VIDEO: CTMH Edition ~ Watercolor Backgrounds with Zig Clean Color Markers

Good evening, crafty friends!  Tonight I want to share my chosen anxiety relief with you!  What I mean by that is that these cards were created as a distraction so I could get my mind off of the job interview that I had today!  I was all nerves and anxious jitters last night in anticipation of my interview this morning and I self-medicated with a little watercolor!

While I do want this new position very badly I also feel confident in knowing that what is meant to be will be.  I'm very fortunate to have a job that I don't dread going to every day where my co-workers are my friends, I get to laugh, and be a part of something that makes me proud.  The new position would also be with the Department of Forestry, just in a different capacity, so either way, I count myself lucky and if this one doesn't work out, the next one will!  (I'm not always this zen about things, trust me, I'm just really making an effort lately to only worry about what I can control. . . which is a big, albeit positive, change for me because I'm a worry wart!)

So to distract my brain and attempt to keep my zen state of mind I decided to create some flowy, free-style watercolor cards with silly sentiments!  To create each panel I used two Zig Clean Color markers scribbled onto some Canson XL Cold Press watercolor paper and then spritzed it with water.  I allowed each panel to air dry before adding a second layer of color - which I dried using my heat tool because I was done being patient by then.  

Once all four panels were watercolored (I love how each one is so unique even though the technique was virtually identical) I squished some black ink on my glass craft matt, added water, and used a paintbrush to flick some black splatter all over each panel.  This process was repeated using some Gold Perfect Pearls mixed with water to add some shimmer to the backgrounds.

For the sentiments I used the Birthday Funnies stamp set from Close to My Heart.  This set is adorable and only available as a hostess rewards purchase so you won't find it on the website.  I'm always available if you're interested in hosting a CTMH gathering to get access to these great stamp sets and all the perks.  The gatherings can be done 100% online also so all your crafty friends can join!  Check out my site if you want more info on that.  

I heat embossed four different sentiments on some vellum and then carefully applied some Ranger Multi Medium Matte behind some of the larger letters in the sentiments to glue the vellum to the watercolor panels.  All that was left was to pop up the pretty panels using some fun foam and my cards were complete!  

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I'll be sure to keep you all posted on what happens with the job!  Now go make a watercolor mess!!  See you all next time! Bye!

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SUPPLIES

AZ = Amazon Affiliate links

SSS = Simon Says Stamp Affiliate links

CTMH = my Close to My Heart Website

• Close to My Heart Birthday Funnies stamp set (CTMH) - Check out how to have access to this set by hosting a gathering!
• Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers Set of 60 (AZ)(SSS)
• Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer (AZ)(SSS)
• Ranger Multi Medium Matte (AZ)(SSS)
• VersaMark Ink (AZ)(SSS)
• Ranger Super Fine White Detail Embossing Powder (AZ)(SSS)
• EK Success Precision Tweezers (AZ)(SSS)
• We R Memory Keepers Glass Craft Mat (AZ)
• Scotch Advanced Tape Glider (AZ)(SSS)
• Lawn Fawn Black Licorice Ink (AZ)(SSS)
• Gold Perfect Pearls (AZ)(SSS)
• Fun Foam (AZ)(SSS)
• Neenah 110lb Solar White Cardstock (AZ)(SSS)
• Vellum (AZ)(SSS)
• Lawn Fawn Small Stitched Rectangles (AZ)(SSS)
• Lawn Fawn Large Stitched Rectangles (AZ)(SSS)
• Crate Paper Kiss Kiss Thickers (AZ)(SSS)

MFT Sketch Challenge #267 & Belated Birthday GIVEAWAY Winners!

Well, folks, I'm late.  I was supposed to announce the winners a whole week ago but life just decided to get in the way!  I caught a nasty bug and have been out of crafty commission for longer than I care to mention.  I'm going through withdrawals!!  I even created this fun card for a challenge and then didn't get it posted in time to enter!  Grrr!  Oh well, it was still a blast to create it!

So, card first, then winners!  (This is how I get you to read the whole post first - no skipping to the end 😉)  For this card I used the sketch in the MFT Sketch Challenge #267 as my inspiration and I just had to ink up the adorable little lamb from Ewe Are the Best!  I really, really love this stamp set and it's even better that my hubby picked it out and bought it for me for my birthday last month!

