock using some Eclipse Masking paper.  It helps to work on a grid so you are sure your papers are straight.

I chose 3 colors of Ranger Distress Inks to use, Black Soot, Crushed Olive and Broken China.  And I wrapped some thin and thick elastics around an acrylic block.

First I pressed the Broken China Distress ink over the elastics.  Then I spritzed the block lightly with water and pressed it against the masked panel.

I inked up the elastics 3 times with the blue, spritzing with water each time I 'stamped' them over the panel - moving the block around so the pattern was varied.  You don't really know what it will look like until you're done!

Then I wiped off the block and elastics with a baby wipe 

(you could use a wet paper towel as well)

 and inked it up with Crushed Olive and 'stamped' three times.

Then I did the same with Black Soot - stamping the dark color less times so it didn't over power the other colors.  

Then I removed the masking paper and revealed my lovely rubber band technique design!

I stamped the flowers and sentiment from AALL & Create Set #44 

(designed by my stamping friend Tracy Evans!) 

 around the colored panel.   

The sentiment says "Happiness held is the seed.  Happiness shared is the flower".  

I knotted a piece of bakers twine around the panel.   

I layered the panel onto a slightly larger Limeaide Ice panel and then to a slightly larger Hawaiian Shores Panel and all of it to a white card base.

I brushed over the flowers and the Crushed Olive inked parts with a Clear Glitter Wink of Stella -  you can see the shimmer on this photo I hope!

You can't see the glittery shimmer at all on the photo below - but it IS really shiny IRL when you tilt it in the light!

So please join us and show us how you use the Rubber Band Technique!!  The CAS Mix Up Design team has lots of creative inspiration over on the challenge blog here.  And there are links to videos using the technique too!

Stamps:  Set #44 by Tracy Evans - AALL & Create

Paper:  White, Hawaiian Shores, Limeaide Ice - PTI

Ink:  Ranger Distress Crushed Olive, Broken China and Black Soot,  True Black - PTI, Hero Arts Black.

Accessories:  Caribbean Bakers Twine - The Twinery,  Clear Glitter Wink of Stella Brush, clear acrylic stamping block, assorted width elastic bands, water mister.

Here Comes Peter Cottontail - Driving Down the Bunny Trail

Yes - I did say 'driving' down the bunny trail!  And it's not just Peter - it's Paula Cottontail too!

I made these with Twinkies, small round cookies and a white chocolate covered pretzel -  

and they just CRACK ME UP!! TOO CUTE, right??!!  

And off they go!  They'll be arriving at my niece's for Easter Dinner on Sunday along with 8 more of their relatives. 

(there are never 'only two' with bunnies right?!)

A tutorial for these came to me in an e-mail last week - which I watched then deleted and now I can't find it but there are lots of variations of them on Pinterest.    

First I bought the supplies - a box of Twinkies, a package of white chocolate covered pretzels, a box of Mini Nilla Wafers (any small round cookie will do), Bunny Little Peeps,  a tube of white cake icing and a knife to cut out the seat area of the Twinkie.

Here are  few photos of my process.

Fill the space with icing

Add the Bunny and pretzel to the seat area

Put icing on the cookies and push onto sides of twinkie.

And that's it!

These will look SO CUTE on the Easter Table on Sunday!

Papertrey Ink March Blog Hop

First, I'd like to wish everyone a Blessed Palm Sunday.

Today, I'm participating in the March Papertrey Ink Blog hop

where we were given this lovely photo to be inspired by.

And here is my card.   

I didn't have a nest to use so decided to die cut two vases from the new Vogue Vase Dies.  I stamped them with the Background Basics Birch stamp in Cocoa Bean Ink on white card stock and then sponged the edges with Classic Kraft Ink.

I also used the new Simple Stems - both stamps and dies.  Inking them in colors similar to the beautiful bouquet in the photo.  I adhered a strip of Text Style Bitty Box Basics (retired but I still have some!) to the bottom of my white card base, stamped the sentiment from Simple Stems and then embossed the card front with a Chevron embossing folder.  Then I adhered the larger vase over the panel and adhered the smaller vase with foam dots over it.  The flower heads are all on foam dots as well so there's lots of dimension on my card.

I'm at church when the blog hop goes live - so I won't be linking it until after noon time when I get back to my computer!

I'll be sending this card to my friend's sister who is having 6 weeks of radiation treatment and could use some sunshine and flowers in her day!

You have all day today to link up  your inspired card over at the Papertrey Ink Blog. 

I'm also linking my card to:

Happy Little Stampers 

Just Us Girls

Stamps:  Background Basics: Birch, Simple Stems - PTI
Paper:  White, DP TextStyle 2008 Bitty Box Basics - PTI
Ink:  True Black, Classic Kraft, Cocoa Bean, Orange Zest, Bright Buttercup, Pale Peony, Green Parakeet, New Leaf - PTI
Accessories:  Simple Stems Dies, Vogue Vases Dies - PTI, Chevron Embossing Folder - Provo Craft, foam dots, sponge.

