Thinking Inking

Christmas in August: Hero Arts Winter 2016 Release Blog Hop

Welcome! This morning I'm happy to be hopping along with Hero Arts  in their Winter 2016 Release Blog Hop! If you're following the hop in order, you have arrived here from Cheiron Brandon's blog, and you will be headed next to Laura Bassen's blog. A complete link list is at the bottom of the post, and additional information on this release will be on the Hero Arts Blog.

I have a couple of cards to share, the first one in a vintage style using stamps from both the Hero Arts Happy Holly Days stamp set and the Vintage Christmas Post stamp set. I colored the cardinal and holly with the following Copic markers:

Reds: R11, R32, R35, R37, R39
Greens: G20, G46 
Browns: E33, E57, and
Yellows: Y23, YR24

I hand-trimmed the holly and cardinal because I didn't have access to the die set, BUT I 'm telling you that the dies will definitely save you some fussy-cutting time! ;-)

For my second card, I went a little cleaner in style and used only the Vintage Christmas Post  stamp set. I splurged with a little piece of gold cardstock as a mat layer , and I airbrushed just a hint of sky behind my pine boughs. This would be a really simple one to mass produce, switching out cardstock colors and focal images for any of the other stamps in this set. 

Now, for the FUN part: Hero Arts is giving away THREE $25 shipping sprees, drawn randomly from comments left across all of the blogs in the blog hop. Comments will eligible for entry until Sunday, August 28, 11:59pm Pacific time, and winners will be announced the following week. From here, you would head next to Laura Bassen's blog.

Thank you for visiting, and good luck!

Blog Hop List:
The Hero Arts Blog
Jennifer McGuire
Kathy Racoosin
Wanda Guess
Lydia Fiedler
Alice Wertz
Amy Tan
Cheiron Brandon
Debbie Olson
Laura Bassen
Debby Hughes
Heather Ruwe
Ilina Crouse
Isha Gupta
Jenn Shurkus
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Joan Bardee
Karin Akesdotter
Yana Smakula
Kelly Rasmussen
Amy Tsuruta
Clare Prezzia
Mariana Grigsby
May Sukyong Park
Libby Hickson

Fairy Wishes: My Monthly Hero Kit

Welcome! Today I'm happy to be playing along with the Hero Arts August My Monthly Hero kit launch blog hop! The August MMH Kit , inspired by Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, is available starting TODAY. Be sure to comment on the Hero Arts Blog Post for a chance to win one of these kits too!

Here's what the main kit looks like, but there are four optional add-ons to increase versatility. You can check the Hero Arts site at the links below for more details on the optional add-ons.

• Floral Border with Fancy Frame Die
• Dreamy Nights Stencil
• Dreams Are Made (4 x 6 clear stamp set)
• Shakespearean Poetry (4 x 6 clear stamp set)

I wanted a soft background to go under the lovely oval-shaped woods die cut (frame Fancy Die), so I airbrushed a gradation with my Copic Sketch Markers and Airbrush System. Starting at the top and going to the bottom, I used B66, B32, and G24. Next I die cut the frame Fancy Die (without the large oval) from the Woodgrain-textured white cardstock in the Hero Arts Kit--I loved this texture and could use a good supply of it! (You can see it close up in the picture below.)

Shown here are the Copic Sketch Marker colors that I used to color the fairy images. 

I wanted to incorporate the lovely patterned cardstock from the kit and decided that it would be perfect to create an envelope liner with. Just a hint here: whenever I attach an envelope liner to the envelope, I do NOT tape or glue the part of the liner below the fold. I used my X-Press It Double-Sided Tape Runner to tape only the TOP portion. By leaving the portion that is under the fold/inside the envelope unattached, I can easily open and shut the envelop without making it wrinkle oddly. Since the X-Press It Runner holds well,  I won't have to worry about my liner coming loose in the mail.

If you're wondering, it's really easy to create an envelope liner for a straight-edged envelope. I simply slip my patterned paper inside the envelope, cutting the paper slightly narrower than the envelope, and then turn the envelope over with the patterned paper protruding, and lightly trace the edges with pencil and mark the fold area as well. Next I cut about 1/8" inside my pencil line and also score the fold area. That's it--easy-peasy! Try it for size, and trim anything that you need to if it doesn't fit perfectly. Note: If you want to use the gummed edge that is on the envelope flap, just cut the top part a bit lower--maybe 3/8" rather than 1/8"--so that you have enough of the gummed edge exposed to seal the envelope. Otherwise, you will need to use adhesive to seal the envelope as well.

