Running With Scissors…

Once again, I’m astounded by how quickly a month has gone by and it’s time again for Flourishes’ pre-release challenge.  This month the theme is “By the Sea”.  We are to incorporate the feel of the sea in our creation, whether with a color scheme, an embellishment, stamps, a photo, or anything our imaginations dream up.  You do not need Flourishes stamps to participate.  A winner will be drawn randomly from among the participants, and the prize is all three of Flourishes’ July releases.  This might be your lucky month!  More details can be found on the Newsletter.

I did a rather literal interpretation of the challenge, using Swing Set and a sentiment from Life, Love & Lemons.  The image and sentiment seem to go together perfectly.  I was inspired by memories of the green, rolling farmland along Highway 1, just north of San Francisco.  We’ve traveled that route many times, including just last week, and I’ve always found it a rather storybook scene.  I hope you can tell that’s supposed to be the ocean in the background.

I stamped the image on Classic White cardstock with Ranger Distress Vintage Photo ink, and colored with Copics from the Evergreen, Hollyhock, and Sky collections.  When I colored the sky, I used the lightest shade of blue in the collection, then went over it with the blender pen to remove some of the color.  The butterfly is cut from the designer paper and mounted on dimensional tape.

Of course, you know this means we’ll begin previewing the new sets next Wednesday.  I think you’ll like them.  I certainly do!  I’m certain you’ll enjoy visiting the rest of the team to see their interpretations of the challenge:   Christine, Cindy, Faith, Latisha, Laura, Stacy, and Sharon.  I believe Cindy has another wonderful Copic coloring video for you, too.

I hope you all have a happy and safe weekend!  It looks like we’re in for beautiful weather which I’ll be enjoying with my family for a three day 4th of July weekend.  Take good care, and let’s get together again soon!

Stamps:  Swing Set; Life, Love & Lemons  Paper:  Classic White, Pink Pirouette, BasicGrey Urban Prairie designer paper  Ink:  Ranger Distress Vintage Photo  Accessories:  Offray ribbon, ticket corner punch, 3/4″ circle punch, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

This is my very first attempt with Copic markers.  I’ve been playing around with Prismacolor markers for a few months so I’ve had some practice, though the Copics feel a little different in my hand and their touch on the paper.  I will say I love the brush tip on the Copic Sketch markers.  It’s easy to get into the small spaces, and I like the feeling of brushing on color with a feathery stroke.  The following is a bit of information and my honest assessment:

The ink:  I stamped the Poppies in Ranger Adirondack Pitch Black.  I’ve heard Memento ink is one of the best for Copics, but I don’t have Memento ink.  I’ve also heard the Ranger inks are a good choice and, since I have quite a few Ranger inks, that’s what I’ve always used with my alcohol markers and I’ve never experienced smearing with them.

The paper:  Flourishes’ Classic White is a match made in Heaven with the Copics.  I was skeptical at first because I dread the thought of bleeding outside the lines and ruining an image I’ve already put a lot of work into.  Well…I was told you learn in Copics class that you should find a paper you like and stick with it.  It’s the best way to get the feel of how your paper and Copics act together.  It took no time at all to get the feel of this paper and Copic combination.  I love it!  The paper has enough absorbency to allow good blending of the inks, yet there’s very little bleeding.  You simply learn, in short order, how close you can come to the line, and how heavy your touch should be.

The Copic Collections:  My Copics are from Flourishes — here – and, bless their little hearts, they’ve made it so easy for folks like me to get started.  They’ve put together small collections, three to four graduated shades in a collection, so you’ll have exactly what you need at hand, no guesswork on which colors will blend and shade most effectively.  It’s a brilliant idea which I know involved a lot of time and thought, and I have to wonder if I’d even have Copics if they hadn’t done all this figuring.

I began timidly with my Copics purchases.  Today’s card uses these two collections:

I’ve since gone back for more Copics, I’m well stocked with this particular paper, and that’s probably about the best testimonial a person can give on a product.

The coloring:  This link will take you to the Flourishes Newsletter where you’ll find a whole series of articles, picture tutorials and video tutorials about Copics.  I’ve shared what I know about the ink, the paper, and the collections.  As far as the coloring goes, the best tip I can give you is that you’ll get the best blending if you do it while the ink is still wet. 

More samples are shared today by Stacy and Julie.  I hope you’ll give them a visit. 

