Thinking Inking

Joy Banner

Welcome! I have another Christmas card to share with you tonight, this one made with a couple of JustRite Stampers clear sets, Market Place Clear Alphabet for the letters in JOY, and O Christmas Tree for the banners. Yes, they are Christmas trees, turned upside down. . . Ink colors for the banners and letters were Versamagic Tea Leaves and Papertrey Ink Pure Poppy. Papers are from a Melissa Frances Deck the Halls 6" x 6" paper pad.

I zig-zag stitched a string on top of the banners to hold them together, as well as stitching around the outside of the patterned paper. I used several Spellbinders Paper Arts die templates: Nested Pennants, Nested Lacey Pennants, Blossom Three, Standard Circles Large, and Standard Circles Small.  I dyed some off white seam binding with Copic Various Inks YG95 and YG63. I was out of Taupe pearl flourishes, so I airbrushed a white pearl flourish (Zva Creative) with Copic E35. One more Christmas card--DONE!

Tool Tidbits

I wanted to share one more thing with you in case you missed the tool focus article on Splitcoaststampers today. You can read more about the Light Beam Slim Light here. I've had a chance to try one of these for about three weeks now, and I absolutely love it! It's a cool (literally and figuratively) LED light strip; the 12" version uses only 3 watts of power, but is quite bright. In fact, I like it enough that we are planning to put them under our kitchen cabinets as well as in two more places in my studio. You can see how much it lights up my trimmer area below.

This is how my cutting area looked before the Slim Light, and that's with nine daylight fluorescent tubes in my studio! I did not adjust the brightness on the photo--what you see is what it is.

And here is the AFTER my 12" Light Beam Slim Light view--again, no retouching on light levels in either photo. I can actually SEE what I'm trimming now. That's why I'm ordering more. Thanks for stopping by!

Merry Kiss-mas

Welcome! Tonight I have Christmas card for you. I love Papertrey Ink's Tiny Treats series, and the Tremendous  ones are even better--more space for me to color!  I used the mistletoe image from Tremendous Treats: Christmas, paired with a coordinating sentiment from Tiny Treats: Christmas.

 

Shown above are the Copic markers that I used. The BG13 on on the end I used to airbrush the background, with my Spellbinders Small Label left in place as a stencil after I cut and embossed with it.

I stamped the image twice and colored and cut the bow from the second image. I used an extra fine white glitter on the mistletoe berries to give them a bit of sparkle. Patterned papers are from Papertrey Ink's Rustic Snowflakes pad, an oldie but still one of my favorites. This card is thin enough to be in my Easy-to-Make, Easy-to-Mail series, but after I did some stitching, layering, and airbrushing, it wasn't exactly a quick card.  Still, I was pleased with it. That's it for today--thanks for stopping by!

Stitched Thank You

Welcome! I hope you had a great weekend. We enjoyed Thanksgiving with some of Rick's family; it's the first year I haven't cooked a Thanksgiving meal in quite a while--I could get used to that! ;-) Anyway, I was in need of a thank you note this weekend and felt like making something simple and pink.

I used Papertrey Ink's Stitches and Swirls  set, stamped in Fresh Snow ink on Kraft cardstock. The card base is PTI's Sweet Blush cardstock, edged with Chamomile distress ink. I used Tiny Tags II to stamp the sentiment tag, die-cut using the Tiny Tags die. That little blanket stitch was courtesy of my new sewing machine, a  Brother CS6000i.  I'm still figuring out stitch widths, but it's a huge step up from the shape my old machine was in! Ribbon is white seam binding dyed with Copic R20 various ink.

That's it for today--have a lovely day, and thanks for stopping by!

A Merry Little Christmas: ETM

Welcome! Today I have another pocket card for you in the Easy-to-Make, Easy-to-Mail category. I used the Papertrey Ink Front and Center Die #1 to cut the pocket, folding it at 4" from the straight end and then squaring up the sides by the bottom fold. I usually just use a double-sided patterned paper for the pocket, but this time I cut the base from PTI's Pure Poppy cardstock and layered just a patterned front for the top panel--I was almost out of that pattern and didn't want to waste what I had left! I stitched close to the edge to leave plenty of room for the inserted card.

Okay, I have to admit that I really wanted to put a glittery BELL on there! But in keeping with "Easy-to-Mail," I went for a thinner alternative. I used the little ornament from Love Lives Here: Holiday  stamped in Pure Poppy ink, then trimmed it closely and added Prisma Glitter to the center of the heart.

