Thinking Inking

YeeHaw Cowboy Birthday

Welcome--or should I say "howdy" today instead? The stamped focal image on today's card is Cowboy at Heart from MFT Stamps, and he's a fresh-faced cutie! 

These are the Copic markers that I used to color the image--yes, that many. . . I was trying to coordinate his pants with the polka dot patterned paper, and while my BG teens were too intense, my BG 70's were too blue and muted. I ended up base coating with the BG teens, and then adding warm gray to mute them, as well as B20's in the shadow areas. (I'm still away from home and have a limited number of markers with me.) I used a bit of colorless blender on the knees of his pants to fade them.

Papers are from Cosmo Cricket's Wanted Mini Deck. (It's an older one, release din 2010, I think, but when I Googled, it was still available in some places.) I used several Spellbinders die templates on this card, including Charmed I'm Sure for the sentiment tag, A-2 Bracket Borders One for that decorative insert piece (love its stitched look!), and 5" x 7" Matting Basics B for the focal image. A bit of sanding, distress-inking, and stitching, and that was it--one birthday boy card finished! That's it for today--thanks for visiting. :-}

A Beautiful Birthday

Welcome! Today I have a birthday card to share using JustRite's Enjoy the Day Vintage Labels Four and its coordinating Vintage Labels Four dies for the sentiment and stamped frame, along with French Roses Background stamped in a pale pink ink inside the sentiment oval. I used a Copic R83 to color parts of the pink frames.

For the cream die cut background, I used a Spellbinders Radiant Rectangles die template set--isn't that a pretty set? I mounted the die-cut front onto a card base that was about 1/16" smaller all around than my die cut front. Pink self adhesive rhinestones are from Zva Creative, and seam binding is Hug Snug brand. Okay, that's it for today--have a great day!

Poppies

Welcome! My son and I are enjoying the relative warmth of South Carolina while it snows at home in Upper Michigan. I finished a few projects before I left so that I'd be able to post from here. Today's card is made with a couple of JustRite stamp sets, Poppies Labels Twenty Nine, and French Roses Background Stamp. I stamped the poppies image in Memento Tuxedo black ink on some Flourishes cream cardstock and colored them with the Copic markers shown below. The rose background is stamped in PTI's Scarlet Jewel ink on Pure Poppy cardstock. 

These are the Copic markers that I used to color the poppies image. I took a couple of pictures as I went below, in case that helps.

For the greenery I used YG61, YG63, and YG67.

In addition to the R22, R24, and R29 that I used on the poppy blossoms, I later used a W4 and a W7 in the poppy centers to deepen them, and a B000 and colorless blender to add some sky tint after I took the picture above. You can see it in the picture below.

I used several Spellbinders die templates, including Grand Ovals, Grand Decorative Ovals One, and a small tag from Charmed I'm Sure. Card size is 4-1/4" x 5-1/2", fitting a normal A-2 envelope. That's it for today--have a fabulous weekend, and thanks for visiting!

Pinwheel Bear

Welcome! My son and I are headed down to South Carolina today for a visit with my parents, so I'm airport-blogging again. I had colored this Fred Bear image from MFT Stamps while I was at CHA, and I finally got it put together into a card late last night, only to find out that it is a retired image. . . Sorry about that! He's still cute, so I'm posting him anyway. :-} I don't have access to my marker colors right now, but the browns are probably mostly Copic E30's plus E49, and the pinwheel colors were just random colors that I thought would work with the flowers in the brown patterned paper, which is  a Fabulous 6' x 6" pad from Simple Stories. (Yes, the name of the pad is "Fabulous.") I've been on a pink and orange kick lately, and this was a vintage look to pink and orange instead of a modern look--fun!

I used several Spellbinders die templates, including A-2 Curved Matting Basics B, Address Book, and Classic Edges One Edgeabilities. I added some Ranger Glossy accents to the pinwheel and to the bear's nose to make them shine. That felt grass was cut by hand since I needed some place for the bear to stand. (Okay, I drew in grass first, but it looked dorky; so I trimmed him closely and added the felt grass instead. :-}) Well, it's almost time for the next leg of our flight, so I'll call this a wrap. Thanks for visiting today!

Floral Peace

Welcome! I finished up another card to share, this one made from Papertrey Ink's new Cutting Garden stamp set and its coordinating dies. I had made several clean and simple cards for the February release, so I figured it was about time for a vintage card, right? Other stamp sets that I used here were Background Basics: Sheet Music, and Tiny Tags 2, along with the Tiny Tags die.

