Thinking Inking

Day Lily Bouquet

Welcome!  It was a beautiful day here again today, and my son and I finally got our bikes out of Winter storage, pumped up the tires, and took a bike ride late this afternoon. Our grass is just starting to turn green, and I saw some tiny leaf buds on our lilacs today. Here's hoping that we are finished with snow for a while! In the spirit of hoping for summer, I pulled out a stamp that I hadn't used yet--this lilies image from JustRite's Floral Vintage Labels Two set. 

I took pictures as I colored--hope that helps. :-) I used the Copic G40's for the lily greenery, and the YG00's for the leaves on the smaller flowers. That B34 was for some cast shadows on the leaves.

For the lilies, I used an assortment of Copic oranges, with the YG21 being used for the flower centers as well as the base of the two lily buds toward the top of the image.

 I colored the smaller flower a red-violet shade--mostly because I like pinks and oranges together. . .The YG00 was for the anthers on the lilies.

Here I added some blues to the background. Blue and orange are complementary colors, so small touches of blue make the oranges stand out more.

In addition to the Floral Vintage Labels Two stamp set, I also used the Antique Damask Background stamp, stamped in a Rouge Colorbox Chalk ink onto PTI's Orange Zest cardstock. I used several die template sets, including JustRite's Vintage Labels Two; and Spellbinders Ornate Squares, A-2 Matting Basics A, and Charmed I'm Sure. 

If you are looking for any floral stamps, all of  JustRite's floral stamps and dies are 20% off through May 12. Click HERE for more information on the Spring Fling Sale--just a little enabling. ;-)

I am headed to Boston on Thursday for a Copic Color and Ink Workshop--looking forward to meeting some of you there! We're a small group, so you can come join us if you'd like to play with ink for two full days. That's it for today--I hope you have a great week!

A Rose for my Friend

Welcome! I meant to clean off my desk tonight; but while I was cleaning I found a Waltzingmouse Stamps rose image that I had stamped on watercolor paper before I decided to go with my Copic markers for the blog hop last week. Of course, watercoloring is more fun than cleaning. . . Yes, my studio is still a mess, but at least I finished with this image from the WMS Roses in Bloom set! I used some Sakura Koi watercolors to color the image.  Next I used a Spellbinders Standard Circles Small die template to cut the rose out, masking with extra cardstock between the blade and  the leaves that stuck outside the border. I also used Charmed I'm Sure for the tag shape, A2 Bracket Borders for the border shape, and the Quilted Delight M-Bossability for background texture on my PTI Hibiscus Burst cardstock. That's it for today--hope you're having a great week!

Happy Birthday with Ice Cream on Top

Welcome! It's been another wild week here. Between some outside projects, some new release work, and life in a construction zone, my studio time has been shrinking lately. . . But that's life, and we ALL deal with it, right? My dining room floor is down--still needs stain and polyurethane--but it looks great! My kitchen and breakfast room are next on the schedule to be taken apart, so I spent time today trying to clear a few things out so that my husband would have room to work in there. I'm buckling in and expecting this to be a long ride, but won't it be nice when it's done? :-}

So, on to today's little birthday card! I started with Papertrey Ink's Sketched Shapes set and its coordinating Sketched Shapes die, combined with some pretty birthday papers from Carta Bella's Cool Summer 6" x 6" pad.

For the inside I used Stylish Sentiments: Birthday, taking my color cues from the patterned paper (Raspberry Fizz, Dark Chocolate, and Hawaiian Shores inks, in case you were wondering). 

I dyed a length of seam binding with Copic reinkers to coordinate with my Raspberry Fizz ink. That little circular cut came about because I love little flags that jut past the outside edge of the card front, BUT I hate to have to try to mail a card like that. I don't want a bent flag. :-) By using a die or punch to remove a chunk of the card front, I can still have a flag extending past the edge visually, but not past the edge of an envelope. Sneaky, eh? Well, that's it for today. I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

A Bright Hello

Welcome! I had a great weekend in Richmond with a wonderful group of Copic fans. {{Waving to my Richmond friends!}} It seems like it takes longer these days to get back into "normal mode" after a trip lately, hence the length of time since my last post. :-) Today's card is a bright and happy one made with Papertrey Ink's Happiness in Bloom set, with a sentiment from Mega Mixed Messages. 

