spotlight on spotlight technique

I'm over at STAMPlorations with a tutorial for this card. I used the spotlight technique on an ATC from the Paper Goods section of the shop. Check it out here.

hello birthday girl

I'm working on turning things I actually colored this during Kathy Rac's last coloring challenge into cards.

I turned the watercolor panel, which I actually colored with Polychromos, into a card. Just added a big, bold die cut sentiment.

Suzy Plantamura watercolor card

SSS Big Hello die

colored pencils, white gel pen

Love the vibrancy set off against the black and white.  I'm hooking up at SSS Wednesday Challenge where it's about Dies and/or Punches. Hope your week is going well.

STAMPlorations digital stamps with patterned paper

I'm over on the STAMPlorations blog today with five digital stamp projects. You could win a $15 GC to the store for comments left here and there. Just sayin...

So as I mentioned in my last Digital Wednesday post, I'm a newbie to digital stamps, but there are definitely some benefits to digi stamps - no smudges, perfect coverage without a MISTI, image resizing, even layering images (though I've yet to give that a try).

My technology tools are limited to Microsoft Word and my Canon ink jet printer. I watched this video for a great intro to digi stamps.

For today's projects I used a pad of patterned paper from the dollar store. The pastel colors caught my eye. The paper is thin however, so to print on it I used cellophane tape to attach the 6x6 sheets to a normal sheet of copy paper. This went through my printer without any problem.

TIP: First I print the image onto copy paper and then hold that up to the light with my 6x6 PP in front of it to see where I would like the image to be. (See how I lined up the flower on the floral PP so that one of the red roses was in the center of the bloom?)

Here's a look at the PP pad and some of the images I printed.

Another TIP: I use Photoscape to edit photos. I'm no pro. But since I knew I was only using the bloom from the latte-cup-with-bloom image, I cropped the image to remove the top portion of the to-go cup. This was then what I printed to waste less PP. (As if I don't already have enough PP to last 300 years...)

Let's get to my cards, shall we? First up, I used a cup of blooms image and thought I was going to mix and match cup and blooms - paper piece just the mug from PP onto the image printed on white cardstock and then give the white blooms just a little dab of color. But I liked the look of the image on the watercolored-look PP so much I couldn't cut it apart! So these two cards happened.

For the first, I fussy cut the image printed on Neenah solar white, added dabs of color to the flowers and adhered it on a floral PP.

Cupful of Blooms digi stamp

Just Caffeinate clear stickers

alcohol markers

patterned paper

Then for the second card I added color to the centers of the flowers on the image fussy cut from the pretty watercolored-look PP and added it to a shimmery, linen texture cardbase.

TIP: Look for pencil colors fairly close to your PP colors to keep the contrast minimal. I used a pink, a purple, a blue, a gray and a green cuz they were closest to the tones of the watercolored-look PP.

Cupful of Blooms digi stamp

World Birthday Cakes stamp

Prismacolor colored pencils

patterned paper

embossing powder

For my next card I used an image that covers the front of an A2 card. I printed it once onto white cardstock and once onto PP. When fussy cutting the blooms from the PP to paper piece on the other panel, I carefully cut out the frame too.

TIP: When I fussy cut the flowers touching the frame on the PP panel, I made sure to leave the thick black line around the frame intact. This enabled me to use the frame for a second card. In general when paper piecing, fussy cut on the black line. Since you will be adhering the fussy cut piece to a stamped or printed image, those outlines will show.

I lightly applied some Spun Sugar and Squeezed Lemonade to the Neenah panel before adhering the PP flowers. Then I stamped the sentiment and added some sequins.

Coffee Blossoms digi stamp

Dream the Impossible stamp

Distress inks

PP, sequins

To accompany the fussy cut PP frame, I shrunk one of the other coffee cup images, printed it onto contrasting PP (twice so I could see which size I preferred) and fussy cut just the flowers to use to embellish the second card. (This was when it dawned on me to use Photoscape to crop the image so only the part I need would print and I wouldn't waste PP ;)

Added a sentiment in the form of a clear sticker to the frame. And colored the leaves of the flower spray and added gems too.

Coffee Blossoms digi stamp

Birthday Word Art clear stickers

This last card was such fun. I printed the image (sized to my liking) onto four different patterned papers, felt like I was back in kindergarten as I fussy cut the flowers and then arranged them on my cardbase.

TIP: Use the bits and pieces you trim off around the edges to fill some of the white space on your cardbase. I only had four flowers but it looks like I used seven.

I did not add adhesive to the outer edges of the petals so there's some dimension. I love how the sequins fit perfectly in the flower centers. Adds dimension. And that sentiment die with the drop shadow adds even more dimension.

Holiday Lattes digi stamp

Skinny Sentiments die

sequins

Whew. That was a lot. Don't forget to leave me a comment. And on my Digital Wednesday post here too, for another chance to win.

