A Happy, Happy Day!

I have a fun one-layer card to share today along with some hints/tips.

I picked my one layer to be the jumping fish that I have popped up.  That meant I had to keep the rest of my designing directly on the front of the card.

To accomplish this, I traced the inside of a square Spellbinders Nestability with a black permanent pen on the card. 

Tip/Hint:  Pause in the corners when tracing.  This will help create smooth lines.

Then I masked off the areas around the square with Judi Kins Eclipse Tape. 

Scattered Straw and Faded Jeans Distress inks were then blended into the square.  I found those cute circle/bubbles in a Christmas set and stamped them with Scattered Straw ink.   

Tip/Hint:  To make the water wave, cut a rectangular piece of Eclipse Tape that will fit across the width of the box.  Cut a random wave pattern across the center of the tape and save both parts.  One will be the mask when you are working on the water and then you can switch to the second piece when you are working on the sky.  They will match like puzzles pieces!

Tip/Hint:  After removing the Eclipse Tape, I used a gray Prismacolor pencil to add a slight shadow around the outside of the black box.  This gives the appearance that inked square is layered onto the card.  For added depth, I used yellow and blue pencils to add shading inside the boxed line and along the wave.

For textural interest, horizontal lines were scored across the bottom of the card and the cord is black ice fishing string.  It is a braided nylon and Teflon coated string.  I love the weight and use it for everything.  This was the string I used HERE to attach the floating balloon.  

You can reference all the Penny Black stamps I used in the supply section below.

Next week I am excited to tell you that I will be featuring cards using all new Penny Black Halloween images!

Wishing you a happy, happy Friday.

Elizabeth

Supplies: 

Penny Black Stamps: Fishing Friends 4140K (fish), Say It With Flowers 20-015 (sentiment), Crystalline 30-018 (round circles)

Copic Markers (to color the fish)

Judi Kins: Eclipse Tape

Prismacolor Pencils: Yellow, Blue, Gray

Ranger: Scattered Straw Distress Ink, Faded Jeans Distress Ink

Sakura:  Black Micron Pen

Spellbinders: Square Nestabilities

Tsukineko: Tuxedo Black Memento Ink

A Quick Smile

Today I would like to dedicate this card to my sister who loves cats and has two of her own.  A simple design, but packed full of love for her.  She never fails to make me laugh and always reminds me to take time to enjoy life.

I eliminated inking the paint brush in the cat’s hand to add a balloon.  Two small paper pierced holes placed on either side of the hand allowed me to weave a thread through for the balloon string. 

A little bit of Glossy Accents gives the balloon dimension and shine.

All these fun images are from the transparent Paint the Town set.

Quick, fun and colorful!

Enjoy your day,

Elizabeth

Supplies:

Penny Black Stamps: Paint the Town 30-070 (Cat, Balloon and Sentiment)

Penny Black “Mix & Match” Cardstock:  Storm 01-001

Tsukineko:  Onyx Black VersaFine

Ranger: Glossy Accents, Super Fine Detail Clear Embossing Powder

Copic: E000, E31, E32, E33, R20, B12, B14, B16

3M Scotch: Dimensional Foam Tape

Paint the Town & CHA Picture

This “fat cat” from Penny Black has so much personality.  I love working with him. 

After water coloring the image with Staedtler’s Marsgraphic Duo Brush Markers, I trimmed and elevated the cat with dimensional foam.

The blue swish across “birthday” was created with a cotton ball and blue chalk and the wonky rectangle was attached to the front of the card with more foam.

Inking only the paint can and paw prints, I stamped the inside of the card.

This cat makes me smile so much that I had to make another card with him that I will post on Wednesday!

I thought you would like to take a peek at the Penny Black booth at the CHA convention held in Chicago last week.

The tables on the left and right are where the newest Christmas catalogs were on display and retailers could browse through the wonderful designs.  Just beyond that, where I was standing to take the picture, is where the make-n-take table was positioned.  You'll be seeing the designs in more detail as they are released on the Penny Black website.  Many thanks to all those who stopped by to say hello and share a hug!

