Autumn leaves with Distress Stains

Oh my goodness it has been such a long time since I posted to my blog! I am sorry that I have neglected it for so long and I will try to do better.

I was asked by a friend to make the invitations for her 85th birthday party with fall colors. I made 3 different cards for her to choose from and she chose this one. The card base is actually cream not white as it looks here. To make this leaf I colored the stamp with Distress markers, spritzed with water, stamped onto watercolor paper and then cut out the leaf with scissors.

When she told me she needed 100 I knew that this would be a mammoth undertaking as the stamp would have to be cleaned before each stamping and cutting out 100 leaves with scissors left me thinking that there had to be an easier way! Later she upped the number of cards she needed to 175 so then I knew for sure I had to find a better way!

This tutorial is what I came up with using Distress Stains and a maple leaf die from Spellbinders.

This is the new card.

Experiment

Well I am back. I have been doing a lot of experimenting with different coloring tools. My comfort zone is Prismacolor pencils and OMS and I have neglected other media, some that I have had for a long time.

For this experiment I used watercolor pencils and markers and watercolor paper. I need more practice, especially with the flower centers, but the objective of the exercise was to compare the tools. They all worked pretty well using a water brush. The Distress markers and Koi watercolor brush pens are limited in the shades of yellow in the sets. Overall I prefer the Inktense watercolor pencils but the Tombow markers come in a close second. I have one more watercolor media to try which is watercolor crayons.

Color Love

I have joined another class with Joanne Sharpe that is all about color. This is the title page for my journal for this class.

This is only day two of the class and I am already learning so much about supplies I have but don't use much! For this page I used watercolor paint, Tombow markers, Inktense watercolor pencils and Prismacolor pencils. If you would like to join this fun class you can sign up HERE it is a 'forever' class that you can take at your own pace. I will be updating here with new projects that I make in this class.

Old school?

I have finally made a card! I decided to make something I haven't used in a long while....a stencil!

The silhouette is a digi. The stencil I used is Marianne Designs Emily 1. After embossing the stencil twice using a lightbox and embossing tool and cutting with a knife I used a clear Stardust Gelly Roll pen to go around the outer edges of the embossing and the lines of the veil on the hat. I don't know if this enhanced it or not but it is what it is LOL  Does anyone use this method of embossing anymore? It seems like we are all going to the cut and emboss dies. While there are many pretty ones out there what I don't like about them is that you get the outline of the die embossed onto your paper.

Back again

  I didn't realize how long it has been since I updated my blog! I have been busy with real life and also making some birthday cards for a friend. (She wanted 36)! These are a couple that I made using brush markers.

'Watercolor' flowers with Copic markers

While practicing the watercolor flowers I learned in class I began to wonder if I could achieve the same look with markers on cardstock. I don't particularly like the look of watercolor paper with white cardstock and I don't have an off white cardstock. This is the result of my experiment and I rather like the look!

This is a tutorial on how I did it.  Click on the picture to make it 

larger or you can download a PDF file to print HERE

 

 I would love to see what you do if you do try it so send me a link to your blog if you do! It really is easy and you will have a unique image for your cards each time. I had lettered the sentiment but you can just as easily use a stamp.

Mojo vacation

While my mojo has been on vacation I took an online class from Martha Lever called Color Drop Flowers. (scroll down to find the class) I highly recommend it! I have had so much fun practicing painting these flowers and also my lettering. Joanne Sharp has another class that just started called Artful Alphabets (scroll down to find this class)

I still need more practice with my lettering and a shaky hand doesn't help either but it is still fun!

April Showers

This is another card I made for a swap on Card Camp.

The digi image from Sassy Cheryl is colored with Prismacolor pencils and die cut with Spellbinders labels 2.

Chess

Did you think that I had run away and joined the Navy? LOL I think my Mojo did....he has been missing for a while now!

I made this card for the masculine card swap on Card Camp. The papers are from Basic Gray. I stamped the chess set with Memento Rich Cocoa ink and then added a shadow with pencil.

