The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge-Part 2

Hello Friends! I'm just buzzin' by for a quick post to let you know that Kathy Racoosin of The Daily Marker blog is hosting another 30 Day coloring challenge, that will begin on June 1.

I participated in the first event a few months ago and I had a blast! The idea is to take time out every day for 30 days to color something. It can be anything you would like to color. You can practice Copic marker shading, you can watercolor, you can use Distress Markers, colored pencils... the choice is yours. Just sit down and take a little time to color. And it's JUST coloring. You don't have to make a card or a project with your colored piece unless you want to. I colored up many pieces that have not been made into cards. Like this one...

Sound like fun? To join in, make sure you're following The Daily Marker blog and KathyRac on Instagram. You will also want to subscribe to The Daily Marker YouTube channel, so you don't miss a thing Kathy has to share. And just like last time, there will be videos, discount codes and prizes! Plus, Kathy is very talented and she shares TONS of tips and techniques. And all of this is FREE people!

So, gather your supplies and get ready to have a great time. Don't want to buy new stamps? No worries! There are many wonderful sites online where you can pick up digi stamps for a small amount of money and some are even free. Here is a short list of a few of my favorite places to purchase digis:

Power Poppy - beautiful florals
MelJen's Designs - whimsical images all on one CD!
Tiddly Inks - Super cute people images and FREEBIES!
Mo's Digital Pencil - Adorable people images in real life situations
From the Heart Digital Stamps - Cute, funny and sweet stamps
Useless Trinkets - unique images, all FREE!
Sassy Cheryl's Stamps - cute and sassy childhood images
The Greeting Farm - cute kids
LaLa Land Crafts - cute kids

I know that there are more sites to find digital images, I've only listed a few. You could do a Google search and find many, many more.

And lastly, even if you don't want to color everyday, stop in from time to time and take a look at what others are sharing. You may get inspired to color after all.

I hope your week has been awesome! Thanks for stopping by today.

Blessings~

That Clever Sandy Allnock!

Hello Friends! I'm buzzin' by with a quick post to share something super fantastic with you. If you are a lover of Copic markers chances are, you're familiar with Sandy Allnock. Sandy is the Founder and Executive Officer of Operation Write Home AND she is alos a COPIC MASTER! When you're finished here, I suggest you take a look at her blog. Her Copic coloring is beyond amazing. You have to stop by for a visit, you will not be disappointed. And take a look at her EduDigi Series while you're there. She focuses on one color family and shows you how to get the most from your Copics. She was one of the teachers in the Copics for Cardmakers class I took with Online Card Classes and she gave us lots of little nuggets of information, and I'll bet her EduDigi Series is loaded with info, too. Sandy also used my skin tone to color an image in her Gimme Some Skin Series. Click HERE to see that post.  Okay...moving on.

So Sandy has created a wonderful tool for us to use with our Copic markers. It's a Hex Chart that organizes the markers by color instead of by number. Why is that a big deal you ask. Well, Sandy's chart shows the visual relationship between the markers. This will make color selection a lot easier, as well as helping one to see gaps in their color families.  For a very small fee, you can purchase then download the charts. In the zip file you will receive 2 sets of charts. One set is colored in for reference and the other is blank, to be colored in with the Copic markers in your collection. Pretty cool, huh?

Take a look...

I printed my chart onto Neenah Classic Crest Solar White card stock. I purchase this from Simon Says Stamp. It's nice and smooth and takes the Copic ink beautifully. I didn't heat set mine because my printer ink doesn't smear with the markers. And I usually print in "Draft Mode", so it puts out less ink. For the colors that are very dark, Sandy suggests that we use a white gel pen to write the marker number to make it visible. I don't really like the look of that, so I won't be doing it. I can see the numbers just fine if I tilt the chart, so it won't be a problem.

This is my completed chart. I discovered that I need more Copics!! And I also discovered that several of my markers are in need of refill, so I didn't add those to the chart.