I stamped the blooms in Berry Sorbet ink with Pure Poppy rolled around the edges, then misted both the stamp and the cardstock after stamping the images. It got so wet that you couldn't really see the flower, so I used a heat tool to dry the blurry blossom, then stamped one more non-misted blossom on top to redefine the petals. Behind the die-cut blossoms and leaves, I left my really wet, blurry versions, liking the contrast of the background softness with the foreground sharpness.

The heart tag is stamped in Berry Sorbet and Sweet Blush inks, then pinned on with a Tim Holtz mini pin onto Copic-dyed seam binding. I used the French Doily die to cut a doily for the background, and did a bit of stitching to frame my image. That's it for today's card--thanks for visiting!

Papertrey Ink February 2013 Release in Review

Welcome! Today I have several cards to share with you from Papertrey Ink's February 2013 release,  which will be available tonight at 10pm, EST, at Papertrey Ink. 

First up is a clean and simple number--not my usual style, but I really liked how this one turned out. I used Maile's Watercolor Wonder "swoosh, pairing Hibiscus Burst, Orange Zest, and Simply Chartreuse. I stamped a sentiment from Mini Blooms in True Black, and then die cut and stamped several flowers and leaves from Mini Blooms to embellish the front. The button is a Simply Chartreuse Vintage Button from PTI.

Okay, isn't this bunny the cutest? He's from Melissa's Polka Dot Parade #1. I paired him with some Sweet Blush Gingham and stamped him on a Tag Sale #3 die cut. Ink colors are Soft Stone, Hibiscus Burst, and Simply Chartreuse. The grass stamp is from the Love Lives Here set. It's my go-to grass. :-) I used some Liquid Applique for his tail. This card is 3-1/2" x 5"--a little smaller than usual.

I'm still on a pink and orange kick, as you can see with this Wonderful Words: Hello card! I'm feeling the love for Heather's new  series. Patterned papers are from an October Afternoon Woodland Park 8" x 8" pad--love that playful-but-vintage feel that it has. I used PTI's Spiral Notebook Page die, as well as a heart from Heart-2-Heart #11.  I used Raspberry Fizz and Orange Zest ink on the card. That little orange flower is from PTI's new Boutique products--it was a perfect fit!

Next is Dawn's Boutique Borders: Mother set. I loved its little frame--elegant and a great size for sentiments too. I paired it with some (I think) Basic Grey paper from a 6" x 6" pad that I just gave the rest of away--unfortunately before writing down the name of the pad. I'm sorry! I used one of the Half and Half dies for the red strip on the front. The inside of this card is shown below.

For the inside I used a sentiment from Boutique Borders: Mother, along with the rose image from Year of Flowers Collection. Inks are Limeade Ice and Berry Sorbet. 

Finally, I have a card from Melissa's My Friend, My Mother set--another clean and simple card.  I used Royal Velvet, Winter Wisteria, Ripe Avocado, and Simply Chartreuse inks.

I'm working on a few more cards from this release, so I'll be posting more over the next few days. Can't wait to play with Nichole and Erin's Boutique Accessories! I'm headed to South Carolina to visit my parents in a few days, and I'm cutting out felt to take with me and make barrettes while I'm there. Well, that's it for today. If you would like to see some gorgeous projects with the Papertrey Ink February 2013 release projects, be sure to browse the following blogs! As a reminder, since the sets used in this post are from the February release, they will be available tonight at 10pm, EST, at Papertrey Ink.

Nichole Heady

Ashley Cannon Newell

Betsy Veldman

Cristina Kowalczyk

Danielle Flanders

Dawn McVey

Debbie Olson (here)

Erin Lincoln

Heather Nichols

Jessica Witty

Maile Belles

Melissa Phillips

My New Die Storage Solution!

I've been in a cleaning and sorting mode lately--not because I really wanted to be, but because the stacks of *STUFF* in my studio were sapping every ounce of creativity and making me want to go read a book instead of working. Have you ever been there? One of the areas that was really getting out of control was the sheer number of dies that I have. Let's see. . . about twelve years of this hobby, with at least eight of that being a job, and I can tell you that it all starts to add up! See the drawer above? That is after I took about ten die template sets out. I have several drawers this full of dies--some current, some retired, some not even labeled with the actual name of the die set. I know, I know--BAD me. Gulp. . .

