Thinking Inking

A Blessing in My Life: Three Days until the MFT Release!

Welcome! We're halfway to the big day--the My Favorite Things Stamps September Release! Today I chose the lovely Floral Focus stamp set, pairing it with the Bitty Thanks & Gratitude stamp set.

I used my Zig Clean Color markers and a water brush to color the Floral Focus images, after heat embossing them with detail white embossing powder.

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, September 3, at 10am Eastern time. All other links should work now. Thank you for stopping by today,

You're Brew-tiful: MFT Release Countdown Day 4

Welcome to day four of the My Favorite Things Stamps September Release Countdown! Today's card features a Pure Innocence set, Grande-Sized Love. I also used the All Lined Up Background stamp, as well as the coffee beans outline stamp from the Sweater Weather in the Woods set. 

Shown above are the Copic Sketch markers that I used to color the Pure Innocence Grande-Sized Love image.

While I have linked the MFT products that I used below, the links to the NEW products will not be live links until release day, 10am Eastern Time, Tuesday, September 3. All of the other links should work now. Be sure to check the MFT Stamps blog for more September Release inspiration AND for a chance to win some great prizes! Thank you for  visiting,

Sending Warm Hugs: MFT Release Countdown Day 5

Welcome to Day 5 of the My Favorite Things Stamps September Release Countdown! Today I'm sharing a card using the Darling Birdie Brown Sweater Weather in the Woods stamp set, as well as the Knitted Sweater Background. I loved these little woodland animals! 

Shown above are the Copic Sketch markers that I used to color the Sweater Weather in the Woods images. I stamped the background images with the Trio of Trees stamps set (an older set) just to get some woods texture going on, and then I airbrushed Copic BG02 and YG63 over the stamped trees. 

While I have linked the MFT products that I used below, the links to the NEW products will not be live links until release day, 10am Eastern Time, Tuesday, September 3. All of the other links should work now. Be sure to check the MFT Stamps blog for more September Release inspiration AND for a chance to win some great prizes! Thank you for visiting,

Special Friend: MFT WSC452

Welcome! Today I'm playing along with the My Favorite Things Stamps Sketch Challenge, WSC452. Sometimes I immediately have an idea for a sketch challenge, and sometimes I scratch my head for a while first! On this one, I decided to look at my stamp sets that coordinated and had different sized images to fill the different sized circles. Sweet Besties and Sweet Friends, being the same style, worked great together. I did bump the sentiment panel down just a bit so that I wouldn't be covering my images right through the center though.

Shown above are the Copic Sketch markers that I used to color the Sweet besties and Sweet Friends images.

Would you like to play along with the Sketch Challenge? Check the MFT Stamps Blog for more details and more sketch inspiration as well! Thanks for stopping by,

You're Flippin' Awesome: MFT Hits & Highlights

Welcome! Today I'm participating in the My Favorite Things Stamps Hits & Highlights challenge, which involves interactive cards--cards that twist and turn, meet in the middle, and move up and down! True confession: I'm not a natural at interactive cards. Sometimes I look at interactive cards and think, "Must be magic. Not even going there. . ." (Come on--at least some of you know exactly what I mean!) So, if you are interactive-card challenged, like me,  I promise that you can probably still make a card with the Slider Surprise Die-namics. Seriously, it has only two pieces. TWO. PIECES. You can conquer two pieces! **Stephanie Klauck has a Slider Surprise video posted HERE on the MFT YouTube Channel. It will help you know exactly what to do.**

Here's the open view of my little chef card. Last time I used the Slider Surprise Die-namics, I put a gift card inside. This time I put a sentiment and some extra images inside to keep the actual inside of my card open for the thank you note that I need to write to someone who did me a huge favor a couple of days ago. I stamped my images on watercolor paper with Versamark ink, and then heat embossed them with detail black paint. Next I watercolored them using my Zig Clean Color Brush Markers and a water brush. For the brick background, I used the MFT Small Brick Wall stencil, along with blender brushes and a base of Dried Marigold Distress Oxide ink, with MFT Kraft Dye ink stenciled over that in places, and then stamped with a Distressed Patterns stamp to add some texture to  my brick wall. 

