Twinkling H20's

This is the final version of an image I teased you with in this post.  The image is from Stampendous and I purchased mine here.  There are so many possible color combinations with this stamp - spring, summer, fall.  Winter would be a little more challenging - maybe Flower Soft or Liquid Applique?  (Watch for more posts with this image.)

I used Twinking H2O water color cakes  to color in everything.  In order to get more shading, I let each layer dry before adding another layer of color.  Unfortunately, it's really hard to photograph how shimmery this card turned out, but it's really pretty in person.

If you haven't tried Twinking H2O's, they are very cool to use.  I used an aqua brush and got a small section of the pot wet.  Then I began painting my image.  These cake pots will last for years, because such a little amount goes a long way.  Once you have finished with that color, just put the top back on and it will be ready the next time you decide to use it. 

Here is a side view, so you can see the shimmer a little better.

Twilight

Here is another example of a sponged background.  This time, I was trying to create a twilight effect.  In order to produce this type of effect, you need three shades of blue dye ink (light, medium, and dark) and one shade of dark purple.  I used Distress inks.  Begin by sponging the lightest blue with a sponge dauber around the edges and top of your paper.  Follow with the medium blue, then the dark purple.  Finally use the dark blue to blend everything in.  Be sure to use light pressure and go in a circular motion.  It's easy to put more color on, but you can't take it off.  I also sponged  black ink under the bottom of the car.

The roadster, which is a River City Rubber Works image, was stamped on Neenah cardstock and colored with Koh-I-Noor woodless color pencils.  Next time, I'll probably switch to Copics because I like more vibrant colors.   I also used the Sakura Gelly Roll Star Dust pen to make my twinking stars in the night sky.

Out by the water mill

This is one of my few detailed stamp images and it is a cling mount from Impression Obsession.  I used Copic markers on this version to color in everything.  Once you break it down into parts, it's pretty easy to color.  Copics really make the image pop. 

The next photo is the same image using Koh-I-Noor woodless colored pencils, which look like this.  I purchased mine at a local craft store.

This is a much subtler, softer look than the Copics. It just depends on the look you are going for.  You don't have nearly the selection of colors to choose from, but it is a fun medium to try.  Do you have a preference as to which medium you like to use the most?  As you can probably tell, I like Copics the best.

Sunset

Don't you wish you were gazing into a beautiful sunset?  This was created using a sponged background and Distress inks.  The woman is from Viva Las Vegas Stamps and I used Copic markers to color her in.  The base card is dark chocolate.  Enjoy your sunset!

Nellie Snellen Multi Frame Dies

This is a new die (for me) I discovered through my travels on the web called Nellie's Multi Frames and I found them here.  This company is based in the UK but they have a currency converter you can click.  I must also say that shipping was wonderful (it was actually cheaper than a lot of places in the US and it didn't seem to take any longer).  Go check out these dies and this site.  These dies work just like most thin dies (like Spellbinder's) and are really easy to use. 

For this card, I cut out the die and used the negative image as a mask to color in the white cardstock with Distress inks.  I used the new Tumbled Glass and Broken China inks to achieve this look.  The flower stamp is from Unity Stamps and the butterflies were created using punches from Creative Memories.  I took the negative portion of the punches and used them as a mask to create these images.  I used my Scor-Pal to score around the edges of the card and then I took my black marker and, using the same score line, went down to highlight the score marks.  Another quick and easy card.  Maybe I could coin the phrase "Q & E", like the CAS (Clean and Simple) phrase.  : )   What do you think?

Wine Tag

I wanted to do a little more for the hostess gift other than just a plain bottle of wine.  I decided to make a tag for the bottle.  These are a set of clear stamps from Fiskar's called Aged to Perfection.  I purchased mine at a local craft store. 

I took a basic manila tag and inked it up with Distress inks.  I also stamped the images directly on the manila tag and then stamped them again on white cardstock.  I colored in both sets of images and pop dotted the ones on white cardstock.  It's hard to tell from this angle that all three images are raised.  I used Copics to color everything in and add touches of a Spica purple glitter pen on the grapes to make them sparkle more.  The reason I decided to color in the images that were stamped on the tag itself was because the pop dots I like to use are fairly tall and I wanted there to be color if you looked at it from the side.  Though, I must admit, I didn't do any shading on these, just color blocked them.

Here is a picture of the tag on the bottle.  The hostess much appreciated this extra touch and it was easy to do.  I think I'll make up a bunch to have on hand when I need them (so I'm not making the final touches just before walking out the door next time).

Songbirds

Both of these images are from Unity Stamps and the die is Spellbinder's Label Three.  I used a couple of the new colors from Tim Holtz's Distress inks to outline the label and the yellow cardstock (which was cut using a Sizzix Bigz die) and Copics were used to color in the bird.

I didn't have a ribbon the shade of blue that I wanted, so Copics to the rescue.  You can also use these markers to color your ribbon or just about anything else.  Enjoy!

Cutie pie

This is one of my favorite stamps from 100 Proof Press.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am trying out different mediums and I used chalks to color her in.  Spellbinders Classic Scalloped Ovals die was used to cut the image out.  I also chalked around the edge of the cut image and anchored it down with small heart embellishments.  Quick and easy card.  Enjoy!