Thinking Inking

Joy to the World

Welcome! I've been picking away at Christmas cards--usually when I need to do something like cleaning house! For today's card, I used a couple of digital images from Paper Nest Dolls--North Pole Mini Reindeer and North Pole Mini Snowman. (These are also part of the North Pole Collection, along with five other images.) I used some older patterned papers from my stash, Echo Park's Holly Jolly Christmas. Yes, still picking away at The Stash as well. . .

Shown above are the Copic Sketch markers that I used to color the North Pole images. I used some White Flower Soft on the snowman's hat for the brim and tassel.

That's it for today--have a great weekend!

Sassy Skater and a Bonus: MFT WSC465

Welcome! Today I'm playing along with the My Favorite Things Stamps Wednesday Sketch Challenge, WSC465. I hadn't used the Pure Innocence Sassy Skater for the November Release yet, so I pulled her out and paired her with some sweet plaid patterned papers and the Gift Tag Die-namics. I elongated the tag by letting the bottom stick out past my die-cutting sandwich, and then cutting that extra length with a paper cutter.

Shown above are the Copic Sketch markers that I used to color the Sassy Skater image. 

On the Cotton Candy layer, I used the Serene Snowflakes stamps, stamped in both Sweet Tooth Pigment Ink and Heat and Stick embossing powder with glitter poured over the sticky snowflakes. 

I have one more sketch card to share as well; last year I had made some similar kraft-and-poinsettia-with-tag cards, but I wanted to do a quick take-off on those so that I'd have a chance to use the awesome Winter Stencil Strips on Kraft cardstock! I used Distress Oxide Inks for stenciling the background, except for the snowflake layer, on which I used Sweet Tooth Pigment Ink.

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

Thank You with Handpicked Bouquet

Welcome! I'll have a couple of posts today--trying to get everything lined up early since we are expecting a LOT of snow, meaning that I'll probably lose my internet. . .  So how about a thank you card to start with? Several weeks ago, a friend lent me some GraphIt ß Markers to try, and I colored this Altenew Handpicked Bouquet image with them. (I'll have a little more to share about my conclusions on the markers on another day, along with a color chart.) But today I just wanted to share this card so that I could also link to a Gratitude Sale at EllenHutson.com. Ellen has an awesome store--you've probably shopped there before! 

Sale Details:

• save an additional 20% on the products in the GRATITUDE19 category with the code GRATITUDE19
• applies to in-stock items in the GRATITUDE19 category only and only when code is applied
• not valid on previous purchases
• cannot be combined with other offers
• we are unable to combine orders
• sale begins at Wednesday 11/26 at 12am pacific time
• sale ends Monday 12/2 at 11:59pm pacific time

GraphIt ß Markers that I used are swatched out above. I used Distress Oxide inks in the background: Mermaid Lagoon and Twisted Citron (linked to EllenHutson.com below), applied with my Taylored Expressions Blender Brushes. 

Again, hope you get a chance to check out Ellen's Sale page. And stay tuned for more on the GraphIt ß Markers that I used. Thanks for stopping by,

Affiliate links were used in today's post.

Handpicked Bouquet, Altenew Clear Stamps

Mermaid Lagoon, Ranger Distress Oxide Ink Pad

Memento Ink Pad, Tuxedo Black

Crystal Clear Droplets, Essentials by Ellen Embellishments

Twisted Citron, Ranger Distress Oxide Ink Pad

Beauty and Kindness: November D-Lites Dies

Welcome! Today I have a couple of cards to share that are a little different from what I usually make--no traditional stamps (though I did use digital sentiment stamps), and very little coloring! Spellbinders Paper Arts sent me a couple of their November D-Lites dies last week, and I finally had a chance to play with them last night. First up is the Butterfly Frame-A-Long die set. (All dies and stamps are linked at the bottom of the post.) I die-cut the greenery first, and then die-cut several flowers in a couple of shades of pink, and pale yellow butterflies to layer on the green frame work.

I liked that since the frame is in two parts, you can adjust the proportions of the framed center by how far you overlap or do not overlap the edges. If I wanted to make a frame for a more square sentiment, I would simply overlap the butterfly panels onto the ends of the slightly longer side panels. I think that this could make a pretty wedding card with a white-on-white color scheme! I chose a sentiment from the Power Poppy Peonies Digital Stamp set, also linked below.

Next is the Tallulah die set; this one was a bit more outside my comfort zone, but I was happy with how it came out and thought that the Coco Chanel quote (Power Poppy Hyacinth Bulb in Glass sentiment) was perfect to go with Tallalulah! I die-cut her from a pale peach cardstock and used the ink that lives on my pink and brown blending brushes to add blush to her cheeks and darken the edge of her face. (Do YOU ever clean your blending brushes? I don't!) Instead of cutting facial features from different cardstock colors, I used a few Copics to tint the eyelashes (E25), eyebrows (E23), and lips and necktie (R21, R22). I left my Labels Eight die in place as a mask and lightly airbrushed the background with Copic BG01.

Again, product links are below. No affiliate links were used in this post--just pointing you in the right direction if you're looking for something. :-) Thank you for visiting,

• Die D-Lites Butterfly Frame-a-Long Etched Dies (Spellbinders Paper Arts)
• Die-D-Lites Tallulah Etched Dies (Spellbinders Paper Arts)
• Nestabilities Labels Eight Etched Dies (Spellbinders Paper Arts)
• Hyacinth Bulb in Glass Digital Stamp Set (Power Poppy Stamps)
• Peonies Digital Stamp Set (Power Poppy Stamps)
• Sweet Blush Color Collection (Ink to Paper)
• Cardstock: a mixture of MFT and Ink to Paper colors, including some retired colors. Pick your own favorites!
• Sequins: clear in 3, 4, and 5mm

Sit. Stay. Heal.: November MFT Vault Release

Welcome! Today I have another My Favorite Things Stamps November Vault card to share using the Birdie Brown You Have My Heart Stamp set. I've been needing far too many get well cards lately, so the "Sit, Stay, Heal."  sentiment worked perfectly for that!

