Lawn Fawn Challenge 126 - Beach vs. Mountains

 This ocean scene with some beach visitors was a birthday card for one of my grandkids.

Lawn Fawnatics Challenge 120 - All Things Birthday - Berry, Berry Happy Birthday

This card was created during the Lawn Fawn Create with Us Berry Special online event held March 12, 2022. I followed Jenn Shurkus' layout and color scheme for the card project, but changed the sentiment to make it a birthday card. This is my first time participating in a Lawn Fawnatic Challenge. #LFCreateWithUs, #creativechickclasses

Lawn Fawn - Halloween Shadow Box

Gina K. Autumn Wreath

Grand Reopening - Sandy Allnock's Art-classes.com

I first discovered Sandy Allnock when searching You Tube for Art Impressions watercolor related videos. I've been enjoying her You Tube tutorials ever since.

Sandy is amazingly talented and her wonderful sense of humor comes through in her videos and blog posts, as evidenced by this fun poem she penned to announce the relaunch of her Art-Classes.com website. Sandy offers classes on Copics, Watercoloring, Drawing, Colored Pencils and Bible Journaling.

‘Twas the night before the big day, when all through the site
The artists began stirring, with excitement so bright
They logged into their accounts and viewed courses with care,
In hopes that all of their classes would be there;
Some needed help, and emailed swiftly
to the FixIt team of one – assistance arrived quickly!
Folks learned how to navigate, to set a long secure password,
and to join our student Facebook group to post their homework.
We learned that to reveal each upcoming lesson
simply requires us to click that little “complete” button.
And that if on Sandy’s blog we bought our hex charts before,
they’ll remain over there for us, they did not import.

As it proved that the technology really was hardy,
I sprang from my studio to prepare a party!
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
I hung up a sign made of paper with pride,
“We’re open! We’re open! Come see what’s inside!
There’s coupons on the blog for the classes you choose
The sale’s on all week —you really can’t lose!
And look for the giveaway contest as well
Share with your friends — winning would be swell!”

And what to my wondering eyes did appear,
But a small army of artists preparing to cheer!
The site, it is working! The classes so fun!
In markers and paints, even a pencil one!
We welcome all who desire to grow in their art,
To learn and to practice, and pour out their heart!
You’ll hear me exclaim, as my heart is so full—
“Happy creating to all, let’s go make something beautiful!”

I have just recently signed up for Sandy's Bible Journaling 101 course and am looking forward to taking advantage of the wonderful sale she is offering to celebrate the relaunch of her new and improved website, Artclasses.com. Discounts range from 10-20% and the sale runs through October 21, 2018.

Check out Sandy's blog, her You Tube channel and definitely her offerings at Art-classes.com for inspiration to get your crafty back on.

June 2018 Cardmaking Day

We finally had our cardmaking day that was postponed since May.  Jen, Renee, Mary H. and I spent some fun-filled hours making a nice assortment of cards. (Supply lists below.)

First up, Jen's creation, a monogram note card.

Jen used one of the decorative outline stamps from Gina K. Designs Wreath Builder set to frame a Monogram Letter from Papertrey Ink's Botanical Letters set.  The Misti made positioning these stamps on the die cut circle a breeze. Art Impressions flowers and foliage were used to add the floral spray.

These went together quickly and would make a nice gift.

Next up was a card I modeled after an Elizabeth Craft Designs tutorial using the Lacy Poppies dies.

This was my first attempt ink blending with Distress Oxide inks.

Also a first for adding ink splatters using a paint brush and an ink pad refiller.

Such a simple design, but it all comes together so well, especially the black sentiment, dark Prills in the center of the flower and the dark ink splatters.

Last up was Renee's design using some of the new punches she recently acquired.

These cards are so summery looking. Using the punches for the grass and cloud-line add a nice touch of dimension.

Adding the small trail of dots from the dragonfly was the perfect finishing touch.