The coloring on this card was done with Copics and is fairly basic. The real fun happens on the backgrounds!  I used the Gingham Backdrops stamp set from Lawn Fawn to stamp a fun pattern on the grass and sky and then took the same color ink and lightly colored over the whole background, creating a fun tone-on-tone pattern that adds a ton of whimsy to the scene!  This is a trick I plan on using more often!

Okay, now that you've seen the project, let's get to the part you've all been waiting for and announce the WINNERS of my Belated Birthday GIVEAWAY!!!  First, a gigantic THANK YOU to the overwhelming amount of positive response I got to my first ever face-in-front-of-the-camera video!  It never ceases to amaze me how supportive all you crafty people are!  I am really excited (once I get this darn cold gone and my energy returns) to start adding the personal elements here and there in my blog and videos.  So many of you entered for this giveaway, I had almost 1,000 entries!!  Crazy!!  Last time I did a giveaway I was so excited about 200 entries.  You all are just fabulous!  

There were three prizes in this giveaway so there were three awesome winners:

Josephine

So Jelly tamps and dies from Lawn Fawn

Kellie

Lots of Stars die from Mama Elephant

Carmen

Year Two stamps and dies from Lawn Fawn

Congratulations to all of the winners!!!  If you won, I have already sent you an email and been in touch to get those prizes shipped to you!  Hopefully I will be having another giveaway again soon!  I love giving back to all of you!  Thanks so much for joining me and I'll see you again soon!  Bye!

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SUPPLIES

AZ = Amazon Affiliate link

CTMH = My Close to My Heart website

SSS = Simon Says Stamp Affiliate link

• My Favorite Things Ewe Are the Best stamp set (SSS)
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Tags dies (AZ)(SSS) 
• Kraft cardstock (AZ)(SSS)
• Copic markers - W1, W3, W5, C1, C3, C5, C7, YG06, YG09, RV13, RV14, RV19, Y13, Y18 (AZ)(SSS)
• Fun Foam (AZ)(SSS)
• Close to My Heart Pear ink (CTMH)
• Close to My Heart Glacier ink (CTMH)
• Close to My Heart Chocolate ink (CTMH)
• Makeup wedges (AZ)
• Zig Glue Pen with Chisel Tip (AZ)
• Scotch Advanced Tape Glider (AZ)(SSS)
• Signo White Uni Ball Gel Pen (AZ)(SSS)
• Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush Pen (AZ)(SSS)
• Diamond Stickles (AZ)(SSS)
• Pretty Pink Posh 10mm Sparkling Clear Sequins (SSS)
• Pretty Pink Posh 6mm Sparkling Clear Sequins (SSS)
• Pretty Pink Posh 4mm Sparkling Clear Sequins (SSS)
• Micro Glue Dots (AZ)(SSS)

VIDEO: Belated Birthday GIVEAWAY!!

 Hi guys!!!  I'm back tonight with a GIVEAWAY for you all!  Woo hoo!!  So my birthday was last week and as a belated birthday gift for all of you I am giving away two adorable mini stamp sets with coordinating dies from Lawn Fawn and a super awesome die from Mama Elephant!!  Yes, you read that correctly, there will be THREE winners!! 

So for the giveaway video I am trying something a little different and showing my face (gasp!) instead of just my hands.  I've been thinking about what I really want out of my blog and YouTube channel, why I do what I do, and the overwhelming reason is all of you!  I am in constant awe of the way the crafty community supports one another and comes together in all things and thought, wouldn't it be so great to tap into that community of support and sharing in other aspects of our lives?  So I have decided to bring in a few more personal elements to my posts and videos.  

Now, I will still be making cards and projects because that is where my passion lies, I'm just going to be adding little tidbits about me , the fan, things I am happy about or maybe struggling with.  I don't really have a concrete plan . . . I just think it would be cool if maybe I'm dealing with an issue that one of my readers/viewers has dealt with and they could give me some tips and vice versa!  It could be as simple as a good recipe for pot roast or as personal as my ongoing struggle to be healthy and exercise (it never ends, I tell ya!) but the point is, let's do it together!