With card #1 I'm playing over at:
The Flower Challenge - Anything Goes
SSS Wednesday Challenge - Whatever the Weather (card's going to girlfriend who combats stress with coffee)

avery elle storybook cutie

And (finally) the last of my commissioned cards to share with you. Hope you've enjoyed the series.

This was a card for SIL. My friend showed me a photo of the present she was giving her. It had the cutest little penguin on it, just like the one in a stamp set I have. So this happened.

 Avery Elle More Stories stamp

Studio Calico Happy die

Studio Calico PP

Simon Says Stamp Marie snowflake die

Simon Says Stamp Kinley snowflake die

Altenew Birthday Builder stamp

Action Deutschland ephemera

Heidi Swapp Color Wash spray ink

Heavily loaded, eh? My friend is actually a fan of cards with layers. But I tried to keep the layers light. And wintry... cuz penguin. Some splatters. Some punched circles. Some snowflakes. A watercolored cake sticker. A sentiment. And a penguin.

I'm hooking up at SSS Wednesday Challenge Anything Goes, The Paper Girls Birthdays and Daring Cardmakers Layer it Up.

STAMPlorations digital stamp bloomdala coffee-to-go

I'm over on the STAMPlorations blog today with four digital stamp projects. You could win a $15 GC to the store for comments left here and there. Just sayin...

So. I'm pretty much a newbie to digital stamps. I love getting inky with actual stamps. And I'm a pro at ink smudges. But there are some benefits to digi stamps - no smudges, perfect coverage without a MISTI, image resizing, even layering images (though I've yet to give that a try).

I grabbed me a couple digital stamps from the STAMPlorations digi store (where all digi stamps are 30% off til end of January) and used good old Microsoft Word and my Canon ink jet printer to give them a try. I recommend this post for a great intro to digi stamps. It's where I figured out how to print them using Word.

Today I have printed from Bloomdala Coffee Cup to Go four cups in their original size, colored them using different techniques, fussy cut them and turned them into tags. Ready to learn more?

1.  My first thought was I had to "rainbow" a cup. Cuz... why not?

Since I knew I would use alcohol markers, I printed the cup on Neenah Solar White cardstock. My markers are from Action Deutschland, they're similar to Touch markers. Though I did try to keep within the lines, I noticed no problems with the printed image bleeding.

I added a purple gem to the center to add a spot of bling to the tag.

2.  For my second cup I chose kraft cardstock and colored with Prismacolor pencils.

Here I also used Neenah kraft, it's nice and smooth and the Prismacolor pencils work great on it.

3.  My third cup nearly ended up in the garbage can. I thought I'd be clever and print on colored cardstock and then just apply some quick color with distress inks...

...not so pretty. Here's where my lack of experience with digis comes in. I think somehow there was some "smearing" with the water-based inks

Could be a cardstock issue. I used Hero Arts Arctic. The surface is more grainy.

Could just be the result of using distress inks on colored cardstock. (The photo you see above is after I decided to try to make it work and applied even more ink and some darker colors. I had originally hoped to just put down some pink tones on that bloom that comes in on the left. That really didn't work.)

Could be the ink wasn't completely dry. I've read you should use your heat gun to dry the printed images, or let them dry 24 hours before coloring. Don't know. (All I know is after this I did dry my other printed images with a heat gun!) It was, as I've heard many cardmakers say, a hot mess. Maybe I'll try distress inks again, on a heat-dried image printed on Neenah white to see what happens. (And to think I was just trying to save myself some time using an "easy coloring method"!)

But my perserverance paid off. After adding more ink and darker tones, I masked the lid, applied Versamark and holographic embossing powder and voila!

The image is still there. Tough to capture on camera however!

4.  My last cup is watercolored. I love the result - makes me feel all Debby Hughes-ish for some reason ;)

It's funny, I had no plan for the coloring. Only knew I wanted browns and blues. Pulled out my Altenew watercolors. I started at the left edge and worked my way right, deciding on the colors and color placement as I went along.

BTW, I printed the cup in light gray onto Derwent watercolor paper. In Word, in the Picture Tools "Format" tab, under the "Color" tab there is a "Faded" option. I used this and it printed in a light gray. Thought this would be good for this technique, similar to stamping in a pale color ink before no-line watercoloring. No problem with the image smearing or fading, even with the addition of water.

Don't forget to leave a comment here.  And here too, for another chance to win.

May your coffee be strong and your work week short!

I'm playing over at:

Always Fun - One Layer

ATSAM - Make your Mark

The Flower Challenge - Shaped Cards (this coffee cup could easily be turned into a shaped card)

   

CAS cards challenge november reminder

Hello there! Did you join us for the STAMPlorations the CAS Cards challenge in October? Check the winners post on the 10th to see if you were a winner. Today I've another make for our November CAS Cards challenge and here's the inspiration.

So the brown twist is purely optional, but I chose to go with kraft this month and doesn't kraft work well with autumn designs? How about a Thanksgiving card.

STAMPlorations Many Blessings stamp

washi tape, button

Polychromo colored pencils

I stamped the image with Antique Linen Distress Ink and then did some no-line coloring with my Polychromos. Not art, but relaxing.

