Tidings of Comfort and Joy

Playing along Play Date Cafe#159- color splash....

I have used Twiggy tree  die by Memory Box, bird is stamped and fussy cut, the house in the background by PTI, Sentiment by TPC studios( I have lost the cover, so I hope I remember right!)

                              
   Adhered only a part of the tree for some added dimension and distressed the edges with a scissor.

Sharing with Young Crafters unite#16- Happy Holidays

and Simon Says Stamp

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Tidings of Comfort and Joy

Splitting Die-cuts.

This weeks Papertrey Ink- MIM#93  challenged us to split our die cuts,  the video shows a couple of different ways to do it . I chose to use my Half and Half die  and stamp set along with some sentiments from Stylish Sentiments set.

 Last week , I mailed  the watercolor cards  I had been mentioning in my earlier posts ,  and I packaged them using  kraft  wrapping paper, stamped in black and white ink , finished with a tiny tag with my logo. All this kraft paper around me , made me rethink my card making base, I have been using white for so long now, it has become my go to  cardstock, but I think after today's card , you will be seeing a lot more kraft on my blog!
I am simply loving the look, yellow and kraft and black ...awesome combo !

 I die cut  a super long strip of yellow  cardstock  using the half and half die  and then cut it into two  and stamped with the co-ordinating stamps, fussy cut the patterned paper and attached a tiny little brad.

Also sharing with Young Crafters Unite#16- Happy Holidays

and Simon Says Stamp

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Splitting Die-cuts.

Peace . Love . Joy .

A holiday card today.......
 

This card took me a looong time to  get done , all the layering and die cutting and embossing !!!!!!

but I think it was definitely worth it!..what say?

I was a bit disappointed with the embossing and wanted to start over , but having  spent 2 hours on it already , I  could not get myself  to trash it , so I let it be and promised to get myself an embossing buddy in the future!

 I started with textured cardstock for the background , stamped a couple of trees- Studio 112,  for the focal point  ..die cut the house - Memory box out of watercolor paper, the different elements like the wreath , and the foreground trees are by PTI, the sentiments are  by TPC studios and PTI, some diamond stickles  and finally the embossing powder by Martha Stewart.

 Sharing with ...

Young Crafters Unite- Holidays

 Simon says stamp- anything goes

Thanks for stopping by.

Peace . Love . Joy .

Papertrey Ink November Blog Hop

Despite the good old, oft repeated saying .."Never judge a book by it's cover", I admit I have picked, one too many books, purely  based on it's cover!


When I saw Papertrey's blog hop theme ... to create a card inspired by a book  cover, I got  excited and pulled quite a few books out  and set to work!

Here are some books shared by Nichole on her blog, but I chose  to use one of my own as inspiration.

This is the book I chose....

 and here is my card....

 Watercolored background, Stamps by PTI, and a hand drawn and fussy cut base for the chair.

 I simply love this card, and it  might just have made it to the "top 3 favorite cards  of  mine" list!
Hope you all like it too!

Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave me such wonderful feedback..truly appreciate it!

Off to hop now!!

Papertrey Ink November Blog Hop

Cool blues..warm wishes!

Am still here...
..sorry have been MIA, been enjoying the long  Thanksgiving weekend , and for a change did not craft at  all week ...
....... but,  I just could not stay away from my inks and stamps any longer, so got a teensy bit crafty and came up with this card for CAS-ual Fridays winter blue challenge.

I'll keep this post short, got to get dinner on the table!

sentiment by Simon Says Stamp

 a watercolored bird

 a bit of texture using an embossing folder partially.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cool blues..warm wishes!

Happy Thanksgiving!

                                                      
                                           Happy Thanksgiving !


Today's card is a thank you note to all those of you who stop by my blog and  take time to leave some really encouraging feedback. It is because of readers like you, like minded people who sail with me in this boat of creativity, that I wake up every morning enthused to create something new. I read each and every comment and a new face in the followers list never fails to bring a smile to mine!

Also I would like to share some exciting news ........
......... I am now on the Faber Castell Guest Design Team !
............. I will be working with their Design Memory Craft line, and starting January will be  sharing with you all some really colorful projects.

Thanks for sharing my excitement!

