Thinking Inking

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!

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,

Get Well Rose Card

Welcome! Yes, I finally got back into my studio tonight--got to find my crafty groove again. ;-) I know that it's almost winter, definitely not rose season. But I have a friend who needs something brighter and cheerier than snow right now. I started with a Fun Stamper's Journey set called Summer Garden.

These are the Copic markers that I used on the rose image. I also airbrushed the background with my Copic Airbrush System and an R22 Copic Sketch marker. 

I used two Spellbinders die template sets, Grand Decorative Ovals One and Classic Ovals Large. I also used the Infinity M-Bossabilities folder for the card background, then sponged some white craft ink on the embossed parts.  I stamped the focal image twice and cut out the tiny blossoms and the one leaf that extended past my die cut, then carefully glued/foam taped them on top of the image.  (From the top picture you can't tell, but from the picture right above this paragraph, you can see the added pieces.) I hope her rose in December makes my friend feel better! Thanks for stopping by,

Debbie

Birthday Butterflies

Welcome! I was looking for something pretty to color yesterday and pulled out another one of the Fun Stampers Journey sets that I received in Phoenix earlier this month, Gifted Wings. How can you go wrong with Jars and butterflies? In the background I used a textural stamp from Beauty Wings.

These are the Copic markers that I used to color the image;  that B40 is just a lighter version of B41. I wanted a really pale cool blue, so I mixed Copic Colorless Blender with some B41 and added it to an empty Copic Sketch marker. I used a Spellbinders Stately Circles die as a mask to airbrush B45 with a Copic Airbrush System--if you click on one of the pictures, you should be able to see it.

Speaking of Copic markers, may I insert a shameless ad here? I have Milwaukee Copic Standard and Intermediate Certification classes coming up NEXT WEEKEND, September 6 and 7. Right now both classes are small. Any takers out there? I would love to have a few more people in these classes, and you will still get plenty of personal attention! For more information on the Standard Certification, click HERE, and for the Intermediate, click HERE. 

I used several Spellbinders die sets here, including a Standard Circles LG, Stately Circles, Grand Labels Eleven (for that kraft trim piece), and Charmed I'm Sure (tag). See those pierced holes in place of my usual stitching? Yes, there's a story about that. The short version is that my sewing machine died yesterday when I was ready to stitch a pillow cover together, after fewer than two years of moderate usage. I took it apart to see if I could see anything wrong, but I couldn't. Then I pulled out the BIG guns: my oh-so-handy husband looked at it too. When neither of us could see a problem, we decided that it was probably cheaper to buy another one than to take it in to a repair shop, since a brand new one just like my old one is only $139. I think I'm allergic to making cards without a sewing machine. . . ;-) 

The last thing that I wanted to  mention tonight is that  JustRite Papercrafts has their stock of Spellbinders dies and JRP custom dies on sale for 20% off for only a couple of more days (ending on September 1). That's it for tonight--thanks for visiting!

Summer Garden Thank You

Welcome! Today I have a thank you card to share using a new Fun Stampers Journey stamp set, Summer Garden. When I was in Phoenix a couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to tour the FSJ facility and was able to pick a couple of stamp sets; of course I chose one that I could COLOR! ;-) 

These are the Copic markers that I used to color the focal image, including the BG13 that I colored the background with, and then airbrushed the bee tag background with. [Click on any picture to see a larger version.]

Here is a close-up of the bee tag. Isn't that bee sweet? I stamped him on white cardstock, then cut a tag using the Spellbinders Charmed I'm Sure set. I stamped it a second time and colored it. (I didn't want to have to cut out around his legs, hence the foam tape and popped up body.) The wings are glittered with Prisma glitter.

Other Spellbinders die sets that I used were the Grand Squares (smallest one for the embossed edge, and third size up for the pink background layer's perimeter), as well as Marvelous Squares to cut the cover weight vellum layer. Cutting around the flower image was a little time-consuming: I used one of those sliding Fiskars paper trimmers to trim up to the image parts and then hand-cut the parts that extended past the square. Cardstock is X-Press It Blending Card for the focal image and bee, and PTI Stampers Select White and Hibiscus Burst for the card base and background layer. Inks used were Tsukineko's Memento Espresso Truffle and Versacraft White Ink. Finished card size is 5-1/4" square. Well, that's it for today. I hope you are having a creative week!