Supplies

Monogram Note Cards

Stamps

Art Impressions - Foliage Set 1

Art Impressions - Flower Set 1

Gina K. Designs - Wreath Builder

Papertrey Ink - Botanical Letters

Paper

Papertrey Ink - Classic Kraft Cardstock

Papertrey Ink - Pure Poppy Bitty Dots

Papertrey Ink - True Black Bitty Dots

Watercolor Paper

Marvy LePlume Markers

#15 - Olive Green

#28 - English Red

#105 - Light Teal

Other

Misti Stamp Positioning Tool

Stitched Circle Die

Watercolor Brush

Lacy Poppies Distress Oxide Cards

Stamps

Papertrey Ink - Birthday Basics

Papertrey Ink - Communique Sentiments

Ink Pads/Refills

Distress Oxide - Cracked Pistachio

Distress Oxide - Mermaid Lagoon

Distress Oxide - Salty Ocean

Papertrey Ink - True Black Ink Refill

Versafine - Onyx Black

Paper

Neenah Solar White Cardstock

Papertrey Ink - White Stampers Select

Other

3M Foam Tape

Darice Tape Runner

Elizabeth Craft Designs - Lacy Poppies die

Gina K. Designs Connect Glue

Misti Stamp Positioning Tool

Old Paintbrush for Ink Splatters

Scoretape - 1/4"

Tim Holtz Distress Collage Medium

Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer

Tim Holtz Mini Ink Blending Tool

US Artquest - Mini Prills: Power Outage

Wishing You Cards

Stamps

Papertrey Ink - Wishing You

Ink Pads

Papertrey Ink - Orange Zest

Papertrey Ink - Ripe Avocado

Stampin' Up - Daffodil Delight

Paper

Papertrey Ink - Fresh Snow

Papertrey Ink - Ripe Avocado Bitty Dots

Michael's - Blue Cardstock

Michael's Yellow Cardstock

Other

Acrylic Blocks

Copic Markers - YR07, W1

Darice Tape Runner

EK Success - Cloud Punch

Martha Stewart - Grass Punch

Misti Stamp Positioning Tool

Happy Anniversary

Although I love the look of more elaborate cards, my schedule seems to only allow for clean and simple.  This card, for my son and daughter-in-law's anniversary, was modeled closely after one I found on Pinterest.

I love the dimension that embossing adds to a one-layer card. I added some clear Wink of Stella to some of the embossed lines and the word "happy"along with a few pearlescent sequins to give the card a festive sparkle.

Supplies - Happy Anniversary

Stamp Sets
Papertrey Ink: Heart-2-Heart #9

Papertrey Ink: Luxe Letterpress

Paper

Papertrey Ink: Stamper's Select Cardstock

Stamp Pads
Gina K. Designs - Jet Black Amalgam Ink
Gina K. Designs - Tranquil Teal

Versafine - Onyx Black

Other Supplies
Sizzix Stampin' Up - Filigree Frame Embossing Folder

Wink of Stella: Clear

Wishing You a Happy Birthday

My sister, Beth, is a papercrafter who is new to Watercoloring the Art Impressions way.  I love Art Impressions' new Wishing Well set and thought it would make a perfect birthday card for her. I mostly followed Tricia O'Bin's Tutorial as I love how she framed the image in the oval frame.

I chose a "Make a Wish" sentiment for the cover and "Hoping all of your birthday wishes come true" for the inside sentiment to tie in with the wishing well image. I was thrilled that Beth "loved, loved, loved the card!"

Supplies

Stamp Sets

#5007 - Art Impressions Foliage Set 3

#5009 - Art Impressions Mini Flower

#5012 - Art Impressions Wishing Well

Papertrey Ink - Balloon Bash
Papertrey Ink - Make a Wish

Marvy LePlume II Markers

#15 - Olive Green
#20 - Magenta

#29 - Prussian Blue
#40 - Brownish Grey

#45 - Sepia
#86 - African Violet

Paper

Canson Watercolor Paper

Papertrey Cardstock - Blueberry Sky

Papertrey Cardstock - True Black

Dies

Papertrey Die - Noted Simply Stitched - A2 Vertical

Spellbinders - Oval Nested Dies

Other Supplies

Art Impressions Acrylic Blocks

Art Impressions Watercolor Palette

Art Impressions Watercolor Brush #4

Scor-Tape - 1/8"

Versafine Onyx Black Stamp Pad

1st Birthday Cupcake

A very special first birthday calls for a very special birthday cupcake card.  This project was inspired by.Lizzie Jones - Don't Forget To Write for Papertrey Ink. I changed up the colors to suit the birthday boy.

