Thinking Inking

Rejoice!

Welcome! Can you handle a second Easter card this week?  I had the JustRite Easter Blessings Oval Medallions set out on my desk on Monday and thought I would play with it one more time before I put it away.

These are the Copic markers that I used to color the image. Now, I have to admit that I did something that I do not recommend with my Copic markers--coloring an image that is embossed in something other than CLEAR embossing powder. (Clear EP works best with Copics.) But, I was careful to color inside the lines and not rub over the embossed lines. Again, the best solution would have been to stamp in gold pigment ink, and then emboss in clear embossing powder. My gold pigment ink pad was toast, however.

To cut the gold frame, I used a JustRite Nested Oval Medallion Label die, along with a Spellbinders Classic Ovals Small for the inside frame cut.  I also used Spellbinders Grand Labels Eleven and Damask Accents. Patterned Paper is from Cosmo Cricket's Tea for Two Mini Deck, and seam binding is dyed with Copic ink refills (Various Inks YR31, YR24, and 0). Well, that's it for today; thanks for stopping by!

Spring Tulips Tutorial on Copic Blog

Welcome! Today I have a stepped-out tulips tutorial on the Copic blog HERE.  A complete supply list is linked below. Thanks for visiting!

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Supply List

Copic Markers: G40, G43, G46, V22, BV34, RV00, RV52, RV55, V22, BV34, RV10, RV11, YR30, YR31, BG90, 0.

Stamps: Friendship Jar Spring Fillers, Tiny Tags II (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo black (Tsukineko); Chamomile Distress Cube (Papertrey Ink)

Cardstock: X-Press It Blending Card (Copic); Autumn Rose (Papertrey Ink)

Patterned Paper: My Mind’s Eye Lost and Found Blush 6” x 6” designer pad

Other Tools: Classic Squares Small (Spellbinders Paper Arts); Charm Dies (Just Rite Stampers/Spellbinders Paper Arts); sewing machine (Brother); X-Press It Foam Tape (Copic)

Accessories: White seam binding, dyed with Copic RV10 and V01

Easter Blessings

Welcome! Today I wanted to get some coloring done. I had an Easter stamp set that hadn't been used yet, my JustRite Easter Blessings Oval Medallion set.

For the inside I used a Spellbinders Romantic Rectangles die template to cut a panel for my sentiment, also from JustRite's Easter Blessings set.

For the greenery I used the Copic markers shown above. I used the G28 only for palette blending, using my G24 as the brush. (Most of the Copic markers that I used on the Easter lilies image are JustRite Copic combos and can be found here.)

I shaded the Easter lilies with grays only where the overlapped one another. The pale yellow-green (YG0000) was for the trumpet part, with just a touch of the YG01 in the centers. 

Oops--forgot to take my background picture before I put the card together! For the sky around the flowers I used B0000, Booo, and O to soften the edges. As you may have noticed, I also added one cut out, popped up lily, as well as glitter to the flower center. 

I used a Spellbinders Standard Circles Small die template to cut the focal image. (Yes, it got cut down in size from when I was coloring it. :-}) To mat the focal image I used a Lacey Circles die template. Paper is Melissa Frances Vines and Blooms. That's it for tonight. Thanks for stopping by!

Do Not Fear

I haven't had the heart to blog much this week; we have a dear family member who has received some bad news about health issues. Tonight I decided that I should come downstairs and make a card--hoping that it will be an encouragement to him. For the sentiment, I chose Papertrey Ink's Beautiful Blessings set, die cut with a new Spellbinders die from the Becky Fleck Office Supplies set.

For the two dies underneath the focal image I used Lace Doily Motifs and Grand Labels Eleven. Papers are from a My Mind's Eye Paris and Company 6" x 6" pad, and ribbon is PTI's Kraft Satin. That's it for tonight--thanks for stopping by!