Have a great day,

Elizabeth

Supplies:

Penny Black Stamps: Paint the Town 30-070

Penny Black “Mix & Match” Cardstock: Clear Skies 10-003

Canson:  Watercolor Paper

Spellbinders: Reverse Wonky Rectangles (S4-307)

Staedtler-Mars, Ltd:  Marsgraphic Duo Watercolor Brush Markers (#21, #37, #76)

Tsukineko: Onyx Black VersaFine

Ranger:  Super Fine Detail Clear Embossing Powder

3M Scotch: Dimensional Foam Tape

Ribbon:  Offray

Blue Chalk

Quick Copic Background

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Penny Black booth during the CHA Convention in Chicago.  The days flew by and were filled with non-stop color and laughter.

To end this week, I thought it would be fun to share how I create patterned papers with Copic markers.

If you are thinking that making this paper might be too involved – keep reading!  I am almost embarrassed to tell you how fast you can do this! 

Simply stamp your design on colored cardstock with VersaMark Watermark ink and heat emboss with white powder.  Here I used Penny Black’s Fern Green (05-002).

Then add color with Copics! 

Yes, those are the full instructions!

A couple things to keep in mind are:

*Don’t worry about being precise.  Have fun with it!

*Don’t worry about coloring in and around the whole design.  The colored cardstock starts you out with a base color.  You just need to add highlights.  This is the fast factor.

*Remember that Copics will discolor the white embossing.  I colored the insides of the flower petals and leaves, but left the outline white.  Again, don’t worry if you accidentally color over a line – I did in several places!  I even randomly threw in some orange here and there.

I am going to reveal another deceiving factor.  While this looks like a full stamped sheet, I only stamped around the perimeter of the cardstock.  If you were to lift up the matted sentiment panel you would find an unstamped, blank middle.  Another time saver!

Here is a closer view of the popped up bunny and elegant sentiment with crystal gem embellishments.

I also tore the orange strip of paper to reveal a white edge and compliment the white embossed design.

These are a few strips that were left over after I trimmed my piece to fit on the front of the card.  They make great envelope trimmings.

I know I say this often, but it is said each and every time with heartfelt gratitude – THANK YOU FOR VISITING!

With appreciation,

Elizabeth

Supplies:

Penny Black Stamps:  Touch of Whimsy 30-073, Flourish Thank You 4175F,  Flowers and Wishes 30-047

Penny Black Mix & Match Cardstock:  Fern Green 05-002
Tsukineko:  Onyx Black VersaFine, VersaMark Watermark Ink, White Embossing Powder
Ranger:  Super Fine Detail Clear Embossing Powder (used for sentiment and bunny)
Copic Markers (blue, green, orange)

Fun in the Sun

All this week the Penny Black designers are stamping up some summertime fun with two new releases - Fun in the Sun and Mimi the Mermaid.

I created this beach scene with the transparent "Fun in the Sun" set.  

There are so many wonderful images in this set.  Here Mimi is relaxing after a day of surfing.

I wanted the look of real sand and experimented with several different methods and glues.  What I found to work the best was to spray the cardstock with GooseBumps clear texture spray and while wet sprinkle with Antique Linen Distress embossing powder (do not heat set).  It held the powder beautifully!  Since I started with a piece of white cardstock, I distressed it lightly with Antique Linen Distress Ink before the glue/powder application.

In addition to fussy cutting the surf board, I also cut and layered pieces of Mimi, the lounge chair and hat.  The starfish made a great embellishment for Mimi's sun bonnet!

Be sure to check take a peek at the cool summery inspiration the rest of designers have created using the new releases on the Penny Black Blog.


Thanks for stopping by,
Elizabeth

Supplies:

Penny Black Stamps:  Fun in the Sun 30-074

Tsukineko: Onyx Black VersaFine

Ranger: Antique Linen Distress Ink, Tumbled Glass Distress Ink, Antique Linen Distress Embossing Powder

Copic Markers

3M Scotch: Dimensional Foam Tape



Beach Day

Hello everyone!  Today I have some summer fun to share with you.



Published in CardMaker. 

Instructions and materials list for this card are available in the July 2011 issue or
can be downloaded in a digital version from  www.cardmakermagazine.com



This card is featured in the July 2011 issue of CardMaker on page 72.  It always a privilege to have my art selected for publication in their wonderful magazine.