The morning that we headed to the airport from CHA, my sweet friend Taylor (Taylored Expressions) handed me a three-pack of her new Magnetic Binder Box Inserts to try when I got home. Oh. My. Goodness--I loved them! I promptly ordered a number of them that I can't won't admit to, and that probably won't be enough. Oh yeah--they have really helped with my die storage issues.

Now I had tried a couple of solutions in the past; one was ordering magnetic sheets and then making them into a spiral bound book. Unfortunately, I didn't take time to BACK the self-adhesive magnetic sheets with a really thick piece of chipboard, so the pages bend much too easily when I turn pages, and the dies then pop off. Yes, I can still go back and add chipboard to make my homemade spiral magnetic book be more usable, but it definitely wasn't the best solution for me. (My binder punch wouldn't handle the thickness of the magnetic sheet plus a thick piece of chipboard.)

These are Taylor's Magnetic Binder Box Inserts. Pretty sweet, hey? I can use Taylor's Magnetic Binder Box Inserts with ANY of the thin dies that I typically use, and at 5-1/2" x 8-1/2", each sheet hold several dies!  And these pages are stiff enough that I haven't had a problem with the dies popping off.

Now Taylor also has the Binder Boxes that will hold several sheets of dies. I have so many dies though. . . Don't even ask how many, because I don't know. I think I have maybe a third of them on sheets now. Anyway, that's the reason that I am currently storing my Magnetic Binder Box Inserts in an Iris container instead of in binder boxes. I pull out the entire sheet when I am using a die that lives on that sheet, and I don't put the sheet back in the box until all of the dies are back on it. I can flip through them, Roladex style too. I like it. A lot.

Disclaimer: Just in case you are wondering, this was a totally unsolicited post. Taylor gave me my first pack, but I have purchased many, many packs since then. I'm a happy customer. :-} Evidently I'm not the only happy one--you can see that from THIS Splitcoaststampers product focus that recently came out. And unlike me, it tells you about using the backs of the sheets too. Hey, I'll be happy if I can just organize the FRONTS! Thanks for visiting.

Circle of Love Birthday Wishes

Welcome! I was a busy bee today--finished four projects. :-) A couple of them need to wait until February 15, but I have a couple that can be shared before then, including this floral birthday card made with one of JustRite's CHA releases, Circle of Love Vintage Labels Three. For the background I used the Floral Flourishes Background Stamp, stamped on Kraft cardstock with Colorbox Rouge Chalk ink.

These are the Copic markers that I used to color the flower image. (Click to see them larger.) The BV23 was used for shadows.

I used several dies on this card: first, JustRite's Vintage Labels Three for the frame piece around the floral image, and Spellbinders Standard Circles Large for the inside cut on the frame. I used a Classic Squares Small die template to cut the Hibiscus Burst cardstock for the mat around the focal image, and Charmed I'm Sure for the "Birthday Wishes" tag.  A little distress ink here and there, a doily, and some quick stitching, and it was finished--one more birthday card for the stash! That's it for today. Thanks for visiting!

Papertrey Ink Sketch Challenge

Welcome! Today I have a couple of cards for you, both using the same sketch since I couldn't stop once I started playing with it. :-) You will find five fabulous sketches posted on Nichole's blog today, along with details on how to enter for a $60 PTI gift certificate. Better check it out! I chose Sketch #3 because I loved the multiple angles, and I knew that I had plenty of patterned paper to make pretty layers with! (Still working on that stash. . .)

For the sentiment, I used Tremendous Treats: Valentine, heat embossed in white embossing powder. The paper is Carta Bella's 6" x 6" pad from the True Friends Collection, paired with PTI's Hibiscus Burst and Stampers Select White cardstock. Buttons are all PTI Vintage Buttons as well. This card is for two sweet little sisters!

I liked this sketch so much that I wanted to crank out a masculine birthday card too.I flipped the direction of the angle because I wanted to use the Simple Sentiments Stamp Set set for a clean look. These papers were at the back of my stash (My Mind's Eye Lost and Found Sunshine 6" x 6" pad), and they looked like they would be perfect for a masculine card. I found some brads in my accessory drawer that weren't too frilly to go on a "guy card"--and now I have one ready for the stash! Now I need time to play with some of the other sketches, because they really are great ones. Thanks for visiting today, and be sure to visit Nichole's blog for links to the other DT participants, as well as details on today's giveaway!

Boutique Bargains and Papertrey Ink

Welcome! Today I have a sweet little stamped gift bag to share. More importantly, you may want to check Nichole's Boutique Bargains blog post for information on how to win a $60 gift certificate from Papertrey Ink today!

