Thinking Inking

It's Your Birthday: MFT Release Countdown Day 5

Welcome to Day 5 of the My Favorite Things Stamps February Release Countdown! I chose the darling little It's a Mice Time to Celebrate stamp set and coordinating Die-namics to feature today. Have you ever seen a cuter mouse?

Shown above are the Copic markers that I used to color the images from It's a Mice Time to Celebrate.

I used the Card-Sized Confetti Stencil set and airbrushed my background--I loved the concept of double layering the stencils for easily combining colors!

While I have linked the products that I used below, the links to the NEW product links will not be live links until release day, 10am Eastern Time, Tuesday, February 5. All of the other links should work now. Be sure to check the MFT Stamps blog for more February Release inspiration AND for a chance to win some great prizes! Thank you for visiting,

Sympathy Card: MFT WSC421

Welcome! Today I'm playing along with a My Favorite Things Stamps Wednesday Sketch Challenge, WSC421. Instead of a whimsical card, I thought I'd make a sympathy card to have on hand for the next time my husband asks, "Hey, do you have a card that I could use for _________?" [Ummm, no, chances are I don't have it already made unless it's a kid card, a thank you card, or a girl-birthday card! of course, I guess he thinks that as much as we have spent on stamp sets over the years, I should have a card for every occasion at a moment's notice!]

The Copic Sketch markers that I used for the rose were R000, R20, R22, R24. To make the one colored rose stand out, I used T0, T2, T5 for shadows.

I hope you get a chance to check out the MFT Challenges Blog to see what the other DT members did with this sketch; we would LOVE to have you play along as well! Thanks for visiting,

Sending Hugs: MFT Stacey Yacula Release

Welcome! Today is the My Favorite Things Stamps Heart Art Card Kit Release AND Joyful Heart Bears Release! I used the Heart Art Card Kit for the last two days' posts, but today I thought I would switch it up and play with the Stacey Yacula Joyful Heart Bears stamp set and Die-namics. Cuteness overload, right? {{{Love!}}}

Shown above are the Copic Sketch markers that I used to color the Joyful Heart Bears images. The other stamp sets and supplies that I used are listed below in my supplies list.

Be sure to visit the MFT Stamps Blog for links to all of today's team posts--both the Heart Art Card Kit Kit and the Joyful Heart Bears stamps and dies. Again, these products are now available at MFT Stamps. Thank you for stopping by,

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Valentines Gift Tags: MFT Heart Art Card Kit

Welcome! I have a second My Favorite Things Stamps Heart Art Card Kit project to share today. How about a little Valentine treat for a favorite theater or friend? I paired the Fold-Up Tags Die-namics with the Heart Art kit to make a quick treat set. Along with the Stacey Yacula Joyful Heart Bears set (which I used for tomorrow's project), the Heart Art Card Kit is being release on Tuesday, January 22 at 10am, Eastern time.

I hope you get a chance to visit the MFT Stamps Blog for links to all of today's team posts--both the Heart Art Card Kit and the Joyful Heart Bears stamps and dies. Again, these products will be available on Tuesday, January 22. Thank you for stopping by,

Valentine Shaker Card Set: MFT Heart Art Card Kit

Welcome! Today begins the My Favorite Things Stamps January Heart Art Card Kit Release previews. I created a set of four small shaker cards, 3" x 4-1/4" folded size. I used patterned papers from the Sweet Stack Paper Pack and a variety of the sequins and various shaker fillers from my stash--mostly Pretty Pink Posh sequins, with some Martha Stewart heart glitter tossed in for good measure. I used a glue pen to add glitter to the heart frame on my little cards for a little extra bling. Along with the Stacey Yacula Joyful Heart Bears set (also adorable!), the Heart Art Card Kit is being release on Tuesday, January 22 at 10am, Eastern time.

I hope you get a chance to visit the MFT Stamps Blog for links to all of today's team posts--both the Heart Art Card Kit and the Joyful Heart Bears stamps and dies. Again, these products will be available on Tuesday, January 22. Thank you for stopping by,

You Bet Your Beak: MFT WSC420

Welcome! Today I'm playing along with the My Favorite Things Stamps Wednesday Sketch Challenge--MFT WSC420. I chose one patterned paper from the Sweet Stack Paper pack, a January release. But instead of pairing it with pinks and purples, I went with contrasting color in orange-y tones. My images are from the Mod Birds stamp set, and my sentiment is from the new Tweethearts stamp set. 

I mostly airbrushed the simple background, leaving my stitched circle die in place to mask the outer edge and also to stamp the ground at the birds' feet. I hope you get a chance to check out the MFT Challenges Blog to see what the other DT members did with this sketch; we would LOVE to have you play along as well! Thanks for visiting,

Tips and Tricks: Embossing with Stencils

Welcome! Today I'm playing along with the My Favorite Things Stamps Tips & Tricks Challenge. I wanted to share a technique that is  an oldie-but-goodie: using your stencils to dry emboss. I have quite a few stencils, and I airbrush with them regularly. Perhaps you have a stencil collection as well--maybe you use sponged ink with your stencils. But you can get a bit more mileage out of those stencils if you have a die-cutting machine and an impression pad!

