Thinking Inking

Evangeline. . .

Can you handle one more day of CHA projects? This is all I have--honest! Today I have a few Cosmo Cricket Evangeline cards to share with you. Besides the Evangeline papers, chipboard, and sticker in the card above, I also heat-embossed a sentiment from Papertrey Ink's Half and Half set. The doily is cut with PTI's Parisian Lace Doily, and taupe pearls are from Zva Creative.

Ohhhh, I like buttercream yellow and roses! 

Ooo-la-la! Okay, a digression: I saw a lady walking around at CHA with this kissy image on a vinyl bag--wish I had gone by and asked for a bag, because they were neat! The English Lace Paper Doily is from StarLit Studio, and ribbon is Papertrey Ink's Kraft Satin--a perfect match!

Finally, my last Evangeline card, with a bit of Prima lace (I think--not sure), and some Copic-dyed ribbon. That's the extent of my Evangeline samples. I'm still working on release pieces for later this month, and I hope that tomorrow's more productive than today was! Thanks for stopping by.

Baby Jane

Welcome! I'm working on some new releases over the next few days, but I realized that I had a couple of days worth of CHA pieces that I hadn't shown you yet. Today I'm sharing a few cards from Cosmo Cricket's new Baby Jane line. On the card above, the blossom is Baby Jane chipboard, but the stem is from Papertrey Ink's Rosie Posie set--they look like they were made for each other, don't they? The little Enjoy sentiment is cut with PTI's Tiny Tags die collection and stamped with Tiny Tags as well. I dyed the ribbon with a Copic R27 reinker. The die behind the flower is JustRite's new Nested Medallion Labels die.

Of course, with all of these vintage paper swatches, I had to make a quilt card! Paired with the Baby Jane papers and chipboard, I used Papertrey Ink's Quilter's Sampler Sentiments on my wavy banner.

No stamps here (since the sentiment is from Baby Jane paper), but I used PTI's Filigree Border, along with some sweet little Maya Road Wood Skinny Spools.

On this card I have mostly Baby Jane collection, with the addition of a Filigree die cut and an Aqua Mist Vintage Button. Well, that's it for today--thanks for stopping by!

Hello: Designer Freebie Challenge

Welcome! Are you following the festivities on Nichole Heady's blog? Today's challenge involves printing out a page of free images and choosing one to work with. The prize is BIG! (Go HERE for details.) I chose Maile's little "hello" image--it was sweet, and I could color it. :-) Maile is best known for her fabulous simplicity and modern graphic qualities, so I kept it clean and crisp, for Maile. 

These are the Copic markers that I used to color the image--all but two are in PTI Copic combos. (I needed a couple of lighter markers for blends.)

The strip of patterned paper is from PTI's Funky Town pad. I cut and embossed the image with a Spellbinders Classic Circles Large die template and added a fuchsia rhinestone and some Prisma glitter for sparkly accents. So, are you ready to go pick an image and participate in the contest? Check HERE, and have fun!

Papertrey and My Favorite Things

Welcome! Did you know that February is Papertrey Ink's fifth anniversary month? Well, it is, and that means a LOT of contests and giveaways over the next several days! For today's post, all of the Papertrey Ink design team were asked to choose our favorite piece from the last year. Nichole has compiled all of these on her blog and will be offering a chance to win win a great prize--read HERE for details. 

After mulling it over for a while, I chose the card above as my favorite, linked from HERE. (I put a few runners-up below; if you click on the thumbnails, you should go to the linked post.)

Now, the next thing I wanted to share is a list of my FIVE Favorite Papertrey Ink Products. Whew--that took a while to decide upon, I tell you! With no further waffling, here's my list:

1. Tiny Tags Collection: This was an no-brainer choice! I love Tiny Tags on absolutely everything. Really.
2. Stampers Select White Cardstock: I know, the next two items are "just cardstock." But what do you need to make every single card? I love the weight of the PTI cardstock. When I stand a card up to take a picture of it, it doesn't sag, even with a lot of foam tape and layers.
3. Kraft Cardstock: Ditto from choice #3--love the weight of the Kraft cardstock too!
4. Aqua Mist Vintage Buttons: It was either Aqua Mist or Sweet Blush, but the buttons had to make the list. . . 
5. Parisian Lace Doily Die: Okay, I could put a doily on almost every card, or at least half of a doily! I love that I can cut white or cream, or whatever-color-I-like doilies with the Parisian Lace Doily die. 