Shown above are the Copic Sketch markers that I used to color the You Have My Heart images. 

Be sure to check out the MFT Stamps blog for links to a ton of inspiration on these November Vault sets, which are now available! Thank you for visiting,

You're SUPER: November MFT Vault Release

Welcome! It's time to open the My Favorite Things Stamps Vault; once a month, MFT has been bringing back some previously retired favorites. For today's card, I chose the Birdie Brown Super Boy set, paired with the Sunrise Radiating Rays stencil.

Shown above are the Copic Sketch marker colors that I used to color Super Boy. I used Scattered Straw Distress Oxide ink with a blending brush for the Sunrise Radiating Rays stencil.

Tomorrow we'll have more November 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 the November Vault sets! Thank you for visiting,

Love, Peace, Joy Wreath: MFT WSC463

Welcome! Today I'm playing along with a My Favorite Things Stamps  Wednesday Sketch Challenge, WSC463. When I looked at this sketch, I saw an ornament, a shaker card, a snow globe, or a wreath; and I went with a simple wreath using the Joyful Wreath Die-namics and several shades of MFT cardstock. For the background, I used the Peace, Love, and Joy Stencil, along with Distress Oxide inks in Picked Raspberry, Twisted Citron, and Vintage Photo. 

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,

Our Sincere Thanks: MFT WSC462

Welcome! Today I'm playing along with a My Favorite Things Stamps  Wednesday Sketch Challenge, WSC462. When I looked at this sketch, the Fantasy Florals set that I used on yesterday's post came to mind again, so I thought I would try it on Kraft cardstock for an  antique look. 

Shown above are the Copic Sketch markers and Prismacolor pencils that I used to color the Fantasy Florals image on Kraft cardstock. I spent maybe 10 minutes darkening and lightening with the pencils--not a lot of time, but it makes a difference. If you would like to save a larger version, click on the photo above for a full-sized version in another window.

Please Note: When choosing marker colors for images on Kraft cardstock, remember that the cardstock warms, darkens, and mutes/desaturates ALL of the colors. So you may need to start out a bit lighter in value and cooler in color temperature than you have in mind for a finished product. You really can do all of your shading with the markers EXCEPT for the lights. You will at minimum need a white colored pencil to get some highlights since your markers cannot be lighter than the paper that you start with. Another tip: do ALL of your marker work first, and THEN add your colored pencil. The wax in the pencils will affect the marker tips if you try to color marker on top of colored pencil. It's just not a good idea!

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,

Thankful for You: November MFT & Friends

Welcome! It's November Release Day for My Favorite Things Stamps, and I have one more new release card to share today, using the Fantasy Florals and Bitty Thanks & Gratitude stamp sets. I have a soft spot for coloring flowers!

Shown above are the Copic Sketch markers that I used to color the Fantasy Florals image. I wasn't sure if the pink flowers were actually flowers or succulents, but I decided that you could color them either way in a set called "Fantasy" Florals. . . ;-) My Copic Color Map above is in a bit different format than usual, but I thought it might be simpler to label the colors this way for this particular image.

All of the new November 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,

Warmest Wishes: One Day until the MFT November Release!

Welcome to Day 1 of the My Favorite Things Stamps November Release Countdown--tomorrow is the big day! Today I'm sharing a card using the free-with-purchase Tree-O stamp set, paired with the Snowy Hillside die-namics. Please Note: Because the Tree-O stamp set is a freebie this month, it is NOT linked in my supply list below.

The sky background is inked with Mermaid Lagoon and Chipped Sapphire Distress Oxide inks. I cut down the Snowy Hillside hills a bit so that I could have more white space around the outside of my snowy night scene.

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

Impressive Snowflake: TWO Day until the MFT Release!

Welcome! It's two days until the My Favorite Things Stamps November Release! At 10am Eastern time on Tuesday, November 5, the November release will be live, and all of the new products shown in the past few days will be available. Today I chose the Impressive Snowflake Die-namics to play with. To be clear, the Impressive Snowflake Die-namics does NOT cut, like a regular die. It is heavier, and it is made to impress foil into a surface with a heat-foiling machine, such as the Gemini Foilpress Machine, or the Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil System. (This is not the same thing as heat laminator foiling.) True confessions: I'm smitten. I think I may "need" more of these impressive dies. . . After all, I already bought the machine, so I *need* to use it to make it worthwhile, right?

It's very difficult to get a picture of a foiled image that looks as cool as it does in person, but impressed foiling is  a really pretty look, even with a heavy cardstock. I'm sure it would also be a stunner with a softer, thicker paper such as a watercolor paper.

In addition to the ones that I've shared here, there are more 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 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 (November 5) at 10am Eastern time. All other links should work now. Thank you for stopping by today!

Heartfelt Thanks: Halfway to the Big Day!

Welcome! It's three days until the My Favorite Thing Stamps November release! Today I chose an image from the Super Hero in Scrubs stamp set to create a thank you note. My Dad has spent several weeks in the hospital recently, and we've had some excellent health care professionals! I kept it simple, using the Sunrise Radiating Rays stencil along with Scattered Straw Distress Oxide Ink for the background.

Shown above are the Copic Sketch markers that I used to color the Super Hero in Scrubs image. (You can click on the image for a larger format if you would like to save it.)

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, November 5, at 10am Eastern time. All other links should work now. Thank you for stopping by today,