So now that my spiel is out of the way, let's talk GIVEAWAY!!  So I'm giving away the Lawn Fawn Year Two stamp set and coordinating dies, the Lawn Fawn So Jelly stamp set and coordinating dies, and the Mama Elephant Lots of Stars die!!  SO THREE lucky folks will be selected!!  And you'll get a cute little notecard made with your new goodies as a sample!  You can enter using the Rafflecopter below until Thursday, February 11, 2016.  I'll announce the winners on Friday, February 12, 2016!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
So go on, enter!!  And thank you all for being such a huge, important, happy part of my life!!  I simply cannot thank you enough!  I am so looking forward to the next chapter.  See you again soon!  Bye!

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NOTECARD & GIVEAWAY SUPPLIES

*AZ = Amazon affiliate link
*SSS = Simon Says Stamp

• Lawn Fawn Year Two stamps and coordinating dies (AZ)
• Lawn Fawn So Jelly stamps and coordinating dies (AZ)
• Mama Elephant Lots of Stars creative cuts (SSS)
• Neenah 110lb Solar White cardstock (AZ)
• Copic markers (AZ)
• Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush pen (AZ)
• Ranger Multi Medium Matte (AZ)
• Lawn Fawn Juice Box ink (AZ)
• Lawn Fawn Wild Rose ink (AZ)
• Lawn Fawn Fake Tan ink (AZ)
• Memento Tuxedo Black ink (AZ)

VIDEO: The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge - Day 3: Copics Two Ways featuring Gerda Steiner Designs

Good evening, fellow crafters!  I hope you are all taking part in the 30 Day Coloring Challenge that started on February 1st!  If you aren't familiar with it, this is a fabulous challenge put on by Kathy Racoosin of The Daily Marker.  Kathy is a wonderful colorist and she is challenging us to spend at least five minutes a day coloring.  This is such a great way to force yourself to take a time out and re-center, even on those crazy, chaotic days where life just  throws curve balls.  Head on over to The Daily Marker to read all about the details and get in on some of the totally AMAZING giveaways!

Today, I just wanted to do some Copic coloring so I used an adorable digital image from Gerda Steiner Designs and allowed it to be the entire scene on my one-layer cards.  I printed the image twice on a sheet of 120lb Simon Says Stamp white cardstock and then created two A2 cards.  This cardstock is fabulous for one-layer cards with Copics - it is so thick that the marker doesn't bleed through to the back and your card stays nice and pretty!

Each card was colored using a different Copic technique - for the blue and yellow card I followed the same pattern I typically use for Copic coloring: saturate the image with the lightest shade, add the medium shadows, the darkest shadows, then blend out in reverse order.  I love to color this way and get good results (usually) but I've notice that there are some very talented colorists out there that prefer a different method.  So, for the pink and yellow card I tried putting down the darkest shadows first and then blending out to the lightest shade.

Ultimately, I think they both look about the same and I like the results, however, the second method of darkest first took a lot more work to blend.  For me personally, I think I'll stick with the lightest to darkest and back again method but it's always fun to experiment with new ideas!!

Hope you enjoyed these cards and video tutorial!  Don't forget to get your coloring in and post your projects to social media using #thedailymarker30day so we can all see your beautiful creations!  Happy coloring!  Bye!

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SUPPLIES

*AZ = Amazon affiliate link

*SSS = Simon Says Stamp

*GSD = Gerda Steiner Designs

• Gerda Steiner Designs Happy Dachshund (no longer available but check out these adorable pups!) (GSD)
• Simon Says Stamp 120lb white cardstock (SSS)
• Simon Says Stamp Birthday Bits stamp set (SSS)
• Memento Tuxedo Black Ink (AZ)
• Fiskars Paper Trimmer (AZ)
• We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper (AZ)
• Comic Markers (AZ) - E59, E37, E33, RV13, RV17, Y13, Y18, B04, B06, YG06, YG09, G09, B01, B000, 0
• White Sakura Gelly Roll Pen (AZ)
• Black Sakura Gelly Roll Pen (AZ)
• Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush Pen (AZ)