I happen to have a Spellbinders die cutting machine; chances are, no matter what brand of die cutter you have, you can probably get some kind of "stack" and an impression pad to work with your stencils. Now, to temper expectations, your impression will not be as deep as it would be with a metal impression place for sure. But it can still be a really nice, subtle touch for a card background. My stack is shown above--this is what works for me. You may need to experiment to find the right stack for your machine. 

Shown above is my MFT Large Chevron Stripes stencil used to dry emboss Poppy cardstock. (I ran it this particular one through my machine three times, and I've lit it from the end so that you can see the impression better.)

I loved how the MFT Captivating Mandala Stencil looked on Peach Bellini cardstock as well!

And I might have gone a little overboard on this last release using that Lots of Heart Stencil. . . but I loved it! Notice above that you can simply use your stencil for a dry embossed impression, OR you can add some airbrushing after you've embossed your image to give even more depth as I did on the card on the left. 

On this card, I have a plain dry-embossed stencil background to go with the watercolor washed heat-embossed image that I fussy-cut with scissors. Would you like to play along with the challenge? You can find out more here, and we'd love to have you join us:  MFT Tips & Tricks Challenge

Thanks for visiting,

Sweetest Wishes: MFT WSC419

Welcome! Today I'm playing along with the My Favorite Things Stamps Wednesday Sketch Challenge, WSC419. Valentines cards, anyone? My card was super-simple since I used the new Sweet Stack Patterned Paper pack, pairing the older Heart Shaker Window and Frame Die-namics with the new Sweet Celebrations sentiment set. I gathered random sequins from my collection (mostly various Pretty Pink Posh sequins) to fill my shaker, and then used some silver thread to made a sweet little bow. 

Would you like to play along with us? Be sure to check out the MFT Stamps Challenges Blog for details on the challenge and for more inspiration! Thanks for visiting,

You Make My Heart GO BOOM: MFT and Friends

Welcome! It's January Release Day for My Favorite Things Stamps! All of the fun new MFT stamp sets and Die-namics that you've been seeing over the past few days are now available. I paired the new Cute Chemists stamp set with the Scattered Hearts background for today's card.  

Shown above are the Copic Sketch markers that I used to color the Cute Chemists image. I used a scrap of denim with colorless blender to add some texture to his pants. 

Again, all of the new January products are now available, and the links below should all work. Each of the MFT Design Team members will have projects to share today, so please check out the MFT Stamps Blog for many more cool projects and products, as well as a chance to win fabulous prizes. Good luck on the giveaway, and thank you for visiting,

Special Delivery of Love: : MFT Release Countdown Day 1

Welcome to Day 1 of the My Favorite Things Stamps January Release Countdown! What can I say about this little guy? He's. . . CUTE. About as cute as they come, right? This is the Friendly Fox Die-namics, another January My Favorite Things Stamps Release, and he will be available tomorrow, Tuesday, January 8 at 10am Eastern time.

I kept my card simple, staying with plain cardstock for even the arched background since the fox was so graphic and simple as well.

While I have linked the products that I used below, the links to the NEW product links will not be live links until release day, 10am Eastern Time, Tuesday, January 8. All of the other links should work now. Be sure to check the MFT Stamps blog for more January Release inspiration AND for a chance to win some great prizes! Thank you for visiting,

So Sweet: MFT Release Countdown Day 2

Welcome to Countdown Day 2 of the My Favorite Things Stamps January Release countdown! Today I chose the Hearts Entwined Die-namics to play with. I came out of my Copic comfort zone and tried a simple watercolor wash for my background, mounting two layers of the Hearts Entwined die cut above my wash. 

For the wash, I used some Distress Reinkers: Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick, and Picked Raspberry. The sentiment is from the Sweet Nothing stamp set, also a January release. 

I hope you get a chance to visit the MFT Stamps Blog for a complete list of designers using today's new products AND to enter for prizes! Remember that while the MFT products that I used are linked below, the NEW product links won't be live until Release time--that's Tuesday (January 8) at 10am Eastern time.  All other links should work now. Thank you for stopping by today,

Every Single Day: MFT Release Countdown Day 3

Welcome to Day 3 of the My Favorite Things Stamps January Release Countdown! At 10am Eastern time on Tuesday, January 8, the January release will be live, and all of the new products shown in the past few days will be available. Today I chose the Pure Innocence So Much Love stamp set for my focal image. I used a sentiment from the Wonderful Woodland Friends stamp set, also a January release. 

Shown above are the Copic Sketch markers that I used to color the So Much Love image. (I airbrushed the round background. For the embossed background, I used the Lots of Hearts Stencil along with a rubber embossing pad in my die-cutting machine. It doesn't give you as deep an impression as a metal impression plate, but it works pretty well!)

In addition to the ones that I've shared here, there are several fabulous new products being showcased today; I hope you get a chance to visit the MFT Stamps Blog for a complete list of designers playing along with today's new products AND to enter for prizes! Remember that while all MFT products that I used are linked below, the NEW product links won't be live until release time--that's Tuesday morning (January 8) at 10am Eastern time. All other links should work now. Thank you for stopping by today!