For the inside I used a sentiment from Christmas Poinsettia, as well as the greenery and berries from Love Lives Here: Holiday. There we have it--another Easy-to-Make, Easy-to-Mail card. I don't know about you, but I still have a LOT to do in the next month!

P.S. Almost forgot--the patterned paper on the front flap is from the My Mind's Eye 12 Days of Christmas 6" x 6" pad.

Peace

As I type this post, I'm wondering if all of you are out shopping today, or if there's anyone left to read blogs! I like good deals, but I don't like shopping in crowds. So, I'm happily home today and thought I would post another Easy-to-Make, Easy-to- Mail card. Isn't that background paper pretty? I found some beautiful vintage digital papers a few weeks back at Beatriz Jennings' blog and Etsy Shop. I used this Shabby Backgrounds page, printed on regular printer paper on my inkjet printer for the background, with a Papertrey Ink Autumn Rose cardstock for a mat layer. 

I used Papertrey Ink's Wonderful Words Holiday die collection to cut peace from Autumn Rose cardstock before dusting it with Prisma glitter. On the inside of the card, I used the "Peace on Earth and Love at Home" stamp from the Love Lives Here: Holiday set. I altered the bell a bit; it was a rusty bell, the only kind I had ordered. I wiped the excess rust off first, then rolled the bell around on my Fresh Snow ink pad before using a heat and stick powder on it. I heated the powder with my heat tool, then sprinkled the bell with glitter. There may be a simpler way to do it, but it worked. ;-) 

That's it for today--happy shopping!

P.S. Yikes--I must have been turkey addled last night as I typed! I told you that this card was an Easy to Make, Easy to Mail, but didn't explain further. Obviously you would leave the bell off. It's not as cute that way, but still mailable since the bow will flatten just fine, being made of thin seam binding. You could also leave of the stitching. That takes time, but it doesn't add thickness, if you have time to add it. Hope that helps!

May We Be Truly Thankful

"For these and other blessings, may we be truly thankful."

Welcome! I hope that you are having a great day, and for my American friends, that includes a Happy Thanksgiving with family and friends. We will be enjoying Thanksgiving with a brother-in-law and sister-in-law this year, so I needed a Thanksgiving thank you note. I used several JustRite Stampers sets: Musical Notes Labels Twenty for that eggplant-colored frame, Lace Borders stamped in cream pigment ink, background stamps from Fleur de Lis Labels Twenty and Musical Notes Labels Twenty stamped in Adirondack Latte, and a focal image from Autumn Labels Twenty-Two stamped with an old Kaleidecolor pad. I love that I can pull out so many sets and have them work together!

I also used several Spellbinders dies, including Labels Twenty, Labels Twenty-Two, and Twisted Metal Tags and Accents. I used a Copic YG95 and Copic Airbrush System to airbrush the green on the inside of the little flourishes. 

How about that stitching? Yes, here's a second installment of Tool Tidbits. My old sewing machine was only four or five years old, but it was a reconditioned one when I got it and pretty inexpensive. It's been getting louder and more temperamental for a while, and a couple of weeks ago it decided to stop zig-zag stitching. Then when it broke five needles in two days, I'd had enough. . .  I looked at several machines online, and finally decided on this Brother CS6000i from Amazon. I considered a more expensive one that had cool embroidery features; but, honestly, this one does as much as I have time to do anyway. So far I love it! It's quiet and doesn't break needles. Having so many pretty stitches doesn't hurt either. :-D

That's it for today. Happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for stopping by!

'Tis the Season card on Copic Blog

Welcome! Today I have a stepped-out tutorial here on the Copic Blog. I showed how to render a shiny ornament, as opposed to a satin finished one. Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!

