Where even Design Scaredy Cats can have fun creating and learning new design techniques. Come look around, leave a comment and let me know what you think. I'm an Independent Stampin' Up Demonstrator and I love what I do. If you like to have fun, create or want to learn new techniques, stop in and have a look or drop me a comment. I'd love to hear from you!
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Hey y'all. Happy Humpday!I don't know about you, but the week is dragging for me. It totally seems like it should be Friday already. *SMH* Oh well, just two more days. :)
I have another challenge card for you today. This one's from the nice ladies over at Mojo Monday. If you haven't played along with them yet, check 'em out. (just after remember to finish up here too) They've got lots of great sketches and the DT cards are fabulous! Theirs is one my go-to sites for sketch inspirations.
Here's today's card-
Thank You Card with Summer Smooches DSP and Bright Blossoms Stamp Set
Can you believe it!?! I mixed DSP's again!!! *Happy Dance* I have to say I'm really happy with how this turned out, even if I didn't quite get the dimensions on the center panels just right. At least I didn't get out the ruler and mathematically calculate the correct dimensions. (if you haven't followed me for long...Yes, that is a real thing!) I used a base of Tangerine Tango, which I'm not sure I had ever used as a base before, and I used a button which I rarely do. I used my Big Shot and Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder for a little added dimension and detail. Love that folder! Don't you just love this DSP, I do. It's one of my all time favorite collections, so bright and cheery. Everything is adhered using Tombow except my flower layer which is popped up with two Dimensionals and the button which is adhered with a Mini-Glue Dot. This makes for a fairly flat card for mailing.
Here's the Mojo Monday Sketch-
Aside from the dimensions on the center panel, it's true to the sketch. Now if I can just figure out those dimensions I think this will be a good layout to keep in my rotation.
Here's the inside-
I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with the inside, so I kept it simple and put a matching strip of DSP for a bright accent. My sentiment is from the Kindness Matters set which I got for free during last year's Sale-A-Bration. Love Free! I also love the font. I inked it up in Tangerine Tango and my card was done.
So, what do you think? Hopefully it will brighten someone's day. I'd love to hear what you think. Your comments always make me smile, except this morning when I woke up to spam for the first time! *BOO-HISS!!!* If you like today's card and would like to +1 or Pin it, I've put the buttons on my sidebar for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)
Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope your day is as Fabulous as you are! Till next time-
Remember- Life is often more about the storms, than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.
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Hey y'all. Happy Friday, we made it! I hope you've had an Amazing week. I have a new End of the Week Technique for you today. Can I just tell you how shocked I was to realize that this is #30? Wow! Hard for me to believe. I remember when I started this journey wondering if I was going to be able to do 5 or maybe even 10 considering the limited amount of supplies I had at the time. Luckily though, I'm still going strong and still have plenty of techniques in the waiting in the wings.
Today's technique is one I actually used on a card for a challenge last week. But I wanted to be able to do a post just for it. I've always like the look of pictures colored with Copic Markers but 5 things held me back-
1- They're not Stampin Up and I love our products and colors so much it's hard for me to look at another marker company
2- I'd seen lots of videos where they were used and it just looked sooo intimidating to try and figure out the color combos and blend them just right
3- There were so many colors
4- The cost involved with getting them
5- It seemed like it would be very time consuming and for me, I just don't have that kind of time on a regular basis
Here's what I found out-
1- I've got all the colors I need with my Stampin Write Markers
2- When I use my markers it's not intimidating at all
3- I've got 38 colors not counting in colors and that's more than enough
4- SU's markers are way cheaper (yes, that's an accurate term) :)
5- Ok I can't do anything about the time consuming but I have to think that this technique has to be at least a little quicker than the one using Copics
I have cost breakdown later in this post, so make sure you read all of it, I hate for you to miss that!
Here's today's card-
Copic-Style Watercoloring with SU Markers & Bordering on Romance Stamp
The card is fairly easy.
I actually took my color inspiration from the piece of Twitterpated DSP. I started with a base of Night of Navy & topped it with a piece of Baja Breeze. Next came the DSP that I mounted on another piece of of Night of Navy c/s. I added a piece of Baja Breeze seam binding that I tucked under the edge of these three layers and secured to the bottom with SNAIL. (Yes, I do actually use SNAIL on occasion instead of Tombow.) This portion of the card was then secured with, my dear friend, Tombow. You didn't think it wasn't going to get used just because I had some SNAIL on my card, did you? A bow was secured with a Mini-Glue Dot. Then I added my focal point.