The Papertrey "Shape Up Series" dies are so easy to use to make shaped cards.  For this project, I embossed the white frosting area and highlighted the dots with clear Wink of Stella. This created a sugar crystal effect which I liked.  I followed Lizzie's suggestion to mount the patterned paper to cardstock so the embossed lines show up better on the cupcake liner.  I also loved her use of the Loop de Loop die to add a squiggle of frosting decoration. I only adhered the base of the candle to the cupcake so it can fold flat allowing the card to fit in an A2 envelop.

The inside of the card was kept fairly simple, although I did die-cut the number one in matching patterned paper.

Supplies - 1st Birthday Cupcake

Stamp Sets
Papertrey Ink: Birthdays By the Numbers

Papertrey Ink: Polka Dot Parade #12

Dies
Papertrey Ink: By the Numbers

Papertrey Ink: Loop de Loop

Papertrey Ink: Polka Dot Parade #12

Papertrey Ink: Shape Up Series - Cupcake

Paper
Papertrey Ink: Enchanted Evening Cardstock and Patterned Paper

Papertrey Ink: Fresh Snow Cardstock

Papertrey Ink: Stamper's Select Cardstock

Stampin' Up: Close to Cocoa Cardstock

Stamp Pads
Papertrey Ink: Enchanted Evening

Papertrey Ink: Summer Sunrise 

Copic Markers
Y17

R14

Other Supplies
1/8" Scor-Tape
Darice Tape Runner

Gina K. Connect GlueMisti Stamp Positioner

Stampin' Up: Decorative Dots Embossing Folder

Wink of Stella: Clear

TheDailyMarker.com 30 Day Color Challenge

Having always considered myself a bit color challenged, the idea of a 30 Day Coloring Challenge can be ... well ... a challenge. Nonetheless, having recently been turned on to Kathy Racoosin's blog by a Jennifer McGuire tutorial, I was intrigued by the idea that actually coloring for a little bit each day might improve my coloring skills.  For more info about the coloring challenge, link to Kathy's blog post. TheDailyMarker.com 30 Day Coloring Challenge

My first project for the 30 Day Coloring Challenge was actually inspired by a few other Jennifer McGuire tutorials on Ink Swatches and Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens.

I used Jennifer McGuire's swatch templates for my Ink Pad swatches and Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pen pages.

For my Distress Inks, I not only stamped an image, but on the backside of the swatch card, I sponged the ink, watercolor brushed some on and drew with a Distress Marker when applicable.

For the Zig Clean Color Swatch pages, I followed Jennifer's suggestion to brush the color straight from the pen on one side, and apply water to it on the other side.

Using these swatch pages as a template, I created pages for my Marvy LePlume II Markers which I use to watercolor the Art Impressions way.  The swatch pages look a bit like a hot mess, but they illustrate what the ink looks like when drawn on, stamped on, stamped on damp watercolor paper and watercolor brushed on from a palette.

I had used a less expensive brand of watercolor paper for the swatch pages and there was a huge difference in how the color moved on the paper.  I decided to use the swatch cards for my different watercolor papers to stamp a few Art Impressions images to compare how the papers worked for this technique.

Next up, I am working on creating swatch pages for my Copic markers, so all of these can live in my ink swatch binder.

Since the 30 Day Color Challenge started, I have spent a lot of time getting inky to have a better idea of what colors I actually have and how they relate to one another. This should help me feel a little less color challenged moving forward.

