Miss You Already, Maggie

Good morning. I have a special card today that I started for the color challenge this week at Splitcoast Stampers (Early Espresso, So Saffron, Cherry Cobbler).  The "dessert" option was the theme back-to-school.  I no longer have little ones and very few school themed stamps, but I did remember this Stamping Bella stamp with the HUGE pencil.

Perfect for the colors and theme. As I was creating it and looking for an appropriate sentiment, I realized that my youngest daughter started graduate school for her Master's degree this fall, and isn't that back-to-school also?  She just moved last week and I admit that I already miss her.  And that is the story of this card.

Now - how I created it.  First, I made sure to color match and choose my markers.

When I do a color challenge I usually stamp several of the image I'm coloring and block in some color to make sure that I have it in the right place.  I would have hated to spend time coloring and then decided that her shirt should have been yellow instead of red - this method saves a lot of heartache.

Because Stamping Bella images are so fine and detailed, I often use Copics as my underlay and then use Prismacolors on top for the detail.  The image below is Copics alone before any pencil.

The pencil really allows me to get detail.  I learned this technique many, MANY years ago when I took some illustration classes.  At that time, when artwork was reproduced the cameras used to shoot it used a pretty intense flash.  It seemed no matter how solid your pencil work the marks could always be seen in a photograph. But if you used marker, watercolor or dye underneath it hid the white of the paper and the marks.  Today I find that technique gives a richness and depth to the card and also allows for greater detail.

I had a few choices when laying out the card.  I used my color sample to play with the size and punched detail on the top of the card.  Then I used the Scrabble tiles and some buttons.

This part of the card can take me the longest - trying to decide layout and those little extras.  It's one reason I like sketch challenges so much - the layout decision is pretty much made for you.  But there was no help here!  I had to go it alone.

For the Scrabble tiles, I finally decided on the school's initials - Loyola Marymount University.

I miss you already Maggie and I know you'll do great things!

Stamp: Stamping Bella Tiny Townie Penelope has a Pencil

Copic markers: R39, R37, R35, Y23, Y21, Y32, E49, E47, E35, E00, E000, E11, E30, E31, C0, C00, C1, C2, W00, W1

Prismacolor pencils: Warm Gray 10%, 20%, PC 997, 1012, 943, 942, 940, 1034, 140, 947, 925, 944, 947, 946

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Warm Hugs

For today's sketch challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches I feature some adorable Hugging Penguins from Cottage Cutz.  When I saw the sketch I just knew these penguins would be perfect.

Here is the posted sketch:

When assembling the penguins I had to cut off the arm of the little guy on the left to get them close enough to "hug".  A great thing about this die is that these also stand alone - they don't have to hug or wear winter gear making them very versatile.

I used an A2 card base in Mossy Meadow, cut a slightly smaller white panel and embossed that using a cable knit embossing folder.  I thought the combination of the EF and the plaid made a very winter cozy look.

I love these little penguins - they are so adorable!

Dies: Cottage Cutz Hugging Penguins, Hugs Phrase
Accessories:  Stampin' Up! Cable Knit Embossing Folder, Stampin' Up! DSP

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Peaceful Fawns

Happy Friday!  I'm back from vacation in Hawaii and while usually it's quite relaxing not so much this time. So, I have  a serene card using one of the new Cottage Cutz dies - Christmas Fawns.

These deer really caught my eye when I first saw them.  They make a striking pair.  I cut the deer from Soft Suede and all the other pieces from white card stock.

I used sponge daubers to shade the deer in Soft Suede and their white chests and bellies in Smoky Slate.

Then I used Copic markers to color the birds and ornament (R24, R27 and Spectrum Noir Sparkle marker), ribbon (G19) and branch (E44, E47).

I assembled everything and added Glossy Accents to the ornament.

This card is one of those that really "glow."  I love when holiday cards do that - it's just so perfect for the season.

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Blended Seasons Thank You Card

For the color challenge this week at CAS Colours & Sketches, Fiona chose some new colors from Stampin' Up! To be fair, one color is a returning color, but it is actually new to me since it was before I started using Stampin' Up! ink.  They are just perfect fall colors to me so I used the new Blended Seasons stamp set to showcase them.

