Let It Snow

In the last few weeks, I've added to my distress ink collection and bought several of the mini distress ink pad sets to practice ink blending (yes now, but it's better late than never, right, LOL).  I say collection because I've had the several of the larger ink pads for quite a while but barely used.  But with all the new colors, I really want to get crafty and try out the different techniques I've seen in various videos.  Well, I was inspired recently especially because I purchased a new stamp set several months ago and this video by Ashley Tucker gave me the mojo to create a blended background for this card.

I used the same distress ink colors, spun sugar, abandoned coral and seedless preserves, and sponged/blended onto Strathmore mixed media paper to be used as the backdrop for the stamped images.  I then used Spellbinders circle dies to cut out the circle panels.  The penguin and snowflake images are from the Art Impressions Snow Much Fun stamp set.  I colored the penguin with Bic Mark-It markers colors tuxedo black, cloud nine grey and moonstone yellow and added shimmery chalk for the cheeks.  For the hat and bow tie, I added some spun sugar to an acrylic block and picked up the ink with a water brush for coloring.  For embellishment, I added rhinestones to the snowflake centers and added sparkle to the penguin's hat and bow tie with a Wink of Stella glitter brush and shimmer to it's body with a black glitter brush by Art-C. The sentiment is from Taylored Expressions' Home Sweet Home stamp set.

Cozy Christmas

Merry Christmas!  I got my mojo up and made this cute card a few days ago for some holiday spirit!  The penguin and cold noses warm hearts sentiment is from Art Impressions' Snow Much Fun stamp set.  I bought this stamp set a few months ago because it came with a few dies to cut out the stamped images, a trend that seems to be hot.  Although, of the two images, I discovered there's only one penguin die and the other will need to be cut freehand but that shouldn't be difficult because it's a quite simple image! Also, I don't usually use animal images but the penguins were so cute and fun and something different to add to my stamp stash!

I stamped the penguin on Strathmore marker paper and colored it with a few markers from the Tombow dual brush pens muted palette and the Pre by Nicole watercolor markers brilliant palette.

Other details about the card; I used patterned paper from Crate Paper's Snowy Day 6x6 paper pad as the background layer, I cut snow banks from white card stock and stamped the wishing you a cozy Christmas sentiment from Taylored Expressions' Home Sweet Home stamp set.  The finishing touches were a few foam snowflakes and I added some sparkle to he penguin's hat and bow tie with a Wink of Stella glitter brush pen!

Happy Halloween

I love Halloween and thought it would be a great idea to use them to embellish treat holders for the trick or treaters!  The stamps are from the $1 bin at the craft stores that I've collected over the years.  There are many videos out there but here is one that shows how to make them but I modified my project.  I cut my paper to 8x8 to hold a bit more than the 6x6 size.  They were quick to make once I decided on the project I wanted to use to hold the candy.  I used markers to color the images and added some ribbon for added embellishment. 

Coloring Spring Meadow Bouquet

Wow, it's already day 17 of Kathy's 30 day coloring challenge!  This my latest colored item that I started a few days ago and finished last night.  It's the beautiful digital image from Power Poppy called Spring Meadow Bouquet.

I don't have much experience working with digital images but was inspired by Kathy's video; she printed the image on regular copy paper, say whaaat?  The very few digital images I have, I printed on paper for use with alcohol based markers or heavier weight card stock. However, look how the black and white image turned out with her lovely coloring - wow!  So during a blog hop from several days ago, Power Poppy had advertised a special on this image and I couldn't resist!

I printed the image at an approximate size 5x6 onto copy paper and used Prismacolor pencils as the coloring medium.  Although I've got lots of practicing to do to get to Kathy's level of coloring expertise, using copy is a good inexpensive way to practice various techniques before using a higher quality paper!

