Thinking Inking

I Pick YOU!

This past week has raced by. I'm headed home from the Chicago area today; I had a great weekend with the  Copic Workshop attendees in Schaumburg! Today I have a sweet little "I Pick You" card using the My Favorite Things Harvest Mouse stamp set. I know that my mother-in-law would probably say, "It a MOUSE. How can it be cute?" But it really is. . . 

I colored the mouse's sweater with the Copic Markers listed above. Next I applied Copic Colorless Blender to a scrap of old cotton sweater and laid it on top of the colored sweater for a few seconds to create the sweater texture. After that dried completely, I finished coloring the image.

Dies that I used are from MFT's Die-namics Blueprints 13 set, and patterned papers are from Echo Park's Summer Bliss 6 x 6 pad. To get a mat layer for the banner that the focal image is on, I simply trimmed the edges of the focal image so that I could use the same die to cut a mat layer. It may not be a perfect solution, but it works pretty well! That's it for today. I hope you're having a great day--thanks for visiting!

Peace and Joy Sentiments

Welcome! I have one last Christmas card to share this week, made with JustRite Papercraft's new Peace and Joy Sentiments clear stamps. 

I like the quirky font on the Peace and Joy Sentiments clear stamps set, and I like being able to pair it with the Gift of Faith set since they use the same font!

My card is slightly oversized at 5" x 7". For the sentiment panel, I used the center part of one of my newer Spellbinders dies, Decorative Holly Frame, (25% off at JRS right now!), along with an older die set, Layered Poinsettia. (I used just the two smaller layers of the poinsettia, and I used one of those same dies for the leaves as well since the leaf in that die set is quite large.) Patterned papers are from an Authentique 6 x 6 Bundle: Festive. (It's probably at least a couple of years old since I haven't been paper shopping in a while; I'm in a "use it up" mode these days!) Finally, I did a little bit of layering, distress-inking, sanding, and stitching to finish up my card--easy. :-)

Several of the JustRite team have project to share using the Peace and Joy Sentiments clear stamps. I hope you get a chance to visit them! Thanks for stopping by today,

JustRite Inspiration Blog
Marisa Job
Debbie Olson (HERE)
Kathy Jones
Sheri Holt
Darsie Bruno
Heidi Blankenship
Kristi Schurr
Angela Barkhouse

Great Joy to You!

Welcome back! Today I'm continuing with JustRite Papercraft's September Christmas stamp release, featuring the Great Joy clear stamps.

The Great Joy clear stamps set has several sentiments that I know I'll use again soon: I make a few cute holiday cards, but most of the cards that I send out are truly traditional Christmas cards. Even if the card is trendy on the outside, I often stamp this kind of sentiment on the inside. 

I've pulled some older papers from my stash for this card front and inside, a My Mind's Eye Lost and Found Christmas 6 x 6 pad. It's been a while since I had a chance to get any new patterned papers, so I'm thankful that the stash is holding out! I used a couple of Spellbinders die sets, Fleur de Elegance and Classic Ovals Large (retired). I used a lighter gold metallic cardstock (PTI), along with Filigree Detail Gold embossing powder for both the angel and the sentiment mat layer. I used my heat tool to crinkle and shrink the gold ribbon (PTI) and give it a distressed look. Rhinestones are from Zva Creative.

I still had some of my watercolor wash attempts from yesterday and wanted to play with this one a bit more. I used regular pan watercolors (Windsor-Newton Cotman), along with the old salt trick while the paint was still somewhat wet to get the texture in the sky. This technique requires patience; if the paper is too wet OR too dry, it doesn't work well. Some watercolors work more easily than others too--you have to play around with it. You also have to let it dry on its own. Rushing things along with a heat tool will change the look a bit. Enough on that--play with it if you want to know more, because I've told you pretty much all I know! :-) I used a Spellbinders Pierced Squares die set to cut and emboss my focal image panel on this one. Finished card size is 5" square.

Would you like to see what the other JustRite girls did with the Great Joy clear stamps set? Then check out the links below! Thank you for visiting--I appreciate it,

JustRite Inspiration Blog
Debbie Olson (Here)
Darsie Bruno 
Marisa Job
Sheri Holt
Heidi Blankenship
Kathy Jones 

Gift of Faith

Good morning! Do you ever have a really simple idea that  you end up complicating,  or am I the only one with a gift for that? When I saw the Just Rite Papercraft Gift of Faith Sentiments clear stamps, I knew immediately that I wanted to make a loose, "effortless" watercolor wash, perhaps clear embossing the sentiment underneath the wash. . . Let's just say that I must have been sleeping during "Loose, Effortless Washes" class. Behold, my best three of six eight attempts!  Some day I'm going to be a little mouse in Kay Miller's or Laura Bassen's studios and learn their watercolor secrets!

