Wicked Sweet - Your Next Stamp

Hi guys! Dana here and for your inspiration today I thought I'd use this cutey called Wicked Sweet from Your Next Stamp:

Do you recognize her from my mini card set from earlier this month? I decided to repurpose her on a full card. My papers are from Echo Park Apothecary paper pack.  

Here's a few close ups:

Sorry, I don't have my list of copics anymore. But here's a close up of that flower:

I used plain black tulle that I cut 3 different size circles with my Spellbinders. I cut 4 of each size. Then I just secured them together with a  brad.  Then I used my heat tool to scorch the edges. I actually did it pretty aggressively but given that it's for Halloween I sort of like that spider web/grungy look. 

I also distressed most of the edges of my papers with Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Black Soot.

Thanks so much for looking and I look forward to seeing you in the Challenge.  You could win 3 cute stamps from Your Next Stamp ♥

Hugs~

Coffee in my Bathrobe... Heaven!

Except with my curly hair you will never catch me in curlers, ha! But check out cute Coffee Kiki La Rue:

My papers are Echo Park Victoria Gardens. I love hot pink and orange together! I think I've been trying to get in as many bright colored cards as possible before the more somber tones of fall. Although I do love a great fall palette also!
Here's a close up of the Copic coloring:

Although she looks popped up, she isn't. That is shading added with the V91 and V93. Sorry, sometimes I forget to add some of the final colors to my list. I added it after my adding my "halo" around her with the YR's. Those tones blended too much with her skin so I needed to add something to make her "pop".

I cut her out with my circle Nestie and backed with another scallop Nestie.  My sentiment is also from CC Designs. I don't see Amy R's Sassy Sentiments in the store at the moment but lots of other cute ones to choose from! Some final touches of Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Spiced Marmalade and some white gel pen faux stitching and I think we are done : )
Thanks for looking! Come back everyday to see all the amazing projects by my teamies!!
Hugs~

Baby Kiki Fairy

Dana here and I've got one of my all time favorite images to share with you today.  I found the artist Mo Manning almost as soon as I started making cards and quickly fell in love with her images. Now many of her most popular images are available in rubber. Case in point, check out Baby Kiki Fairy available through Stampavie:

Even though I've colored her many times before every time I try something new and push myself to improve in some small way. This time I tried to get more realistic baby skin tones and I did that by adding quite a bit of R30 (copics).  I also wanted to try to get the wings to look how I wanted without the use of Stickles. Here's a close up:

After stamping with Memento Ink I used these colors:

I did use a Sakura Stardust pen to add those sparkly bits around her wings and hat. I never noticed before that her lil' hat looks like a strawberry, so that's why I went with the reds. 

My patterned papers are from Bo' Bunny. I think the only other touches are my Spellbinders and some flat back pearls. My sentiment is from Amy R of CC Designs.  I don't see that particular set at the moment but LOTS of other cute ones to chose from!!

Thanks so much for looking and I hope you have joined our sketch challenge this month : )

Hugs~

How About a Sunflower?

Sunflowers always speak fall to me and I can hardly believe we are already half way through September! I have the cutest stamp from CC Designs to share with you today. Meet Swiss Pixies Birgitta:

I really enjoyed coloring this one with my copics! Here's a close up:

Don't forget about all the cool things you can do with your colorless blender! See those dots in the center of the sunflower? All done with the colorless blender. One thing you want to remember when you try this though is to give the blender a few seconds to start pushing the color out of the way. You will not see immediate results so better to add just a few at a time and then you go back and strengthen some of the spots or add more if you need to.
Here's the colors I used:

Here's some of the other supplies I used:
Memento Ink, Tim Holtz Distress Inks,  X-Press It adhesive, Spellbinders Circle Nestabilities, Black Pearls.

Thanks for looking and I hope you will play along with our Sketch challenge this month : )
Hugs~

Love Lolita Butterfly

Hi all! Dana here to show you my card using Love Lolita Butterfly by CC Designs:

I am still enjoying stamping with lighter colored inks and I am sure you will too! This was stamped with London Fog before coloring with my copics. Any of the lighter colors I think will work and what a fun way to challenge yourself! Here's a close up:

Because I stamped with lighter ink I was able to take great liberties with her eyes. I used a sepia copic multiliner pen to add her eyebrows and lashes. I also used a black copic multiliner to do all that detail on her wings. I really wanted them to look like monarch wings.
My papers are Cosmo Cricket PixieLicious.  She was cut out with Spellbinders Nestabilites in both Circle and Scallop circle. The finishing touches were some Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Spiced Marmalade and some Stickles.
You still have plenty of time to get in our Fun in the Sun challenge : )
Hugs~

Fun in the Sun - Little Umbrella

Hi all!! Dana here and for those of you that have visited my personal blog it is no secret that I am a huge fan of Mo Manning's amazing artwork!  She captures attitudes like no one else. Case in point, check out this beach babe!

