Thinking Inking

Young Man Birthday

Remember that I mentioned needing two guy cards this week?  The first was for my dad; this one is for our nephew. I thought that it would be a perfect time to use these cool Cosmo Cricket Get Happy papers--what do you think?

The stamped focal image is from GinaK's  Stamps for a Cause set, How Sweet It Is,  from which $7 from each set sold benefits diabetes research.  I used Copic markers in these colors to color in the cake: Y17 for the flame and cake, B41 for the top frosting, R46 for the plate,  B97 for the candle, and YG03 for the squiggly filling. 

I also incorporated CPS Sketch 53, except that it's a bit low on bling factor. About the only bling is the application of Stickles on the candle flame. I cut the vertical red strip with my Fiskars scalloped scissors, and sewed on the polka dotted strip with a zig-zag stitch. The focal image and its mat are cut using Spellbinders Nestability Plain Circle dies, and then overstamped with the CHF Canvas stamp using Antique Linen distress ink to help it coordinate better with the feel of the printed paper.

Finally, the sentiment is from PaperTrey's Faux Ribbon set, cut with SU's Word Window Punch.  I used a corner rounder to round the two bottom corners, to tie in with the roundedness of the word window punch and the focal image circles. I finished it with black mini brads inserted into the scallops--needed something to replace the ribbon! This card is another out-of-my-comfort-zone card--seems like I am posting a lot of those lately. . . Thanks for visiting!

Embrace Life Birthday (guy card)

Today's card is a simple GUY card. I needed an unprecedented two guy cards this week. Would you believe that I didn't have even one suitable one already made?

For this one, I started with Kraft cardstock, then stamped the background with CHF's Canvas backgrounder, using SU's Close to Cocoa ink. For the focal image, I stamped the leafy branch from SU's Embrace Life set on Ivory Naturals cardstock using Staz-On Timber Brown ink, then watercolored it with my watercolor crayons. I aged everything with my Vintage Photo Distress Ink, then distressed the edges with my scissor blades as well. The two brown strips are Prism Suede Brown Dark cardstock, the the tiny tag is stamped with the PaperTrey Mixed Messages set and hung on a piece of twill tape. That's it--basic, and not frilly. Ungh, ungh. . .

Have a great day!

Jolies Fleurs with Appreciation

I have one last set to show you that was a gift from my CHA trip. As I sat and colored one day--don't you wish you had a job like that?--two delightful ladies came up and introduced themselves as Tricia and Meridith of Lizzie Anne Designs. I immediately told them that they had a stamp set that I'd long been meaning to order--Jolies Fleurs. We chatted while I colored for them, and a little while later, they came bearing a gift: you guessed it: my very own Jolies Fleurs set! Considering how much I love flowers and how much I love to color, playing with this set is a joy!

I stamped the smaller flower image on PaperTrey Stamper's Select White cardstock in Adirondack Espresso ink, then colored with the Copic markers shown on the left. I stamped the larger flower on a scrap of the same cardstock, colored it, trimmed around it, and curled the petals up slightly before mounting it on a piece of foam tape. I enhanced parts of the blossoms with a Spica Clear Glitter pen.

To enhance the pale green stems, I used a Spica Melon glitter pen. Background cardstock is PaperTrey's Spring Moss. (I had a little difficulty capturing its true color, which is slightly less intense than it looks here. When I took some saturation out of the picture, I started losing the color of the markers. Suffice to say that it's about as close as I could come, but not quite there.) Ribbon is PaperTrey Spring Moss Satin, and sentiment is PaperTrey Mixed Messages. Paisleys in the background are also from the Lizzie Anne Jolies Fleurs set, and they are stamped in PaperTrey's Spring Moss ink.

Thank you, Tricia and Meridith, for such a fun set!

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Be sure to check out my friend Pine's tutorial on the sweetest little bird card here!

I just started a new typelist in the left column on my blog, right above the blog-list, entitled My Favorite Copic Color Combos. Some of you have asked about this, and I'll try to remember to add to it periodically when I notice that I am repeating color combos consistently.

A Little Thank You

How about a little scalloped card tonight? I cut this card base with a Spellbinders Nestability Scalloped Rectangle die (size: 4" x 3-1/4").  Mat layer is cut with a plain nesting die from Cosmo Cricket Honey Pie paper--my new favorite Spring paper! (I used pieces from the 8" x 8" pad here.)

Image is a Lockhart image, Ranunculas. I used a Spellbinders oval die to cut , emboss, and mask the oval, then airbrushed a pale aqua (BG11) in the background with my Copic Airbrush System. I stamped the ranunculas on Neenah Natural White cardstock, colored them with Copic  markers in the colors shown on the left, and then trimmed around them before mounting them on the airbrushed oval.  Tiny thanks sentiment is from PaperTrey Ink's Mixed Messages set, and ribbon is PaperTrey's  Aqua Mist Satin.

