TIOT: embossing at it’s best!

WHEW!  what a day!  my post is late – so sorry!  i have a great project for ya and a couple video tutorials to go with it!!

anyone else enjoying fantastic spring weather? I took a break from spring yard work to make up a fun easy little project for Suzanne’s TIOT challenge – embossing!

 i chose to do some dry embossing with my cuttlebug embossing folders, an acrylic mini album and some amazing Viva Decor Gloss Gel pens:

I started with a cute little mini acrylic album. The front of the album has a little Lockhart Itty Bitty – Three Packages which i accented with Spica Glitter Pens – flawless color and sparkle even on this dark yellow paper.

There are 6 *pages* so I embossed 3 with the Swirls embossing folder and 3 with the Swiss Dots embossing folder. I only embossed the frosting portion of the little cupcake shape.

After embossing I filled in the recessed portions of the design with Viva Decor Gloss Gel Pen. The Swirls are filled in with Magenta and the Dots are filled in with Sunny Yellow.

After the Gel Pen dried I added small rectangle mats to each side of each page – again alternating between yellow and magenta. I finished each page off with tiny Primas I found in my stash. Each flower has a Viva Pen center – Magenta Gloss Gel for the yellow ones and Yellow Pearl Pen for the pink ones.

I have a full video on all of the fun things you can do with Gloss Gel Pens – including a few tips on making sure all of your Viva Pens give you those perfect little round pearls!

And for the mini album above:

Have a fantastic week!!!

TIOT with a GREAT tip on watercoloring!

Suzanne gave us a fun challenge this week reminiscent of blooming tulips (which i should be seeing in my yard soon!) We were to use red, purple, yellow and hot pink. Crazy colors but i had fun with mine:

This project is for the following challenges:

Paperplay – Sketch

ABC challenge – Red

Papertake Weekly – Anything Goes

Crafty Creations – Anything Goes

Twisted Thursday – Anything Goes

The papers are from my scrap pile – i matted with Kraft and inked everything with Memento Rich Cocoa – this makes an amazing difference when working with lots of colors or lots of patterns – it just pulls everything together. The cute little flowers are Prima Tiny Tots.  Those yummy little pink droplets are gorgeous Magenta Gloss Gel from Viva Decor – yet another pen that gives you perfectly formed droplets with NO effort!

Now for the part i am most excited about – i WATERCOLORED!! ok i know some of you might be rolling your eyes but this is something i have longed to be able to do but never seemed to get it. I stamped the cute little image – New Friends by Elisabeth Bell for SCACD – on watercolor paper using Memento Black.  I cut her out using Spellbinders Labels 12.  Next I pulled out my yummy Creative Inspirations shimmer paints – if you have not seen these yet you are missing out! there’s more than 50 colors, the shimmer in PACKED in there and the colors are pure and amazingly brilliant. Now the important part – a Fantastix applicator. I got this tip from Molly, the creator of the paints. never heard of fantastix? well i had heard of them and even had some but i had NO idea when or why i would ever use them. now i know. the brush tip is a spongey pointed tip. it is hard when dry but i set it in a container of water for a bit while i chose my paint colors and it soaked up the water and became spongy. next i dipped the very tip into the paint and brushed it around on scrap paper – the paint mixed with the water and became a thin watercolor paint which i used to put a light wash of color on my image – i did NOT wet the paper first for this. Next i dipper the tip back into the paint & ran the tip along the edge where i wanted a darker shadow effect. i laid the Fantastix sort of sideways so i was using the SIDE of the tip – this created a blended effect from dark to light in one simple stroke – i was FLOORED!! couldn’t be easier!!! and the best part – even on the places with the PALEST of color wash the shimmer is still just as prolific! Go bck to the top and look at the moving pic again – you will see the shading in one flash and the shimmer in the other. ALSO when changing colors just swish your Fantastix round in your water like you would a paint brush! i hope some of you find this little tutorial useful! i hope to get it on video soon so i can demonstrate it a little better!

