Dream

Hello! We are getting such beautiful weather lately! Sunny and cool and windy! Doesn't feel like NE Georgia in April a-tall! Is it unusually cool where you are?

This card was inspired by the artwork of Alina at simcards. She does these adorable circle flower thingies which inspired my distressed circle "flower" and she does an awesome job coloring her images and adding touches of white here and there. She also recently used the spiral punch, so that inspired me to pull mine out and use it.

The placement of the clear gems was inspired by sweet Donna at 3 Umbrellas. She does such whimsical things with gems and pearls!

I used the Forest Branches embossing folder on the main image. I'm iffy about that one, but I think it kinda works. Think "wind".

I used Stampin' Pastels (chalks) to color the sky and around the girl. So much softer and easier to apply than markers.

Well, I just realized that I can't give you my Copics color list because I put them away and didn't take note of which ones I had used! Oops! Sorry about that!

The main image was one of those I mentioned having colored a few days back. I hope to get another card made with another one I am happy with. I had a couple of duds that will likely end up in the trash, though!

Hope you have a lovely week! Thanks for coming by! Happy coloring!

Stamps: Pure Innocence 006 digi by Heather Ellis, word stamp from CTMH Geometric Thoughts

CS: PTI white, black, Basic Grey Recess (retired), Basic Grey Obscure (retired), and Basic Grey Lemonade 6X6' pads

Ink: Computer and Memento Tuxedo Black, various Copics

Other: Cuttlebug Forest Branches and Stylized Flowers embossing folders, spiral punch, Nestabilities Classic Oval Large, Classic Oval Scallops Large, paper piercing tool, circle punches, small and large oval punches, gems, Stampin' Pastels, kneaded eraser, 3D-Dots, black gingham ribbon, thin black grosgrain ribbon

Inspired by my littlest

After all the coloring I've done, I ended up making a card with an image I never set out to use on a card. Funny. My youngest wanted something to color with my Stampin' Pastels (chalks) as she had a blast the other day when I let her play with them. So I thought this big silhouette image from Stampin' Up! Inspired By Nature would be just perfect. Well, I stamped me one, too, and boy, was it fun to color!

I stamped it in VersaMark ink and let it dry for maybe 30 minutes or so. I find it's easier to color if the ink is drier. I began by laying on the main colors I wanted the flowers and leaves and stems to be. Then I kept adding little touches of other colors. Once I liked the way it looked and decided to make a card out of it, I added more touches of color to match the background papers (Basic Grey Recess 6x6 pad - retired) and finished it off by going over the edges of the images ever-so-slightly in black chalk. It ended up looking like a watercolor! I used an eye shadow applicator to apply the smaller touches of color, as it was more precise that way. But for the big washes of color I used mini pompoms and an alligator clip. That's just my preference. You might like to do it differently.

*Edited to add* After coloring, I used a kneaded eraser to remove the excess around the images. It comes right off.

After I finished coloring the image, I put it through the Cuttlebug using the Script embossing folder. Then I spritzed it with Stampin' Up! Basic Black ink using the Inkworx air art gun (which, I think, goes by a different name now).

The word stamp is a Dawn Houser image by Inkadinkado. I thought it had just the right feel for this image.

Stamps: SU Inspired By Nature, Inkadinkado 8361-L (Dawn Houser line)

CS: Black, PTI white, Basic Grey Recess

Inks: VersaMark, Memento Tuxedo Black

Other: Cuttlebug Script embossing folder, Stampin' Up! Scallop Trim border punch, Nestabilities Long Classic Rectangles Large, Long Classic Scalloped Rectangles Large, sewing machine, Inkworx air art gun, SU Basic Black marker, clear gems, black polka dot ribbon, foam mounting tape, Stampin' Pastels, eye shadow applicator, mini pompoms, alligator clip, kneaded eraser

I Think You're Amazing!

I played with my very first digistamp today! I've heard about digital stamps and wondered if I'd enjoy working with them. And I did! Not technically stamping, per se, but no one would know by looking at it. So is this cheating to use a non-stamp as an image that looks stamped on a card? Can you tell I'm from the olden days? I need to get with it, don't I. I would've loved to have lived in Cranford before the railway came, if that's any indication.