I added three little pink twinkle stickers for some extra sparkle, as well as using my clear and melon Spica glitter pens to add shimmer to the flowers and stems. (You can't see that part in the photo, but  glitter pens definitely add. As always, if you would like to see a picture in more detail, click on it for a larger version.)

I love Spring, and I can't wait until it gets here--just trying to help it along. . . Thanks for visiting!

Stamps for a Cause meets CPS Sketch 53

Today I played with my Gina K Stamps for a Cause set, How Sweet It Is, along with some Cosmo Cricket Hey Sugar paper. (No, I'm not wishing I were eating chocolate instead of stamping right now!)  I incorporated CPS Sketch 53 as well, and a front shot of the card is posted there.

See that baby sling? I used paper piecing, getting the tiny Cosmo Cricket Hey Sugar pattern from the front cover sheet of the 12" x 12" collection! That little swatch fit the scale of the sling best. I stamped the stork in Adirondack Espresso ink, then colored with the following Copic markers: B000, Y17, W1, and 0. The little tag is from PaperTrey Ink's Mixed Messages set, and bling is clear rhinestone stickers by Hero Arts. (I couldn't quite bring myself to part with that many Swarovski crystals on one card, even if it was supposed to be bling-y!) Brown taffeta is from Stampin' Up. Cardstock is Prism Suede Brown Dark. The straight scallop is cut with Fiskars scalloping scissors, and the plain and scalloped circles are Spellbinders Nestability die cuts.

This was a really fun sketch, and we'd love to see you play along!

Black Tie Wedding

I finished this card, then wondered if making it black might be making a statement that I don't mean to make about weddings. I had in mind something semi-formal--that's all, honest!

I stamped a tone-on-tone background on the black cardstock, using the same Petite Pattern CHF backgrounder that I used on the white mat layer. Lockhart wedding cake image is stamped in Adirondack pitch black ink on Neenah Solar White cardstock and colored with the Copic markers shown below. I used some Making Memories dull black mini brads at the edges of the ticket-punched (SU) corners.

The cake is enhanced with both Spica clear and melon green glitter pens, as well as Ranger Glossy Accents on the flowers. White taffeta ribbon and silver metallic cord are both from Stampin' Up. I used a Spellbinders Nestability Plain Rectangle die to cut the focal image, but I matted it using SU's Perfect Layers tool. The Celebrate Today tag sentiment is from PaperTrey Ink's Mixed Messages set, and it's stamped on a tag from one of my new Spellbinders die tag sets that will be available in April. I stamped the envelope with a Lockhart floral vase itty-bitty; these are the perfect scale for envelopes.

Thank you for visiting!

Spica Winners and Spica information

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

103	172	60	72	89	

Timestamp: 2008-02-25 04:08:17 UTC

Number 103 is Jessica (irishjc)

Number 172 is Carol B

Number 60 is Lisa (lakind)

Number 72 is Kimm BT

Number 89 is Pat (Just4fun2)

I will be e-mailing you in the next few minutes to ask for your address. Thank you all for answering my question on the new colors!  I will share this information and see what happens.

Many of you were interested in pastel colors, and several wished to see earthtones as well. I really liked some of the ideas, though I don't know if they are possible yet. One fairly common request that isn't possible with the same kind of ink the Spica pens now use is a white pen. A white pen would require an opaque pigment base. The Spicas have a transparent base currently.

Thank you again for participating!

PaperTrey Meets Honey Pie

DRAWING ENDED. See next Post for Spica winners. Thank you!

I'm playing with some fabulous new Cosmo Cricket Honey Pie paper today, so how about an Easter card? I combined two PaperTrey sets here: the outside of a tag from Just Hatched, and the Cross and sentiment from Everyday Blessings. I used Versamagic chalk inks in Pixie Dust and Oasis Green, and stamped the tag in SU's Rose Red. Pearls are Ivory, and cardstock is Prism Intense Pink and Natural. Ivory taffeta, hemp, and the ticket corner punch are from Stampin' Up.

It's a simple card, but it took me three tries to get the Cross and oval positioned just right in the Spellbinders Nestability  Plain rectangle die cut; the simplest way is to cut your rectangle first, then use a grid block to position the Cross next, and another grid block to position the oval last. Trust me. It works best in that order. :-)

Note: I was using the Honey Pie 8" x 8" pad--just the right scale for cards. This collection reminds me of the Easter dresses that I wore as a little girl. . .

If you haven't already seen it, Lisa Johnson posted a neat twist on the bag-a-lope concept, the treat-a-lope, yesterday.

__________________

And now for a little treat: from my friends at Imagination International, Inc. (the Copic marker people), I have five sets of two Spica glitter pens each, a lavender and a melon (green) one.  Here's the question of the day. Currently the Spica Glitter pens come in twelve colors plus clear. Most of them are mid-tones to dark tones: an evergreen, a bright green, gold, orange, red, lavender, royal blue, dark pink  teal/sky blue, yellow, silver, and black.  If colors were being added,  what colors would you like to see added? 