And, finally, I wanted to relate one of my favorite PTI memories: I've been blessed to be with Papertrey Ink from the beginning, way back when there was only ONE stamp set a month! My favorite PTI memories have been when the whole team is together--not only the designers, including Nichole, but also Jane and Julie, whom most of you have not met. That first CHA Consumer show was QUITE a memory-maker. Seeing the crowd lined up outside the PTI booth, and helping in the never-ending restocking efforts, I began to see what a creative force Papertrey Ink had become. It was wonderful to meet so many customers whom we'd "met" before only in the forum or on blogs, but who seemed like friends we'd always known. The consumer shows were quite an adventure!

Don't forget to check out Nichole's blog for instructions on how to enter today's contest, as well as all of the PTI girls--it will be a treat, I promise! Thanks for stopping by today.

Nichole Heady

Ashley Cannon Newell

Betsy Veldman

Danielle Flanders

Dawn McVey

Debbie Olson (here)

Erin Lincoln

Heather Nichols

Jessica Witty

Lisa Johnson

Maile Belles

Melissa Phillips

Michelle Wooderson

Simply Jane Meets Rosie Posie

Welcome! I got one card made today--not as many as I'd hoped, but more than the past several days anyway, right? Today I pulled out my Papertrey Ink Simply Jane set and its coordinating Simply Jane dies, along with Rosie Posie for the background.

I did a bit of stamping, distressing, sewing, and mounting with foam tape. That's it--one card that I hope will be an encouragement for a friend who needs it. Thanks for stopping by today!

Music

Welcome! I'm back home--great to see my guys again. I haven't gotten back downstairs to work again yet, but I'm hoping to do so tomorrow. In the meantime, I had one card that didn't auto-post while I was gone for some reason, so I'll share it tonight.

Do you love music? I do! I took [enforced] piano lessons for about six years, though I confess that I didn't practice a third as much as I make my own son practice. (You won't tell him, will you?) Anyway, I like music-related stamps.Today's card uses JustRite's Musical Notes Labels Twenty, paired with Shabby Music background . I made some little rolled paper flower with the new Spellbinders Bitty Blossoms set, while the card base is made with Romantic Rectangles.

 

The sentiment is cut with a Labels Twenty die template, while the mat layers are cut with the new Labels Twenty Five set. I used patterned papers from the Melissa Frances Fifth Avenue line. A bit of sewing and sanding and foam tape, and that's it--one music card! Thank you for stopping by.

Day 3 from Anaheim

So, this is my last day at the show. To get back to the U.P. of Michigan from anywhere, you usually need to leave early! It's been fun to see so many of my friends and cyber-buddies, and the temperatures here are not too shabby either. Alas, my family is in "the Tundra," as Benjamin calls the U.P., so that's where my heart is. I wanted to share just a few more pictures from late yesterday and earlier this afternoon.

First, many of you know and love Marianne Walker, Copic's Product Specialist. I caught her coloring a very large piece today and wanted to show you. 

Sorry for the camera angle here, but click to enlarge and see what she was working on. (She started yesterday, and it is a printed sheet of artwork.)

Maya Road always has fabulous projects at their booth. I took a picture of their make and take. That heart shape is like an huge bottle-cap--pretty neat!

You know how Copic Markers and Tsukineko's Memento inks go together--like macaroni and cheese, or peanut butter and jelly? (Yes, I'm hungry!) There are twelve new Memento colors now.

I really liked this line of stamps by Impression Obsession--realistic plants are one of my favorites to both draw and color. Do any of you Southerners spy the dogwood stamps? I grew up with dogwoods growing wild in the woods--love them!