When we received this month's Papertrey Ink box, there were some fun bits and pieces that I'd never seen at PTI before, one of which was this little bag! I've been experimenting with using my Copic markers on cloth, and this seemed like a perfect place to try a Copic/stamping project. I stamped the focal image with the Stitches and Swirls stamp set, using Graphite Black Brilliance ink, heat-set with an iron. By the way, Tsukineko's Versacraft ink is perfect for stamping on cloth, but mine is packed away somewhere. . .

These are the Copic markers that I used to color the cloth bag. I have a couple of hints for you for coloring on a cloth surface. First, use an appropriate ink and heat set it. (Brilliance or Versacraft for me). Second, do NOT saturate the cloth like you would cardstock. The ink will wick right past the stamped line if you get too much ink on cloth. Use a light touch and flick the ink on. I like to keep my iron out so that if I see the ink starting to spread, I can quickly iron the cloth to dry the alcohol right up and stop the wicking action. Third, I often start in the center of the shape and work my way outward, waiting to see how quickly the ink will wick so that I don't get too much ink on there. Practice on a scrap of cloth first, and you'll get the hang of it pretty quickly. Using the colorless blender on cloth is NOT usually a good idea, especially if you are trying to fix a mistake. Edited to add: Be sure to put a piece of cardstock INSIDE The bag to absorb extra ink as you work, or you will have ink bleeding through the back side of the bag. I hope these hints help you!

The sentiment that I used here is from Year of Flowers: Sweet Peas, and that little bee is from Friendship Jar Summer Fillers. For the tag I used a Tremendous Tags die, along with a sentiment from Mega Mixed Messages. I used some Prisma glitter in the flower centers as well as on the bee wings.

Several of the other girls have posted a Boutique Bargains project as well, so be sure to check Nichole's blog for a link list and details on more of the anniversary celebration giveaways. Thanks for visiting!

Flower Favorites

Welcome! In celebration of Papertrey Ink's Sixth Anniversary Celebration this month, several of us using some new Year of Flowers dies with our favorite Year of Flowers set. As you see, mine is Year of Flowers: Sweet Peas. I don't know how many times I've colored this particular image since it came out! Sweet peas are such an old fashioned, delightful flower, and I love their curvy lines and delicate tendrils. Not having to "fussy cut" because of new coordinating dies definitely saves some time. I thought I would take a couple of pictures as I colored with my Copic markers just in case that will help anyone.

Here I have colored the leaves and stems using the Copic markers pictured above--the greens as the main colors, and the BV01 as shadows on the leaves.

Okay, I like pink. . . But you knew that, right? Again, the RV's are for the blossoms, and the BV's for the shadows on the blossoms. I used the colorless blender minimally to lighten a couple of areas for added contrast at the end.

I used the Parisian Lace Doily die, as well as a Tiny Tags die on the card front. The card base is clear, and  the patterned papers are from the Sweet Blush Pattern Pack. I'm sure that several of the other girls have posted their favorite Year of Flowers image as well, so be sure to check Nichole's blog for a link list and details on more of the anniversary celebration giveaways. Thanks for visiting!

Thank You for All You Do

Welcome! I was happily playing with new papers, stamps, and dies for the past few days, and I wanted to share this thank you card with you. I started with a newly released (January 2013) JustRite set, For All You Do Vintage Labels Three, pairing it with the Vintage Labels Three companion die. Then I went on an Easter egg hunt for other dies in my stash that might work well with Vintage Labels Three.

I have recently been trying to organize my die collection since it is threatening to swallow my work space alive. . . Yes, I know that it's a good problem to have, but I've been spending far too long looking for dies that I think I have, or using the same ones over and over because they are on the top of the stack. (I hope that you aren't like this too!) Anyway, my new die organization is a post for another day, as soon as I get most of the current ones in place. :-}

Back to the card! To frame the JRS Vintage Labels Three die cut, I used a couple of Spellbinders die templates from Decorative Labels Twenty Two--one to cut, and the second  (inner one) only to emboss. For the card front I used the 5" x 7" Detailed Scallops die, and cut the inside patterned paper layer with a 5" x 7" Matting Basics A die template. That pretty paper is from a new Carta Bella 6" x 6" pad from the True Friends Collection, and it makes me happy! After I got my big pink silk ribbon tied, the left side seemed to need a bit more attention to offset that huge bow, so I used a button as a flower and trimmed it with leaves cut from True Friends paper with a Foliage Two die template. Whew--that's a lot of babbling for a fairly simple card. I hope you're having a great week--thanks for visiting!