Would you like to see more on the Hits & Highlights Interactive Cards Challenge? If so, check out the links HERE on the MFT Stamps Blog. Thanks for stopping by,

Happy Birthday: MFT Color Challenge #124

Welcome! Today I am participating in My Favorite Things Stamps Color Challenge 124. I remembered that I hadn't used the August release Abstract Doodles yet, so I thought I would try that set on my card. I took the time to use my MISTI tool and was very thankful that I had done so when I needed to stamp some of the shapes more than ones to get then nice and solid. (That's probably why my Limelight looks more like Sour Apple here--I think I stamped it three times!) I then looked for a good sentiment that would work multicolored and take up enough space to look like a focal point, and the LJD Birthday Greetings set had several possibilities. Again I used my MISTI so that I could ink up parts of the sentiment separately and still have them all align. I added glitter tp the largest star after doing some matting of layers, and that was it--simple!

Would you like to play along on this color challenge? If so, check the MFT Stamps Blog HERE for details as well as links to other color inspiration AND the chance to win a $50 gift voucher! Thank you for visiting today,

Say It in a Starburst Kit Celebrate

Welcome! Today I have another My Favorite Things Stamps Say It in a Starburst card to share. This kit is  now available. In addition to the Say It in a Starburst stamp set, I also used the free-with $60 die, Starburst Sentiment Strips (which is NOT linked below since it's a free-with-purchase die). 

I taped down my heavyweight Solar White cardstock, then added a tiny bit of Ken Oliver Color Burst powders (Chartreuse, Turquoise, and MFT Tropical Teal) before lightly spritzing the powders with water. Then I got carried away and kept on adding water and blowing the puddles of water around with my Copic airbrush system until I had color pretty much everywhere. Knowing when to stop messing with it is the key, and I'm still learning that! ;-)  I used Sno Cone cardstock and the Starburst die to cut the panel under the sentiment, when trimmed it into a Circle with my Inside & Out Stitched Circle STAX Die-namics, before adding some Chipped Sapphire Distress Oxide ink to the very center and blending lightly outward. I finished it with a few sequins. (I mean, one eventually needs to use up that sequin stash, right?)

Be sure to see the MFT Stamps Blog for more ideas with this kit as well as a chance to win prizes! Thank you for visiting,

Say It in a Starburst Kit Thanks

Welcome! Today and tomorrow I have a couple of My Favorite Things Stamps Say It in a Starburst cards to share. This kit will be available tomorrow morning, Tuesday, August 20, at 10am EDT.  In addition to the Say It in a Starburst stamp set, I also used the free-with $60 die, Starburst Sentiment Strips (which is NOT linked below since it's a free-with-purchase die). 

My card was really simple. I heat embossed the starburst pattern with detail white embossing powder and then did some ink blending on top of it. I used the following Distress Oxide Inks in my background: (top to bottom) Scattered Straw, Shabby Shutters, Tumbled Glass, and Shaded Lilac. Next I used my Distressed Patterns stamp set and three MFT Dye inks to add "spatters": Kraft, Blu Raspberry, and Grape Jelly. Finally, I mounted my sentiment that was stamped in Grape Jelly Dye ink and then die-cut with Starburst Sentiments Strips, and added a few sequins. 

Be sure to see the MFT Stamps Blog for more ideas with this kit as well as a chance to win prizes! Thank you for visiting,

Birthday Surprise: August MFT Vault Release

Welcome! Today I have another MFT August Vault Release to share with you--this one a darling little Birdie Brown set, Sweet Birthday Wishes. I colored her with my Copics, except for paper-piecing her dress (which I also shaded a bit with my Copics.) All of the August Vault Release products are now available at My Favorite Things Stamps.

Shown above are the Copic Sketch Markers that I used to color the Sweet Birthday Wishes images. I airbrushed the background with a Copic Y23. (I also like Distress Oxide ink blending for backgrounds, BUT I'm still faster with my Copic airbrush system! Use whatever works best for YOU.)