Wonderful You: Movers and Shakers

Welcome I wanted to share another interactive card with you today, courtesy of my Papertrey Ink Movers and Shakers Zippers die collection. Unfortunately, after I got it made, I saw that the zipper dies are out of stock--expected to be in again in about three weeks. So, I guess that this post is for those of you who ordered them before they were sold out! The two stamp sets that I used on the front of this card were the Movers and Shakers Sentiments stamp set and the Simply You stamp set. Inks were Hibiscus Burst, Hawaiian Shores, and Simply Chartreuse, along with some Chamomile Distress ink on the cardstock edges.

Just so you can see what is under the zip-strip, I took a "before" picture as well. I attached the patterned paper to cardstock before I die cut, then trimmed to the size that I wanted and put 1/4" Scor-Tape on the edges to hold the zip-strip in place, even though I was planning to stitch it down as well. (That is a picture of the zip-strip upside down.)

For the inside of card I used the Simply You stamp set in the same ink colors (Hibiscus Burst, Hawaiian Shores, and Simply Chartreuse). I'm loving the Movers and Shakers! Thanks for stopping by.

With Gratitude

Welcome! I'm home again for a couple of weeks and wanted to share another card from Papertrey Ink's February release. For this card's focal image I chose the Lovely Leaves stamp set, stamped in Memento Rich Cocoa ink and colored with these Copic markers: YG93, YG97, R81, and R85. I used a Copic BG23 to airbrush a faint sky tone into the background.

Patterned papers are from a Vanity Fair 6" x 6" pad (My Mind's Eye). I die-cut a trim piece with the Filigree Border die and added pink rhinestones from Zva Creative. The sentiment is stamped in Papertrey Ink's Autumn Rose ink. I used a glue pen to add glitter to the little berries, as well as some kraft twill to finish up the front. A bit of chamomile distress ink, sanding, and stitching, and I was finished. That's it for tonight; thanks for stopping by!

He Cares for You

Welcome! I'm headed home from Richmond today--loved getting to meet some of you there! I made this card before I left and wanted to share it with you today. The focal image is stamped with JustRite Stampers Cast All Your Cares set; it's a great verse and thought that it would be perfect to lift a friend's spirits.

These are the Copic markers that I used to color the frame and the flower.

I used a glue pen to add some glitter accents to the flower center. Die that I used were Spellbinders Antique Frame and Accents, Labels Sixteen, and Fleur de Lis Squares. Patterned paper is from Lily Bee Designs Head Over Heels 6" x 6" pad, and pink pearls are from Zva Creative. 

Would you like to see more with the Cast All Your Cares set? Then you're in luck--you can see more at the following blogs. Thanks for visiting!

JustRite Inspiration

Debbie Olson (here)

Becca Feeken

Heidi Blankenship

Kazan Clark

Linda Duke

Angela Barkhouse

Michele Kovack

 

Lighthouse BIrthday

Welcome! Today I have a masculine birthday card to share with you. The lighthouse image above is from JustRite Stampers new Oceanside Oval Medallion Labels set, while the map background is their Vintage Map Collage Background Stamp. The birthday sentiment is from Spring Words. I hand-trimmed the lighthouse layer so that I could use the Nested Oval Medallion Labels die to create a mat layer with blue cardstock. Of course, I couldn't resist popping up the lighthouse on foam tape too. 

These are the Copic markers that I used to color the image, most of which can be found here. (Click to Enlarge.)

Papers are from October Afternoon's Sasparilla line (Rustler). The rope twine is from my Stampin' Up stash--not sure if they still sell it or not. I found instructions for how to tie a Double Carrick Bend knot HERE. (Okay, I don't know if it's a sailing knot, but it is a pretty cool looking knot!) You can't really see it from the photograph, but I added glitter in the light portion of the lighthouse. For the sentiment, I used a Spellbinders Labels Eleven die Template to cut and to mask from airbrushing Copic BG23 and B32  onto the label. Whew--that was a lot of information for one card! 

Would you like to see more with the Oceanside Oval Medallion Labels set? Then you might want to check out these blogs! Thanks for stopping by today.

JustRite Inspiration

Debbie Olson (here)

Sharon Harnist

Michele Kovack 

Linda Duke 

Kellie Fortin

Kazan Clark

Barb Schram

New Copic Coloring Guide available now!

