Thinking Inking

Time to Celebrate!

Welcome, and Happy [almost] Labor Day! Today I have a birthday card to share. I was told to check out the digital images at the A Day for Daisies site--oh, my! There were some really fun images there, so I left with a couple in my shopping cart. This one is called Curvy Balloons. I printed it out on X-Press It Blending card with my inkjet. (Not all inkjets inks are Copic-compatible, but mine works pretty well, so far. Printed ink is tested the same way that stamped ink is tested, in case you're wondering.)

Shown above are the Copic markers that I used to color the image. Spellbinders dies that I used were some of my standbys, A-2 Matting Basics A for the Berry Sorbet background, and 5 x 7 Matting Basics A to die-cut and emboss the focal image. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Banner Sentiments stamp set; I liked that the fonts were elegant but still fun like the focal image. I'm sure that this won't be the last you see of A Day for Daisies images on my blog--I loved this one!

Thanks for visiting today,

Thinking of You Mum

Welcome! I've been a little busy here lately with life, but finally had a chance to get downstairs to work last night. How about a floral card today? I stamped and colored this  chrysanthemum from my Papertrey Ink Year of Flowers: Mums stamp set. The sentiment is from the Keep It Simple Mini Thinking of You stamp set.

I had put my card together already before I remembered that I usually take a picture of the image for a Copic Color Map--oops. . . The Copic Sketch markers that I used on the blossom were: R20, R22, and R24, with some BV00, BV01, and BV04 for cast shadows. For the leaves, I used YG61, YG63, and YG67, along with BV02 and BV04 for cast shadows. 

I used a Spellbinders Elegant Ovals die template to cut my oval, then left it in place while I airbrushed with a Copic B02 marker and Copic Airbrush System for the background. Ribbon is seam binding dyed with a Copic R21 and Colorless blender. The "stitching" around the perimeter of the Sweet Blush cardstock background is embossed with a Spellbinders Stitched Rectangles die.

Well, that's it for tonight. I'm hoping that it won't be that long before I get back downstairs to work this week. Thanks for visiting!

Little Dreamer Notecards

Welcome! I have different kind of card project to share with you today. A couple of weeks ago, a sweet friend from childhood mentioned that she would like to have some notecards featuring a photo taken by my sister of my little dreamer-dancer niece. I've made a set of eight, but I thought that five would probably be enough to give you the idea. ;-)

After editing the photo and adding a watercolor filter to it, I printed off photos with my  Canon Selphy printer, two to a 4" x 6" print. I had some beautiful Spellbinders Celebra'tions embossing folders that I thought I would use for backgrounds, not wanting anything really busy that would detract from the photo. The card standing up uses the Doily Art folder. Other folders that I used were the Fabric Weave folder (looks like crumpled paper--really cool!); the Framed Canvas folder (dainty and sweet); and the Rosette Wall folder (which would work great for framing a small, round sentiment). On a couple of the embossed fronts I also used a Pierced Rectangles die template for a stitched frame effect.

The tags use sentiments from my Papertrey Ink Tiny Tags stamp sets, cut with a couple of Spellbinders Back to Basics tags die templates. Ribbon is white seam binding, and cardstock colors are Papertrey Stampers Select White, Hibiscus Burst, Raspberry Fizz, and Smokey Shadow. 

So, it;s a simple project, but it's just what my friend wants, I think! Thanks for visiting today,

How about a Birthday Cake?

Welcome! Is the end of Summer crazy for you too? Besides the normal things, I've been on a cleaning and organizing streak. My studio was getting too disorganized to work in. Clutter saps my creativity--makes me want to just go back upstairs and read a book. But after several days of sorting, culling, labeling, and and reworking my storage, I'm starting to see the light. . . and the countertops. Yay! 

Tonight I wanted to share a birthday card that I made with the To You stamp set by Fun Stampers Journey. (Sorry, but I can't direct link to FSJ stamp sets yet; the set has three great, whimsical birthday cake images, but if you want to see it, you'll have to search the online catalog.) 

These are the Copic markers that I used to color the image. (As always, feel free to pin the image if it's helpful.) I added some ultrafine glitter to the candle's flame and Glossy Accents to the little green cake decoration-balls.

I used three Spellbinders die template sets on the card, A-2 Matting Basics A and B, and Back to Basics Tags. The little Happy Birthday sentiment is from a different FSJ stamp set, Gifted Wings. Patterned paper is from the Echo Park Summer Bliss 6 x 6 pad--love those happy colors! I dyed white seam binding with my Copic reinkers, using a few drops of colorless blender to dampen the seam binding first.