The project itself is not card but a little gift holder – inside is a cute matchbook style notepad attached with repositionable adhesive so it can be taken off and used. i raided the $1 bin at Ms recently – it is PACKED with fun little gift set items right now including these notepads – 2 to a pack and some GREAT mary englebrite items which i got a ton of.

The colors on this one just happened to match the challenge so that is where i got my inspiration!

i hope you are having a wonderful week!!!  une in tomorrow for Artful INKables!  it is a SUPER set featuring an amazing array of TJ techniques one of which could be my very favorite discovery!!

SCACD is back!

hi everyone!

i wanted to pop in with a quick post to let you know tht Susana’s Custom Art & Card Design (SCACD) is open again after Susana’ s much needed vacation! 

our challenge from Suzanne was to create an easter or spring gift so here is a lil’ something i did for Pez to give to my mom for easter with another of the adorbale Victoria Case stamps exclusive to Susana’s Store:

Isn’t she too sweet?!?!  i distressed my edges with my tim holtz tool.  the strips are done with alcohol inks from the Lights Collection – i LOVE the new options I have since the Brights & Lights came out.  My little eggs are cut with the Easter mini cartridge for the Cricut.  Before cutting i took out a white piece of paper, a few small pieces of natural sea sponge and several Creative Inspirations Paints.  i had a sponge for each color paint i was using.  i dipped the sponge into the paint, dabbed a few times on my craft sheet so i wouldn’t have a big glob, and then dabbed it over my paper to create a shimmering mottled pattern.  i did two colors on one piece of paper and two colors on another – then cut an egg from each.  next i free handed the lines using Viva Decor Cream Pearl Pen and also added Pearl Pen to the flower center and used it for the 3 pearls along the top edge.  the purple Prima rose bud is sititng on a crocheted circle i did myself.

i stamped Little Aud with memento black ink and colored her with Copics.  I used the Spellbinders Labels 10 to cut out the image and then edged it with brown ink using the ranger foam ink blending tool.  i gve the bunnies little tail a bit of white poof with liquid applique – love that stuff!

Susana lso has a bunch of new stuff in the store – Zva Creative, NEW basic grey (and they are GOOD), copic multiliners and Our Craft Lounge Stamps!

Be sure to check in here tomorrow – i will have some adorable pics and some studio G news!

TIOT: movie time

WHEW!  i have a long one for ya today – makin’ me tired just thinkin’ about it!  OOOORRRR it could be the time change!  it is STILL raining here…..and with all the snow that just finished melting there is really no where for the rain to go.  we’re going to float away!  however it is supposed to stop today and then get SUPER nice out.  me n pezzy will be out planting all the pansies she talked me into at Home Depot (her fave store) and blowing lots of bubbles with the new bubble gear we got!  now let’s get this show on the road!

New goodies in at SCACD! – TWO of the new Basic Grey collection have arrived on the scene – Kioshi and Green – Susana has the perfectly sized 6×6 pads (makes it alot easier to get them ALL) plus the coordinating doily ribbon and glazed brads.  There are also some VERY cute new Lockhart Stamps up as well!

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Have you gotten your subscription in for the NEW mini magazine Through the Craft Room Door? They have really been pouring in and i am excited about the things i have been working on for the first issue and the introduction of the exclusive website! you can get all of the info >>HERE<<

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IN ADDITION to the magazine Suzanne Dean has started a private online classroom called Color Me Creative and is offering some insanely extensive copics classes. if you want to learn the basics or your looking to become an expert there is a class for you and everything in between. I will also be adding some classes in the future too! for info on the classroom >>CLICK HERE

The CMC classroom site went live yesterday and i managed to catch the tail end of the live chat with Suzanne and it was HOPPIN’ in there!

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Artful INKables is 2 years old this week!
To celebrate their birthday, they are offering you a sweet deal on any order you place this week. Enter Code AIBDAY2 into the coupon field when you check out to get 15% off a $35 order. This coupon is only good until next Sunday so be quick like a bunny to take advantage of this SALE!