Thank you so much for your time.  I know how dear it is to you, and I appreciate that you spared a little of it for me today.  Till tomorrow…

Stamps:  Poppy Patch, Ornamental Elements  Paper:  PTI Berry Sorbet, Sweet Blush & Spring Moss, textured white, Flourishes Classic White, BasicGrey Infuse designer paper  Ink:  Ranger Adirondack Pitch Black, white pigment, Copics for coloring  Accessories:  PTI Spring Moss ribbon, pearls, Spellbinders oval dies, Cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folder, 1 3/8″ circle punch, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Hello!  Today’s card is very simple because I not only need lots of practice at making simple cards, but it’s One Stamp Wednesday — reserved for no extra postage required cards.  Of course, coloring does not add weight to a card, but that’s where the simple part comes in.  Some quick stamping and an easy design, and that’s all there is to it!

I was talking recently about how I turn to solid image stamps when I need a quick card, and last night I was searching through my Flourishes basket for just such a stamp when I came across my You Are Invited set.  Suddenly I found the notion of a black and white open-line drawing enormously appealing.  You know…it just depends on my mood, and my mood last night was “I’m tired, and I need some white space!”  I allowed a little color into my white space, though, and added satin ribbon and a ribbon slide.  This particular slide (Flourishes’ Finishing Touches) is very thin and lightweight, which makes it perfect for easy mailing.  The delicate flourish stamp at the top of the white space can be found in the Many Sentiments set.

Speaking of white space, the white cardstock I used is some of the whitest space I’ve ever owned.  It’s the new paper Flourishes is carrying, and I can highly recommend it.  It’s a good, sturdy weight, and the purity of its white gives a very crisp image.  The Flourishes did a lot of studying on this before they selected the paper they would carry.  They wanted the best for coloring with the Copic collections they’re carrying now, as well.  This paper is also available in ivory.

Have you visited the Newsletter lately?  There’s a whole series of articles on Copic coloring you may find interesting.  Tomorrow I’ll be sharing my very first Copic-colored card, but today Cindy Lawrence has a video tutorial for you.  Latisha has a tutorial on her blog, too, and you can find yet more information on Copic coloring on Julie’s blog.  Christine generously jumped right in there with this tutorial, and Stacy, a newbie like me, is sharing one of her first attempts.  Hey, we can all learn this together.  So much information!

I must run, now.  I hope to see you again tomorrow.  Take care!

Stamps:  You Are Invited, Many Sentiments (Flourishes)  Paper:  Real Red, Flourishes Classic White, BasicGrey Scarlet’s Letter  Ink:  Versafine black  Accessories:  Ribbon, ribbon slide, Martha Stewart border punch

Happy new week to all!  It’s back to the daily grind for me, as I’ve returned from vacation and will now resume my regularly scheduled activities, such as going to work (sad face).  I had a mere three days at home when we returned, during which I made a valiant effort to catch up on everything.  I did not, by the way, catch up.

When we were on the road, we spent a night in the small northern California town of Willits.  Anyone here from Willits?  It’s a lovely little town in the redwoods.  I was leafing through a merchants’ catalog in our motel room when I spotted an advertisement for a shop called The Goods Stamp Shoppe — thousands of original images.  Well, of course, I couldn’t leave town without investigating.  As it turns out, the Goods are sisters who, in the past, designed their own wood mount rubber stamps.  They no longer design stamps, however, and there were very few of those original images left in the store.  In fact, most of the stamps were quite dated and many were stamps which are no longer in production, such as PSX.  I couldn’t leave empty handed, though, so I browsed till I managed to pick out a couple of images unlike anything else in my collection.  This teapot by All Night Media is one of them.

I watercolored the image with Stampin’ Up! inks on watercolor paper.  Some of the tiniest details were added with the fine tip of an SU! marker after the ink was dry.  The flowers are shades of Plum and Blush, and the teapot is Saffron and Mustard.  Something new to me — I’m now the proud owner of a Bow Easy (hooray!) and it certainly does make pretty bows easy to accomplish.  I followed Sharon’s tutorial here.  Thank you, Sharon!

I’ve made my mind up once and for all that it’s simply okay to use these old stamps and share the cards here on my blog.  It has to be about stamping for the sheer joy of it or I fear it will become a job, rather than a pastime.  I have lots and lots of beautiful or fun images I yearn to color — some are new, and some have been sitting in drawers for years.  Oh, I’ll still shop…there’s no doubt about that, but there’s a practical side of me that insists upon getting my money’s worth in terms of enjoyment.  I may not be able to provide links to every product I use but, as far as the images are concerned, I’ll bet all of you ordinary, everyday, regular old stampers like me have drawers, baskets, closets, boxes, bags, shelves — whatever — full of once loved images.  Some of them may have lost their appeal.  Perhaps their appeal came and went before they were even inked.  Yes, that has happened to me.  Oh, for shame!