That's it--that's all you need to answer in the comments section in order to enter. At 10:00pm CST on Sunday evening,  I'll use the  number generator at random.org  to pick five winners. That should give those of you who get late Feedblitz notification time to enter too. Thanks for the feedback!

Some New Stamps from CHA

While I was at CHA, I was given a couple of  stamps that I wanted to share with you.  I was coloring away with my markers one afternoon when someone dropped a business card in front of me with Anna Wight's name on it. I looked up, and there she was--Anna!  We hadn't met before, so it was fun to be able to put a face with someone whom I've long known as a major talent in both illustration and watercoloring.  Anna came back the next day and brought me her newest stamp set, Posies for You, a Whipper Snapper release. These first two cards are both with Anna's set.

Card One:
Stamps: Posies for You (Whipper Snapper), Geometric Flowers II (CHF)
Cardstock: watercolor paper, Prism Papaya Puree Medium and Blush Red Medium
Ink: Staz-On Timber Brown; Adirondack Peach Bellini
Tools: watercolor crayons, waterbrush, brayer
Accessories: Ivory taffeta colored with a Copic R14 marker, Stardust Stickles for butterfly

Card Two:
Stamps: Posies for You (Whipper Snapper)
Cardstock: watercolor paper, Arturo notecard
Ink: Timber Brown Staz-On
Tools: sewing machine, waterbrush, watercolor crayons
Accessories: pewter brads

I also met Sam Wilkinson from GCS Artstamps; Trudee and I were demo-ing when Sam brought a couple of stamps by for us. Mine was this nostalgic little fairy--perfect for an imaginative little girl! Sam said to let you know that they are working on a new website, but that you cam e-mail her if you would like a catalog.

Card Three:
Stamps: GCS Artstamps Princess Fairalee
Cardstock: watercolor paper, Prism Majestic Purple Light, Majestic Purple Dark, and Island Mist Light
Ink: Timber Brown Staz-On
Tools: waterbrush, watercolor crayons; Crop-a-Dile
Accessories: Micro Dot Twinkle Stickers; lavender organdy

I'll probably have some Spica Glitter pens up as a giveaway this weekend--just letting you know ahead of time so that the Feedblitz readers find out in time. Thanks for visiting!

Hoppy Birthday

Tonight I needed a birthday card for my little boy and thought that my new Cosmo Cricket Get Happy paper would work beautifully with my friend Melanie's new Just So Hoppy  frog stamp. I love this little guy--he's about as full of it as my son is! I thought that to make it a challenge, I'd work in another CPS Sketch 52 as well, this time turning it on end and using a circle rather than a rectangle for the focal point.  The frog is stamped in Timber Brown Staz-On on watercolor paper and watercolored with a waterbrush and watercolor crayons. Ribbon is SU's Wild Wasabi, sponged with Antique Linen Distress ink to tone it down a bit. I used my Spellbinders scalloped circle to cut a piece out of the dotted mat layer, and the plain circle to cut out and emboss the focal image. I added Dew Drops on the outside because it still seemed to need something, and I rounded opposite corners to tie in a bit with the other circlular themes going on in the card.

I hope you have a great day!

Fabulous Flowers Thank You Card

Tonight I was looking through a Pottery Barn catalog and saw a muted blue and green floral cloth swatch that I really liked; it became the basis for tonight's card. I first stamped the large flower from the SU Fabulous Flowers set in Versamark ink on glossy cardstock, then brayered over the cardstock with Always Artichoke and Blue Bayou inks. That gave me my background ghosted images. (It reminds me of waterlilies floating on a pond.)

For the foreground flowers, I stamped Versamark on Blue Bayou cardstock and heat embossed the images using ivory embossing powder. I cut out the images and added some foam tape to raise them a bit, then embellished with a tag, ivory taffeta, and some blue and green Dew Drops. The "many thanks" is from PaperTrey Ink's Faux Ribbon set.

This isn't a "typically me" card, but sometimes it's fun to try something out of your comfort zone. Have a wonderful day!

Little One: CPS Sketch 52

Today I want to share a card that I made for CPS Sketch 52, which posted Sunday. I'm really excited about being part of the CPS team now, having drawn inspiration from there often in the past!

I used some Crate Paper, Baby B Collection, along with Prism Iced Kiwi and PaperTrey Stamper's Select White cardstock.  Ribbon is PaperTrey's Spring Moss twill, and hemp is from Reasonable Ribbon. Jumbo eyelet is SU.

I used my Fiskars scalloped scissors to scallop the bottom of this card. (I had to return the prototype long rectangle dies that I was scalloping with before CHA, but I'm told that they will be available in April.) Clothesline and bib stamps are by Lockhart Stamp Company, and sentiment is from PaperTrey's Mixed Messages.

I used the following Copic markers to color the images: 0, W1, Yr21, B000, and G40. Don't forget to check out the other CPS Sketch 52 pieces, and feel free to play along!