Final day of Kathy's 17th 30 Day Coloring Challenge!!

Yay - I made it to the end!! Many thanks to Kathy (The Daily Marker) for hosting her latest 30 Day Coloring Challenge!! I colored every single day and posted to her challenge. I even blogged 30 days in a row, though my July 1st blog post had a different topic than coloring. Today I colored different images from Penny Black's transparent set called All Abloom. I stamped some flowers and a butterfly images from the set and colored with pencils - very portable while taking another little road trip with my sister.

That's it for today - I had a lot to get done so just had enough time to color this. Didn't have time to do any detailing as I didn't trust myself with a multiliner in the car!! I'll make cards later with today's image and yesterday's. Thanks for sticking with me and visiting during the challenge. I'd love to hear which was your favorite image that I colored, if you have one!

I'm taking a few days off, then I'll be back on August 2nd with the July Card Chain Challenge reveal.

Day 29 - All Abloom Take Two!

Oooo - second to last day - Day 29 of Kathy's (The Daily Marker) 30 Day Coloring Challenge. Can't believe I'm still hanging in there!! I thought I'd do another heart image from Penny Black's All Abloom transparent stamp set. More than one anniversary coming up so I'll have this on hand to make a card later! This time I colored with Crayola pencils & a Prismacolor blending pen. I started it last night and finished it in the wee hours this morning. Waited for sunrise but still didn't get a great photo, oh well... Here's my panel:

Quite a difference between this panel and yesterday's (watercolored) but I enjoyed doing both of them!! I might mask off this heart image and stamp some texture on the background - who knows?!

Sorry for the quick post but I'm taking a little road trip with one of my sisters. Tami's doing the driving so I'll be able to enjoy the scenery. It's looking to be a beautiful day for a drive!

Thanks for stopping and have a wonderful day!!

All Abloom for Day 28

Day 28 of Kathy's (The Daily Marker) 30 Day Coloring Challenge. Today I'm watercoloring the beautiful heart image from Penny Black's All Abloom transparent stamp set. I find this such a perfect image for anniversary cards, given the little birdie duo - so sweet! I started it last night so the background could dry well and then did the flowers this morning in about 90 minutes.

I stamped Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Paper with Antique Linen Distress Ink and colored with Yasutomo watercolors, then added a bit of orange Twinking H20. Nothing fancy. Didn't really like how my big flower turned out (shading too dark for my taste) but I messed with it a few times, then gave up! 

I still had some time before some appts today and made a quick anniversary card. I cut my panel with a stitched rectangle & stamped a simple sentiment, then added to a preformed A2 card. Sentiment is from a retired Hero Arts set (CL342 Everyday Sayings) that I use a lot!

Quick post today as I've a lot going on. Thanks for stopping & have a crafty day!!

Day 27 and I'm coloring Grumplings!

Grumplings, you ask? For Day 27 of Kathy's (The Daily Marker) 30 Day Coloring Challenge, I'm coloring some fun animal characters by Taylored Expressions! Taylor has these characters in all sorts of situations (Christmas, Halloween, you name it!) but I only own the Exercise Grumplings. Here are my Grumplings colored:

I used Copic Makers, employing all the tips Kathy shared on Day 22. The Grumpling images are only about 1.25" tall so there's not much room for detailing. I did my best! And here's a card made with three of the Grumplings:

Supplies: Paper - A2 windowed card by ??

My Mind's Eye Happy Day 6x6 patterned;

Paper Studio Glitter; Momenta Watercolor 8x8 patterned;

Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110lb

Stamps - Taylored Expressions Exercise Grumplings (with matching dies)

Hero Arts CL483 Type (retired) - sentiment

Dies - My Favorite Things Blueprints 2 (retired);

Hero Arts DI199 Nesting Circles Infinity Dies

Other - Copic Markers & multiliner; black/grey pencils

Sorry I lost the packaging for the A2 card I used; bought the pack at one of those stamping conventions years ago. I designed and made up the card last night so all I'd have to do was color the Grumplings and add them today. I needed a card for a friend who's having back problems. I originally bought this set with Debbie in mind because she's always dieting and trying half-heartedly to exercise! She also appreciates grumpy characters like that Maxine at Hallmark. Well, with her back out, Debbie can't exercise and doesn't feel much like dieting either!! They say something in all caps is like shouting & that's what these Grumplings do - hence the GET WELL sentiment. Hope Debbie's back heals quickly!!

Here's a quick shot of the inside:

Isn't that sentiment a hoot? Sadly this set is currently out of stock at TE but maybe you can find it elsewhere, if interested, or use the Notify Me feature. My favorite sentiment: "Diet Day 1 - I removed all the bad food from the house. It was delicious!!" That would be my trick - LOL! Well, I'm off to the Post Office to mail today's card. Thanks for visiting and have a crafty day!!

