Another Just Some Lines

What can I say? This little girl image from Just Some Lines has the *best* hair for me to learn how to color! :) I have practiced on some other images, but they're not ready for their public debut yet (heh, or maybe ever). You should know, there is *at least* one more card with this little girl coming - with black hair (yup, I think I've got it figured out! woo hoo!).
So, as I said last time, I watched a great video about coloring brown hair on YouTube. I'll admit that it isn't perfect - but it is far, far better than anything I've managed to produce when left to my own devices! ;)
Once again I used the Level Up technique from TJ - this one came together a little better than the last. It's just a matter of learning where to cut your layers and which parts will look best on top. This particular one only has her legs colored on the base image. Then a layer with the shoes, the dress and her face. A layer with her hair and arm next, followed (finally!) with the top layer of hair. I think I left enough support this time! ;)
In case you're interested in this sort of thing, I used E25, E33, E51 & a touch of E57 for her hair. I also used C9 & 7 for her shoes, BG10 & 72 for her dress and E00 & 21 for her skin. Unfortunately it's almost impossible to see that the flower in her hair and the one in her hand was colored with red Smooch.
The base layer of the image was stamped with the Hero Arts Friends definition stamp (after I masked her legs) with Scattered Straw distress ink. Once that was dry I stamped the HA polka dot background and heat embossed with an embossing powder from Cow Town called "Cow of Many Colors" - isn't that a great name? :) It changes color the longer you heat it - which is why some of the dots look almost green/blue and some look orange/gold. Awesome!
The base layer was cut with nesties first - then I glued on all the layers for the little girl. Running it through my 'bug with all the layers seems to smash it down a bit - and I didn't work this hard just to smash it! *lol*
After it was cut I edged the panel with a little Antique Linen Distress Ink, added a bit of lace and some pearls and called it done. You can tell that I popped it up a bit over the dotty background paper. What you can't tell is that the yellow of the definition stamp and the yellow layer actually go very well together. They very, very nearly match.
I swear the camera has a mind of it's own. *sigh*
Thanks for dropping by!

Two different looks

First, let me say that these two cards are the *same* card. I bought an adorable image from Just Some Lines and couldn't wait to color her. :) I used a Technique Junkies technique called Level up - which requires a significant amount of fussy cutting (not my favorite thing to do!) but allows me to color messily. This particular image was printed four times on a sheet of paper, then certain parts of the image were colored, cut out and adhered over the base image. Make sense? ;)
As you can tell, the scrapbook paper I used for the last card I posted was still on my table. So I used that for the color palette, mat and flower accents. The girl was colored with a mish mash of pencils and OMS - Copics around the edges. The sentiment was printed on a sheet of card stock and cut out with a nestie. Of course I used the same 'dotty' technique around it - it looked a little too plain without! Some smooch and pearls on the flowers and part of one of those swirly flourishes and I thought I was done.
A bit later, I was trying to color black hair on a different image. Oy! Now *there* is something that truly defeats me! I finally got the bright idea to see if there were any tutorials on YouTube - sure enough, I found a couple (that I will attempt to try at a later date) that made it look doable. Somehow I ended up watching several different videos about coloring hair, mostly with Copics, and I found this one. I pulled out several of my Copics (close to, but not exactly the same numbers as she uses) and gave it a try. Wow! It being my first try I wasn't expecting much - but I was amazed at the results. Unfortunately, (a) the hair was colored with markers and looked too vibrant with the girl done in pencil; and (b) I was working on a girl that was printed about 1/2 inch larger than the original image used on this card. *sigh* (I am working on a Copic colored version of this card - look for it sometime soon.)
The good thing about watching the video was that it gave me some ideas about coloring hair - even with pencils. However, there was no way I was going to be able to match the size of the image again exactly (save those files!) and I just didn't want to waste a bunch of time trying to get close enough.
So I did what any crafty crafter would do... I used an eraser! ;D
I erased a roundish section of hair in the middle of that larger area and a smaller section on her bangs. After adding some yellow, red & brown to those sections I went back and added a touch of black to the ends and where her part would lay. Not a lot! Just enough to give it some more contrast and dimension.
Aside from the fact that this picture is better (go figure - this one was taken *inside* because it is literally 5 degrees outside today and the other was taken *outside* a few days ago when it was nearly 70 degrees) I can honestly say that she looks more dimensional to me. How about to you?
Thanks for dropping by!

Totally *not* my style!