I really like how the chart has the colors organized. I can definitely see the benefit of using it and I look forward to filling in the rest of my colors and adding a few new ones, as well. It's going to make Copic coloring even more fun!  Oh! And just a little advance notice...Remember the 30 Day Coloring Challenge I participated in a few months ago? Well, another one is scheduled to begin on June 1. I had a ball with the last challenge. If you missed my posts about it, click HERE. I hope you'll consider joining the challenge. There are prizes and giveaways, too! Think about it!

That's it for me today. Have a wonderful Wednesday! Thanks for visiting!

Blessings~

 supplies~
Hex Chart(Sandy Allnock)
card stock: 80# Neenah Solar White(Simon Says Stamp)
Copic markers

Hey There, Chickadee!

Hello Friends! I hope all the Mommas had a wonderful Mother's Day. I sure did. On Saturday, I treated my mother-in-law to a deluxe spa pedicure, now both of us have really cute toesies. Then, later on that evening, we took both of the mom's out for Japanese food. I love sushi and the restaurant we went to has a huge sushi bar with all sorts of delectable edibles, including fresh oysters. Big, plump, juicy oysters on the half shell. Yum-O! Well, I slurped up one of those oysters and felt something hard in my mouth and guess what?! There was a PEARL in my oyster! LoL! No kidding! It is really tiny, but it's still a pearl. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet. I may add it to my Origami Owl locket. Just had to share that! Anyway...Onto my card for the day.

I wanted to do something a little different, so I pulled out another old set from Papertrey Ink, Everyday Button Bits. Remember when buttons were all the rage with card makers? This stamp set uses buttons to complete the image. Take a look...

I wanted to keep the design CAS and let those cute little birds do their thing. After I finished the stamping, I colored the beaks with Spectrum Noir colored pencils. I colored their feet and the ground with Copic markers. I stamped their side feathers using coordinating inks, then I fussy cut them out, adhered them with glue dots and gave them a brush over with a Clear Wink of Stella glitter brush. I felt like I had too much white space at the top, so I added the polka dot patterned paper and notched out the sides of my panel(thank you, Patti for this tip!) so I could add some Baker's Twine.

I finished off the inside of the card, too.

I created my sentiment using a few different stamp sets. This card is for a friend who had surgery recently. I really LOVE the "Sending" in the Simon Says Stamp Happy Thoughts stamp set. It's the handwriting of Kristina Werner and I think it's soooo cute! Anywho...I added a strip of the same patterned paper that I used on the front of the card to tie everything together. The little hearts have a coat of Clear Wink of Stella on them, because I love my sparkle!

***I am entering this card into the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - LET'S GET SENTIMENTAL ***

And that is it from me today. Thank you so much for stopping by. I appreciate the visit.

Blessings~

supplies~ 
stamps: Everyday Button Bits(Papertrey Ink)  Happy Thoughts(Simon Says Stamp)  Express Yourself(Stampin' Up!)
card stock: 80# and 110# Neenah Solar White(Simon Says Stamp)  Lemon Tart(Papertrey Ink)
patterned paper: Polka Dot Parade(Papertrey Ink)
ink: Black Licorice Hybrid(My Favorite Things)  Ripe Avocado, Aqua Mist, Summer Sunrise(Papertrey Ink)  Strawberry Slush(Stampin' Up!)
punches: Scalloped Border(Stampin' Up!)
bling: Clear Wink of Stella glitter brush(Zig)
coloring media: Spectrum Noir-Essentials Colored Pencils, Copic markers
other: Buttercream Baker's Twine(The Twinery)  Aqua Mist, Lemon Tart buttons(Papertrey Ink)

A Basket of Tulips

Hello Friends! I'm buzzin' by with the last Mother's Day card in my series for 2015. This one is extra special because it is going to a dear friend who is a new grandma! Since both of the new grandbabies are girls, I decided to go with pink as my main color. Fine with me, as pink is my favorite color.

I drew inspiration from this photo of the Longaberger Homestead in Ohio. I am SUCH a basket case! I've collected Longaberger baskets for many years and use them throughout my home. I would love to visit this place one day. I honestly think I could live in a house shaped like this. LOVE it!