There's someone to blame for this adventure I had, but she doesn't know it. Donna at 3 Umbrellas, you are to blame for getting me started, you enabler, you! ;) You had to link to that incredibly adorable site, Pink Petticoat, and then you had to make me go all over their website to try to find the image you used on your card, which I never found, but I saw all sorts of other cuteness. All that looking brought me eventually to their blog where I found some freebies (blog's left sidebar) and just had to download them. And then I had to print out the too-cute-for-words little birdie to play with. And I had to learn this adorable, easy and FUN technique to use on it. And here we are. What a great little adventure! Expect me to be dragging out my chalks, glue pen and Crystal Snow glitter a lot in the future! What an easy way to color images in a soft way! I love it! Sometimes markers are too much - too dark, too intense, too heavy. Chalks fill the bill if you want a softer look. I use tiny 1/4" pompoms and an alligator clip to apply them, but I need something smaller for the tinier parts of an image (like the flowers and small hearts on this one). What do y'all use? I was thinking make-up applicators might work.

Not only did Donna enable me to try a digistamp, but she also inspired the design of this card. She has such a clean, simple style and I am in awe of how she does it. I tried really hard to not pile stuff on my card. It was hard for me, I'll admit. I'm a layer girl. But I kept it simple and clean as far as I was able. I just kept making myself "think like Donna". ;) Did I succeed? I love her style, not to mention, her sweet personality.

For the digi, I used the Papertrey Ink Stamper's Select White card stock in my printer on the "best" print setting. No problems. Set your printer to "card stock" (if yours has that setting) for the type of paper so it prints best.

Coloring was so easy with the chalks. I had it done in no time. Then I used the Sakura Quickie Glue Pen where I wanted glitter and lightly dusted everything with the Crystal Snow.

Before I cuttlebugged the yellow cs, I stamped it in VersaMark ink with the retired SU Canvas background stamp. I LOVE that stamp for adding a textured look.

Hope you enjoy this card. Thanks for coming by! And thanks, Donna, for being such an inspiration to me!

Recipe

Stamp: Pink Petticoat Little Birdie digi, SU Canvas

CS: SU So Saffron, Papertrey Ink Stamper's Select White

Ink: VersaMark, printer

Other: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, Nestabilities Labels Four die, chalks, 1/4" pompoms and alligator clip for applying chalks, Sakura Quickie Glue pen, Crystal Snow glitter, pale blue organdy ribbon, light blue gingham ribbon, pearl gems, 3D-Dots

God Bless America! ODBD Sneak peek!

Isn't this eagle the most regal creature?? It's from one of the upcoming May releases at Our Daily Bread Designs. The set is called In God We Trust and it has this handsome eagle and several sentiments. The sentiment I chose to use is from another May release called God Bless America! I am really liking the Versafine Onyx Black ink that Kelley sells in her store. It stamps such crisp, clean images. I'm reaching for it more than I am other blacks I have. But I'm not ruling out the other blacks. They all have their purpose.

For instance, I used Brilliance Graphite Black for the eagle because I wanted to heat emboss the image and then bleach it out and color it. I used Judikins Detail Black ep. Then I bleached out the image and colored it with many different mediums. I used Prismacolors, chalks, and even oil pastels. I just kept adding things to build up the colors. I used Prismacolor pencils to color the eye. Then I went over it with Mustard Green Twinkling H2Os. Then I put some Diamond Glaze over the eye for shine.

One of the last touches to the bird was some Glimmer Mist Pearl. I sprayed a pool on the table and brushed it over the white feathers to give them a sheen. It's like Pearl-Ex in liquid form. So pretty! And a little goes a long way!

The flower is actually an all white Prima from the Daisy Dreams Snow collection. I colored it with markers. If you buy white the options are endless! They're so easy to color!

After coloring it using SU Close to Cocoa and SU Summer Sun markers, I spritzed it ever-so-lightly with Glimmer Mist Pearl to match the eagle's feathers. Before attaching it to the black organdy ribbon I heated the ends of the ribbon with my heat gun to crimp them. Haven't done that in awhile!

The bird is cut out using the Nestabilities Labels One set. I paper pierced around 2 of the corners.