Coloring Stamping Bella

Looking through my crafting stash today, I found this Stamping Bella image mixed in with a few other items.  It was perfect for The Daily Marker 30 day coloring challenge.  I colored it with Sharpie markers and Prismacolor pencils 1022, 1085 and 1061.  I wasn't going to add a sentiment but at the last moment decided it needed one so I stamped the Hello which is from a mini wood mounted stamp set that I found in the Target $1 spot a few years ago.  I had a mishap and didn't stamp it perfectly but a quick fix would be to re-stamp the word on another piece of paper, cut it into the shape of the message board and adhere over the mistake.

Coloring page: Sunflower or Daisy

Continuing in The Daily Marker coloring challenge, I have another coloring book page from the book shown in my previous post that I'll be working on throughout this month which I hope to finish.  Several weeks ago I colored the background of this page in a light gray which may be hard to notice in the photo.  Since I started it I figured I would work on it during the coloring challenge.  Also, I'm not sure if the images are sunflowers or daisies so I looked up those flowers and figured they were daisies.  I'm using Prismacolor pencils and started off with a cream, a few shades of yellow and an orange.  And as you can see from the two images colored, they are so different!  To add more depth, I started with the larger flower and added dark brown to the outer center and a deeper orange in the center.  Aah!  It now looks more like a sunflower with the flicks of brown I added around the outer center! Oh well, I'm just going with it as this is more practice for me in this coloring journey.

Bloom - The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge

Hello,

Kathy Racoosin at The Daily Marker.com has started her 30 Day Coloring Challenge which also happens to be the 10th anniversary for this series of her coloring challenge!  A few minutes a day or whatever time you can fit in to color anything you want is all it takes!  I'm happy to be participating for the first time!  The floral image is a page from the DO Coloring and crafting book pictured below.  I colored the various flowers with Sharpie markers not trying to be perfect but just enjoying the moment to sit and unwind to clear the mind!  It was quite nice!  Once finished, I tore the page out of the book--it was easy because it had perforated edges.  I was inspired by Kathy's first project and created this 12x12 scrapbook page.  I cut some navy blue card stock with a Fiskars super sized square template to create a frame for the picture.  I created the title out of white card stock and cut the letters from the Olivia collection, a Cuttlebug letter die set.  To finish up the project, I adhered all elements to the patterned paper.

 

Birthday Ranunculus

I made this card a few days ago and pleased with how it turned out!  The floral image is a stamp by WPlus9 called Beautiful Bouquet: Ranunculus.  I stamped it onto 100% cotton water color paper from the Bee Company using Bic Marking markers (I got these markers I think from Target a few years ago; I thought they were the Bic Mark-its but looking at the package the other night it's Bic Marking--but I think they're the same.)  I purchased them because although I have some Copic markers, I hadn't been thrilled with the results; still need to practice.  Anywho, the markers I used to color the image were:  flowers-Fandango Pink, Pink Flamingo & Yellow Blaze; berries-Desert Rose, and the leaves-Lemon Bliss & Margarita Green.  I used Papertrey Ink card stock and embossed the card base front with Darice's Damask embossing folding.  I found a piece of PTI card stock,  previously edged with an EK Success scalloped edge punch; the color went perfectly with the colored berries in the image.  I used it to cut a window using Spellbinders' Nestabilities circle dies to frame the image and layered the circle with a pink circle cut out.  The sentiment is by Anita's stamps (from a Michaels' dollar bin years ago); it says Happy Birthday but I blocked out the one word and stamped onto more of the cotton water color paper.  Lastly, I embellished the card with Martha Stewart self adhesive pearls, ribbon from my stash and some shimmer from a Wink of Stella glitter pen.

 

Stamping Bella

Oh wow, remember Stamping Bella?  I received this image in a swap from oh...about eons ago (and I have a few more other images too)!  I'm happy to finally use one on a card!  I haven't had much crafty time in a while but I searched and they are still in existence!  I thought these images were cute and fun back then but check out their current inventory...bigger images with more surface area to color and such cuteness! I used Primsacolor pencils to color the image, a Spellbinders die to cut the background panel for the image, a Prima flower and brad for embellishment.  The image is placed atop some My Mind's Eye patterned paper and a Papertrey Ink rickrack border die cut.  The sentiment is from Cleary Besotted's Sweet Rose stamp set.