 
So for my card, I reached for an old favorite stamp set, Vintage Picnic from Papertrey Ink. I love all of the different basket bases and goodies that can be stamped "inside". For this card, I chose the tulips. I seem to be stuck on tulips this year!

I started off by stamping the image onto the textured side of a piece of Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Cardstock, using Versamark ink. Then, I sprinkled on some white embossing powder and heat set it. Next, I die cut the image using a Stitched Circle die from Simon Says Stamp. And I watercolored the image with Distress Markers. After it was dry, I added a bit of blue around the basket to make the image pop and to represent ‘sky’.  I die cut a circle from green card stock and then I die cut some ‘grass’, using the Grassy Border die from Lawn Fawn. I embossed my greeting onto this piece using White embossing powder from Hero Arts and using liquid glue, I adhered it to my focal panel. Next, I die cut the ‘fabric triangle’ using one of the coordinating dies from Vintage Picnic and adhered that onto the image. I used foam tape to adhere the focal panel onto my 4 bar card base. I think the 4 bar size is just darling and I plan to use it a lot more.  To complete the outside of the card, I added a few Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear sequins and went over the tulips with a Clear Wink of Stella glitter brush.

Here is a look at the inside of the card...

For the inside of the card, I die cut a panel using a Stitched Rectangle die from Simon Says Stamp. I used Heartfelt Basics from Papertrey Ink for the greeting. Next, I punched a few bitty butterflies from patterned paper, glued those down and then gave them the once over with my Clear Wink of Stella glitter brush. I decided to stamp the tulips as a border, kind of window box style, along the bottom of the panel. And to finish it off, I added a strip of the same patterned paper from the front of the card for continuity.

And that is that! Thank you for stopping by today. I appreciate the visit. Have a wonderful weekend and an AWESOME Mother's Day!

Blessings~

supplies~

Stamps: Vintage Picnic, Heartfelt Basics(Papertrey Ink)  “Happy Mother’s Day” from Teeny Tiny Wishes(Stampin’ Up!)

Card stock: 80#, 110# Neenah Solar White(Simon Says Stamp)  Certainly Celery(Stampin’ Up!)

Specialty paper: Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Card stock(Ranger)

Patterned paper: Let’s Polka 6x6 Pad(Lawn Fawn)

Ink: Versamark(Tsukineko)  Worn Lipstick Distress Ink(Ranger)  Sweet Leaf(Close to My Heart)  Certainly Celery(Stampin’ Up!)
dies: Stitched Circle, Stitched Rectangle(Simon Says Stamp)  Grassy Border(Lawn Fawn)  Vintage Picnic(Papertrey Ink)
punches: Trio of Butterflies(Martha Stewart)
bling: 4mm sequins(Pretty Pink Posh)  Clear Wink of Stella glitter brush(Zig)
other: White embossing powder(Hero Arts)

 

 

Watercolored Tulips

Hello Friends!  I hope you are enjoyed your weekend. I’ve been doing a little watercoloring and I wanted to share one of my projects with you. I have watercolored these tulips from Papertrey Ink’s Friendship Jar Spring Fillers many times. But, I have fallen in love, and I do mean LOVE with using Stampin’ Up ink pads for watercoloring and I wanted to try something that I had rolling around in my head.  Let’s get right to it!

I drew inspiration from a piece of Designer Series paper. It’s called Watercolor Wonder and it’s from Stampin’ Up! What’s nice about this, is that I have ink pads to coordinate with the colors in the paper.

I stamped my image onto the textured side of a piece of Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Card stock, using Versamark ink and sprinkled on some WOW White Pearl Super Fine embossing powder. I heat set it with my heat tool and let it cool. Then, came the fun part…the watercoloring. I squeezed the closed ink pads to transfer some ink into the lids and I used them as my palettes.  If you don’t want to get your lids dirty, just smoosh some ink onto your craft sheet or an acrylic block. Both work just fine.