To get the plum-colored shadow woods layer inside the white woodgrain woods, I simply die-cut the same frame Fancy Die cut, then cut it in half along branch lines, pushed it closer together by about 1/4", and taped it in place before layering it under my woodgrain card front.

A list of participants in today's Hero Arts August My Monthly Hero Kit blog hop is below, starting at the Hero Arts Blog. I can't wait to see what everyone else did with this kit--that's the fun part! As always, thank you so much for stopping by,

The Hero Arts Blog
Yana Smakula
Mariana Grigsby
Clare Prezzia
May Park
Jennifer McGuire
Kathy Racoosin
Laura Bassen
Lydia Fiedler
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Pretty Pink Posh
Debbie Olson (You are here)
Cheiron Brandon
Alice Wertz
Helen Gullett
Libby Hickson

Birthday Mums: March My Monthly Hero

Welcome! Today I'm happy to be playing along with Hero Arts as they introduce their March My Monthly Hero kit on the Hero Arts Blog.

I chose one of the pre-printed coloring pages from the March My Monthly Hero Kit as my focal image, and used one of the included assorted notecards as my card base. (The darker mat layer is the same color notecard, darkened for contrast with a Copic RV99.)

The main kit is shown above. There are several add-on items available as well (not pictured here), including the Ribbon Messages Stamp and Cut set that from which I used the "Happy Birthday" sentiment, as well as Marianne Walker's Coloring Foundations Flowers book, and an add-on stamp set, Marianne's Flowers.

I thought I would take pictures as I colored the pre-printed mums image--hope that helps! In case you can't see the marker numbers clearly up above, I used Copic G40, G43, G46, and BG78.

Here I've colored the blossoms. I googled images of Chrysanthemums, and several that I found had the upturned backs on each petal being quite a bit lighter in value that the top side. So I tried shading them that way. (I added some cast shadows later.)

Here I have added a sunny glow around my mums, as well as some cast shadows. I chose yellow because yellow and purple are complementary colors. One result of that is that the yellow makes the purples stand out. 

I wanted to trim down my mums image so that the color of the notecard base would show. First I penciled a rectangle lightly, tracing the inside of a nested rectangle die. Next I used a paper trimmer to trim along the penciled lines, avoiding cutting my extending edges. Finally I used scissors to finish "fussy cutting" the extending leaves and banner edges. 

I hope you get a chance to visit the links below and see what others have done with the March My Monthly Hero Kit! There are THREE prizes available on the blog hop, so be sure to check out the details on the Hero Arts Blog. Thanks for visiting today!

The Hero Arts Blog
Marianne Walker
Marianne Walker
Sharon Harnist
Cindy Lawrence
Lori Craig
Debbie Olson (You are HERE)
Michelle Houghton
Mariana Grigsby
Libby Hickson

The Resurrection and the Life: Power Poppy Joyful Lilies

Welcome! I'm joining Power Poppy today in sharing a lovely floral digital stamp set, Joyful Lilies. 

The Joyful Lilies set has two sentiments, as well as two different versions of the lilies image--one with and one without a Cross, so that it will be suitable for more occasions. 

Shown above are the Copic markers that I used to color the Joyful Lilies image; I wanted my lilies to be white Easter lilies, so I colored around the lilies more than I actually colors the lilies. 

When I was coloring the tiny Forget-Me-Nots, I got a little close to the inside to the flowers and lost some contrast, so I thought it would be the perfect time to pull out my Copic Opaque White and dot those tiny little centers back in! The newer style bottle of Opaque White has a detail brush that works well for tiny areas. Unfortunately, I had just shipped my bottle to my Chicago Copic classes next weekend. . .  So, when I need a really small dot from the larger bottle, I often use a tiny embossing stylus, shown above. It's really easy to wipe it clean when I'm finished.

Here is the inside of my card; I used Marcy's Scripture sentiment and printed it in blue rather than black.

I dyed a length of white seam binding to coordinate with my card base (PTI Spring Rain) with my Copic Various Inks. The stitched, scalloped die is from MFT's Blueprints 27 Die-namics--one of my new favorites. Be sure to check the Power Poppy Blog for some other pieces made with Joyful Lilies! Thanks for visiting,

Season's Greetings

Welcome!  I just got home from South Carolina last night. My dad has been pretty ill but is now out of the hospital. It was good to spend time with my parents, though I wish it had been under different circumstances. I have several projects to catch up on, but after that, things should start getting back to normal on my blog until CHA time in early January.