  

After reading many of my posts you have probably noticed how much I enjoy “fussy” cutting images.   For me it is relaxing and just as much fun as the coloring.

You can see how I used this same image in a patriotic card “here”.  

I hope you can stop back on Wednesday when I will be posting a card using Penny Black’s BRAND NEW RELEASE “Fun in the Sun”.  This transparent set is so cute and has a bunch of adorable images to create all sorts of beach scenes.

Have a sunny day,

Elizabeth

Cheerful Blooms

Hello Everyone.

Penny Black is teaming up with Faber-Castell for two days of colorful projects!  


This is the inspiration I am contributing…..   

If you haven’t worked with Gelatos, you’ll want to give them a try.  They are so much fun and the creamy crayon-like sticks blend beautifully with or without water.

In just a few steps, you can create a flower bouquet in no time at all!

Stamp the flower (Cheerful) with black pigment ink on a heavy-weight cardstock and heat emboss with clear powder.  In this sample, 140 lb. Canson watercolor paper was used.  Regular cardstock can be used as well, but I really like the thickness of this paper and the slight texture it offers.  Apply the Gelatos to the stamped image as shown on the left.  Then blend the colors with your finger as shown on the right.  No water used in this blending, but I did use it occasionally to get different hues and tones on the other flowers.

The same method was used with the leaves using a metallic green Gelato with a bit of yellow.  The metallic adds a pretty sheen.  For each blossom, I used two flowers and varied the number of leaves.

After the flowers and leaves were colored and trimmed, the cut edges and backs were colored with a black PITT Artist Pen and a black Stamper’s Big Brush Pen for a finished appearance.  Both pens have ink that is odorless and will not bleed through paper.  The other big advantage is that they are waterproof!  I used the PITT pen to highlight all the cut edges and the Big Brush pen makes fast work of coloring the back sides.

Make a hole in only the flower base with an Anywhere Hole Punch.  Insert a thick gauge florist wire and curl the tip.  Add a bit of glue under the curled wire, pull tight against the flower and let dry.  Hint:  Small metal clips or paperclips are great for adding pressure under the flower while the glue is drying on the stem. 

If desired, glue leaves to the curled wire letting them extend far enough beyond the flower petals to show.  Add the next flower layer on top.  This will add dimension and hide the wire and the ends of the leaves.

I made stamped impressions of the flower centers and curved them in the palm of my hand using the end of a paintbrush and attached them with dimensional foam.  Then I coated them with Faber-Castell’s Glaze Textural Accents.

My personal preference is to bend and curl the flower petals and leaves before assembling.  Seeing the curled dimension helps me with placement.  Sometimes I twist or offset the flower components to give each flower its own personality.

You can see other great projects today and tomorrow on the Penny Black blog “here”. 

I will be attending the CHA Convention in Chicago next week and, with the wonderful technology of blogger, I have scheduled a few projects to post while I am gone.  If you are attending the show, I hope you will stop by the Penny Black booth and say hello.

A bouquet of good wishes to you,

Elizabeth

Supplies:

Penny Black Stamps:  Cheerful 4160K

Faber-Castell Supplies:

   Gelatos – Red, Orange, Pink, Yellow and Metallic Green

   PITT Artist Pen – Black

   Stamper’s Big Brush Pen – Black

   Glaze Textural Accents

Other:

Canson: 140 lb. Watercolor Paper

Black Pigment Ink

Clear Embossing Powder

Florist Wire

  

A Little Boy's Airmail

It seems that all boys like to make paper airplanes.  I remember my brother making a few.  Some were traditional models and others were crazy designs that ended up soaring.  

Those memories were the inspiration for my card today. 

I created an assortment of embellishments from Penny Black’s transparent Airmail set and used the airplane from Keep In Touch to slip into the boy’s hand after I removed the flower bouquet.

I kept the cardstock layers in tones of browns and distressed them for a softer, antique look.  The Letter Background was stamped in Antique Linen.

I colored some pieces by water coloring and others with Copic markers.  Can you tell which is which?  My husband guessed correctly! (The answers are listed below with the products)

Your visits and comments are appreciated immensely!  Thank you so much for spending some of your time with me.