Be sure to check out the MFT Stamps blog for links to a ton of inspiration on these vault sets! Thank you for visiting,

Be Original and High-Top: August MFT Vault Release

Welcome! I was pretty excited a couple of weeks ago to find out that some of the My Favorite Things Stamps all-time favorite sets are coming around again! When The All Star High Top Die-namics came out the first time, I was evidently busy doing other things, because I missed it. . . So now I have one, along with the coordinating Be Original Stamp set! Today I have two cards to share with you--one more a typical high top, and the other a little more dolled up.

My first one is a card that I could send to pretty much anyone--and I need more of those in my stash! I used the Mini Staggered Circles Stencil, along with Tumbled Glass and Shabby Shutters Distress Oxide inks to create a simple graphic background. I used cotton embroidery thread to lace the shoes. 

Here are my best tips for actually glueing the shoe together:

1. A pair of tiny tweezers is extremely helpful, especially when it comes to adding those grommets for the laces and vent holes. If you don't have some, get them. ;-)
2. I found that a glue pen (with that blue glue that dries totally clear) worked well for the grommets. I used my MFT On-Point Precision Glue for everything except the grommets. 
3. When gluing the sole parts onto the shoe, it worked best for me to start with that tiny label piece at the back of the shoe; having that piece in place gave me something to butt the other sole-pieces up to. Next, I glued on the bottom sole piece, then the thin black stripe, and then the top sole piece nearest the shoe "cloth." I used some very thin (1/16") foam tape to mount the front toe piece, but you wouldn't have to do so
4. I cut two thicknesses of the shoe body so that it would be very stable to insert laces.

I added some bling to my second high-top, using patterned paper for the body of the shoe, and using a scrap of that silver shine cardstock for the grommets and the dark strip in the sole. I love that silver shine cardstock--it makes a huge difference for the tiny details. I've bought only one pack and have most of that left, BUT it definitely comes in handy in little bits when you need it! I used Scattered Straw and Shaded Lilac Distress Oxide inks on my background mostly because I needed to pop some color in to make that white shoe stand out a bit. 

Tomorrow we'll have more August Vault Release products to share, so I hope you get a chance to come back then. Be sure to check out the MFT Stamps blog for links to a ton of inspiration on these vault sets! Thank you for visiting,

Hugs Across the Miles: MFT WSC449

Welcome! Today I'm playing along with a My Favorite Things Stamps Wednesday Sketch Challenge, WSC449. I've been playing with watercolors a bit lately; they're out of my comfort zone, but I wanted to give them a shot for today's sketch challenge. I stamped the Flowers in Bloom image on watercolor paper with Versamark ink and then heat embossed with detail white embossing powder. Next I just played with some Zig Clean Color watercolor markers, coloring with the marker where I wanted the petals darkest, and then using a clean wet brush to push water toward the painted area.

Looking back, I can see that I probably should have done a little more planning--like on that bottom petal on the left flower. Why on earth did I put the darker area at the top of that short, wide petal instead of at the base of the petal? But you know something? You learn as much from your mistakes as from your successes! Plus, I really doubt that the person I send my card to is going to look at it closely enough to say, "Hmmm, that dark area should have been at the base of the petal instead of the top edge--I'm sending this card back!" 

Would you like to play along with the Sketch Challenge? Check the MFT Stamps Blog for more details and more sketch inspiration as well! Thanks for stopping by,

Boo from me to You: August 2019 MFT and Friends

Welcome! It's August Release Day for My Favorite Things Stamps, and I have one more new release card to share today, using the Spooktacular Friends stamp set and coordinating Die-namics set. I loved these sweet little animals and wanted to use the two that I hadn't used earlier this release week.

Shown above are the Copic Markers that I used to color the Spooktacular Friends images. I also listed the Distress Oxide inks that I used in the background after simply masking off a 1-1/2" circle for the moon. If you try this, avoid having too much overlap between the yellow tones and the purple tones, because complementary colors can look a bit muddy in the overlapped area. 

All of the new August products are now available, and the links below should all work. Each of the MFT Design Team members AND some amazing guests 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,