At the  EKSuccess both, they were making these fabulous little felted wool animals using a two-part mold of some sort; I tried to get a video, but that wasn't permitted. They didn't mind my posting a picture however. If felting is your thing, you'd love these!

That's all I have from CHA--hope you enjoyed it!

Day 2 from Anaheim

  

Welcome! I walked the show floor for a while this morning before coloring all afternoon. Julie Comstock at Cosmo Cricket was making flowers with her Glubers and agreed to let me video her for you--enjoy!

Debbie

Day 1 from Anaheim

It's a long way from the land of ice and snow to Anaheim! Seriously, they call this winter? There are flowers blooming in outdoor beds here that I can't even keep alive indoors at home! I colored until 2:oo this afternoon at the Copic booth. It was good to see several of you who stopped by!  After I finished there, I made a quick trip through the whole show floor; I'm hoping to get a chance to go back to some places tomorrow.

This was just too funny NOT to show you. Have you ever told your child, in response to a ludicrous request, "When pigs fly." My son usually says, "Look outside, Mom! Did you see it--that flying pig?" So, I give you When Pigs Fly from Graphic 45. . . I might just have to get some of this paper to make something for Benjamin.

These little hangers in three styles and two sizes at the Melissa Frances booth were darling. I will be buying some. I don't know what I'll do with them just yet, but I need them. Really. I'm guessing that they were about 4" and 6" at the bottom, from memory. 

More Melissa Frances ribbon on my "must have" list. This is so soft and pretty looking!

This little Jillibean Southern Chicken Dumpling pad was so Spring-y, and i have that Papertrey Ink set with umbrellas on it. Kismet? Must be.

I loved the happy colors in October Afternoon's Cakewalk line--vintage sweetness!

I stopped at the Stampendous booth when some fabulous vintage glitter caught my eye. (Think "Squirrel [Glitter], squirrel [glitter]!! Where?") I tried to get a short video of a demo there, so it's below IF it works. I was uploading via phone modem, so one minute took about 45 minutes to upload. I'll have to try to get a faster connection if I post another video!

 

That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by!

A Perfect Reading Nook

Welcome! Before I share tonight's card, I wanted to mention that the Richmond, VA Copic Standard Certification on Friday, February 17 may still have a spot or two left, now that we've been able to get a fabulous assistant. If you were one of the people who missed the initial sign-up, you might still be able to get in. E-mail Nancy Zenke, and good luck!  

I have another stepped-out Copic coloring tutorial for you today; I needed some nicely colored images for the Copic booth, so I took pictures as I worked on the two Mo Manning images. (The Monday's Child muddy boy image was already posted HERE.) This image is called Window Seat.

I started with skin and hair, using the Copic markers shown above. Light is obviously coming in the window, from above. However, we could probably assume a smaller light source inside the room as well.

Next I added sky and tree.

Drapery and a pillow were next.

Here I colored the window seat cushions. Why these colors? I have a pretty piece of patterned paper picked out, and they'll look good with it--trust me!

I colored the structure of the window seat here. I tried adding wood grain, but on a small area, given the thickness of my marker nibs, it looked a bit busy and distracting. I just blended it all away. . . Love my Copic markers!!

Remember that patterned paper? It's Crate Paper Heart, and I think the floral piece is my favorite piece. I also wanted to show you a trick to use with a Spellbinders border die template: this die is from the new S5-080 Damask Accents set that will soon be available. I used a double-sided paper and flipped the cut off edge and pieced it back into the cut.Directly under the die is what it looks like after you cut it, then (using different paper), the border on the piece below it shows what it look like after you put the pieces back to front, puzzle style. (I also used Spellbinders Standard Circles Small die template for the sentiment, shown below.)

Sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's All Booked Up set. I dyed the silk ribbon using Copic R02 and R05, straight from the marker. That's it for tonight--I'm headed out to Anaheim in five hours!

Thanks for stopping by.