Also be sure to check the AI blog today for the next Think INK challenge and to see who won the last challenge. And mark your calendars for NEXT MONDAY because they will be having their NEW RELEASE BLOG HOP featuring all of the new, uber-talented INK girls (including me tee heee) and FOUR new stamps sets you will surely LOVE!

And finally, if you are located in the Salt Lake City area of Utah, be sure to come visit their booth at the SCRAPBOOK USA expo in Sandy on March 26th and 27th.

I will be playing along with the current challenge ASAP as my stamps arrived yesterday YAY!!

and YES i have my TIOT project for you today too!
Suzanne’s Challenge for us this week really had me stumped for a bit – use one of the new Victoria Case stamps for a movie inspired project. Then it came to me – i really LOVE the Little Carolyn in the flowery swing and she would be perfect playing in……

The Secret Garden! i LOVE gardening and am very excited to see spring coming.

In addition i used the following challenges:

Pagemaps March sketches

Pile It On – Pastels

Cupcake Craft – Going Green

Ooh La La – Anything Goes

Paper Cutz – Anything Goes

Secret Crafter – Anything Goes

Lots To Do – Distressing

Pollycraft – Distressing

Rosie D’s – Think Spring

La La Land Crafts – Pastels

Creative Card Crew – Celebration

Cute Card Thursday – Celebration

and here she is:

I thought these patterned papers from Basic Grey’s Lilly Kate paper pad worked perfectly for a secret garden. I have really been using that pad up – it has wonderful colors and patterns! Susana just got the newest ones in – Green and Kioshi along with the coordinating paper doillie ribbons and glazed brads – really beautiful.

i stamped my main image with memento black ink of course and colored her with copics. i colored the flowers on her dress and swing ropes with spica glitter pens and then added some of the fantastic new super fine flower soft in Raspberry Fizz along the vines on the rope. (you can get all 8 for the price of 7 right now – good deal!) i cut the cute little tree branch with the bird using my cricut and then highlighted the leaves with Glass Effects Gel by Viva Decor. i brushed just a bit of distress ink in Vistorian Velvet (one of my new fave colors) on my white prima flower and stamped my sentiment with a tiny studio G stamp.

I hope you have a fantastic week!  Be sure and head over to the SCACD store blog to see what movies the other girls chose!

hugs

TIOT: a dreamy color challenge

Be sure to come by tomorrow for all of the subscription info on the NEW newsletter!!!

This week Suzanne issued a color challenge for the Try It Out Tuesday teama over on the store blog for Susana’s Custom Art & Card Designs and it just happened to be my FAVES! pink, sage/moss green & cream/white – oh deeLISH!

i used this week’s OCCC sketch (altered a bit) for my card.

my patterned paper is from Porcelain by Basic Grey and Susana has it in the 6×6 pad which i LOVE – makes me feel less bad about needing ALL of them! for the 2 smaller panels i played a bit with some smooch spritz and tissue paper. i lightly sprayed the tissue paper with limoliscious and pink sprinkle from the latest color release. once dry i crumpled it really good. next i covered two pieces of cardstock with adhesive using a zyron and then i opened the tissue pper up but did not smooth out the wrinkles completely. i laid it on top of the adhesive on the cardstock and then pressed it down so the wrinkles stayed somewhat like silk. i used the paper lace technique with my martha stewart punch for the cream strip. i used a plain white prima flower that i jazzed up a bit with some Tutu Pink Inspirations Paint – i loaded my brush with water and then dipped it into the paint and mixed it around on my craft sheet and then brushed it onto the flower lightly to catch the raised portions. then i painted it on straight for the center flower. the little green branch pieces are from my cricut. finally i added the gorgeous glossy pearls with my viva decor paper pens in Lime Green & Rose.

my main image is a SUPER DUPER cutie from the recent Elisabeth Bell release – “bunnie” – what a sweetie right? i stamped her with memento black & colored her with Copics. Her ribbon and lace edges are painted with Fairy Dust Inspirations Paint. i added a bit of Sweet Pea Flower Soft to the flowers along the handle of her basket.

i hope you enjoyed today’s project! now head on over and check out the rest of the team’s projects too! 

>>CLICK HERE<<

Have wonderful week!