You know how sometimes you're creating a card (or whatever it is that you create) and it sort of takes a left turn somehow? You're left wondering what happened - that wasn't AT ALL what you envisioned.... How 'bout when it not only takes a left, but flips a u-turn? ;D
That's *exactly* what happened here!
I loved these darling birds from Marker Guru (a freebie), and the idea of using these pearls on a line (bridal area of Hobby Lobby), *and* this background technique I saw here (which is absolutely stunning).
Honestly, I colored the birds two separate times. The first time is what you see here, although I also colored them in green and then didn't like them with the background. They were colored with a variety of copics, probably with something like 5 different colors. I'm still working on my blending skills! :)
I actually printed several copies of the birds in the same size. One I used to make the background (three different colors of cool gray plus blender pen) and one with the purple birds that I trimmed out. After I colored the background I cut it out with a nestie oval, covered it with VersaMark & embossed it with holographic glitter EP from Ranger. The birds were glued down with some Glossy Accents.
I used some ruffled ribbon (where did I get that? I need more!) and a Martha Stewart punch for the top & bottom edges. The flourishes were cut using a punch that my dear friend gave me for my birthday - and even though you can't see it, they were covered with the clear spica pen. A little heart stamp and some London Fog Memento ink and I was all done.
Still a little confused, though.
Thanks for dropping by!

Triple threat (or maybe treat?)

Somehow or another, no matter how much I promise myself, I don't seem to get here and post as often as I'd like to! Hence, the triple treat! :) Unfortunately, all three of these cards are on a base of *very* shimmery white card stock - which made my camera *very* unhappy! I've done my best to make them look better - but, well, they aren't the best pictures... bear with me!
Up first is a card that uses acrylic paint. Honestly, I chose that medium because I'm determined to play along with the UPC challenge going on over at Tyggereye Arts . One medium a month? I can DO that! :D First I stamped (with versamark) and clear embossed the Agapanthus stamp (Stampendous) on the white base. Next I tapped out some pearl paint dabber onto my non-stick craft sheet. Just a small drop of Tumbled Glass reinker was dripped next to the paint. First I swirled just a teeny bit of ink into the paint (and painted using both a brush & my finger for a softer look) then as I got closer to the center of the flowers I added more reinker to the remaining paint. IRL this actually has quite a bit of depth for being so light.
I used the ribbon trick I learned at Archivers this winter for the ribbon at the base, then added a nail head that was almost an exact color match for the paint (how often does THAT happen?). It looked a little plain - no problem - a little Glossy Accents and a clear gem made a statement without taking over. :)
This second card also used acrylic paint - just in an entirely different way! Can you see it? No? :D
I dabbed the same pearl paint dabber onto my non-stick mat (much larger area this time) and used it as my stamp pad for the flower stamp (Hero Arts). I had to use my Stamp-a-ma-jig and stamp it several times... apparently the thin lines of this stamp mean that the paint dries out faster than I would've believed possible! Once the paint was dry, I used a Ranger nib and Stormy Sky ink to color parts of each flower. Once that was dry I added some white pencil for shading inside the petals and some gray Copics around the stems and flowers for depth. The vine (a bitty stamp from Inka, I believe) and the sentiment (River City Rubber Works) were both stamped in Stormy Sky to match the flowers. If you look closely, you might notice that some of the words in the sentiment look lighter (almost faded) than others. That's because I highlighted those words with my clear Spica pen - just a select few that I felt could use a little extra attention. They stand out beautifully IRL.
This final card came about because I fell in love with Karen's card here. Mine is nowhere near as elegant as hers - she is a true master!
Instead of popping up my panel, I chose to cut out a frame with my nesties. You can just barely see it (even IRL) but there is a vine-y/leafy stamp clear embossed on the paper 'frame'. The flowers (Clearly Inspired by Paper Inspirations) were stamped using a mix of greens, blues and lavender Distress Inks. The sentiment (Wordsworth) was stamped with Peeled Paint Distress ink then clear embossed.
This card is one of the *very* few that actually took more time to do than time to explain! It took me a lot of time working with finicky placement (and RE-placement) before I was satisfied. In hindsight (*sigh*) I would just stamp the flowers THEN cut the frame. DUH! :D
Either way, I really *do* like the end result... and I *will* try this again!
Thanks for dropping by!

Something sweet for a wedding/anniversary

Hello again! I thought I'd drop in and show you something soft and sweet. I think it would be perfect for a wedding card, but in this instance it's for an anniversary card. A couple that I've known for a long time is celebrating their 10th anniversary (Happy Anniversary Chris & Olina!!) this weekend. It's amazing how fast the time has gone.... Dh & I were barely dating when we attended their wedding, it seems like that's much to long ago to be real! :)

**I would like to take a moment to hopefully connect with GoTink who left me a comment on my previous post. If you're out there, reading this, please either drop me an email or go check the comments from that post. I tried to answer your question clearly, but if you need more info I can try again. Unfortunately, I couldn't get your email from your Blogger profile!**

As simple as this appears it did take a good amount of planning and work. First I stamped & embossed the wedding couple on a greenish vellum. I painted the brides dress, veil & flowers with Twinkling H2O's but couldn't ever get it to shine just right for the camera. The frame was cut and embossed with oval nesties then wrapped with sheer white ribbon. Because I couldn't figure out how to attach the vellum to the frame attractively, I ran it through the Xyron and stuck it down to the panel then lined up the frame over it. The ribbon tabs are about an inch long - they only go around the edges of the panel so that they wouldn't show under the vellum.

