CBG stands for Clean But Grunge-y

This morning I woke up to a white world! We went out for dinner last night, and when we were driving back home to our remote little village in the middle of nowhere snowflakes started falling from the sky. This morning it felt like the whole world was clean and new. Well, as it's already 11 o'clock as I write this, most of that lovely white fluffy stuff has disappeared and it looks a bit grey and dreadful again, but it was nice while it lasted. As long as it's gone by tomorrow morning as I'm not looking forward to slipping and sliding in to work. Back home we had a proper winter, so the cars have separate winter and summer tires. Over here we only have snow one or two days a year so everyone just goes along with one set of tires and boy does it get slippy-slidey when there is snow.

Oh well, on to more crafty things. Things like the dreaded male birthday card. Your brain freezes and you feel like you will never overcome this impossible mountain. You start over and over again, never getting anywhere. And then from time to time, you realised you actually created one by accident, without even thinking about it! This time a card that was going to be something completely different happened to end up a male birthday card instead. Oh well, who am I to argue.

I started by inking through a STAMPlorations stencil I have never used before, despite having it for a while. I got out three shades of green Tim Holtz distress inks, Cracked Pistachio, Twisted Citron and Forest Moss for this. Then I used some stamps from STAMPlorations Mini Mixed Media Backgrounds and the same inks to create a bit of a grungy look around the area where I was planning to add the panel with my sentiment. I stamped the frame from STAMPlorations Blossom Overture and the sentiment from STAMPlorations Celebrate Artsy in Versamark and heat embossed in silver onto black cardstock. I attached the front panel onto a mint green mat and then onto white card and that my friends in how you make a CBG (clean but grunge-y) male birthday card. Also, don't forget if you are a CAS (or CBG, hehe...) card crafter, STAMPlorations challenges you to join our first ever CAS card challenge, where the theme this month is anything goes, with an optional colour twist of silver.

I was inspired by, and linking up with, the following challenges:
ColourQ - colour inspiration
Time Out - Birthday with optional twist of sponging
Shopping Our Stash - Something New (never before used stencil)
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Stencil It
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Ombre
Fantasy Stampers - All About the Boy

Card: White 300 gsm textured card, Vanguard VA012, coloured 240gsm crafting card black
Ink: Tsukineko Versamark, Tim Holtz Distress Inks Cracked Pistachio, Forest Moss and Twisted Citron
Stamps: STAMPlorations Blossom Overture, Celebrate Artsy, Mini Mixed Media Backgrounds
Stencils: STAMPlorations Shutters Stencil
Other: Papermania Silver Embossing Powder

Be Grateful

I don't know if this applies to most crafters out there or just me, but most of my cards turn out a bit disappointing. It's just because I often have such a clear idea in my mind of what they are supposed to look like, and then they never do. But you have to learn to live with your limitations and not kick yourself too much about it. And then, from time to time, you do get a very surprising card that actually turns out much better than you expected. Maybe it's because I had very low expectations for this card, as I'm not a big fan of autumn colours. Or maybe because I don't usually like the fall themed cards with leaves. Or maybe because there is a lot of brown in this card, which I usually find a bit stuffy. But I have to admit I think it turned out rather nice. It's the distress inks, I love playing with them, and there is always some magic happening when they blend. That Tim Holtz is truly a genius, what more can I say. 

The basis of today's card is the colour challenge over at My Favourite Things, and I was very skeptical when I started as these colours just don't do it for me. But I thought I would go with them anyways, if for no other reason than learning new things and creating something I wouldn't have otherwise. Over at RetroSketches they are running a "pick your favourite" challenge, and I poured over the great sketches, having a really hard time deciding but ended up with sketch #49 from February last year. I was also inspired by this month's theme over at STAMPlorations which is Stamping & Embossing. I used emboss resist for my card. I'm also entering the card in the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge where the theme is fall, Craft Hoarders Anonymous where the theme is Happy Fall Y'all and Shopping Our Stash where the theme is fall colours. My stash items were using leaves from stamp sets I already had, instead of buying new ones. Also, I think this is the first time I have ever used my Forest Moss Distress ink despite having it for ages. Thinking about it, I also have had that pad of Core'dinations card stock for at least a year, and although I have used up my favourite colours from it ages ago, it's great to find some use for the other colours as well.

For the background I stamped small leaves from the Lawn Fawn Critters from the Past set in Versamark and heat embossed using clear powder. I used Tim Holtz Distress inks Fired Brick, Forest Moss, Spiced Marmelade and Walnut Stain to ink the background. I love how the embossed images appear when you layer the ink onto the paper. I used Tim Holtz Distress Core'dinations cardstock for the green panel, and lightly distressed it with sandpaper and inked the edges in Walnut stain. I stamped the large leaves from the Hero Arts Layered Flowers set again in Versamark and heat embossed using clear powder and applied inks before fussy cutting them. Last, I stamped a part of a stamp from Penny Black Life's Messages in white ink onto the brown cardstock and added tow red adhesive gems.

Card: Craft UK kraft card, coloured 240 gsm kraft card in Chocolate Brown, Tim Holtz Distress Core'dinations Forest Moss, Hobbycraft 160 gsm cream card
Stamps: Lawn Fawn Critters from the Past, Penny Black Life's Messages, Hero Arts Layered Flowers
Ink: Tsukineko Versamark, Tim Holtz Disterss inks Fired Brick, Forest Moss, Spiced Marmelade, Walnut Stain, Stampin' Up Whisper White craft ink
Other: Ranger Super Fine Embossing Powder clear, Papermania Adhesive Gems Capsule Red Hot