I thing that I liked about the Gift of Faith Sentiments clear stamps is that this set can be mixed and matched with the upcoming release Peace and Joy Sentiments clear stamps--the styles are the same, so you have great er options when you combine both sets.

 

I used Ranger Distress Inks on the three versions of my card above, trying different blues and purples, as well as different paper and cardstock. My least favorite paper was some cheap watercolor paper. If you're going to buy watercolor paper, skip the clearance section. . .  Some of the regular white cardstock tended to start peeling if I scrubbed at the surface enough to mix colors. You may have to use less water, or conversely just muddle less with your ink if you use plain cardstock. 

Finally I'd had enough of the watercolor experiments for one night and went the patterned paper route using the Gift of Faith Sentiments clear stamps. Paper is a 12 x 12 sheet of Echo Part Winter Time/Flurry. I used Spellbinders Create-a-Flake 6  dies (which are on SALE now at JustRite, along with all IN STOCK dies). I used the Pierced Rectangles die (also Spellbinders, but I didn't see it in the JustRite store), as well as an MFT Stitched Fishtail Flag Stax for the banner on which the sentiment is embossed.

I hope you get a chance to see what the Just Rite girls have created with Amy Tedder's newest stamp set, Gift of Faith Sentiments clear stamps! Thanks for stopping by,

Debbie

Link List:
JustRite Inspiration Blog
Debbie Olson (Here)
Eva Dobilas
Marisa Job
Heidi Blankenship
Angela Barkhouse
Darsie Bruno
Kathy Jones

FIlled with Wonderful Surprises: Multi-Step Poinsettia

Welcome! It's a two-post morning--wonders never cease! I'm happy to be able to share a new JustRite Papercraft Christmas stamp set, Multi-Step Poinsettia clear stamps, shown below. There is a helpful PDF tip sheet that goes along with the Multi-Step Poinsettia clear stamps, HERE as a free downloadable resource.

 

I decided to create pink poinsettias instead of red ones this time around, using Papertrey Inks's Lavender Moon, Autumn Rose, Scarlet Jewel, Spring Moss, Simply Chartreuse, and Summer Sunrise inks to stamp my poinsettias. I used a Copic YR30 marker to add the pale yellow light around the flowers, and Copic E81 and YG91 to color the banner in the sentiment.  Next I popped up three poinsettias on foam tape and added glitter to the flower centers. 

Would you like to see what the rest of the team has done with the Multi-Step Poinsettia clear stamps? Then I hope you have a chance to follow the links below for inspiration. Thanks for visiting today! 

JustRite Inspiration Blog
Debbie Olson (HERE)
Darsie Bruno
Marisa Job 
Heidi Blankenship
Eva Dobilas
Michele Kovack
Kristi Schurr

Peace and Strength: Olive and Oak

Welcome!  Are you ready for Power Poppy's September Instant Garden release? There's not much that I'd rather color or draw than botanical pieces, and the Power Poppy Olive and Oak, shown below, is definitely a gorgeous one!

Since this is a digital file, you can purchase the files online, print, and color immediately. If you need help figuring out exactly how to print and edit a digital file, check out THIS POST by Julie Koerber; it's the one that I refer to every time I get stuck. :-)

I'm using quite a few Copic markers to color the Olive and Oak image, so I thought I would take pictures of each step separately instead of just listing them all in one picture. Here I've colored the olives with the markers shown above. I wanted them to be at various stages of ripeness, To get the highlight, I tried to avoid coloring the highlight areas, and then I used my Colorless Blender to push more ink out of the highlight after the surrounding ink was completely dry.

Here I've colored the olive leaves. Now in truth, olive leaves are not this saturated in color, but I needed something to make the leaves stand out from the olives--even the green ones--so I took some artistic liberties. . . I also knew that I was planning to make the oak leaves vibrant with Fall colors; and if the olive leaves had been drab, the oak leaves would have taken over. "That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it." :-)

Here I've worked on my oak leaves and a few cast shadows.

And here I've almost finished up, adding the acorns and some stems. I went back in later and used a Copic B000 to add a hint of sky, and I used my Colorless Blender to regain some of the contrast between the stems and the leaves. as you can see below. I also added a few more cast shadows and darkened some colors in the shadows for more contrast.