Hip Hip Horray!

I have a fun circus card to share today.

I got out an older Tim Holtz/Sizzix Alterations stamp and die set called Big Top.  I watercolored the image, smooshing Ranger Distress Inks on my craft mat and picking up the color with a brush and water.  The sentiment is from Never Enough Birthday by PTI.

My theme was inspired by the Inspiration Challenge over on Splitcoaststampers today.  We were given the Rosenberry Rooms web site to look for inspiration.   I was inspired by this circus print.

My card design was inspired by:

Freshly Made Sketches

Stamps: Big Top - Sizzix/Tim Holtz/Alterations, Never Enough Birthday - PTI

Paper: Rustic Cream, Cocoa Pean - PTI, Brown Kraft Core Cordinations

Ink: Ranger Distress Scattered Straw, Salty Ocean, Barn Door, Ground Espresso, Fossilized Amber, Cocoa Bean - PTI

Accessories:  Stitched Mat Circles Die - Lil Inker Designs, Big Top Dies - Sizzix/Alterations, foam dots, mini sander.

I've got a Creative Card posting over at A Vintage Journey

This year, the A Vintage Journey challenge blog is having a Creative Card posted by one of the Creative Guides on the 4th Friday of every month.

And I'm the lucky one to be doing the first post which has just gone live! 

 (the blog lives in England so is 5 hours ahead of me on the east coast of the USA).

Here is the Mixed Media card I created.

I'd love for you to check out my tutorial over at the A Vintage Journey blog here!

Stamps:  Sets #44 and #45 By Tracy Evans - AALL and Create
Paper:  Kraft, White, True Black - PTI,  DP Worn Wall Paper - Tim Holtz/Idea-ology
Ink:  Hero Arts Black, True Black - PTI, Versamark
Accessories:  PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics in Limelight, Tango, Claret, Beach Hut and Zesty Zing, Ranger Heat it Tool, Flag It Die - Taylored Expressions, Baked Texture Patina Oxide, Baked Texture Vintage Beeswax - Seth Apter/Emerald Creek, Small Talk/Snarky -  Idea-ology.

Deck the Halls in March

Well, since we seem to be getting a blizzard every week in March here in New England 

(the next one is expected this Wed and Thurs with possibly a foot of wet snow!)  

I don't feel too out of season making a Christmas card!

It's a clean and simple one -  just one layer.  I stenciled the background using a  Mini Layering Stencil from Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous using Classic Kraft Ink.   Then I stamped the solid holly over the stenciling using Hawaiian Shores Ink and finally stamped the holly outlines, berries and sentiment using Cocoa Bean Ink.  The stamps are from the Layered Holly set by Stamplorations.

I'm linking my card to the following challenges:

Less is More

CAS Christmas

Just Us Girls

Stamps:  Layered Holly - Stamplorations
Paper:  White - PTI
Ink:  Cocoa Bean, Classic Kraft, Cocoa Bean - PTI
Accessories:  Mini Layered Stencil - Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous

Mid Month CAS Mix Up Reminder: Acetate

Just a reminder you have until 3/24 to link up your CAS Mix Up Challenge card!  This is Susan's challenge for us.

For my card today, I used heat embossing on acetate, stamping, die cuts and half pearls.

I stamped flowers from Corner Adorner: February Set by PTI (just $5!) onto a strip of acetate using Versamark.  

I used an Embossing Buddy over the acetate first - but it still left little bits of black embossing powder in the clear spaces.  So I decided to use Alcohol Inks on the back of the acetate so then the black bits looked like splatter!  

It is tricky heat embossing acetate - it's easy to melt it - so you just have to experiment to see the best technique for the acetate that you have.

I die cut the front of the card using Noted: Scalloped A2 Vertical Die from PTI.  I cut a piece out of the front panel and adhered the acetate panel using ScorTape on the edges.  Here you can see how it's see through when you open the card.

Here's a photo of the Alcohol Inking process -  I first embossed the black flowers on the acetate, then added several colors of Alcohol Inks onto the felt pad and applicator and pounced the pad onto the back of the embossed acetate.

The sentiment is from Sentiment Staples - Birthday Mini Set from PTI (another set just $5.00!) 

A really impressive CAS Birthday card I think!

Here's the link for the CAS Mix Up!  Please join us and show how you use Acetate in a CAS way! You have until 3/24!

I'm also linking my card to:

The Flower Challenge

Stamps:  Corner Adorner: February Mini Set, Sentiment Staples - Birthday - PTI
Paper: White, Clear Cardstock (acetate) - PTI
Ink: Versamark, Hero Arts Black
Accessories:  Noted: Scalloped A2 die - PTI, Alcohol Inks Watermelon, Sail Boat Blue and Shell Pink - Adirondack,  Patina AI from Ranger.  Black Half Pearls, Black Embossing Powder, heat tool, Embossing Buddy pillow,