Have a wonderful holiday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Faux Pockets

Today I am sharing a card made for Papertrey Ink's Make it Monday  #91 - Faux pockets

 A card with a pocket..see that ribbon peeking out?.. that's a sweet little bookmark tucked behind the bookplate pocket.

 Here is another look at the bookmark..kept it pretty  simple .

 and the bookplate, colored in with Copics

All booked up stamp set, dies  and white cardstock by PTI,  other stamp by Studio G

Also sharing with Simon Says Stamp- thank you card challenge

Thanks for stopping by.

Faux Pockets

Faber Castell

Hello everyone am back with a tutorial today!

Please scroll down if you are looking for my art journal page.

..I have been playing with my new Faber Castell PITT Pastel Pencils , and I just cant believe how bright and vibrant these pencils are. They are  smooth and easy to blend and are so much fun to use.
I made a holiday card and used these pencils to color my image and  took some pictures as I worked on my card and thought I would walk you through the steps..

Gather your supplies, here I have used Faber Castell Pitt Pastel Pencils, Stamps by Sweet Stamps, Papertrey Ink, eraser, PTI Cardstock and a blending tool( optional)

Step 1- Stamp the image using Memento ink-Tuxedo black and start coloring,

                                       Here I have used  #113 and #118 and a bit of brown and black for the shadows
Step 2-  As you can see in the picture  above, I have started coloring the image . I  color by moving from light to medium to dark and then come back with a light to blend my colors.With pastels , most of the work is done by the pencils themselves,  after laying down your color , a light rub with your finger is all that is required to blend these wonderful vibrant colors. Since I have the tendency to ruin a perfectly good piece of work because of my messy inky fingers , I have used a blending tool here, but it is not a requirement.

there are no mistakes here , why??? ...because these are so easily erasable, yes , make a mistake or a smudge, just erase it!

Step 3- stamp the sentiment ,

Step 4- spray with a Pastel fixative or hair spray to prevent any smudges.

 I have used  colors from the three  Mix and Match sets , Blue/green , Red/yellow and Neutrals

 I observed that once I blend the colors with the tool it did not accept any more color on top , which is good in a way , cause then there will be no rubbing off or smearing of color from the final project, but if you want to add more color it might get difficult, so before your final blending , apply and layer your pigment well and just lightly rub as you go along and keep the final full pressure blending for the last.

Step 5- fussy cut image and adhere to the base card using foam adhesive,

Here is an art journal page using acrylic paints, and pastel pencils.

 I hope you enjoyed this post , and hopefully  will give these pencils a try , there are so fast and easy, they make coloring a breeze!

Thanks for stopping by.

Faber Castell

LESSology

My search has ended!
....... For a long time now I had been on the lookout for a better way of sending my watercolor cards in the mail, especially my holiday cards which sometimes tend to get wet in the snow . this idea came when I saw the latest challenge over at LESSology ..to use something clear . I thought acetate would be a wonderful idea to keep my watercolors safe.

Here are two cards using some  upcycled clear acetate,
warning: picture heavy!!! I was so excited with the outcome , I took quite a few pics!! 

 I stamped with Staz- on, on the outside and adhered my watercolored card on the inside using vellum adhesive.

Sharing with Crafter's Companion November challenge-Favorite color combination
I have used my favorite primary color combo- red, blue and yellow.

 Sharing with Lessology challenge #20-Barely there

I used the clear backing from  a fiskars cling stamp set. It was 8x8 and I made two 4x4 cards with it.

Stamps by Crafters companion and PTI

Thanks so much for stopping by.

LESSology

Copics!

When I came across this challenge asking us to use Copics on a non white cardstock , I thought of my Prismas on kraft card  and thought of doing the same with Copics. Instead of kraft, I grabbed some  lighter toned cardstock and here is what I came up with.......

I love the soft glowy effect Copics has, especially with a softer colored background like this one . So subtle and calm.

Sharing this with MarkerPOP Blog-Challenge #10-not white

Added a bit of texture for some added interest,

Here are the Copic colors used...R32,R35,R46,G40,G94,G99,E11,E13,E15,B00,B04,N4,
Stamps by Inkadinkado and Jane's Doodles

I am having a lot of fun playing with my Copics and hopefully someday will be able to splurge on the larger set!!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Copics!