A New Challenge

This is the card that I am submitting for this week's challenge: MFTWSC68. If you  check here, you can see where I colored the little ones last week. I had not decided how to place them on a card front, but this week's sketch is just perfect. I love how her dress and wings came out, (see the other post for a close up) I am not fond of  my grass technique grass - the yard needs some maintenance.

On the other post you can find an index for the colors that I used as well as a close up showing the wings and wand. For the wings, I added a layer of sparkle over the copic colors  by using a Sakura stardust pen and an aqua pen. If you make a line or scribble and then move the ink around with an aqua pen before it dries, it gives this great shine just where you want it without showing a line. I also added a Swarovski flat-back crystal to her wand and to the flower centers. Spica pens added more glitz to her wand and tiny hearts and shoe pompoms.

The little one is "Fairy Girl" from MFT and she is stamped on Solar White Neenah with Memento: Tuxedo Black. I masked the mushroom before stamping. The card base is from SU: Daffodil.  I used a scalloped square Nestabilities die for the frame and side trim (just cut a couple of times and pieced a strip); MFT dies used were Fishtail Flags Stax, Flower Trio and Leaf, Mini Doily Circles, and the flower center is from Botanical Beauty.

Tweeting By...

Inspired by all the wonderful MFTWSC67 cards on splitcoaststampers this week, I decided to ink up a new set by MFT: You're So Tweet. There was a card by ravengirl  using a ruffled trim: I have SU pleated ribbon, but I had not thought to place it under the edge. I used 1/8" score tape along the edge and then used foam tape on the sides between the ribbon trim to attach to the background.  I really like the way this turned out. Using some DP that was on sale at Michael's, I paperpieced my first card (which reminds me of how much I ejoy playing with paperdolls) and  added grass underfoot the way I had seen on a card by stampinjewelsd . For my second card (I can never make just one), I cut the sweet little girl and placed her on a piece of DP because of the card by bfinlay. I have cut out images before, but have only placed them on solid CS that I have usually dry embossed.

The flowers are from a MFT set called Flower Trio and Leaf. The YR23 is used to shadow the dress along with some Honey Distress Ink. I forgot to go around the cut edges with a black marker - next time I will remember. It really does finish off the edges nicer.

The card base is SU cream confetti. The inside decorations are leftovers from my work space. I am trying to play with the inside of cards too - it makes such a nice surprise when the card is opened.

Card #2

Trimmed image and mounted on DP that has been inked around the edges with Honey Distress Ink.

This time the card is layered on SU Burgundy instead of DP.

 Yep, I slipped up and rocked the stamp - so I had to create a different way to show the verse. I used the Honey Distress Ink to color the CS. Two letters on this stamp (" l and e") just want to stamp thicker and I was trying to press lighter in that section and lost control. Don't you just hate when you mess up on the last step?

The R22 is used as a base for the dress (along with the R83/85) I wanted a warmer, brighter look to better match the SU pleated ribbon.

Playing Around

St Augustine Stamp Club happened this week. I already shared my challenge contribution: Rain or Shine back on April 1. I would like to share the technique that I demonstrated on Monday. Rock Candy Distres Stickles. I printed technique directions on the back of paper printed from Designer Digital. This is a technique from Tim Holtz's online class: Chem 101; This is a great class for learning about the different properties of ink as well as techniques that reflect various ink properties. He is an awesome teacher and the two week class features two videos a day: one to help your understanding of various products and the second dealing with techniques.  Each video is lenghty (at least 25 min) and reflects Tim's awesome skills as a teacher.

For this technique, the Rock Candy Stickles gives a wonderful antique, glass like image when spread thinly over a stamped background. (See closeup). This look is nice, but of more interest to me was Tim's technique of double inking a background stamp in order to blend ink right on the stamp. With distress inks, there is no worry about the contamination of one pad by another. He inks a background stamp with one color (I am traditional, so I ink with the lighter color first) and then adds a second color of distress ink to the stamp before stamping. I found that if there is a big difference in value (lightness or darkness) of a color, the results are two-toned. If the values are closer; the the result is a blend and represents a new color. In the picture below starting clockwise from top left: Honey/Brick Red; Broken Spruce/Faded Jeans; Peeled Paint/Faded Jeans; Honey/Victorian Velvet; Victorian Velvet/Concord. Because the stickles are wet, they activate the distress inks just a bit and they help the colors blend more. One more tip from Tim: when a background stamp doesn't cover the entire tag, don't fret. Use your blending tools to pick up the excess of your new custom color direct from the stamp and blend the edges to fill in unstamped areas.

Here is my card showcasing this technique: The tag blends Vintage Photo and Broken China. The verse is stamped in Vintage Photo and comes from a new stamp set from My Favorite Things and is called Big Greetings. The CS is from SU: Vanilla, soft suede, and crumb cake. There is a tiny piece of DP (from my desktop) and the flowers and pearls were from my stash. The ribbon is organdy and seam binding dyed with Broken China and Antique Linen Distress Stains.