I used this sketch from Mojo Monday for my inspiration-
Ok, sometimes I'm an idiot. I can admit that. When I did my sketch earlier in the week I obviously sketched a rectangle instead of a square. I didn't realize it until I went to post this that I had made it wrong. *Head-desk* I hope they'll still let me play along. *SMH*
Here's a close-up of my EWT focal point-
Copic-Style Watercoloring with SU Markers
I only used 4 markers to color in my image. Night of Navy for the main flowers, Baja Breeze for the small buds, Pretty in Pink for the small flowers and Wild Wasabi for the leaves. I just love all the color variations especially the purplish colors in the main flowers. I added a few of our pearls to the center of the flowers. They weren't necessary, I think the watercoloring stands on it's own just fine, but I always forget to use them and I thought they added a nice little extra touch.
Here's all you need to do-
I'm not going to go too deep into detail because I'm adding a video (not mine) that demonstrates this technique. It's the one I found that made me realize I could do this-
***Copic-Style Watercoloring with SU Markers***
1- Stamp your image on Watercolor Paper in Staz-On ink. This step is crucial to the success of your technique. You need the watercolor paper to be able to blend your colors and if you were to use regular ink, your image would bleed and mix with the ink making a mess.
2- Using the brush-tip of your Stampin Write Marker (not the fine point, it just doesn't give the same effect), apply a small line of color where you'll want your color to be the deepest. Then using your Blender Pen in a circular motion draw blend the color out from that line. This will distribute your color and soften the line. Continue doing this in small sections until you have the depth of color and the variations that you are happy with.
*Note*- I'm not the best at picking where the light or shadows would be, so I just kind of made it darker in the center where the petals gather and then chose the left side to be my darker edge. I think it looks pretty similar to others I've seen with shadowing, so I'm not too worried. I think it turned out pretty nice at any rate.
That's really all there is to it. You may have to occasionally wipe your pen off on a scrap piece of paper if you've picked up too much color or there won't be much variation in the color.
3- Enjoy your beautifully colored project and think of the smile it will bring to your recipients face. :)
It's hard to see in the main picture above (I'm not sure why it's so dark, I was using my Ott light. Probably my stoopid BB. AUGH!!!) but I used my Label Framelets (#2) to make the decorative edge for focal point. If you don't have the framelets you could probably use your Decorative Label Punch and slide the edge out from under your focal point. I however love the versatility the Framelets give me. (Woot! Sounds like another EWT. lol)
Here's the inside of the card-
I kept it pretty simple. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes. (How did I make it all this time without that set!?! So glad it's not retiring!) I stamped it in Night of Navy. The sweet little flower in the bottom is from the Bordering on Romance set and I simply stamped it in Basic Black Classic Ink. I then used my Baja Breeze and Wild Wasabi markers to color it in. I added a little Dazzling Diamonds to the petals, for a little bling, and my card was done.
In case you didn't see my earlier post with this technique, here's a picture-
Copic Style Watercoloring with SU Markers
Once again, all done with a single color marker for each element. You can see the post HERE.
Here's the video showing the technique. It's on you-tube and she has some great videos. Check her out, but after you're done here-
***Edited***- I just want to make sure everyone realizes this is not my video, but one I found on You-Tube. She has others too, some but not all SU related. Make sure to check her out when you get a chance. :)
Here's the SU vs Copic Markers breakdown I promised you-
I looked up Copics to do a comparison and they have 214 colors in 16 different color families. Their markers are $6.99 each and feature a wide tip and a finer pointed "nib" type tip. Theirs are refillable and you can replace the tips. The cost for a full set of Copics, a whopping $1495.86. WOW! Stampin Up's markers by comparison have 38 regular colors separated into 4 color "families", which coordinate perfectly with all of their papers and accessories. They have both a wide, brush type tip and a fine tip that's perfect for smaller areas or journaling. SU's markers are $3.50 each and you can get the entire set in a carrying case for a total cost of only $109.95, that breaks down to just $2.89 each. Both sets of markers can be refilled. The main difference in the two marker styles was that the tips on the Copic markers were replaceable. However for $3.50 with SU you can just get another marker if needed. Now after seeing that I can get the same results with SU markers for 50% less per individual marker and 1/10th (Yes, I said 1/10th) the cost for a complete set, the decision for which to get is pretty clear. Granted if I was doing graphic art or big time illustrating I might feel a little different, but for making beautiful cards, scrapbook layouts and gifts the answer seems pretty simple, at least in my mind and to my budget. *Note- This is just my opinion after doing a price and specifications comparison. You're opinion may vary.*
Well, that's all I have for you today, I know it was a little long, but I hope you will think it's worth it. I hope you liked today's EWT and the card. If you did, please feel free to leave me a comment, I love hearing from you! Also if you liked today's card and would like to +1 or Pin it, I've put the buttons on my sidebar for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)
I hope to see you back here next week for more projects. I hope you weekend is as AMAZING as you all are and that you have plenty of time for Friends, Family and of course for creativity! Have a safe Cinco de Mayo if your celebrating.