Birthday and Mother's Day Cards

Between multiple family birthdays and Mother's Day, May is always a busy card month, which usually finds me visiting the local Hallmark store.  Inspired by my visit to Scrapbook Expo in Milwaukee and a somewhat reclaimed craft room, I actually managed to craft some cards this year. (Supply lists below.)

First up, a birthday card for my 6-year-old grandson, who loves all sports, but especially loves basketball.  I have a bunch of Riley the Moose stamps that hopefully will one day make it into a series of "The Adventures of Riley the Moose" cards to entertain my grandsons. This card was a good start in practicing my Riley Copic coloring techniques. I used the Lawn Fawn Magic Color Slider die to make this into an interactive card.

Next up was a Mother's Day Card for my dear daughter-in-law.  My sister, friend and I were lucky enough to happen across Gina K. demoing her brilliant Wreath Builder set in the Craft Fancy booth at Scrapbook Expo in Milwaukee a few weekends ago.  We all went home with this set that makes it possible to make a variety of wreath shapes using the Wreath Builder template and the Misti. So much fun to play with this.
.

Last up is a birthday card for my youngest son who was turning 30.  He is a big fan of the Lord of the Rings so I knew I had to make him a Hobbit door card as soon as I saw this new set from Art Impressions.

The door placement is a little crooked, but overall I was pleased with how this turned out, since I was rushing to get it made the morning of his birthday.  Since breakfast is my son's favorite meal, I adapted a quote from one of the Lord of the Ring's movies.

Supplies - Basketball Riley Magic Color Slider

Stamp Sets
#5019 - Art Impressions: Wall Texture (floor)
Papertrey Ink: Have a Ball (Basketball)
Papertrey Ink: Movers & Shakers Sentiments (pull here)
Papertrey Ink: Number Time Trio (6)
Papertrey Ink: Stylish Sentiments - Birthday (inside sentiment)
Papertrey Ink: Wonderful Words - Birthday (happy)
Riley & Company: Basketball Riley

Dies
Lawn Fawn: Magic Color Slider
Papertrey Ink: Birthday Trio

Cardstock
Papertrey Ink: Clear, Orange Zest, True Black
X-Press It Blending Cardstock

Stamp Pads
Memento Tuxedo Black
Staz-on Jet Black
Versafine Onyx Black

Copic Markers
BG 000, 10
E 00, 31, 33, 35, 37, 59
YG 11, 13, 17
YR 16, 18
W1
Multiliner 0.1

Other Supplies
1/8" Scor-Tape
Darice Tape Runner
Scrapbook Adhesive: 3-D Foam Squares, Black


Supplies - Mother's Day Wreath

Stamp Sets
Gina K Designs Wreath Builder Stamps & Template
Papertrey Ink: Delightful Dahlia (sentiment)

Stamp Pads - Gina K Designs
Coral Reef
Key Lime
Lucky Clover
Sea Glass
Slate
Tangerine Twist
Tranquil Teal

Other Supplies
Gina K Designs Lucky Clover Cardstock
Papertrey Ink Stamper's Select Cardstock
Misti
Corner Rounder
Foam Dots


Supplies - Hobbit Happy Birthday

Stamp Sets

Art Impressions

#4051 - Foliage Set 1

#4867 - Foliage Set 2 (New)
#5009 - Mini Flower Set
#5010 - Tree Set 1
#5015 - Hobbit Door
#5019 - Wall Texture
#EX2017 - Garden Cart
 Papertrey Ink: Birthday Basics (sentiment)

Marvy LePlume II Markers
#6 - Brown
#8 - Violet

#15 - Olive Green
#17 - Steel Blue
#20 - Magenta

#29 - Prussian Blue
#40 - Brownish Grey

#45 - Sepia
#72 - Pine Green
#86 - African Violet

Other Supplies

Art Impressions Stamp Positioner

Art Impressions Watercolor Palette

Art Impressions Watercolor Brush #4

Papertrey Ink: Simply Chartreuse, True Black Cardstock

Canson or Strathmore Watercolor Paper

Acrylic Blocks

1/8" Scor-Tape

Darice Tape Runner