CAS card tip: Add a bit of interest to your CAS design by including a spot of washi tape or a button (or both) as an unexpected addition to your CAS card.

Looking forward to more of your CAS card creations this month! 

Hope you join us! Your project might be chosen as the winner of a GC to the shop. Check out how the CAS Cards DT was inspired by this month's photo here.

And don't forget about my STAMPlorations discount code STAMPGIRLMARIA for 20% off should you find yourself shopping ;)  Thanks for stopping over. See you in the gallery.

I'm heading to the gallery at:
SSS Wednesday Challenge - Thanks/Thanksgiving
Inkspirational - One Layer (hope buttons don't count!)
ATSAM - Make your Mark

CAS cards challenge november

Hello there! Hope your Halloween was a good one. We got about 20 trick-or-treaters at our house. Happy to take part in this US tradition here in Germany. I give out full size candy bars ;)

So, did someone say cards. Did you join us for the STAMPlorations the CAS Cards challenge in October? Watch for the winners post on the 10th to see if you were a winner. Today we're introducing our November CAS Cards challenge and here's the inspiration.

So the brown twist is purely optional, but I chose to go with kraft this month and created this CAS get well card.

STAMPlorations Healing Herbs stamp

Altenew inks

colored pencils

I stamped the crate and masked it. Stamped the herbs in various green shades. Colored the crate with a white pencil and finished the card off with a punny sentiment.

CAS card tip: Add a bit of interest to your CAS design by using a bit of colored pencil with your stamping. Adds some texture to your CAS card.

I cannot wait to see what inspires you and your CAS card creations this month! Your project might be chosen as the winner of a GC to the shop. Check out how the CAS Cards DT was inspired by this month's photo here.

And don't forget about my STAMPlorations discount code STAMPGIRLMARIA for 20% off should you find yourself shopping ;)  Thanks for stopping over. See you in the gallery.

I'm heading to the gallery at:
SSS Wednesday - Anything Goes
Papercraft - Get Well

simon says stamp - celebrate you for him

Howdy! I'm back from Michigan. Dad did a great job of getting as-healthy-as-possible after his hospital stay and now it's up to him to keep up the good work. I'm happy to be back in my craft room playing with this versatile and snarky stamp set from the Simon Says Stamptember release. It's called Celebrate You.

OK. So first off, let's celebrate him.

 SSS Celebrate You stamp
colored pencils

Distress oxides

So simple. Mask the card front. Blend oxides (Antique Linen, Gathered Twigs, Walnut Stain). Stamp image and sentiment (don't ya love it?!?). Color flames for interest.

TIP: To make coloring flames easier, use damp paintbrush to remove color from area. Let dry before coloring with colored pencils.

Check out the release if you haven't, and all the makes with it in the Stamptember gallery at Simon Says Stamp. I'll have a few more makes for you with this stamp set. Thanks mucho, Simon.

I'm playing at:
SSS Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Watercooler Wednesday - Occasions
AAA Card Challenge - Up to one third

STAMPlorations inspiration #210

Welcome to another Tuesday inspiration from the STAMPlorations inspiration team where we usually feature stamps from one of our talented stamp designers. We're switching it up a little since it's finally beginning to feel like Spring around here. Spring cards it is this month!

Our Spring Fling event is also happening over at the STAMP blog. All throughout April, products in the Spring Fling section of the store will be 25% off instantly. Which means... if you use my STAMPGIRLMARIA code, you can get up to 45% off!

Today I've actually used a Shery Russ Design, the latest Stamp Club set, Bloomful (which is unfortunately out of stock at the moment) because I'm finding myself in need of sympathy cards faster than I can make them. Ugh. I've actually got a twofer fer you.

  STAMPlorations Bloomful stamp

Polychromo pencils

I made the one with the English sentiment and including the blue tones first. Used more of the lighter tone. For my second card I needed one with a German sentiment. I opted to use gray tones instead of the blues (sympathy cards here are usually still very sombre). I used the dark gray tone more. See the difference?

I prefer the blue one. And you?

Nothing tricky to my process, I'm just happy I have a MISTI ;)  I stamped the image and sentiment, colored the image and then stamped once more to sharpen the outlines.

For more inspiration with this fun set, check out this card.

You could win yourself a $10 GC to the store in our Spring Fling event. Check out today's post here. And thanks for coming by.

I'm joining the fun at:
AAA Card Challenge - Made in Minutes (definitely under 30 minutes!)

Addicted to Stamps - CAS

SSS Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

spotlight on a bloomful rainbow

Hi peeps! I had some fun with the new Stamp Club set, Bloomful, and you can check out my tutorial for this card over at the STAMPlorations blog.

I'm so happy to be taking this one-layer happy card over to:
30 Day Coloring Challenge 

AAA Card Challenges - One Layer

Addicted to Stamps and More - Make your Mark (I used colored pencils)

Happy Little Stampers - CAS Challenge - Friends (What better than a flowery rainbow to encourage your BFF to just go for it!)