Till next time-
Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.
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Hey y'all. Happy Tuesday or should I say Tax Day. I hope you have your taxes in and everything works out positively for you. Mine are done and in fact the money's all spent except a little that I'm going to pay for my airfare to Convention with. I was lucky enough to get some new stamping supplies and to pay for my convention registration as well as a few other niceties. :)
Today's card uses some of my new refund purchases. That alone makes me smile, although I think the card's kind of cute too. I used the sketch over at Mojo Monday's for inspiration and that takes care of my personal challenge for the week as well.
Here's today's card-
Mixed Bunch Thank-You Card, Summer Smooches DSP
I think the colors are so bright and cheery and I'm just loving this stamp set and punch. I really hope they make it into the new catalog. I was inspired color-wise by a card I made this weekend at our team meeting (Thanks Robin!)
Here's the Mojo Monday Sketch-
I kept pretty true to the sketch. I simply turned it on it's side and re-positioned the flag.
I started with a base of Daffodil Delight and layered a piece of DSP from the new Summer Smooches collection. How much are you loving that collection? I love it all and that's rare for me, but all the pages are just fabulous. It may be the first pack that I have to fully replace. :)
I inked up my two of my Mixed Bunch stamps in Daffodil Delight to make the flowers. I used my Mixed Bunch Punch to punch them both out and then punched out two more from DD c/s to layer them. I used my bone folder to curl the petals and a little Tombow to adhere them together. Next a few dimensionals to lift them up off of my Whisper White c/s layer.
I love the look of the upper layer of c/s being punched out to show the DSP beneath it. I know it seems like it's everywhere, but it's the first time I've used it and I think it just adds a little something to the card. (Plus it allowed me to get in all 4 circles!) I elevated the WW c/s layer with dimensionals as well to give it more of a 3-D effect. I used my left over corner pieces for this. You use those right? They work great for all sorts of projects and save you money (You know I'm all about the saving money!). Make sure you don't throw them away.
I used another punched flower to make the leaves. I used a little Tombow to stick them up under the edges of my flowers. I stamped my sentiment from 3 Little Words on a scrap of WW c/s, flagged the end and sponged the edges and then used more Tombow to secure it. Three Little Words is on the retired list that just came out on Sunday. You can check out my website to see all the stamps that are leaving to make room for some Amazing New Ones!
The flag is the only spot on the front of the card that got sponged. This is a departure from most of my cards. Normally if you sponge one element you should sponge them all, but I sponged this layer just to give them impression of another layer instead of adding one. I think it still looks ok. .What do you think?
Here's the inside-
I kept it soooo simple here. The sentiment is from Many Thanks. It's on the retired list so if it's one you been meaning to get don't wait too long. It will be gone May 31. It's been around for quite a while, in fact I got it when I signed up the first time almost 7 years ago. I added a little sponging to the edges of my WW layer here for some added depth and my card was finished.
Well, that's all I have for you today. I hope you liked today's card and I hope it inspires you to try something new today, maybe a challenge or a new design element.
If you liked today's card, please feel free to leave me a comment. I love hearing from you! Feel free to +1 or Pin it as well. I've put the buttons on my sidebar for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too. :)
You can stop by my ONLINE STORE to see our Retired List and to get any supplies you might need.
Till next time-
Remember- Life isn't about Waiting for the storm to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.