I used several sizes of watercolor brushes. I needed different sizes for different areas. A “0” for small tight areas and adding shading, a #2 for the blooms and leaves and a #4 and #6 for the blue background. Just a note here, I’m no watercoloring expert, but I learned from those who are that, it is of utmost importance to the end result of your project, to invest in quality paint brushes. I purchased a nice set of brushes from Simon Says Stamp. And then I filled in the gaps with brushes from Michael’s. I use a 50% off coupon to help defray the costs. I can tell you, I have used inferior quality brushes in the past and there really is a difference. Now, I get no shed bristles and they hold water better. Okay…back to the card. Loooooong winded Barb today!

As usual, I taped my piece onto a watercolor board to help prevent warping. Even though the embossing powder traps the color into separate sections, I still colored blooms that were not touching each other first, just in case I got a little wild with my brush, I wouldn’t ruin anything. I didn’t use much water on my brush, so the drying time was not too long. And, as usual, I let my piece air dry. After everything was completely dry, I added a little pale blueish green ink around the image to ground it and to help the colors pop.

I matted the focal panel with a piece of my inspiration patterned paper and mounted it onto my card base with dimensional adhesive. Then, it was time to embellish! I pulled out an old set of tag dies and cut the little circle. Then, using the Card Word Puzzle stamp set from Close to My Heart, I stamped the greeting with Memento Peanut Brittle ink. I glued that down with liquid adhesive and added the bitty bow with a glue dot. I had sequins on the card at first and then thought I would try pearls to bring out the pearl embossing powder.

I finished off the inside of the card with a sentiment from another Papertrey Ink stamp set, Heartfelt Basics. I've used this a lot, too during my Mother's Day card series. I also used the "Happy Mother's Day" sentiment from the Spring Baskets stamp set from Waltzingmouse Stamps and a butterfly stamp from WPlus9.

I used the Rock and Roll technique on the butterflies. I inked up the image with Crisp Cantaloupe ink, then rolled the edges of the wings in Crushed Curry ink. Then I went over them with a Clear Wink of Stella glitter brush marker. I added a small strip of the inspiration paper on the bottom of the panel for continuity and then I matted it with Crisp Cantaloupe card stock and my card was finished.

Ultimately, I ended up using several Stampin’ Up! Inks for this project. As I stated in the beginning, I am really impressed with the results I am getting from these inks. I like that they keep their vibrancy and yet, can be watered down to be very pale. I used only the inks pictured below to watercolor my image. I just used the colors at different strengths to get the look I desired. I also like that I can use the inside of the lid as my palette. This makes it super easy to watercolor on the go. I can just grab the ink pads I need and a waterbrush and be off.  Generally, I am not a fan of using the waterbrush, but I think it’s the best bet for travel mode watercoloring.

So there you have it! Lots of pictures in this post but, since I’m not set up to do videos, I thought it would be helpful to show pictures of my process. I hope you enjoyed having a little peek into what goes on in The Hive.

***I am entering this card into the ANYTHING GOES challenge at Simon Says Stamp.***

Thank you for stopping by! I appreciate it!

Blessings~

supplies~

Stamps: Friendship Jar Spring Fillers, Heartfelt Basics(Papertrey Ink)  “For You” from Card Word Puzzle(Close to My Heart)  “Happy Mother’s Day” from Spring Baskets(Waltzingmouse Stamp Co.)  butterflies from Mother’s Day Bouquet(WPlus9)

Card stock: 80# and 110# Neenah Solar White(Simon Says Stamp)  Crisp Cantaloupe(Stampin’ Up!)

Specialty paper: Tim Holtz Watercolor Cardstock(Ranger)

Patterned paper: Watercolor Wonder(Stampin’ Up!)

Ink: Versamark, Memento Peanut Brittle(Tsukineko)  Crisp Cantaloupe, Crushed Curry, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Pool Party(Stampin’ Up!)

Dies: Tiny Tags(Provo Craft)

Bling: Blush, Champagne pearls(KaiserCraft)  Clear Wink of Stella glitter brush(Zig)

Other: White Pearl Super Fine embossing powder(WOW)  pink satin ribbon(Offray)   #0 watercolor brush(Grumbacher)  #2, #4, #6 watercolor brush(Claudine Helmuth Studios)