Inks that I used were PTI's Limeade Ice, Orange Zest, Autumn Rose, and True Black. I also used some AMuse Studio Bubblegum ink for the lighter pink. I used three Copic markers: BG0000, T1, and the ) Colorless BLneder to soften that sky around the flowers. (The T1 was used to add shadows to some of the blossoms and leaves that I had stamped directly onto the cardstock panel. ) I used several Papertrey Ink dies, including Beautiful Blooms II #1 die collection (currently out of stock), Tiny Tags Die, and the Aida Impression Plate. I used a circle punch to cut slots for my Orange Zest Vintage Buttons to fit into, and also used Hibiscus Burst Grosgrain (PTI). It's bright and happy for sure--should be a fun one to give! Thank you for visting today.

Waltzingmouse Stamps Flower Show 2013

Today I'm delighted to be blog-hopping with Waltzingmouse Stamps in their 2013 Flower Show! If you are following the hop order, you have arrived here from Taheerah Atchia's blog; and you will be going from here to Meredith MacRitchie's blog. You can find a complete list of all participants at Claire's blog.

For my floral set, I chose the WMS Roses in Bloom set. I loved the big, beautiful rose bloom and knew that it would be fun to color! My card is larger than I normally make at 5" x 7". I could have used a standard 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" card base if I had turned the base horizontally, but I liked it better this way.

These are the Copic markers that I used on the floral image. (Click to see them larger.)

The Spellbinders die template that I used under the floral image is from the 5" x 7" Detailed Scallops set. Patterned paper is by K & Company; it was an older pad, and I don't have the cover for it any more. I dyed oatmeal seam binding to coordinate with my flower using Copic 0 and RV63 Various Inks/reinkers. Glitter in the flower center is a Martha Stewart glitter color, Fire Opal; and heart stick pins are by Maya Road.

Now, for the part you've been waiting for: Waltzingmouse Stamps is offering a fabulous prize in conjunction with this blog hop. To enter, you will be CASE-ing one of the floral cards from today's blog hop and posting it to the link list on Claire's blog on April 23. Be sure to see Claire's blog  for all of the details, okay?

Once again, if you are following the hop order, you have arrived here from Taheerah Atchia's blog; and you will be going from here to Meredith MacRitchie's blog. You can find a complete list of all participants at Claire's blog. Thank you for visiting today!

Papertrey Ink April 2013 Release in Review

Welcome! Today I have a few cards to share from Papertrey Ink's April 2013 release. The stamp sets used here will be available tonight at 10pm, EST, at Papertrey Ink.  Several of this month's sets are geared toward masculine cards or scrapbook pages. If you're anything like me, guy cards are more of a challenge than, for instance, floral cards; so I'm always happy to have some new masculine sets!

My first card (above) has a baseball theme. Loving that big ticket look! I added a couple of lines of curved stitching because it reminded me of the stitching on a baseball. All supply lists are included. 

Best Day Ever!

Stamps: Big Ticket Basics, 7th Inning Stretch
Ink: Pure Poppy, Spring Rain, Enchanted Evening; Chamomile Distress Cube
Cardstock: Blueberry Sky, Rustic White
Patterned Paper: Enchanted Evening Collection
Tools: Big Ticket die, sewing machine

Love You, Dad

Stamps: Boutique Basics: Father
Cardstock: Enchanted Evening, Vintage Cream
Ink: Smokey Shadow, Enchanted Evening; Chamomile Distress Cube
Patterned Paper: Postmarks Patterned Paper (PTI)
Accessories: Fine Linen Grosgrain Ribbon, brads
Tools: Boutique Basics: Father die

You knew I couldn't stay away from floral cards, didn't you? Some of the blooms from the Happiness in Bloom set fit the Beautiful Blooms II #1 die set, in case you have those in your stash already. (I cut the leaves by hand.)