Birthday card

It is difficult for me to make a masculine card but my son's birthday is coming up on April 2nd so I had to do something! My mojo is still missing as far as making cards goes but I did make this card using some lettering.

Another page from my journal

I still haven't made a new card so here is another page from my journal.

Spring is in the air

I have been very neglectful of my blog lately and I still do not have a card to share with you. Just so you know that I am alive and kicking I thought I would share a page from my lettering journal with you.

Last month I took an online class with Joanne Sharpe, Letter Love 101. I highly recommend this class if you would like to learn  lettering. You can sign up and take the class anytime and it is a self paced class so there is no rush to get things done.

More Marianne & Sugar Nellie

I used Creatables LRO 180 for this simple easel card. The dig is from Sugar Nellie colored with pencils. To keep the easel standing I just used a row of liquid pearls.

More from Marianne

This is a very simple card using the die LRO202 on a gate fold fold card.

To use the die in this way you have to have the 'gates' overlapping so that they will meet in the middle when they are cut. You will also have to make the card base taller than you want it so that you can move the dies into position and then you will have to cut some off the top and the bottom. After making the card base I just added some colored paper to the inside with a frame made with the two largest Spellbinders labels 4 dies. The image is a digi from Sugar Nellie colored with Prismacolor pencil and Turpenoid and then cut out.

Marianne Designs

I have finally gotten back after too long a break! Between my class and my daughter visiting I haven't had much time for making cards or blogging. A little late but these are the sample cards I made for the latest release from Dutch Paper Crafts. Marianne Designs LRO200-202

 For this card I used the corner die, LRO200 I cut it 4 times and attached it with dimensional tape. To use this die in more than one corner you will need two or more of them as when you run it through the cutting machine, unless you can figure out when to stop on the second one you will flatten the embossing on the first one or you can put the card back in the die and hand emboss it.

I again used the corner die but just on one corner.

 For this card I used the corner die again but cut the first one and cut it like an envelope flap and then added two more. For the border on the bottom of the card I used the die LRO201 as a stencil after cutting and embossing it.

 This time I used the corner die again but on the fold of the card being sure to line up the cutting edge on the fold. I then used the 3rd die in the series LRO202 on the bottom of the card.

 For this card I cut and embossed the die and backed it with solid color cardstock. I then used the die as a template to trace the shape of the edge of the die and cut the DP. This was attached to the base with tape around the two sides and bottom creating a pocket for the tag. The border punch as cut and attached at the bottom.

Doodle card

Wow I didn't realize how long it has been since I posted! I have been so busy making samples for Dutch Paper Crafts, that I cannot share yet, and doing my projects for the Letter Love 101 class. I am behind in the class but I do have a combination lettering and card to share with you. I have been taking names of  friends and practicing lettering their names for practice. I liked this one and decided to make a card and send it to Mary!

The black outline is done with a Micron pen and the letters are colored with Copics.  I also used glitter gel pens and a white gel pen all from Sakura. Unfortunately the glitter doesn't show up. This is the first time I have used glitter gel pens and I love them! I wish now that I had ordered a bigger set!

I am off now to buy a few more supplies that I need for class.

Heartfelt Creations Stamp and Dies

These are samples for the new stamps and dies that Dutch Paper Crafts has for sale this week.

For this card I stamped the image from HCPC3443 with Veramark ink, embossed it with gold embossing powder and colored it with pencils. I added an oval with the sentiment and a swirl die cut from Marianne Designs LR0116 which is also avalable from DPC.

This image is from the stamp set HCPC 3445

 For this card I used one of the Decorative Chateau Gate dies. For the background I used HCPC 3441 and for the door a stamp from HCPC3442. Behind the door is an image from HCPC3444.

A much different look for this card...more me! I used the window die to cut the negative space and one of the stamps from HCPC2448 for the flowers.

Another use for the window die. I cut two and joined them in the middle! The image is from the HCPC3446

stamp set.

