Card for Check-out and the Flower Box

Yesterday I made this card.  it is nice being able to make something with a person in mind to give it to once completed.

I don't know about you, but when I do my grocery shopping I have my favorite check-out people.  Well, one of my check-out people is leaving, so I wanted to wish them all the best so, hence my card. It is amazing how by just striking up a short conversation each week you can build a bit of a friendship with people.

I coloured this image using Copic markers.  Around the image I used Distress Oxide Broken China.  Then double matted it before adding it to the the stripey background pattern paper.

A couple of weekends ago my husband and I decided it was time to finish cleaning out our garage after our summer of changing the garage around.  It was a big job, but I was reunited with my favorite punches and my flowers (collection).  Yippee! So to celebrate I played with some pattern paper, a box and some flowers and this is what I created.  It did take a couple of days but it was well worth the patience.  I even managed to did out some charms I had in my stash.  I feel it is time to stop collecting things like flowers and charms and to start using them.  What do you like creating with flowers and charms?  I am still wondering if the flowers need a few leaves tucked here and there.  What do you think?

It has been fun arranging the flowers and then adhering them.  So I do hope you get time to be creative too.

My Christmas Gift Tags

OK, I admit it. I am kind of getting excited about the arrival of summer and of Christmas.  I always struggle at this time of year because both my daughters have birthdays about now.  I like to concentrate on them first before I starting doing Christmas stuff.
This year I am feeling prepared for the second birthday this weekend and so last week I made our Christmas gift tags.  I am really pleased with how they have turned out.

I cut the ornament shape using my Silhouette Cameo, then stamped the 'To and From' on the back.  Using Copic friendly cardstock I stamped lots of little  Christmas robins.  I coloured these using my Copics and Spectrum Noir pens.  I added a touch of Clear Wink of Stella to all the areas coloured red.
I punched each Christmas Robin out using a 1 1/4" circle punch.  Then inked the edges with Worn Lipstick Distress Oxide ink.  I adhered these circles to the front of my ornaments and lastly added some glittered thread to each ornament.

Now all I need are sine gifts and a tree to put them under.  Roll on Christmas Season.  But, first lets enjoy thanksgiving.

Working with Skin Tones with Spectrum Noir and Copic Markers

It was wonderful to get back into blogging last week and I thought it would be fun to share some more things I have learnt lately with my colouring.  As mentioned last week I like to colour with both Spectrum Noir and Copic Markers.  I also mentioned that I have been watching some great You Tube videos by Sandy Allnock about colouring with Copic markers.  I have been able to use what I have learnt and apply them to my Spectrum Noir Markers - as well as purchasing some Copics to have a better variety in skin tones.

Right lets jump right in with two images I have coloured.  The stamped image 1 was coloured solely using Spectrum Noir markers.  I was more interested in the skin tones with these images.  The girls with the brown hair, her skin was done how I always used to colour which was starting with FS2, then adding some shading with TN2 and then blending the two together with FS3, and lastly going over the whole skin areas again with FS2 for a final blend.

Then I tried something different with the blond girl.  I started like I normally would and coloured all the skin with FS2, but then for shadows and depth I add some LV1 (yep a very light purple) sounds crazy, but give this a go. Then I carried on like I normally would with the TN2 next, then blending with the FS3 and lastly blending with the FS2.  It just gives another look for skin that I had not thought of.

The stamped image 2 I used some Copic markers and had a play doing the same thing.  This time I did the blond girl with just E51, E33, E11 and E51 for the final blend.  Then on the girl with the brown hair I used E51, BV00, E33, E11 and back to E51.  Again I really like the extra depth the light purple gives to the shadowed areas. I coloured the rest of the image with my Spectrum Noir markers just the same as in image 1.

Another thing I have learnt is using a white gel pen to add some details.  On stamped image 1 I used a white gel pen to add dots to the blond girls pink dress.  It really adds another great way to add variety to things.  Such as patterned clothes.

Let me know what you think in the comments section below.  I would love to hear from you.

Happy crafting everyone!

Getting Creative

Wow, it has been such a long time since I have even looked at my blog to be totally honest.  Don't think I haven't thought about it, I have.  But my excuse was always, I just don't have time.  But I really wanted to blog, so, if you want to do something, then just DO IT!  So here I am.  The same goes for getting creative and getting out into my studio, JUST DO IT!  So I have been out in my studio a lot lately and loving the time of being creative, but still I wasn't blogging, so tonight I decided to DO IT and hear I am.

I wanted to share with you some things that I have created recently.  I have discovered a wonderful lady who does amazing colouring videos and I have just started checking out her blog as well - Sandy Allnock.  Wow, I have been learning heaps from her videos about colouring with Copics.  I use Spectrum Noir pens at the moment because that is what I have.  But I have been slowing purchasing some Copics, mainly for the skin tones.  Here are the two big things I have picked up from Sandy lately.  1) To use a very light purple when adding shadows to skin and then blending over it with more skin tone colours.  Wow, this looks really awesome.  I will try to do some examples in the next couple of days and share them here on my blog. And 2) To use light greys (browns or greens for ground) to add shadows under my coloured stamped images to 'ground' them.  It makes all the difference.  My images don't look like the are just hanging there any more.

Oh one more thing Sandy has inspired me to do is to colour my stamped images with coloured pencils or water colours.  I need to find some water colours but I am playing round more with coloured pencils.

So here are a few cards I have created recently

One the weekend I had a workshop.  At the workshop I started a few layouts, most of which I could not finish due to not being able to use my Silhouette Cameo or forgetting punches and other items.  Well today I finished one of the layouts and I am really pleased with the end result.  So here is that layout as well.

I love how the layered circles helped to 'ground' my photos.  It also looked like a shield wall that the Norsemen would often practice.  Yes these guys would practice and train in full armor with proper chainmaille, helmets, swords and axes.  Very impressive.  My husband and daughter were very new so all that had to defend themselves with was a large stick (which later would have been made into an axe)  Fun to watch the training's.

I hope you feel a little inspired to raid your scrapbooking or card making supplies and get creative.

See you again soon ...