Birthday Focal Point

     I love how this card turned out.  I used Yana Smakula's perfect card making formula to make this for my daughter's 19th birthday.  I use to make my own "word greeting" background cardstock pieces.  This is the last of it.  I always liked those pieces and I believe I need to make more because the graphic black and white is very nice.  My daughter likes black cards, but she also loves old fashioned items with florals.
     I didn't have any foil or I would have made the frame in black foil.  I used glitter paper instead.  I used Copics to color the floral image, punched out a butterfly and added some darker copic markings to it, then I added a banner with a greeting.  I also added a clear gemstone to the side of the focal point frame.  Voila. The stitched edge outer frame was all it needed.
     I am in love with Yana's cards and this formula she uses can be modified as you can see.  She uses a white background, but I used a black and white one.  She uses foil but I used glitter paper.  It is close enough to the original formula and I will definitely keep this in mind when trying to create another special card.

30 Day Coloring Challenge day 7

     I'm a little behind in my coloring this month but I took the Copic Jumpstart class last month taught by Sandy Allnock and I was a coloring fool.  I don't want to push myself to color this month, plus when I do color, I really want to be sure I can create a card right away with it.  I made this a few days ago but it took awhile to get proper natural light to photograph it.

House Mouse Warm Cup

     I used the House Mouse stamp "Warm Cup" and copic markers R81, R83, R85 for the cup and Caucasian skin tones for the mouse (I don't remember which of the blends I used, I have several skin tone "shades" I use from palest to very dark).  I also used scraps of patterned paper that were from a coordinating set and I attached it to this card base I made on my Silhouette Cameo.

     Now all I need to do is stamp an appropriate sentiment on the back when I find a need for this card.

Copic Jumpstart lesson 7

Ellen Hutson Mondo Hydrangea by Julie

     The lesson of the day was flowers.  I use to color each petal as individual shaded circles or ovals.  With the hydrangea however I looked at hydrangeas at the store and preferred the ones with yellow centers.  Initially I colored the two bottom ones and really liked them, but for class I experimented and colored another set identically, except I added the complementary color around the edges to shade, then went over them with the initial color.  Just a tiny bit of complementary color shows here and there around the edges and it also darkens the color.  I think I prefer it even though I really like the inital way I did them.  I guess I just need to continue to do them multiple ways since every way seems to be good.  (Sorry that the images on the left are blurry.  I'm not sure how that happened.  A light box is on my wish list but will probably take a year or two until I can afford one.)

Sandy Allnock's Copic Jumpstart Class Lesson 1

Lesson One-The Color Wheel

     I am so excited to take this class.  Sandy Allnock, to me, is the most gifted Copic colorist.  She is a trained artist and excellent teacher plus she is pleasant, bright, funny and a good person.  I love the art she creates from scratch with her Copic markers and she will use stamped images with hand created forests or etc for the backgrounds.

     I previously took the online card classes Copics for Card Makers class and learned a lot.  Since then I seem to have improved also.  Sandy said that even experienced Copic users will likely learn something in this class so I was sold.  I am not at an "experienced" level yet but that comment made me believe I would definitely learn from her.

     In this first lesson we learned (actually I did learn it) about the color wheel.  I knew about the color wheel before but have never tried to use it for anything so it was more of a concept for me.  It was nothing I would ever use.  I now have ideas of how to use it when selecting colors, plus I am sure we will be using it in class.

     The coolest thing about this lesson was learning how to make multiple colors using just 3 markers.  In the bottom of the image above is two circles with pie shapes in them.  The one on the right was made using only three markers.  I  made all those different shades with just different amounts of blending between the three colors.  Very cool.

30 day Coloring Challenge Day 28 - Backgrounds

     I decided to play around more with backgrounds.  I decided that if I used my Copic Multiliner to actually draw the upper part of the grassy area it would make it look kind of cartoon like and the figures are already a little cartoon like.  This seemed to make it more connected.  I also experimented with making clouds and sky.

Art Impressions, Hampton Art, "Gardeners Set"

     Having a background really makes the card special.  I thought the cards were cute with no background but now I see that there is no comparison.

30 Day Coloring Challenge Day 27 - Backgrounds

 

Art Impressions Hampton Art "Gardeners Set"

30 day Coloring Challenge Day 27 - Art Impressions Gardeners Set

     I tried this stamp set for the first time for this card front and it is so cute.  I am inspired to make other types of cards from the set.