Welcome! I just wanted to let you know that Colleen Schaan and Marianne Walker have a second Copic Coloring Guide out now, Copic Coloring Guide Level 2: Nature. It's published by Annie's Attic and can be purchased at the link above. There will be a blog hop later in which I can share one of my pieces from the book AND give one book away, but for today I just wanted to tell you briefly what I really like about this book: the bonus CD.

You see, I've had people in my Copic classes tell me several times that they wish they could have the line artwork that was used in tutorial sections of a coloring technique book so that they could practice with the same image. Well, they're in luck now! If this sounds like a tool that might help you hone your coloring skills, you can find out more HERE. Thanks for stopping by!

Papertrey Ink February Release Projects

Welcome! I'm really excited to get to share the pieces that I was working on for the last few days for February's Papertrey Ink release. All of the new stamp sets and dies that I used here will be available for purchase tonight at 10pm EST at Papertrey Ink. There are still contests open at Nichole Heady's blog, so you can head there and get involved!

First up is a clear card made with the Frilly Flowers set--love the island blossoms feel of this set! (I will go back and link to the new sets in the next couple of days; I'm traveling to Richmond today for an art store demo and two Copic Certification classes.)

This is the inside of the card, with a sentiment from Movers and Shakers Sentiments set.

Stamps: Frilly Flowers, Movers and Shakers Sentiments
Cardstock: Clear Cardstock, Stampers Select White
Ink: Raspberry Fizz, Spring Moss, Hawaiian Shores, Versamagic
Patterned Paper: Raspberry Fizz Collection
Accessories: Raspberry Fizz, Hawaiian Shores Vintage Buttons, Filigree Detail White Embossing Powder, foam tape
Tools: Frilly Flowers dies, Parisian Lace Doily die, sanding block

Next up is a card with a surprise inside. (Should I tell you that I am totally motion-card-challenged?) Seriously, I am not gifted with interactive cards. Still, I have to say that the Movers and Shakers Popper dies are pretty cool, and even I figured out how to use it. . . 

Pretty nifty how those dies work, huh? I used the Beautiful Butterflies stamps and dies, as well as a sentiment from Inside and Outside Birthday.

Stamps: Beautiful Butterflies, Inside and Out Birthday (inside sentiment)
Cardstock: Berry Sorbet, Vintage Cream, Spring Moss
Ink: Berry Sorbet, Sweet Blush, Spring Moss, Chamomile Distress Cube
Accessories: Prisma Glitter, Xyron Sticker Machine
Tools: Movers and Shakers Poppers dies, Beautiful Butterflies dies, sewing machine 

The Lighten Up and Lighten Up Sentiments sets and coordinating dies are sweet and simple--really useful for encouraging cards!

Stamps: Lighten Up
Cardstock: Stampers Select White, Hawaiian Shores, Raspberry Fizz, Spring Rain
Ink:  Raspberry Fizz, Hawaiian Shores
Patterned Papers: PTI Funky Town
Accessories: Raspberry Fizz Vintage Button, white cotton string, Raspberry Fizz Grosgrain, foam tape
Tools: Lighten Up dies, sewing machine

I used several sets on this card, the new ones being Sweet Spring and Background Basics: Medallions. If you're wondering how I got the holes around the tag, I found that if I used a slightly thinner cream cardstock for that particular die, the embossing dots will actually punch holes. On thicker cardstock, they emboss deeply, but don't necessarily cut through. So, two looks--fun! 

These are the Copic markers that I used on the card above.