Supply List:
Stamps: Little Elf Mim (Mo Manning digital stamp image); Winterberry(sentiment, Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Pure Poppy ink for sentiment, Chamomile Distress Cube to distress edges of cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Little Elf Mim digital image was printed on a Canon Inkjet MG5220 on X-Press It Blending Card.
Cardstock: X-Press It Blender Card (Copic); Pure Poppy, Rustic White (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: 12 Days of Christmas 6” x 6” designer paper pad (My Mind’s Eye)
Copic Markers: BG11, BG23, BG32, BG72, BV0000, BV00, BV02, BV04, R20, R22, R24, R29, R89, RV99, YG61, YG67, YR30, YR21, T0, T2, C3, 0, E50, E11, E13, E43
Accessories: Hawaiian Shores Grosgrain, Pure Poppy Vintage Button (Papertrey Ink); natural cotton crochet thread
Other Tools: Copic Airbrush System, Sparmax Air Compressor, Spellbinders Paper Arts Classic Squares LG, Spellbinders Grand Calibur, sewing machine, sanding block

 

Ornament Trio and Tool Tidbits

Welcome! I've been playing with a couple of new stamp sets--love these! I don't often order stamps, simply because I have more than I have time to play with already. Once in a while though, I see a set that I just plain need--at least I think I do! When I saw the Nordic Winter and Holiday Ornaments sets from Waltzingmouse Stamps, they reminded me of my niece's sweaters, a perfect and sweet Christmas pattern.

The background set, Nordic Winter, is a great building set--long acrylic stamp strips that you can either repeat or alternate to build your own desired pattern. I didn't plan ahead on this; I merely stamped several different strips, then used my Genesis Trimmer with an edge light to cut them apart. Now, I don't usually explain my tools; but since Christmas is coming, I thought I would share some of my favorite tools, just in case you find yourself in need of something similar. (I'm starting a new post category called Tool Tidbits.)

I have several trimmers, each for different jobs. But the one that I use the most is my Genesis Trimmer that I purchased a few months back from Bonnie's Best Art Tools. If you like to cut stacks of cardstock at one time, this is probably not the tool for the job. However, if you generally cut one piece of cardstock at a time but want it cut perfectly, this might be just the tool for you. I don't use the edge light all of the time, but when I need to see through something, it comes in quite handy. Patterned papers, stamped papers, lighter colored cardstocks, or lighter weight cardstocks--the edge light shines through those. Darker, heavier cardstocks--not so much. FYI, I do not work for Bonnie; I just like her trimmer!

After I cut my strips apart, I arranged and rearranged them until I was happy with them, then lightly tacked them to red cardstock so that I could stitch the seams between patterns. Speaking of stitching, my old sewing machine died last week and I bought a new one. I'll tell you about it another day after I get more accustomed to using it.

The ornaments in the Holiday Ornaments set coordinate with the Spellbinders 2011 Heirloom Ornament die template set, which makes it super simple to get a perfect cut on those ornaments! I used metallic string (purchased from Stampin' Up several years ago) to "hang" each ornament, mounting them on foam tape. I used Copic Various inks in R29 and R37 to dye my white seam binding to coordinate with the Pure Poppy ink that I had stamped with. So, that's it--one Nordic sweater card, done! Thanks for stopping by.

Merry Christmas: ETM

Welcome! Today I have another Easy-to-Make, Easy-to-Mail card for you--with a couple of modifications. I used Papertrey Ink's Wonderful Words: Holiday stamp set and the coordinating Wonderful Words: Holiday die collection. I die-cut the merry and then glittered it. By the way, although I spent time cutting tiny little pieces of foam tape to bump that merry out, I saw a neat post by Lisa Johnson in which she mentioned die-cutting the foam tape too. Great idea--wish I'd thought of that! 

For patterned papers I used PTI's Holiday Flourishes and Swirls. My biggest decision was where to put the word Christmas. I tried to line it up exactly under the m in merry, but I didn't like the y cutting into the s on Christmas. Finally I tried it overlapped on the m. Since they were about the same angle of slant, I thought it worked out pretty well there. 

Simplifying for ETM
To streamline this card further for Easy-to-Make, Easy-to-Mail, you could leave the stitching off as well as the rusty jingle bell. The bow would probably be acceptable since it's seam binding and pretty thin. You could also use up a good bit of your patterned paper stash, mixing any two patterns that looked good together on your cards.

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

P.S. In case you didn't see that I added the winner to the Forest Whimsy set below, here it is: 

WINNER of the Forest Whimsy set is #65, Crystal B:

Thank you for playing along, and good luck off of Kim's and Amy's blogs as well!

Honey, I'm Gnome!

WINNER of the Forest Whimsy set is #65, Crystal B:

Thank you for playing along, and good luck off of Kim's and Amy's blogs as well!