A very masculine card this time using all the stamps from HCPC 3447 and the topiary from HCPC 3446! I used a kraft card base stamped with the woodgrain stamp. The window is stamped and cut so that it opens. Behind the window is the fireplace. I stamped, colored and cut the topiary and then stamped another flower pot which I cut out, curved and adhered with dimensional tape.  The little sign in the pot say's 'gone fishin''

Letter Love 101 Class

It has been quite a busy week with the assignments for the class and the other things I have been doing. This is just a peek at my class assignments.

This is a sign we had to make and display where we can see it!

Practice fonts using different pens, We were given names of fonts and had to do a font that fit the name.

Three samples from yesterday's lesson.

There will be another post today with the sample cards I made for Dutch Paper Crafts featuring Heartfelt Creations stamps and dies.

Birthday Fairy

I have been making some cards with African American images from MO Manning. This is one of them. Isn't she cute?

LetterLove101

I signed up for an online class with Joanne Sharpe which started yesterday and lasts for 29 days, the whole month of February.

Our first assignment was to decorate a composition book and glue the pages together in pairs to make a lettering journal. This is my journal.

 As time permits I will be sharing my progress with you as well as cards. As you can tell my lettering has a long way to go so I hope to see some progress!

Quick and Simple

Finally I have finished the cards for the fundraiser and they are in the mail. Most I did not take pictures of but those that I did I am sharing today as my last post for January.

These were all made using scraps and Buckle dies from Memory Box. I made sets of 6 varying the color of the buckles and the strip behind the DP.

This is a card I made as a single card. I find it hard to make masculine cards especially for teens but I think this one hits the mark.

Angel

I have had this dig already colored and cut out hanging around for a long time. I found it under a bunch of stuff on my table and thought I had better use it before it got buried again!

The digi is 'Twilight' from Crafts And Me colored with Prismacolor pencils. The border is a Martha Stewaart Punch around the Page. Behind the angel is frame made with Spellbinders Labels 10 and behind that is a medallion made from part of a Hearfelt Creations gate fold die set.

Medallion and Digi

Along the same lines as yesterday I made another card using  parts of a medallion and a digi stamp.

The medallion I used here is an older from Marianne Designs LRO 129. The butterflies are from a Martha Stewart punch.The diasy corner digi is from Dianne. That is all the info I have. If digi designers would put their url as part of the digi name it would make it a lot easier to give credit where credit is due!

Challenge

The challenge this week at my Card Camp Yahoo Group is to make a card using pink and gray and also have something on it beginning with the letter D. This is the card I made for the challenge.

The D is for Dahlia. I colored the digi image using Prismacolor pencils. For the gray I used paper from my stash. The medallion is from Marinanne Designs LRO 185. I cut the card base smaller so that it would still fit in a standard sized envelope.

Love Forever

I had time yesterday to make a card for me. When I started out I had no idea where I was going with it but I wanted to use these papers. Well when you start without any kind of a plan it can take forever when you take into consideration the time you spend just thinking about what you want to do and change your mind a dozen times!

I used a variety of dies. Spellbinders Labels 4, Spellbinders Lattice Pendants, Memory Box Amira Flourish and Cuttlebug hearts.

On the inside I also used Marianne Designs Createabilities LRO 150. Now I am going to make a less time consuming card!

Memory Box

I have been busy making samples for Dutch Paper Crafts with the Memory Box dies Darlene sent me. She now has them for sale on her blog HERE

I used two dies for this card, Valerian Flourish and in the center the Locina Buckle.

The die I used here is the Amira Flourish mounted on a Marianne Designs die.

I used the Amira Flourish again for this wine bottle tag. This time I cut the die in half and spread it out a bit under the label so that it would fit the tag better.

This lovely border is the Cherish Border. I also used the Sophia Heart die.

This beautiful heart is the La Rue Heart die. There is also a solid heart that can be used as a backer for this die.

Again I used the Sophia Heart for this simple card.

For this card  I used the Serafina die in a different way. The die is in a heart shape and there is also a solid heart that can be used a a backer for this die.

I just love this Ringed Buckle die!

Another buckle die is this Seville Buckle.