That's it for tonight's card--I hope you're having a great week!

Birthdays, Like Shooting Stars. . .

Welcome! Today I needed a belated birthday card for a sweet friend whom I keep missing lately (hence the need for a belated card). When I saw this Shooting Stars stamp set by Taylored Expressions, I knew that it would be perfect for my friend.

These are the Copic markers that I used on the image. The sky and grass are airbrushed with my Copic Airbrush System. (Click to see a larger image.)

To frame the image, I used a Spellbinders Classic Ovals Large die template and an A-2 Matting Basics B. I stamped the sheep and star images twice, then cut out the star and sheep's body to mount with foam tape--much simpler than masking. It still needed something, so I used my Copic Colorless Blender to push stars into the night sky.

I'll miss my birthday friend again tomorrow--guess this will have to go to her husband to deliver! Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend,

Birthday Ink Splats

Welcome! I'm popping in with a bright, youthful birthday card this afternoon--perfect for a teen or anyone else who's young at heart. I started with some glossy cardstock and four Copic Various Inks (reinkers): YG03, YG17, BG02, and BG24. I dripped a drop of ink onto the glossy cardstock and then sprayed it immediately with my air compressor grip (with no marker in it). You can do the same thing with a small cocktail-sized straw, but your splats might have fewer little radiating lines. Just keep adding and blowing ink drops around until you are satisfied--easy!

I used my Papertrey Ink Text Block: Birthday die to cut the front sentiment panel, three die-cuts glued together for depth. I've gotten my money's worth out of this die, for sure! Matting cardstock is PTI Tropical Teal, and card base is Stampers Select White. 

That's it for today--thanks for visiting,

 

Teacup Bouquet

I just got back from a Chicago Copic Color and Ink Workshop weekend late last night; it was great to see my Chicago Copic friends again! I'm headed to Milwaukee on August 23 and hope to see more of you there.

Today's card is made with a beautiful Taylored Expressions stamp set, Teacup Bouquet. I love this image; it makes me think of my great Grandma, for some reason, and I wanted this little stamp set from the first time I saw it.

Shown above are the Copic markers that I used. (Click on any image for a larger version, as always.) I decided to keep the card very simple, not wanting to have any busy patterned papers to compete with my simply colored image; so I looked through my Spellbinders dies until I ran across an old favorite, Labels One, which I paired with some dies that I don't think I have used before, Scalloped Labels One (purple mat), and Majestic Labels One (card base). Dark purple cardstock is is PTI's Royal Velvet, and the image is colored on Copic's X-Press it Blending Card. I tried to put a ribbon on this card, but I just couldn't find a place that it enhanced the image rather than being a distraction; so it's plain Jane card.

That's it for today--have a happy Monday,

Praying for You: Sympathy Vintage Labels Eight and Nine

Welcome! Today I have another, you guessed it, PINK card! Seriously, it wasn't planned. . . On today's card I used JustRite's Sympathy Vintage Labels Eight and Nine clear stamps, though I'm using it for an encouragement/recuperation card here. 

As you can see from the sentiments above, this set covers more bases than a sympathy set normally does. It's about choices. . . ;-)

Since the floral wreath is solid rather than outlined, I thought that the simplest way to color the wreath would be to use my Tim Holtz Distress markers, coloring directly to the stamp--Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick, and Forest Moss for the wreath, and Scattered Straw for watercoloring around the wreath.

For that top pink layer, I used my Spellbinders  5 x 7 Heirloom Legacy die template; and for its base layer, I used a 5 x 7 Matting Basics A die template. That small sentiment panel in the center of the wreath is cut with a JustRite Vintage Labels Nine die. Ribbon is some Maya Road silk ribbon--ties like a dream. Would you like to see more Sympathy Vintage Labels Eight and Nine clear stamps projects? There are some beautiful ones linked below--have fun!

Thanks for visiting today,

JustRite Inspiration
Debbie Olson (here)
Becca Feeken
Sheri Holt
Heidi Blankenship
Michele Kovack
Darsie Bruno
Kathy Jones
Kristi Schurr
Marisa Job
Angela Barkhouse
Eva Dobilas
Kazan Clark

Create Wings and Fly

Welcome! So, pink again. . . but this time I was responding to a Fun Stampers Journey pink and black challenge that was posted last week on Facebook. (Thanks, Rose Curtis, for another excuse reason to use pink!) Anyway, when I looked through the FSJ stamp sets that I have, I decided that the Beauty Wings set would probably work best with pink. I had a Damask Print stamp that seemed like a good possibility for a background as well. My pink background cardstock is FSJ Watermelon Fusion, but I didn't have its coordinating ink. Trial and error stamping showed me that my PTI Hibiscus Burst was close enough to work. so I inked up my stamp, spritzed it with water, and stamped on white cardstock. It was one of those happy accidents that I liked the first attempt. ;-)