________________________

Okay, I couldn't resist. It was either "Honey, I'm Gnome!" or "I'll be Gnome for Christmas. . ." Yes, pretty bad, I know! Would you believe that I once bought a Gnomes book? I was taking a history of illustration class in college, and the Gnomes book had the most beautiful watercolor illustrations.

So, when my friend Kim Hughes asked if I'd like to play with her Paper Smooches Forest Whimsy set, I had to. It was my destiny (said in my best Darth Vadar voice).You may remember these images from a former stamp set called "Forest Friendzy."  It was sold by Cornish Heritage Farms and Illustrated by Kim Hughes.  Kim tweaked every image in the set and gave them a fresh new look!  They are now manufactured with the highest quality clear photopolymer on the market.  They stamp beautifully.  Kim is releasing a new stamp set from the former "Kim Hughes Collection" on the 15th of each month at the Paper Smooches web site.

I have a Forest Whimsy stamp set to give away to one lucky person!  You have until midnight EDT on Sunday, November 20 to leave a comment.  I will use the random number generator to choose a winner and post the winner's name on Monday, November 21st.



On to my card: I had so much fun coloring this little guy that I thought I'd take pictures as I went--hope you find them helpful! ;-)

Hat and skintones first: I colored the largest red area first knowing that if I messed up, it would likely be on the red. No problems this time, however! I'm using PTI Rustic Cream cardstock here. My light source is from the front left.

Those lovely cool blue trousers next, with some BV25 shadows. . .

Boot colors are on the bottom of the stack, and shirt colors are on the top. I was going for a chamois shirt.

Okay, confession time: I spent probably three times as long on the beard as on everything else put together! The only place that has any cool gray in it is the shadow side--the right. The rest is all warm gray, with a few highlights enhanced by colorless blender.

I added a bit of B000 around the outside of the gnome and a series of E40's to color the stump. The grass is NOT part of the stamp set. I used my Copic Black 0.5 Multiliner SP to draw the grass and then colored it with YG61 and YG63. 

Want more chances to win a Forest Whimsy set? Then please visit Kim's and Amy's blogs and leave a comment there as well! Thanks for stopping by.

Postage Stamp Edgeabilities. . .

Welcome!  I have a stepped out post for two cards today <HERE> on the Spellbinders Blog. I used the Classic Postage Stamp Edgeabilities on both cards. The top card also uses the JustRite Stampers Autumn Words set.

One card is a standard use of the die set, and the other is offbeat, but fun. Would you like a chance to WIN a Postage Stamp Edgeability die template set? Then leave a comment on the post at the Spellbinders Blog. Enjoy!

Papertrey Ink November 2011 Release

Welcome! Tonight I get to share some pieces made with Papertrey Ink's November 2011 release. I didn't get as many made this month as I did last month--three trips in four weeks cut into paper play time a bit. But there are some fabulous sets this month, some of which I still get to play with! On the card above I used the Stitches and Swirls for the background, colored with Copic markers (R30, YG11, Y21, and 0). For the tag I used Tiny Tags II--I love tiny tags!

I've combined two sets here as well, Willow and Background Basics: Circles. I stamped the tree image in chalk inks: Gingerbread, Tea Leaves, and Key Lime. I used my Copic Airbrush System and markers YG63 and BG23 for the background. The Background Basics Circles are stamped in PTI's Spring Moss ink on Spring Moss cardstock.

The birthday card above uses Birthdays by the Numbers and a sentiment from Fillable Frames #12. Papers are from Authentique's Splendid 6" x 6" pad.

For the cupcake image I used chalk inks--Thatched Straw and Aquatic Splash for the cupcake and flame, and Turquoise Gem for the candle. I used PTI's Chamomile Distress Cube on the cardstock edges. Dies that I used were Mat Stack 3 and Mega Mat Stack 3. I added Prisma Glitter with a small glue pen.

For the last card I used Stitches and Swirls again for the background--love this set! For the sentiment I used Glory Be. The little white border is cut with a new die release, Pinking Shears Border. Would you like to see more of the November Papertrey Ink release?  Several of the PTI team have the rest of their release projects posted--have fun browsing and shopping!

Nichole Heady

Ashley Cannon Newell

Betsy Veldman

Dawn McVey

Debbie Olson (here)

Erin Lincoln

Heather Nichols

Jessica Witty

Lisa Johnson

Maile Belles

Melissa Phillips

Michelle Wooderson