Stamps: Sweet Spring, Background Basics: Text Style, Background Basics: Medallions, Love Lives Here (grass)
Cardstock: Autumn Rose, Vintage Cream, Kraft, and Neenah cream cardstock for just the tag
Ink: PTI Kraft, Memento Tuxedo Black, Chamomile Distress Cube, Versamark, Spring Moss
Accessories: Kraft Twill, Prisma Glitter, glue pen
Tools: Copic Markers, Spiral Notebook die, Tag Sale die #3

Finally, I have a gift card folder for a coffee card. I colored it with the Copic markers shown below and stamped the heart quartet in Raspberry Fizz ink. I wanted to make the hearts stamp out more, so I overstamped them in Versamark and added clear embossing powder. Unfortunately, that made the hearts turn more orange-y. I finally added glitter and rhinestones. THAT fixes orange-y hearts! ;-)

Okay, I looked for a Starbucks card to stick in here, but the only one that I could find in town here was a $25 one--I'll have to look for one next time I'm in an airport or a city!

These are the markers that I used on the coffee cup.

Stamps: Heart-to-Heart #1
Cardstock: Raspberry Fizz, Soft Stone, Stampers Select White
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Raspberry Fizz; Versamagic
Patterned Papers: Raspberry Fizz Collection
Accessories: pink rhinestones (Zva Creative), clear embossing powder
Tools: Fillable Frames #4 die, Gift Card Greetings die, Heart-to-Heart die #1, Double-Ended Banners die, Jar Labels Die #2

I hope you get a chance to see all of the Papertrey Ink design team's February release pieces! 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

Felt Flowers Tutorial

Welcome! I had used a felt flower on one of my posts last week, and someone had asked about how to make them. I had pinned some really sweet felt examples to one of my Pinterest boards HERE, but it took me a bit to figure out how to make some. (Mine aren't as varied and lovely as THESE from PetitCalla's Etsy shop--she's amazing, and you'll enjoy her site!) 

While there are plenty of ways to make felt flowers, I can show you how I made mine. Maybe that will jump-start your own thought processes.

Here I have used a Spellbinders S4-312 Blossom Three die template to cut SIX pieces for the blossom. One piece forms the base. Four pieces are folded in half, and then in half again (in quarters), and stitched shut at the point. The sixth piece, I folded in half, and then rolled and stitched so that I would have one more tightly rolled piece to form the center of the flower. Please note that you can use ANY circular shape--plain circle, scalloped circle, pinked circle--different circles for different looks. 

This is what it looks like after I stitch the four quarters in place on the base, and then the center rolled portion. You could also use hot glue if you don't like stitching. 

Here I've added a leaf using a die template from the Spellbinders Foliage set. I usually tuck the leaf between the base and one of the bottom quarter-pieces so that I still have a smooth base to attach to something.

The smallest flower here uses the Blossom Three die template, but the larger ones use a Scalloped Circle die template. The Pinking Circle die make a flower that looks more like a carnation.

Finally, a word about felt: most of my felt is from Papertrey Ink. It is a very good quality, tightly woven 100% wool felt. I have order wool felt online once since I wanted some colors that Papertrey Ink didn't carry yet, and it was a bit thinner and a bit more loosely woven. It still worked. However, I have not had good results with kraft-quality felt from my local big box store.( It tends not to cut cleanly.) So, the quality of your felt matters.

That's it for today. I'll have several Papertrey release pieces later on this week. Have a great week!

Happy Mother's Day: PTI Sketch 1

Welcome! Today I have a sketch card using one of the five sketches posted today on Nichole's blog. Although Valentines Day is nearer than Mother's Day, I thought I had enough Valentines cards made. After all, I have just one husband, and one son; and since we home school, I don't need to make thirty Valentines! I knew I would need Mother's Day cards in the next few weeks, however, and I have a lot of traveling to do between now and then. So, I'm ahead of the game now!

I printed out the pdf sheet and will probably use others in the future, but for today, I chose Sketch 1, shown below. I used a couple of stamp sets, Happy Day and its coordinating Happy Day die, and well as Tiny Tags and the coordinating Tiny Tags die.

I added a little gift box using a PTI small heart box, paper from an October Afternoon 8" x 8" Sidewalks pad, and a felt rose. (I'll try to get a stepped out picture of how to make the roses very soon!) Felt is PTI's Harvest Gold and Simply Chartreuse Wool Felt. 

Feeling sketchy? Check HERE for five great sketches to choose from, and play along for prizes!