Art Impressions by Hampton Art "Gardeners Set"

30 day Coloring Challenge day 25 - Thank you Star Ribbon Card

     I am calling this a Star Ribbon Card because it reminds me of those "First Place, Second Place" etc. ribbons that are awarded.

Papertrey Ink Background Basics - Gingham

30 Day Coloring Challenge Day 24-Mermaid with Fish

     I colored the Paper Nest Doll "Mermaid with Fish" today and fussy cut her out.  I  need to start making cards out of the Paper Dolls very soon.

Paper Nest Dolls "Mermaid with Fish"

     I tried to color her like Ariel but I don't have proper Copic colors for red hair.

30 Day Coloring Challenge Day 22 Pirate Treasure Map Card

     Hello there.  I am excited to finally try to make the pirate treasure map card posted by Sandy Allnock.

     

     I downloaded the path outline.  I tried three times to trace it and failed miserably so I just printed it out and cut it.  It wasted the other 3/4 sheet of cardstock but thankfully it was just Georgia Pacific card stock from Walmart.  I had these dimensional pirate stickers left over from another project (purchased several years ago at the Dollar Tree) and I knew they would be perfect for the treasure map.  I then adhered the card front to a #110 Neenah Solar White card base.  

     My nephew turns 5 next month so I thought this would be perfect for him.  I almost wish I had more pirate stickers for my other nephew who will be 4 this summer (different relative's child), but he loves cars so I think I will turn his into a road or race track instead.

     I had to create the background map but I did it just like Sandy so it was easy.  The map was my coloring for the day.  I may have to get the same stamp set she used though because I like this idea so much.

30 Day Coloring Challenge Day 21

     I got home from visiting relatives tonight and decided to color a little something and actually make a card out of it.

Retired Image ?  from thecraftyjournal.blogspot.com

30 Day Coloring Challenge at The Daily Marker Day 19

     Today I pulled out the download I received  from Sandy Allnock with inspirational quotes.  I followed along with some of her suggestions for new techniques to try.

Distress inks for top two cards and Copics for bottom three cards.

30 Day Coloring Challenge Day 12

     I believe there is only one more Paper Nest Doll image for me to color after this one.  I messed up the mouth on this one so I will be doing another one.  I used the wrong ink to to stamp her and the smile smeared so I tried to draw a wider smile on her but boy did I mess it up.

Paper Nest Doll, "Rose Princess"

30 day Coloring Challenge day 9

 

Paper Nest Dolls "Snow Princess"

30 Day Coloring Challenge Day 8

 

The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge day 2

    My daughter is at Driver's Education tonight, then has to drive with her instructor and another student directly after class.  That means I have about three hours to play (not including my drive time there and back).  Whee!
     Today I colored a Christmas image.  I need to practice more obviously, but it was a good start.  I haven't decided how to put her on a card but it will come to me eventually.

The Paper Nest "Christmas Bella"

 

     I also used my Kaleidacolor rainbow inkpad to make a card front.  I didn't think it was really coloring so I didn't use it for my coloring challenge item.  I always forget that I have this colorful inkpad.  I don't really have a purpose for this card either so I had a hard time deciding on a sentiment to use.  I finally decided to use "Sending Prayers" because I see a lot of requests for prayers and if it is a longer term ailment, I thought sending a card would be nice and uplifting.

My Oldest Daughter Turns 18!

     My daughter's birthday is tomorrow and she loves the Fall.  She loves EVERYTHING about the fall . The pumpkins, the fall themed foods, Halloween, and the beautiful colored leaves.  As I drove her to Community College a few days ago we saw a fox darting through campus.

Hampton Art Ki Memories Greetings
Lawn Fawn Critters in the Forest

Hummingbird and Trumpet Vines

     I love, love, love hummingbirds.  We have a family cottage with trumpet vines that attract the hummingbirds and they are such little fairies.

Papertrey Ink Ruby Reprise Sentiment (Mini set that was a gift with purchase)
Inkadinkado Hummingbird with Flowers

Copic Storage

   I have a storage dilema for my Copic markers.

Initial Storage Solution

My Copics Arrived and a Thank You Card!

Hampton Art KI Memories Greetings sentiment