I used three Spellbinders dies here: two from A-2 Matting Basics A (focal image and pink background), and one from Framed Tags One (tag). Silver cord is some that I've had in my stash for years--not sure where to find it right now--and the black line behind it is a strip of black cardstock. Easy-peasy pink and black! Thanks for stopping by today,

Wedding Card: Elegant Fan Sentiments

Welcome! Today I have a wedding card to share. It was one of those that I had a hard time getting a good picture of because of its white-on-white elements, but I'm hoping that you can see it decently here. I started with shimmery white and silver cardstock, then stamped my front panel with JustRite's Stitched Frame Cling Background and Versamark ink,  heat-embossing in detail white embossing powder. I used a Spellbinders A-2 Matting Basics A die template to cut and emboss this panel, then set it aside to work on the focal image. 

For the focal image, I used a sentiment from JustRite's Elegant Fan Elements clear stamps, heat-embossed in detail silver embossing powder, then die-cut with the oval die from JustRite's Vintage Labels Six die set. For the flourishes, I used JustRite's Heirloom Flourish Two die. If you want a simple way to cut the flourishes that are in the stamp set, you can use this SVG Elegant Fan Elements Digital Cut File.

There are some truly lovely projects linked below with the JustRite fan sets,  Elegant Fan Elements clear stamps and Vintage Fan and Sentiments clear stamps--I hope that you get a chance to see them! Thanks for visiting today,

JustRite Inspiration 

Darsie Bruno 

Amy Tedder 

Michele Kovack 

Debbie Olson (here) 

Heidi Blankenship 

Eva Dobilas 

Kristi Schurr

 Marisa Job

Margie Higuchi 

Kazan Clark

Hope's Special Light

My weekend seemed awfully short--I hope yours seemed longer! This morning I have a card to share that I made for a special friend who is recovering from cancer surgery. It's made with a couple of JustRte Papercraft stamp sets, Hope and Love Vintage Labels Eight and Nine clear stamps and the Ironworks Vintage Labels Eight Cling Background. 

As soon as I read the sentiment on the large label image, I knew that it would be perfect for my friend, and incidentally also just right for a blackboard technique. ;-)

I heat-embossed the label image on black cardstock with detail white embossing powder before cutting and embossing it with one of the Vintage Labels Eight dies. I stamped a second label image on light pink cardstock, then hand-trimmed it closely so that I could mount it on top of the black banner. I wanted to tint my white words with Copic makers, but it isn't good for the marker tips to color across any embossing powder other than clear; to get around that, I simply airbrushed color on top of the words with my Copic markers and Copic Airbrush System, using post it notes to mask between one color and the next. The overspray did not show on the black cardstock, so it was quite simple.

Would you like to see more projects using the Hope and Love Vintage Labels Eight and Nine clear stamps? I hope you get a chance to visit the blogs below then! Thank you for stopping by,

JustRite Inspiration

Debbie Olson (here)

Heidi Blankenship

Michele Kovack

Eva Dobilas

Sheri Holt

Darsie Bruno

Marisa Job

Kristi Schurr

Kathy Jones

Angela Barkhouse

Margie Higuchi

Botanical Blocks II Thinking of You

Welcome! I've been in my happy place tonight--coloring flowers. . .  My PTI Botanical Blocks II stamp set arrived last week, but this is the first day that I've had a chance to break it out. I stamped the floral image on watercolor paper in Versamark ink and heat embossed with detail white embossing powder. Next I watercolored the flower with Ranger Distress inks: Scattered Straw for the background, Worn Lipstick and a touch of Picked Raspberry for the flower, and Crushed Olive with Forest Moss for the leaves.  Background stamp sets used were Background Basics: Twinkle and Polka Dot Basics II.

I used a couple of Spellbinders die sets as well: A-2 Matting Basics A and A-2 Matting Basics B. To get that two-toned mat, I simply cut both Hibiscus Burst and Simply Chartreuse cardstock with my A-2 Matting Basics A die temple, that stacked them together and cut through both of them so that the size stayed the same. I cut a small semi-circle for the button to sit in, trying to keep the button top at about the same level as the foam-tape-popped-up watercolor panel. That makes it go through the mail more easily.

Well, that's it for tonight. Hope you have a great weekend!