Her name is Little Umbrella. Isn't she perfect for our Fun in the Sun challenge? That sentiment is from Pink Cat Studio. My papers are from Cosmo Cricket Salt Air.

My coloring is with Copics and for a twist this time she was stamped with Memento Ink in Desert Sand.

You can check my blog for close ups and further details : )

Don't forget, you still have plenty of time to get in our Fun in the Sun challenge this month!!

Hugs~

Sarah Kay - Roses Garden

Have you gotten a card in our challenge yet? It is such a wonderful recipe that Jacilynn chose! All you need to cook up something is:

• 1 Image
• 2 Designer Papers
• 3 Embellishments (Bellies or embellies)

How cool is that?! Well I had a lot of fun playing with this card:

That is one of the amazing images by Sarah Kay for Stampavie. This is the first time I've tried stamping (with my Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black) directly onto Designer Paper before coloring with my copics.

Here's a close up so you can see what I am talking about:

That was stamped right on Bo Bunny Gabrielle paper (The other dp is not Bo Bunny). Granted, it is more like coloring on Georgia Pacific cardstock if you've ever done that.  It soaks up a little more ink and does not blend near as nice as X-Press It paper but you can color on it.  I was really happy with the final results and always LOVE to find new ways to use my copics.

Here's a close up of my bow that I dyed with my Spun Sugar Tim Holtz Distress Ink by just running the ink pad directly over my seam binding. Then I misted it slightly with my mini mister to get a uniform color. 

That's all from me today. Make sure you come back tomorrow for more great inspiration from our marvelous team!!

Hugs~

YNS - Ellie Loves Walking Her Dog

Dana here and look at this adorable stamp from Your Next Stamp!!

This fall cutey is Ellie Loves Walking her Dog. I played around with a few different backgrounds and I finally decided I like this one the best.  I first created my sky and grass using the technique you can view here. Originally I had the clouds in but I knew I really wanted the swirls to show up to simulate gusty fall winds.  The swirls were achieved by misting a swirl background stamp with colorless blender.
Here's a close up:

Edit added**

I completely forgot to mention her cute little tights which were created with a sepia copic multiliner.

My rhinestones in the lower right corner sure didn't photo real well, but they're there!
Supplies:
Stamp - Your Next Stamp Ellie Loves Walking Her Dog
Copics and Colorless blender
Memento Ink
X-Press It Adhesive Tape
Spellbinders Nestabilies
Rhinestones

Thanks so much for coming by to have a look! We sure hope you will join our recipe challenge this month.
And remember to come back every day to see what the rest of our amazing team has in store for you! These ladies are TALENTED!!
Hugs~

Background Techniques Tutorial

Dana here and sit back with a cup of something, because it's a long one!! It's my turn at bat to bring you a tutorial and you would think I would do something with copics, right? But lately I have been having so much fun playing in my art journal and a big part of that is creating backgrounds. It is actually creating backgrounds for some jewelry pieces I was making last year that got me hooked on cardmaking to begin with.
I started by covering a 8x10" piece of paper with a script stamp but you could use anything.

 I used Staz-On because in subsequent processes I am going to use wet products and I wanted the script to stay crisp. The next product that is instrumental for this was Gel Multi Medium. I prefer the matte finish but that is definitely a personal choice. I painted that onto a chunky stamp and stamped randomly all over the paper:

Depending on how thick you paint it on you can achieve some gorgeous textures:

Can you see the little peaks?? The next part is so much fun and  magical to see the pattern pop through. You can also use clear embossing powder but that will make the text under the stamp shiny. This process keeps the text uniform throughout the whole piece. Start to blend in some Tim Holtz Distress Inks using the blending tool. I've used Dusty Concord, Broken China and Tumbled Glass.

Next I used the gel medium to coat a regular paper doily (found in the cake decorating sections of most craft and grocey stores) front and back.  Once dry (it dries very quickly) it is waterproof and you can use it over and over not only as a mask but also to turn it over after spraying with Fireworks and stamp with the excess spray:

Check out the gorgeous masks that Lora is carrying!! I must have them all ; ) Next I used  Glimmer Mist spray. I used Gold but so many colors would've worked. 

It's really starting to look like a piece of batik fabric now. Next I added some butterfly stamps and scroll stamps again with StazOn after cutting my paper down to 5 1/2 x 5 1/2. That's the size cards I most commonly make and I wanted the scrolls to be around the outside. Those blue scrolls you see are acutally on the paper towel that was under my cardstock.