Once everything was stuck down I felt like there was something missing. So I used the ticket corner punch from SU! on the silver panel and glued that to the green base. Some sticky back pearls were added, but it *still* needed something. I finally decided to add the flowers around the bottom of the frame (spritzed, of course, with some Pearl Glimmer Mist) and put more pearls in the centers.

I thought about adding a sentiment on the front (I have a lovely 'Congratulations' stamp that would've fit perfectly) but decided that the sentiment on the inside was lovely on it's own. It says 'You are two people who could do anything together.'. Isn't that perfect?? :)

Hope you enjoy it, too! Perhaps it will inspire you - isn't wedding season just around the corner?!

Thanks for stopping by!

Has it really been that long?!

Lordy! How can it possibly have been that long since I've posted? Oh, yeah, Christmas...! Besides the usual hustle and bustle of the season (two-almost-three year old!) and my procrastinator tendencies, my grandmother hasn't been doing very well. Sadly, she's in a nursing home about 800 miles away - makes for a difficult visit. According to the nursing staff she *is* doing a little better now, but the added stress was hell on the season. I've been pestering the staff everyday but it's hard to be this far away during the holidays.

Since Christmas is over, and I know that many of you are on Christmas card overload, I'll just make a quick post of some more cards that have been sent. There is something exciting - a new (??) technique that I haven't seen anywhere else. I *might* have found something all my own! :)

This first card is the *new* technique! I don't have time to write up what I did just yet - but I will! My very first tutorial - won't that be fun? Pay extra close attention to the deer... why yes, I do believe there is some dimension there! :) I think the card in general is pretty self explanatory, Martha Stewart punch on several layers (even the base), some glitter, some acrylic paint (yes, that was a hint!) and a little glitter pen.

The second card doesn't show the glimmer - but it's there! This was done using some Basic Grey paper in not-so-traditional colors with inks to match. Again, glitter pen (in the red snowflakes on the base), some piercing and a glimmery look on the sentiment panel. The gold/brown ribbon is also pretty shimmery and is quickly becoming my favorite. I'll have to get up to Fort Collins soon to get some more!

This final card is also on some Basic Grey holiday paper. This time I used some adhesive rubons and coated them with white flock. After they were all coated I realized that you couldn't see the white flock against the background... bummer! So I dusted the flock with Perfect Pearls to make the 'snowflakes' stand out. Those flakes were actually flowers, but I like them my way better! A nestie tag, sentiment (dusted with more pp) and velvet ribbon completed the look. Well... then I just *had* to add some more of my new favorite ribbon over the velvet. I *love* the look of stacked ribbon. Yes, I even stack ribbon on Christmas presents! (I'm sick, I know - but I wrap beeyoootiful prezzies!)

Thanks for visiting, hope you enjoyed my final (??) post of Christmas cards. Come back soon to see my very first tutorial!

A little scrappy...

Once again, I've been sidetracked! I promise I'll get back to trying things out with the Fantasy Film (soon! I have a cool idea for earrings!) but for today I have a scrappy card. What's a scrappy card? Well... I used a lot of designer paper - you know, stuff from the scrapbook aisle. Gorgeous paper, sooo sparkly! :)

There were a lot of steps to this card. Wasn't until I sat down to write out my supply list that I realized just how many. Sheesh, no wonder all my cards are one of a kind! Yes, ALL of my cards are one of a kind, even Christmas cards. Only in *very* rare instances will I redo something. Guess I just loose interest once I've mastered the challenge! *lol*

Both the paper at the bottom and the paper in the nestie circle are the designer paper, both are from My Minds Eye (Laundry Line) - aren't they beautiful? I just love the colors. That butterfly is coated in Holographic EP from Ranger. The glitter seems to change color just like the glitter on the paper. When you move the card around you get glints of blue, green, yellow, purple - you name it! I think the hardest part was stamping the sentiment. You can't really tell from this picture, but there are *thick* lines of glitter/glue over the lines - guess what, ink doesn't stick well to glue! Brown pen to the rescue! Hope it lasts....

Here's a close up of the butterfly. I don't think you can really see it but there's a pattern (flourishes of course!) on the left wing that doesn't get inked. I painted that area and the body with Brass Rail Radiant Pearls to match the lighter tone of brown on the DSP (and it matches the skinny Martha Stewart ribbon too).

Even though it's not my usual style (*gasp* no black!) I really like how it came out. Everything from the glitter to the dew drops makes me feel all girly! :) Hope you like it too!

As always, thanks for dropping by!

Recipe: Butterfly from Paper Studio, Dream from Serendipity Stamps, Bazzil Pinecone & Moss solid c/s, My Minds Eye Laundry Line DSP, Twill ribbon, Martha Stewart self adhesive ribbon, Radiant pearls in Brass Rail & Eucalyptus, Dew Drops from Cowboy asst, scalloped circle Nestibilities, Cuttlebug, Holographic embossing powder from Ranger, Versamark, Martha Stewart butterfly punch, Zig marker in Cola, Glossy Accents - WOW what a list! :)