This Winter Trees CG471 stamp set by Hero Arts is a lovely one--it makes a classic, simple card--perfect for mass production for sure! For the sentiments I used HA's Holiday Sayings CL343.  To ink the stamp, I mixed a couple of chalk inks: Colorbox Fluid Chalk French Blue ink and Versamagic Aegean Blue Chalk ink. When I mix inks on a stamp, I always ink the stamp with the lighter of the two colors, then ink it again with the darker of the two colors so that I don't darken a lighter ink pad. So far it doesn't seem to have hurt my darker pads either. Card base and white image layer are Shimmery White cardstock, and the blue mat layers is PTI's Blueberry Sky. I wanted a frosty bell, so I used a glue pen to coat the bell with glue, then sprinkled it with a fine glitter. 

That's it for today--thanks for visiting!

Related articles

Three Cards and Links!

Three Cards and Links!

Welcome! I'm delighted to have three cards currently being shared on the HGTV decorating/Card Making blog and wanted to post complete supply lists here. All construction details are on the posts there, so be sure to check there for directions!

LINK for Felt Pennant Card

Supplies

Stamps: Christmas Vintage Labels One (JustRite Papercrafts)
Ink: Cranberry Crisp (SU), Chamomile Distress Ink (PTI)
Cardstock: Vintage Cream (PTI), Cranberry Crisp (SU)
Patterned Paper:Season's Greetings 6" x 6" pad (Echo Park)
Tools: Labels Fourteen, Grand Labels Four (Spellbinders Paper Arts), sanding block
Accessories: Bakers Twine, Wool Felt (Papertrey Ink)

LINK for Felt Tree Card

Supplies

Stamps: Miracle of the Holidays CL630,  (Hero Arts)
Ink: Hawaiian Shore, Raspberry Fizz, Pure Poppy, Chamomile Distress Ink (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Natural White, Hawaiian Shore (PTI)
Patterned Paper: Holly Jolly Christmas 6" x 6" pad (Echo Park), 12 Days of  Christmas 6" x 6" pad (My Mind's Eye)
Tools: Sweet Folk Art die template (Spellbinders Paper Arts), sanding block
Accessories: Wool Felt (Papertrey Ink), cotton string

LINK for Falling Snow Shaker 

Supplies

Stamps: Winter Trees CG471, Holiday Sayings CL343,  (Hero Arts)
Ink: Versamark, Aquatic Spash and Ocean Depth Versamagic, layered (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Shimmer White, clear (PTI), Baja Breeze (SU)
Tools: Heat tool, Classic Rectangle (Spellbinders Paper Arts)
Accessories: Filigree Detail White Embossing Powder, Twinklets Diamond Dust (Floracraft), foam tape

Thank you for visiting today! 

Sending Christmas Joy

Welcome! I have a couple more cards to share with you today. For both of these I used Hero Arts stamp sets, CL630 Miracle of the Holidays for the sentiment, and CG483 Triangle Trees for the background. I kept these simple, knowing that I could then easily mass-produce them if I get into a time-crunch for cards this year. Vintage buttons are from Papertrey Ink, and rusty bells are from Factory Direct Crafts. Ink colors are Red Magic Versamagic, and PTI's Simply Chartreuse.

That's it for today--thank you for visiting!

Simple Floral Thank You

Remember when you first started  making cards--back when they were simple? I still remember choosing my first stamp set, not because it was my favorite one, but because it was the most versatile one with several sentiments. I spent hours playing with that one stamp set. Now I find myself tagging my favorite sets just so I remember to come back to the them and use them again. 

Tonight as I played with a lovely little Hero Arts stamp from the Peeking Posies set, I pulled out some patterned papers and some background stamps; but in the end, simplicity won out. (I guess I'll have to use those stamped backgrounds on future cards!) You know, I had as much fun making a clean and simple card as I do layering half of the products that I own. I think I'll try this more often!

These are the Copic markers that I used to color the focal image.

For the tag I popped out a circle in the Hero Arts Word Pops background (totally clever stamp construction idea, BTW), and then used a couple of circle punches to make a tag from my stamped image. I used a pale blue-violet Copic marker to highlight the "thank you" so that it would stand out. Cardstock is Papertrey's Sweet Blush, and ribbon is Lavender Moon Grosgrain. There are three more stamps in the Peeking Posies set--what a fun gift set using all four of these would make!