I used Spellbinders Pierced Rectangles dies to cut and emboss my Olive and Oak focal image, and then I paired it with some Bo Bunny Autumn Song 12 x 12 papers from my stash. A bit of sanding, sewing, and distress inking helped to age my image and card front. This is one image that I know I'll have to color again--it's a great one for guy cards, among other things! If you get a chance, there is some fabulous inspiration linked below--enjoy!

Jennifer Dove
Broni Holcombe
Cheryl Scrivens
Rhea Weigand
Debbie Olson (Here)
Power Poppy Blog

Here for You: An Earthy Palette

Welcome! I've been in lovely Chantilly, Virginia, for a couple of days for Copic Workshop classes and am in the airport headed home. (Waving to all of you Chantilly Copic friends--you were fabulous!) I spent the last week brushing the Summer dust off of my sample books and adding a few samples; I knew I'd feel more prepared for classes if I had a little something fresh in my notebooks. All of that to say that the little Saturated Canary digital Vintage Violet image that is on the card above was an extra sample for for one of my classes, but she was so cute that I wanted to finish a card with her. :-)

Little Miss Vintage Violet is colored with the Copic markers shown above--all Earthtones. 

 

The patterned papers that I used were from Carta Bella's 6 x 6 Giddy Up paper pad. I used a Spellbinders 5 x 7 Matting Basics A die to cut and emboss my focal image, and I did a bit of machine-stitching on my card front. She was a perfect addition to my Vintage Values and Mono-tones sample book. Just in case you live near Chicago or Milwaukee, my next Copic Workshop weekend will be September 25 and 26 in Schaumburg, Illinois, just north of Chicago. Hope to meet some of you there!

Thanks for stopping by,

From the Heart. . .

Welcome! We made it back from our football weekend downstate--fun trip, but let's not talk about the score. . . Some things are just better not discussed. ;-) I've been coloring up a storm, adding to my portfolio for some upcoming Copic Workshop classes in Chantilly, Virginia THIS weekend and Schaumburg, Illinois on September 25-26. Then on October 16-17, I'll be in Portland, Oregon before finishing up in Vancouver in early November.

I had started coloring this Power Poppy Ranunculus digital image several weeks ago, and I finally got back to it this morning and finished the image and a card.

Shown above are the Copic Sketch Markers that I used to color the Power Poppy Ranunculus digital image. (Click for a larger picture.) I printed the image on X-Press It Blending card in a cool pink tone, cropping in on the parts that I wanted to use.

Patterned papers are from Papertrey Ink's Sweet Blush Pattern Pack. The sentiment is from PTI's Vintage Picnic Sentiments stamp set, an oldie, but goodie! My finished card size is 5" x 7"--encouragement ready to go into the mail!

I hope you're having a colorful and creative week,

Too Soon to Miss You?

Good morning! We're on the road again today, headed to a JV football game in Lower Michigan. Prior to last week, I had attended exactly ONE football game in my entire life, though I've watched football on TV a few times just to be sociable. The irony of driving almost eight hours one way to see football is not lost on me, just in case you wondered! I do grasp the basic concepts; and since I mostly take photos when the action starts, I don't really have to know how to "talk" football--I just cheer when the local team gains yards/makes a touchdown/forces a turnover, etc. In other words, I cheer when everybody else does. :-) That works, right? And just between you and me, this really has been fun. Shhhh! Don't tell!

I finished a little card last night and thought I could get it posted while my husband drives. (I was having some lighting issues at 2 a.m. when I took pictures, evidently; sorry that these aren't the best quality photos today.) Isn't this little MFT Birdie Brown Adventure Is Calling image the cutest? 

Shown above are the Copic markers that I used on the Adventure Is Calling image. I loved it immediately and knew that I should make a card for some sweet littles in my family. I decided to give her a Vera Bradley-ish bag because every girl needs a gorgeous bag. (The bag is paper-pieced from Echo Park's Sweet Girl 6 x 6 pad to coordinate with the rest of the papers on the card front.)

I used a combination of dies on this card, including MFT Die-namics Blueprints 20 for that scalloped outer edge panel, MFT Die-namics Pierced Fishtail Flags STAX for the sentiment, and Spellbinders Matting Basics B for the focal image and the panel directly underneath it. Those tiny buttons were some that I found at Buttons Galore, and they are seriously small (as in hard-to-get-string-through small). I cheated a used one of my Copic markers to draw a string. I added some glitter to the rose on her hat and did a bit of sewing machine stitching as well. That finished her up!

Wish us luck at the game, okay? Thanks for stopping by today,