The colors to be used:

I used my Stamparatus to stamp the image in Mango Melody on watercolor paper.  I did not remove the stamp from the Stamparatus lid.  Then I water colored the leaves with all three colors not really worrying that the outlines were getting lost.  When I was finished I restamped the image in Merry Merlot to get my outline.

I moved that stamp and did the same thing to extend the falling leaves.   After I had colored both images, I actually thought I 'd like the image to look a little looser, so I used my Aqua Painter and colored outside the lines!  This can be difficult for me at times - LOL.

I added a few sequins, a bit of coordinating paper down the side and the sentiment.  Very simple card to create and makes an impact.  I used "Thank You" because I can always use thank you cards, but this could easily be for any occasion.

Stamps and Dies (not used on this card but available):  Blended Seasons Bundle, Blended Seasons stamps only
Ink: Merry Merlot, Mango Melody, Poppy Parade
Paper: Watercolor, Neutrals DSP
Accessories: Stamparatus, Aqua Painters

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Stampin' Up! Favorites

Happy Sunday everyone!  I'm on vacation and haven't posted in awhile, so I thought I'd post a new card that will be featured in an upcoming post (when the stamp set becomes available), some samples of work I've done in the past, and something I've never featured before - a scrapbook page.

If you follow me, you know I LOVE to color.  The cards here feature a couple of different mediums.

This adorable Signs of Santa stamp set and die bundle by Stampin' Up!will be offered starting in September.  My sample is colored using Stampin' Blends alcohol markers with an overlay of the watercolor pencils (used without water, of course!). I'll post the techniques used on this card along with a list of the pencils and Stampin' Blends when they become available on September 5.  New colors are coming with the Holiday catalog!  Very exciting!

These cards were created using watercolor pencils and a blender pen. I describe my techniques in these three posts - Watercolor Techniques Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

This Delightful Daisy card uses watercolor pencils, an Aqua Painter and masking techniques to color  the image.

This scrapbook page is something new for me. It was created for my daughter who was a bridesmaid in the wedding of one of her best friends.  I wanted something soft and used the colors from the bridal party on the page.

The coordinating box uses the Window Box Thinlet die and the retired Succulent framelits set.

And my last fun 3-D item is one of my all time favorite card-in-a-box that I've created.  More details on this little skunk in the box are at this post.

Thanks for stopping by today and revisiting some favorite past posts and seeing a few new creations!

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Donut Make You Happy?

To answer the question of the title of this post - YES!  I had tons of fun making this card and it did make me happy!

I'm a guest Design Team member through December for the Color Challenge at Splitcoast Stampers.  This is so much fun - we get a lot of participation and so many beautiful cards submitted.  This week is the 700th challenge!!!  To celebrate, the hostess, Mary, had some members of the team choose their favorite color combos from the past 100 challenges to revisit.  Participants can choose from any of these to create a card.  Or if they are particularly enterprising, they may enter all the challenges!

I chose Mary's color combo of Mint Macaron, Sweet Sugarplum and Chocolate Chip.  Her dessert (extra) option was "new".  Maybe it was the names of the ink - I got so hungry thinking about these colors that I decided upon this stamp set.  And as for my "new" - I've never inked up this stamp before (or any Neat and Tangled stamp for that matter) and I also used my We R Memory Keepers Layering Guides for the first time.

I am really pleased with how this came out.  It is the type of card that makes me happy to color and create, and one I am sure the recipient will find fun.  And that is what card making is all about - having a good time and bringing a bit of joy.  I'm heading out on vacation soon but when I get back I will post some tips on how I created this card.

Stamps and Dies: Neat and Tangled Say Yes to the Donut
Markers: Mint Macaron - Stampin' Blends Mint Macaron Light & Dark, Copic G0000; Sweet Sugarplum RV 91, RV9, RV 95; Chocolate Chip E41, E43, E44, E47; Skin E000, E00, E11; Hair E28, E25, E29; Shadows BV23, BV20
Card Stock & Paper:  Mint Macaron, Sweet Sugarplum, Chocolate Chip, retired DSP

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Bubbles Everywhere

The sketch challenge this week at CAS Colours & Sketches really did challenge me.  It's a unique layout for sure.  But then I remembered this stamp set and a light bulb went off in my head!  Suddenly, I didn't feel quite as challenged - whew!