So…I’ll beg your indulgence while, interspersed with my latest acquisitions, I occasionally share something “just because”.  Now…back to catching up.  Have a great day!

Stamps:  Teapot by All Night Media, sentiment from Flourishes Sweet Violets, Hero Arts zig zag stamp (old and probably retired)  Paper:  Pale Plum, Very Vanilla, watercolor, retired SU! designer paper  Ink:  Palette Umber, Chocolate Chip, various SU! inks for watercoloring  Accessories:  Ribbon, crocheted lace, pearls, Spellbiners curved rectangle dies, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Hello, friends!  Today I’d like to refer you to my post on the Flourishes Newsletter.  The team is focusing on solid image stamps this week, and I’ve shared several cards and ideas there, in addition to this card:

Look for the article titled “What Can You Do With Solid Image Stamps?”  This card uses the Versamark resist technique.  The images are from Spring Ephemerals, Butterfly Moments, and Many Sentiments.  I hope you’ll join me at the Newsletter where I’ll also share links to the rest of the team.  Have an absolutely wonderful day!

I was out shopping for shoes the other day, and I came home with this Our Craft Lounge Nailed It set instead.  Well, I had to order the shoes…and the scrapbook store is just a few steps away from the shoe store, so…  It thrills me no end that the scrapbook store is stocking more stamps these days.  How wonderful it is to actually be able to drive home with stamps in the bag!  They have a nice collection of OCL stamps.  Gee, could that be because the awesome Cambria (OCL co-owner) lives in my very own town?

I made these cards for Father’s Day but I just didn’t have time to post them.  They don’t have to be specifically for Father’s Day, though, so I don’t feel too bad about waiting till now to share them.

The first card is for my husband.  It seems to me Father’s Day is a good time to say “thanks for your hard work”, especially since he’ll understand the significance of this card.  His big summer project is to build a deck in place of our small kitchen patio.  It’s half done, and he’ll finish it after our vacation trip.  I’m looking forward to barbeques and lunches in a warm, sunny, sheltered spot.  Our summers here, so near the ocean (Oregon coast), are cooler than in most parts of the country and we appreciate shelter from the chill wind, which can be quite vicious at times — but only when it’s sunny.  Many days are absolutely exquisite, but you can never know if the day you’re planning a barbeque will find everyone huddled inside looking out.

All the stamps are from the Nailed It set, except for the simulated wood “deck”, made with 1/2″ strips of Really Rust on which I’d stamped SU!’s retired Weathered background.  The “boards” are glued to black cardstock with minute spaces between them.

The second card is self-explanatory, I’m sure, save to say it’s for a friend’s dad.  It’s actually my favorite of the two, being somewhat clean and simple, and it qualifies for One Stamp Wednesday, and this is Wednesday, after all.  All the coloring was done with Prismacolor markers on Whisper White cardstock.

I have to run off now.  I’m sure I’m doing something fun as you read this, because I’m on VACATION!  I’ll bet I’m having the time of my life!  See you again soon!

Stamps:  Nailed It (OCL), Weathered (retired SU!)  Paper:  Really Rust, White, So Saffron, Basic Black, unknown designer paper, Chocolate Chip  Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Palette Noir, Ranger Distress Walnut Stain, Going Gray, Prismacolor markers for coloring  Accessories:  Screw brads, 3/4″ circle punch, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

I was approached by one of the nurses at work, wanting a wedding card for her “coffee guy”.  She doesn’t know the bride…just this nice young man who’s always so cheerful when she drives through to get her coffee in the mornings.

So I made this card with him in mind.  She says he has a great sense of humor, so I think he’ll be okay with the polka dots.  The ribbon is meant to suggest a bowtie.  It may be difficult to see in the photo, but it’s just a loop of ribbon with a band around the center.

“Mr & Mrs” is part of the Wedding Essentials set from Flourishes.  The frame was fun to make with my Ornamental Elements and Spellbinders Labels One dies.  I’m sure most everyone knows how to do this, but here’s a photo, anyway, for the folks who’d like to see how:

I placed two dies with the cut ridge up on my Cuttlebug C plate.  You can see by the marks on the C plate that there have been a couple of times I’ve accidently placed the cut ridge down — oops!  The largest of these two dies is just under 4″ square.