Elizabeth

Supplies:

Penny Black Stamps: For You 40-042, Keep In Touch 4172K, Airmail 30-072, Letter Background 1999L

Penny Black “Mix & Match” Cardstock: Sticks & Stones 02-002 & 02-003

Canson:  Watercolor Paper

Tsukineko: Onyx Black VersaFine

Ranger: Antique Linen Distress Ink, Walnut Stain Distress Ink

Tombow: Dual Brush Pens (Water color for the boy)

Copic Markers: For the stamp, Airplane and two mailing sentiments

Thinking of You

This week’s Penny Black challenge is to use circles in your design.   I love working with circles - there is so much you can do with them! 

I paired one of my favorite Penny Black sentiments (Thinking Around) with Spellbinders Circle Nestabilities edged with Antique Linen Distress Ink to create this short front flap card.  The wave pattern (with more circles) is stamped on fern green cardstock with Spanish Moss VersaFine.

This fun circular design is simple, yet it can be rotated either vertically or horizontally.

Have a great weekend,

Elizabeth

Supplies:

Penny Black Stamps: Trims 30-068 (wave pattern), Mimi in Paris 30-071 (flower), Thinking Around 3650F (sentiment)

Penny Black “Mix & Match” Cardstock:  Fern Green 05-002

Spellbinders Large Circle Nestabilities (S4 114)

Tsukineko: Onyx Black VersaFine, Spanish Moss VersaFine

Ranger: Super Fine Detail Clear Embossing Powder, Antique Linen Distress Ink

Copic: Y02, Y04, Y 38, RV09, RV25, RV29, R39

3M Scotch: Dimensional Foam Tape

From This to That

For me, it is rewarding knowing the stamps sets I have can be used in unique ways to create entirely different designs.

I started with this image from the transparent Eat Cake set….

To create this card…….

The bouquet was used to create the patterned paper and flower embellishments.  After stamping the bouquet on white cardstock with VersaMark Watermark ink and heat embossing with clear powder, the piece was rubbed with Scattered Straw Distress, Spiced Marmalade Distress and Fired Brick Distress inks. 

The Reverse Wonky Rectangles were die cut in various sizes so they could be stacked and layered with dimensional foam.  To match the background design, the white window frame was inked solidly with Fired Brick Distress ink.

For the illusion of another mat layer, the edge of the blue lagoon card base was rubbed with sandpaper to remove the color.  Penny Black's Mix & Match cardstocks are great for sanding since they have a white core.

Working with layers that are close in shape can be challenging when trying to tie a ribbon bow.  When there is limited room, I wrap the ribbon around the card and secure the ends with tape to the front of the card.  The matting will hide the raw edges.  Then I tie a separate bow or knot and attach it with a glue dot.

Thanks A BUNCH for taking a peek today!

Elizabeth

Supplies:

Penny Black Stamps:  Eat Cake 30-066, Thanks 3383D

Penny Black “Mix & Match” Cardstock:  Blue Lagoon 09-003

Ranger: Scattered Straw Distress Ink, Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink, Fired Brick Distress Ink, Orange Peel Stickles, Super Fine Detail Clear Embossing Powder

Spellbinders: Reverse Wonky Rectangles S4-307

Tsukineko: Onyx Black VersaFine, VersaMark Watermark Ink  

Copic Markers: BG0000, BG01, BG02, BG05, BG49, YR16

Sakura: White Gel Pen

3M Scotch:  Dimensional Foam Tape

Offray: ¼” wide White Ribbon

Sandpaper

Celebrating the Fourth!

A little something to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday or if you are just having fun in the sun...

For patriotic flair, I drew a flag beach towel to replace the little girl's inner tube.  The background was stamped with Circular Design in crimson red to add a few "fireworks" and dimensional foam was used between all the cardstock layers for extra "pop"!

I will be back on Tuesday with a "from this to that" project.

Enjoy the holiday and sunny fun,

Elizabeth

Supplies:

Penny Black Stamps:  Beach Day 30-051, To You 30-067, Circular Design 40-046

Penny Black "Mix & Match" Cardstock: Clear Skies 10-003, Coral Reef 15-003

Canson:  Watercolor Paper

Tsukineko: Onyx Black VersaFine, Crimson Red VersaFine

Tombow: Dual Brush Markers

Ranger: Super Fine Detail Clear Embossing Powder