Birthday Blooms

Stamps: Happiness In Bloom
Cardstock: Clear cardstock, True Black, Berry Sorbet, Limeade Ice
Ink: True Black, Simply Chartreuse, Harvest Gold, Summer Sunrise; Clearsnap Rouge Chalk Ink (because I was stamping on Harvest Gold cardstock and needed a more opaque ink to look like Berry Sorbet would have on white cardstock)
Patterned Paper: Beautiful Beads Pink and Orange 4" x 6" pad
Accessories: Prisma Glitter, Glue Pen, foam tape
Tools: Beautiful Blooms II #1 die

Granted, this one is a little out of my comfort zone, but Maille's sets inspire me to try CAS designs, you know? (The only thing I can't admit is how long it takes me to create a clean and simple card. . .)

Hello, My Friend

Stamps: Sketched Shapes
Cardstock: Stampers Select White
Ink: Ocean Tides, Blueberry Sky, Spring Rain, Winter Wisteria, True Black
Tools: Spellbinders Standard Circles Die, corner rounder punch

If you would like to see some gorgeous projects with the Papertrey Ink April 2013 release sets, be sure to browse the following blogs! As a reminder, since the sets used in this post are from the April release, they will be available tonight at 10pm, EST, at Papertrey Ink. Thanks for visiting!

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

From Me to You

Welcome! My last posted card was a birthday card for a little girl. I started thinking about how big sister (almost 5) was going to feel if she didn't get a card too and figured I'd better make another little girl card! (Hey, any excuse for sweetness and pink, right?) As I was re-shelving some of the stamp sets that were stacked in my studio, I saw this little Papertrey Ink Heart-2-Heart #5 mini stamp set and knew that it would be perfect with some new Carta Bella Cool Summer paper that I had recently received.  The sentiment is from the Flower Fusion #6 mini stamp set.

I took my ink color cues from the cloud paper and used Hibiscus Burst, Simply Chartreuse, and Harvest Gold for my banners, as well as Dark Chocolate for my banner cord.  for the little bows, I used a Copic E49 to color some cotton crochet thread to coordinate with the stamped banner cord. I used two PTI die sets, Spiral Notebook Page die and the Chevron Stripes Border die collection. A bit of glitter, buttons, and stitching, and I have my big sister card ready to go too. :-)  Thank you for visiting today!

Just a Quick Note!

What? A blog post with no pictures? Sorry about that! I'm in the library with my son right now, but I wanted to let you know that I've updated my Copic Certification Page for classes that are currently open.

Are you in the Indianapolis area? Lori Craig has both a Copic Standard and an Intermediate Certification there TOMORROW and Saturday. There is still some room left if you'd like to go!  Sherrie Siemens is headed for Toronto right now--also a Friday and Saturday Standard and Intermediate, if you can make that.

My next teaching trip is next weekend to Glen Allen, Virginia (near Richmond), but both classes are FULL. I hope to meet some of you there!

Other cities with posted Copic Certification classes include: Greenville, SC; Lyndhurst, NJ; Hanover, MD; Salt Lake City; and Columbus, OH.

Are you looking for a Copic Color and Ink Workshop? Currently open cities for the Workshop include Boston, Calgary, and Toronto. 

Interested in knowing more about these classes? Click on the highlighted class below for a link to that class page.

Standard Certification

Intermediate Certification

Color and Ink Workshop

Thanks for visiting!

Birthday Wishes to You

Welcome! I've been playing blog hookie for the past few days so that I could get some work done, but tonight I had a chance to get a card made for a sweet little girl. I pulled out my Papertrey Ink Fancy Folk Art stamp set, along with Stylish Sentiments: Birthday for the inside sentiment. 

I thought that the Stylish Sentiments set worked well with the Fancy Folk Art set, even though the fonts aren't the same. They are both playfully mixed and have the same graphic feel to them.

These are the Copic markers that I used to color the folk art image--pinks and greens to coordinate with papers from my Carta Bella True Friends 6" x 6" pad.

I used several Spellbinders die template sets to frame my images, including Resplendent Rectangles for the bottom rectangular sentiment tag (except for the little green banner, which I hand-trimmed), Stately Circles for the lacey bottom mat, and both Standard Circles Large and Standard Circles Small for the focal image and its pink mat layer. Besides hand-trimming the little green sentiment banner, I also hand-trimmed the bottom of the flower image so that I could tuck it around the sentiment rather than just overlapping them or butting them against one another. 