After I stamped the flourishes on a 4″ square of white cardstock, I placed it face down over the dies.  Then it was just a matter of placing the B plate over top and running it through the Cuttlebug.  A + C + dies (cut ridge up) + cardstock (image down) + B + crank it through = frame.  I also put it through the embossing process, which is fully explained on the Spellbinders packaging.

That’s it for today!  I’m glad you had a chance to visit with me.  Take care, and have a happy Monday!

Stamps:  Wedding Essentials, Ornamental Elements (Flourishes)   Paper:  Basic Black textured, white, retired SU! designer paper  Ink:  Palette Noir, Palette Reflection Blue  Accessories:  Ribbon, Spellbinders Labels One dies, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

I don’t have a card to share today, but I wanted to be sure and let you know about something interesting and worthwhile on the Flourishes Newsletter.  Please see it here, and then have yourself a wonderful day!

 Thank you!

Hello, friends!  I’m so happy it’s Friday, especially this week because I’m on vacation as of 5:00 pm.  It also means it’s Friday Focus time for the Flourishes team, and I had an awfully lot of fun with this one!  Latisha suggested we pull out our Spellbinders dies and share some creative ways in which to use them.  You can see her article on the Newsletter here, and check out the rest of the team’s creations here:  Christine, Cindy, Faith, Julie, Latisha, Laura, Stacy, and Sharon

I had a whole other card in the works for this focus, but as I was driving home from the store this notion occurred to me so, of course, everything else was put on hold while I worked out this design.  As it turns out, it’s one of the quickest and easiest cards I’ve made, and you know how slow I am.

To make the party dress I used the largest oval die from the complete ovals set and the smallest die from the Labels One set, neither of which I see in the Flourishes store at this time.  I guess I should check these things out before I do the challenges but, honestly, I’m challenge challenged enough without adding more concerns into the mix.  I know they were there… maybe they’re out of stock?  Sigh…

I decorated the skirt with the swirly flourish stamp from Ornamental Elements, then punched across the hemline with a Martha Stewart edge punch.  I traced along the scallop with the Inkssentials white opaque pen, and added itty bitty pearls to the peaks of the scallops.  The Quickie glue pen lays down a very fine line of glue and made it easy to put a narrow border of glitter on the bodice.  Just a bit of ribbon at the waistline and it was done!  Here’s a photo of the parts:

You can make two dresses at once, since you simply slice the oval and the curved square in half.  The lower curve of the bodice fits the upper curve of the oval exactly.  Tape them together in the back to hold in place.  You could add tiny ribbon straps, if desired.  Decorate any which way you choose!

Those wonderful filigree flower brads can be found among the Finishing Touches, in the Beautiful Brads collection.  The sentiment is from Summer on the Patio.

I hope you enjoyed today’s card, and find some interesting ideas from Latisha’s post and among the team.  Have a wonderful day!

Stamps:  Ornamental Elements, Summer on the Patio  Paper:  Lovely Lilac, Almost Amethyst, white, unknown designer paper  Ink:  Lovely Lilac  Accessories:  Ribbon, flower brads, glitter, Inkssentials white opaque pen, Kaiser pearls, Spellbinders oval and Labels One dies, Martha Stewart border punch, Cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folder, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Hello, again!  Today’s card uses an old Inkadinkado stamp I added to my collection a long time ago in an effort to gain variety in the “guy” category.  It came in handy to fulfill this Father’s Day card request when I ran down my list of options and nothing seemed to satisfy the requester’s needs until I said, “how about billiards?”.

I made this to loosely resemble the lid of a cigar box, including the distressed tab on the lower edge which is supposed to be the broken seal.  The image is colored on Whisper White with Prismacolor markers.  It’s cut out and glued to the Spellbinders Labels Four die cut, and everything is put together with Cosmo Cricket Wanted designer paper (two years old and I’m using it for the first time).  The Spellbinders mat is cut from Very Vanilla cardstock, which I sponged in CTMH Parchment ink, using wadded toilet paper.

Oh, and it’s also a mail-friendly card.  I’m still thinking “no extra postage” for Wednesdays.  Well, I must run.  I don’t know what happened to all my leisure time, but I wish some of it would come back.  I hope you’re having a very fine day!

Stamps:  Inkadinkado El Fumadero, SU! Carte Postate  Paper:  Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Cosmo Cricket Wanted designer paper  Ink:  Ranger Distress Walnut Stain, CTMH Parchment, Prismacolor markers for coloring  Accessories:  Brads, Spellbinders Labels Four dies