While I was playing around, I worked on some new rewards for my students. They are made from heavy, single-sided DP cut in one of the SU Two Tag die cut. The stamp design is also from SU and is called "You're My Type." The stamped message is an older stamp from my collection. The trimmed image is popped up with foam tape so the tag will close. I can include personal comments on the inside of the tag and then attach to a treat or even include a piece of gum or pencil to the inside of the tag.

One last bit of playing around: I copied an Easter Card from my friend, Jeanne (who probably copied it from someone on splitcoaststampers.com.) It was so quick to make. The base is white CS with a layer of DP. The top layer of white CS is dry embossed with Swiss Dots and then punched with the blossom punch from SU. A circle of CS, a button and pearl finish the center. Raise the embossed layer with foam tape for the best effect. The card is finished with ribbon and a bow and a word punched title raised with dimensionals. 

Another Sketch Challenge

I have really enjoyed creating  this entry for the MFTWSC #67;  This time I used a new stamp set that I picked up at our St Augustine Stamp Club this past Monday night; it is from My Favorite Things and called "Just My Type." This set inlcudes the metal die. Although my favorite words in this set  are "don't make me use ALL CAPS," I went with this verse for the challenge because I couldn't find the metal embellishments in caps! The DP is from my stash as are the metal letters. The metal letters were darkend with a layer of black acrylic paint.  The typewriter is clear embossed over Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The bow is seam tape that is dyed with Antique Linen Distress Stain and spritzed with Cappuccino Perfect Pearl Mist The lace die cut, by Holtz, is colored the same as the ribbon. The bow is formed by using a brad from SU to create the "knot." (Thanks for reminding me of this technique, Susan). The "paper" in the typewriter is lifted with layers of foam tape.

Happy Easter

I received the nicest present from one of my students: she knows that I love peeps and dark chocolate and made this gift jar for me. This has been a week full of Mondays and this was such a wonderful way to start off my day. Michael has been out out town hunting turkey in GA. I have been playing with my toys. (He is back, but turkeyless.) I made a new storage book for my wafer thin die cuts since I had run out of room in my old book and there are some new dies that I have ordered from My Favorite Things (MFT). I love their new "fishtale flag stax". Be sure to check out their other new releases.

The die cut book is made of chipboard pages with one side covered with DP and the other side covered with a magnet sheet. Samples of dimentional flower dies are on the front; otherwise samples are glued to the paper with the corresponding die on the magnet side.

These are the flower dies found on the front cover. I am saving the page on the right for the new MFT alphabet die.

 I decided to enter the MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge #66. One of these two cards will be my entry. The stamp set is from MFT and is called "Good Fortune." I paper pieced her using some washi paper from my collection and colored her with my copic markers. She was cut out and layered on top of a white background that was embossed.  I have included the markers that I used. I couldn't find just the right decorative paper, so I designed my own paper for the panel on the right. White cardstock was stamped, colored with copics, inked around the edges and spritzed with Perfect Pearl Mists in Sunshine. I  

April Stamp Challenge

The challenge for this month's stamp club is the theme "April Showers." I created this card using an image from My Favorite Things. I must admit that I fell for this image because of the dachshund. I used my copics for coloring, but didn't make an index of colors but have included a picture of the markers that I used. When working on a project, I like to keep the markers that I am using in a mug near at hand so I don't lose them on my work station.

I also finished making the sample for my "Alice in Wonderland" charm swap that is due on May 1. I have four done and even have an idea for the packaging. Actually the packaging idea came first because of the stamp that I found at Stamp Fest in Clearwater this past February. Do you remember the role of the flamingo in this story?

It's the weekend!

Michael has been out of town with his fur baby and I have been coloring with my copics. I added new tags of color combinations from my last order of markers. Dick Blick has the best sales. I especially love the copic spica glitter pens - they have beautiful color and bling and write so nicely. I also added a couple of new face combinations and played with some hair colors.

I stamped one of my new sets from My Favorite Things and played with different color combinations. I masked off the mushroom and drew in some more grass with the copic .3 mulitliner. I need to go back to the book and revisit the lesson on coloring ground and grass; mine looks like it needs some lawn maintenance. I used one of the new face combinations, but I'm not real fond of the the darkest color (YR21); back to the color chart. I don't know how I am going to finish them yet; they are calling for a 6" square card because they already  measure 4 1/4" with the frame, but those squares need special mailing. Hmmmm. I guess I will have to wait for some inspiration to strike. Following is the index for the colors that I used as well as a close up of two of the pictures. The last close- up shows how the wings glitter. I added a layer of sparkle over the copic colors using a Sakura stardust pen and an aqua pen. I also added a Swarovski flat-back crystal to her wand.