I think that my little birthday girl will like her pink, glittery card. :-)  Thank you for visiting today!

Secret Garden Thank You

Welcome! Today is the final day for JustRite's April release week. I chose the Secret Garden Background Stamp, paired with the Botanical Swirls Labels set. My card size is 4-5/8" x 6-5/8". 

I used my Metallic Gelatos  (Violet, Blue, and Teal) to "ink" the Secret Garden Background stamp, first misting the stamp lightly with water, and then scribbling the Gelatos directly onto the rubber. I misted lightly again before stamping onto cream cardstock. As a reminder, the Faber Castell Gelatos are all 20% off on JustRite's site through April 9. I've already ordered, so soon I'll have more than four colors to play with. ;-)

I used several Spellbinders die templates, including Botanical Swirls and Accents, 5" x 7" Detailed Scallops, 5" x 7" Matting Basics A, and Framed Tags One for that sentiment in the center. So, are you ready to see more of the JustRite Secret Garden and Damask Wallpaper Background projects? Then you'll want to see the following blogs for some fun projects! Thanks for stopping by today.

JustRite Papercraft
Becca Feeken 
Debbie Olson (here)
Heidi Blankenship
Eva Dobilas
Margie Higuchi
Marisa Job
Angela Barkhouse
Darsie Bruno
Kathy Jones
Sheri Holt
Barb Schram

Related articles

Vintage Banners Thank You

True Friendship

Vintage Banners Thank You

Welcome! Today I'm back with another of the April JustRite Papercraft releases,Vintage Banners, shown fully below. I also used a new background stamp, Damask Wallpaper Background Stamp. (More on background stamps tomorrow.)

Since I needed some thank you notes, I chose the thank you sentiment above that coordinates with one of the Vintage Label and Banner dies. 

After stamping the Damask Wallpaper image on Rustic White cardstock, I heat-embossed the image with clear embossing powder. Next I chose some Faber-Castell Metallic Gelatos for the background colors: Violet, Blue, and Teal. I spritzed the embossed cardstock with water, then scribbled the Gelatos on randomly before using my fingers to smear and blend them--fun! The decorative accents are cut with a Spellbinders Marvelous Squares die template. I glued two thicknesses together, then sponged with some distress ink and added glitter to them. They reminded me of the damask shapes.

By the way, All Gelatos and background stamps are 20% off on the JustRite site until April 9. Just a little enabling there. . .  I already ordered! ;-)  

Would you like to see more Vintage Banners projects? Then be sure to check these blogs! Thank you for visiting.

JustRite Papercraft
Debbie Olson (here)
Darsie Bruno
Michele Kovack
Eva Dobilas
Sheri Holt
Kathy Jones
Marisa Job
Heidi Blankenship
Angela Barkhouse
Barb Schram

True Friendship

Welcome! It's day two of JustRite's April release, featuring the True Friends Vintage Labels Four stamp set and its companion die set, the Vintage Labels Four dies.

Besides having pretty flowers to color, I like that the open oval center allows me to put a variety of sentiments from other stamp sets in it as well as the ones that come with the set.

These are the Copic markers that I used to color the frame image. I used both reds and red-violets because I was trying to coordinate with the pink ink that I had used for the background, and mixing the two reds was just the ticket. The image is stamped in Tsukineko's Memento Desert Sand ink. (Click to see a larger picture.)

In addition to the True Friends Vintage Labels Four stamp set, I also used JustRite's Heart Scroll background stamp, and Spellbinders Splendid Circles die template. I dyed natural rayon seam binding with Copic R20, RV00, and a splash of 0 reinkers; and the self adhesive pearls are from Zva Creative.

Would you like to see more projects using the True Friends Labels Four set? Then be sure to see the following blogs! Thank you for visiting.

Link List:

JustRite Papercraft
Eva Dobilas
Sharon Harnist
Marisa Job
Darsie Bruno
Angela Barkhouse
Debbie Olson
Michele Kovack
Heidi Blankenship
Kazan Clark
Kathy Jones
 Sheri Holt