It's not verbatim to the sketch but it does have the same wavy flow as the sketch.

I tried to keep it fairly close and I think I achieved that.  The Bubble Chicks were pretty easy to color, as were the bubbles.  Not my usual list of half a zillion markers!

To give depth all of the colored elements are popped off the card using foam dots and the other bubbles are die cut with the back panel embossed. To finish off I used a few clear epoxy dots as extra tiny bubbles.

Stamps and Dies: Stamping Bella Bubble Chicks
Dies: MFT Stitched Inside Out Circles
Copic markers: Y13, Y15, Y17, Y19, YR27, B0000, B000

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Christmas Cardinal

 My card today features some new dies from Cottage Cutz and a new stamp from Stampin' Up!.

The only thing stamped on the card is the sentiment.  Everything else is die cut.  The pieces are cut in Real Red, Garden Green, Black and Gold Foil card stock.  I sponged the edges of the bird body and wing in Real Red ink to give him some shading.

The front panel is 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches (A2) and the sentiment heat embossed in gold.  This sentiment was perfect for the cardinal.  It is part of an all sentiment stamp set - Merry Christmas to All - that will be available September 5.  It's a set that will be one of my go to's for many years!

I used one of my favorite techniques - stacking colored card stock under my shape.

This gives just a little peek of red underneath.  I toyed with adding some bling - maybe a few red rhinestones or sequins but decided the gold was enough.  I'm sure I will be making additional cards for my Christmas card list so I'll try that in the future.

 Dies used:  Cottage Cutz, Cardinal w/ Flourish, Christmas Floral #2, Stitched Ovals
 Stamps:  Stampin' Up! Merry Christmas to All

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Herb Babies

The title of today's card for this Tuesday's color challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches is a family joke.

My husband started growing hydroponic herbs in an AeroGarden.  He travels quite a bit so he is always asking one of us to care for his herbs while he is out of town.  We have nicknamed them his "herb babies"!  Sometimes I think they need more attention than the cats and dog!

Here are the colors for this week's challenge:

The card uses the Seasoned with Kindness hostess stamp set from Stampin' Up!  The images are all stamped in waterproof black ink on watercolor paper.  I stamped the pots first,  masked them off and then stamped the herbs.  Since this is a two-step set, I then stamped the inner green leaves on the left herb and the flower center on the right one to color them in.  For the pots, I used a Cajun Craze watercolor pencil and Aqua Painter.   This pencil comes in the limited-time watercolor pencil set that is available only in August (it may be available in future catalogs).

I ripped the edge of the watercolor paper and used washi tape in Blueberry Bushel to add just a touch of color.

I am a Stampin' Up! demonstrator (although I admit I'm more of a hobby demo).  If you don't have a demonstrator, I do appreciate if you are purchasing from Stampin' Up! that you use the links to my SU website here.  And the month of August is BONUS DAYS.  For every $50 in merchandise that you purchase you earn $5 towards purchases in September.  Even better, August has our limited edition stamp set/bundle and watercolor pencils!

Stamps: Seasoned with Kindness - this is a hostess set and is only available with Stampin' Rewards
Inks: Blueberry Bushel, Mossy Meadow, Stazon
Accessories: Aqua Painter, Best Route Washi Tape, Watercolor Pencils - Assortment 2

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Vintage Christmas Puppy

Happy Friday!  On Friday's I feature my design team work for Cottage Cutz dies.  We're waiting for the new Christmas dies to come in but I couldn't resist making a Christmas card with some older dies and non-Christmas ones.  I guess I'm starting to get into the holiday spirit.  (Or maybe I've decided to actually start my cards earlier this year!)

My daughter said the colors looked vintage to her and I had to agree.  The font and the  candy also add to that look.

For this card I played around with placement of the candy a bit.  When I do that and find the layout I like, I use my phone to take a photo. By doing this, as I'm gluing things down I have a reference.  It's especially good if you have a lot of pieces or critical placement.

I covered the candy in Wink of Stella to add just a little sparkle.

This is a fun, quick card to make.  Complete instructions on how to make it are on the Scrapping Cottage Blog today.

Dies Used: Cottage Cutz Forest Peekers  Beaver & Dog, Snowman in Cocoa, Stitched Squares, Nested Stitched Eyelet Squares, Merry Christmas Expression

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