That's is for a back to Basics card--thank you for visiting.

Find Joy

I know I haven't posted in the last few days, but I've been stamping like a madwoman to try to meet some deadlines before I leave for Phoenix toward the end of the week. This morning I can share one card that I created for a Two Peas in a Bucket request. (Full card is linked here.)I used two Hero Arts stamp sets here (Antique Writing and Anytime Messages), as well as one digital stamp (the large butterfly, Winged Friends), several Copic Markers (shown below), and a Spellbinders Paper Arts Nested Lacey Pennants die to cut and emboss the sentiment.

Purples, blues, and greens paired with kraft cardstock--what's not to enjoy? I should have one more card ready for you early this afternoon. Have a fabulous day!

Create Your Future

Good morning!  My friend Colleen Schaan has a tutorial posted on SplitCoaststampers today for a technique that she calls Colorless Blender Bleaching. After seeing her tutorial, of course I had to play along today. It was quite simple; my biggest challenge was, well--locating my glossy white paper! I don't use a lot of glossy, and I am evidently about out of it. 

My base layer airbrushed on the half sheet of glossy white paper was YR24, which I left blotchy, according to Colleen's directions. I left a few patches untouched so that I could add a few spritzes of BV04 for variety and cool spots underneath. (You don't want to spray blue-violet on top of yellow since they are complementary and will generally make each other muddy if mixed.)

Here is the same paper after I airbrushed some YG63 and YG67 on top of the yellow and violet.

This is the same layer after I spritzed my Hero Arts Silhouette Fern stamp with colorless blender and stamped the image repeatedly (cleaning between each impression). See how that Blue-Violet shining through helps add interest by being a hint of coolness surrounded by all of that warmth? Okay, well, trust me--it helped. :-}

I had some scraps left after I trimmed my focal image, so I used a couple of them to die-cut some ferns with a Spellbinders Foliage die. For the bottom of my card, I used one of the Grand Labels Four die with the blade threaded over the bottom of the cardstock and under the rest of the card body so that it cut only the bottom edge. To keep from getting any imprint on the rest of the card, I simply rolled it far enough into my Grand Calibur to cut the bottom edge (you can feel it get harder to turn as the die edge passes the rollers), and then backed it out the way I had come in.  I'll list all supplies below. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you get a chance to try Colleen's technique!

Supply List

Stamps: Silhouette Fern, Anytime Messages

Cardstock: Kraft, New Leaf (Papertrey Ink); glossy paper

Ink: Memento Bamboo Leaves, Adirondack Bottle, and Chamomile Distress Cube

Copic Markers: YR24, BV04, YG63, YG67, 0

Dies: Foliage, Grommet Tags, Grand Labels Four (Spellbinders Paper Arts)

Accessories: New Leaf Vintage Button and Rustic Twine (Papertrey Ink)

Kris Kringle Card

Welcome! Today I have a fun little Christmas card made with a Hero Arts Kris Kringle digital stamp that I printed on my inkjet printer and colored with my Copic markers (shown below).  I resized it in the print dialog box to fit on the front on a 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" card and printed in on Copic Blender Card[stock]. 

Yes, I used a LOT of markers! Sometimes I get carried away. This was such a beautiful image, and I just kept coloring. . . and coloring. . .

See the texture on the toy bag? That was added with my Copic colorless blender solution and an old cotton sweater scrap. Papers are from Cosmo Cricket's Mitten Weather Mini Deck, and twill is natural twill, tea-dyed. The button is a Papertrey Ink Fine Linen Vintage Button. Isn't this a sweet image?

Thanks for visiting today! 

Two Peas Shine Challenge

You might want to grab your shades before going to visit the Two Peas Holiday Cardmaking Event this weekend--there's some serious shine going on! I have a couple of guest cards up on Two Peas today, playing along with Garden Girl Jen Gallacher's Adding Shine Challenge. All details except for marker colors are posted on Two Peas here, and I'll post pictures of the Copic markers that I used below. Thanks to Two Peas for inviting me to play along, and thanks to Jen for the shine-spiration!

These are the Copics that I used on the Hanging Christmas Ornaments card.

And these are the markers for the Magic of Christmas card.

___________

Later tonight I'll be back with a Papertrey November Release Group post using one of my absolute favorite new sets--see you then!