The striped paper is from the Basic Grey Archaic 6 x 6 pad. I thought it went perfectly with the patriotic theme and the eagle. Stripes just seem patriotic to me. I used the Ornare Decorative Corners piercing template in the corners. The eagle piece and the striped paper are all popped up with 3D-Dots (my fave!).

Thanks for looking! Please check out the other designers for Our Daily Bread Designs in my sidebar to see what others are creating!

Stamps: In God We Trust and God Bless America! by Our Daily Bread Designs

CS: Black, Basic Grey Archaic dp, Chocolate Chip

Inks: Versafine Onyx Black, Brilliance Graphite Black

Other: Nestabilities Labels One dies, Ornare Decorative Corners piercing template, paper piercing tool, sponge mat, Judikins Detail Black ep, Prima Daisy Dreams Snow flower, SU Close to Cocoa and Summer Sun markers, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist Pearl, Prismacolor pencils, chalks, oil pastels, Diamond Glaze, 3D-Dots, Stamp-a-ma-jig, black organdy ribbon, heat gun, bleach, water brush, Mustard Green Twinkling H2Os

Sneak Peek: ODBD God Bless America

**Edited to add: I had the wrong name for the flag stamp set. It's called God Bless America. Sorry for any confusion!

It's sneak peek time for Our Daily Bread Designs' May releases! Kelley has come up with some gorgeous images and sentiment stamps for your 4th of July cards! They have a real 1776 feel about them!

I used stamps from 2 of the sets that will be available on May 1st. The flag is from God Bless America and the sentiment is from In God We Trust. The beautiful thing about these sets is that they are interchangeable, so there are even more options!

For this card I cut the flag image into an oval. I colored it with Stampin' Pastels and Prismacolor pencils. I really like combining these two media for bolder results.

I used my Inkssentials opaque white pen to do a Markie's Mom sort of look (white-dotted edges). And then if that doesn't add enough movement to my already busy scene, I added Cuttlebug Spots and Dots embossing to the striped paper! Stars, stripes and dots, dots, dots!

For more peeks into what's coming up in May check out the blogs in my sidebar under Our Daily Bread Designs Design Team. Tosh, Angella and Dina are already posting their beauties (Angella has a pic of the In God We Trust set). There is plenty more to come so take a tour soon and see what everyone's up to!

TFL!

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs God Bless America and In God We Trust

CS: Black; Moxxie The Red, White and Blue Collection "With a Bang" dp, white

Ink: Versafine Black Onyx

Other: Cuttlebug Spots and Dots embossing folder, Nestabilities Classic Oval Large and Classic Oval Scallops Large, Stampin' Pastels, alligator clip, tiny pompoms, Prismacolor pencils, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Polka dot ribbon, red gingham ribbon, Inkssentials opaque white pen

Sushi Bowl Friends

This is a huge departure for me. I was getting tired of over-embellishing and decided to go to the other extreme for balance. This is a one-layer card with the fish popped out with 3D-Dots. Very simple.

I stamped the fish bowl from the Stampendous' Sushi Bowl Party set (SSC194) on watercolor cardstock from Archiver's with Versafine Onyx Black ink. The hard part with the fish bowl is that it is a clear stamp and is very flexible. So imagine trying to make it symmetrical! Oye!

I colored the fish bowl with chalks and Prismacolor pencils (the darker parts of the sand). I used SU markers for the fish. Then I went over their fins and tails with Stickles to oomph them up a bit.

Well, not much else to say other than that I used the ticket corner punch on the corners and used one of the sayings from Stampin' Up! Life Cycles with the bicycle blocked off with a Post-It note. I thought it was a perfect saying for this scene.

TFL!

Stamps: Stampendous Sushi Bowl Party (SSC194), Stampin' Up! Life Cycles

CS: Archiver's white watercolor cardstock

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black

Other: Stampin' Pastels, Alligator clip, tiny pompoms (for applying chalks), Prismacolor pencils, SU Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie and Cameo Coral markers. Inkssentials white opaque pen (for whites of eyes), Orange Peel and Yellow Stickles, Stamp-a-ma-jig (for aligning saying), Post-It note (for blocking), 3D-Dots, ticket corner punch