Next I used some diluted gel medium to paint the butterflies with some Pearl  Ex powders:

Stick with me, we're almost done.. lol! The only things left was to distress the edges and add the sentiment from Amy R.

Check out some of the new gorgeous shapes Lora is carrying from Spellbinders!!  I added some simple outlining here and there with a white gel pen to really make the butterflies pop out.
I hope you will enter our recipe challenge this month.  Make sure to check back in tomorrow to see what the marvelous Madge has in store for you : )
Hugs~

Your Next Stamp - Runaway Cake

This little guy stealing the cake just cracks me up!! Take a look:

That's Runaway Cake by Your Next Stamp. Too cute! I wish you could see how cool those candles and chipboard pieces cut from sizzlet dies turned out! Here's a close up:

Eh.. still looks better in person! The sparkle things were cut with a old sizzlet die I don't think they even make anymore out of plain white chipboard and then spritzed with Bahama Blue Fireworks spray. Forget about all the other colored mists you've tried! This stuff is intense!! I love it! You could also use them with the new glimmer screens that Lora is carrying!
Back to our little rascally rat ; ) He was stamped with Memento Ink, a must have for all of your copic work!  I colored him and the candles with my copics,  then I added some stickles.  And I just have to mention an overlooked product, adhesive!! If you've not tried the X-Press It tape you need to! I love this stuff! It's strong, economical and earth friendly (not all those plastic parts to throw away)!
That's all for today but don't forget you still have a few days to get in our Colors of the Rainbow challenge!
Hugs~

The Greetings Farm - Monday

Nope, you read right. Monday is the name of the stamp and you can pick her up here.  I didn't quite get all of  the colors of the rainbow in my card but it sure is bright : )

I began by first stamping on X-Press It Blending card with Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black.  Monday was then colored with Copics.  My papers are by Bo' Bunny. While I'm not sure if this particular paper pack is available you not be lacking for choices!! Check out these great paper packs!!!  The link at the lower left of the page will take you to the 6x6, 8x8 and 12x12 paper packs. (Love them!!)
The sentiment is from a set by Amy R of CC Designs.
How easy to add a few "buttons" punched with a 3/4" circle punch from my papers and added some black dots with my sharpie.
There's still time for you to join our Rainbow challenge this month!
Hugs~

Happy Fathers Day!

Dana here and look at this adorable image:

He's Ethan Out on the Pond from Your Next Stamp. Is he not the cutest thing ever?? I stamped him on Xpress-It cardstock with Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black and then colored with my Copics. I used twine in two colors to attach my sentiment. I used the Circles Nestabilities from Spellbinders. I added three rhinestones to highlight "Dad".
You still have plenty of time to join our "Colors of the Rainbow" Challenge. Also, I want to encourage you to take a click over to the store! Lora has been adding new items and my wish list is growing by the mile!! Come back every day to see what the rest of our fabulous DT has in store for you.

Hugs~

The Greeting Farm - Friday

When I saw this stamp I just new I had to use it for my husbands Fathers Day card from our daughter. This is Friday from The Greeting Farm:

I wanted to add something like "From your lil' Angel" but I will either let her write that or put it in the inside. Here's a close up:

She was stamped with Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black on Copic Xpress It Blending Card before coloring her with my Copics. I use Sketch markers but all copics regardless of the style of marker you use have the same ink. I will say I do have a couple of the original copics and they came in really handy with their hard points to do her eyes.
I only used one Spellbinders Nestabilitie Circle instead of layering like I normally would do. That was because I wanted a lot of those wings to show.
I did lots of distessing with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Dusty Corcord. I love how muted and subtle that shade is. Oh, and how could I forget the Art Institute Glitter?
I have a few more close ups (I just can't help myself!!) on my blog.
There's still plenty of time to enter our challenge this month.
I also want to publicly extend my congratulations and heart felt cheers for Lora and her family for their new endeavor!! I sure wish I was closer so I could come and browse through her soon to open brick and mortar store!!! Woo Hoo!!! Can you imagine just how many more goodies she will be bringing to us now that she has more room to store them?
Cannot wait!!!

Hugs~

Just Right Stamper - Light House

It's Tuesday so that means it my turn at bat to show you some of the wonderful items you can find at One Crazy Stamper!  One again I've used this amazing set from Just Rite Stampers - By the Sea.

This set is so amazing and versatile. You get four different scenes and 4 different borders for endless variations.  If you are new to Just Rite Stamps this is one of the originals and requires the Wooden Oval Stamper which provides perfect stamping time after time!
I used Staz-On ink this time because I opted for watercoloring this image for a nice change. I used a variety of oval and scallop nestabilities for layering the focal image. The edges and sentiment have all been distressed with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Broken China.

Hugs~