Watercolored scene for Day 26

Hey friends - hope you're having a great day whichever one it is for you & sorry if your weekend's already over!! I'm on Day 26 of Kathy's (The Daily Marker) 30 Day Coloring Challenge - home stretch, if you will. Here's a watercolored scene I started yesterday afternoon with the background and diecutting & finished this morning, then made into a card:

Supplies: Paper - Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor paper

Stamps and Dies - Hero Arts June 2020 My Monthly Hero kit

Other - Distress Inks, Stain & re-inkers; Yasutomo watercolors;

Hero Arts Lacquer; black & grey pencils for shading;

 Simon Says Stamp Sentiment Strips

I recently received my June 2020 My Monthly Hero kit & hadn't used it yet. Thought I'd better break it in since I got my July kit on Friday!! I found this Hero Arts Blog post particularly inspiring and decided I'd watercolor a scene like Channin did that day. I made my card landscape and left off the mountains; also added some extra trees for more dimension & used the Northern Lights background stamp on my sky/ocean. Decided to use Distress re-inkers for my watercoloring this time - I have oodles and they don't get used very often. I think the last time was for a Tim Holtz class; I had a bunch of mini spritzer bottles loaded with reinker & water and some with Perfect Pearls. Note to self - be sure the cap is tight before storage; some spritzers had dripped. First chore was to clean that up!! When I didn't have a reinker color that worked, I used my watercolor palettes.

First I took a rectangle of watercolor paper, misted it and added Tumbled Glass reinker. Spritzed & moved color, then heat set. Next I stamped the Northern Lights (6x6 cling) using Stormy Sky Distress Ink and misted that too. Heat set, then painted pearl white metallic watercolor onto the swirly parts which wasn't very distinct; still isn't but that's ok, there's a nice shimmer irl. Also added some of that to the "ocean", plus some darker blue watercolor to the edges.

Next I colored the diecuts. I drew some grey lines to help me define where I wanted color on the lighthouse. Shaded a bit on the parts I left white. I used Brushed Pewter Distress Stain on the top section of the lighthouse; the windows were watercolored with Mustard Seed re-inker plus a teensy bit of Hickory Smoke. I used Evergreen Bough re-inker on the trees but added bits of Mustard Seed too, for some contrast as Kathy did on her birdie on Day 22. Twisted Citron re-inker went on the "lawn" . The cabin is Hickory Smoke, very watered down for the walls and I added some lines for siding. Heat set everything so it'd be dry to add to the card. Assembled scene onto panel & adhered to A2 card. Added lacquer to the windows. Used an SSS sentiment strip, added with foam tape. I figured this would be a good card for a guy.

Also adding this to the NBUS Challenge since I'm dipping into this kit for the first time!

Next, a quick couple cards using more alcohol ink bits from my Day 22 post. This time I used pieces of the Dura-Lar (acetate alternative) print over top of a pastel cards. I just glued w/Gina K Connect on the left edge and don't even think you can tell; static took care of the rest! Any splotches are alcohol inks! Added my diecut and alcohol inked circles and butterflies, then the sentiments. I used the tip Dawn (Dawn's World) shared here called Faux Embossing - just lay a slab of clear packing tape over your cardstock, then die cut. Viola - a glossy sentiment with little work & so fun!! 

Supplies: Anchor Paper textured cardstock; 

My Favorite Things Many Thanks die (retired)

Cas-ual Fridays Friend die

small butterfly - 2017 magazine freebie

see Day 22 post for rest, if interested

And on a sad note - sympathies to my friend Heather (Stamping and Stitching) & family whose sweet dog Toby passed away during the night. 😢 Here's a photo I took of Toby when I was in Ireland last year. RIP Toby!!

Thanks for stopping and enjoy your day!! Hopefully I'll be back with more coloring tomorrow!

 

Bookshelf final - Day 25

Hey there - I'm back with a card made from the bookshelf image I've been coloring for the past few days and finally finished (it was a marathon)!! For today's coloring - Day 25 at Kathy's (The Daily Marker) 30 Day Coloring Challenge, I did the final nooks and crannies with a multiliner. Kathy uses a Sharpie but all mine are at the "satellite studio". I probably didn't find all the N&Cs but that's ok. Kathy talks about "walking away" and not adding too much! In fact, a couple of spots got too dark and I had to dot in some white gel pen... 

Supplies: Paper - Stampin' Up Garden Green formed to A7;

Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110lb; scrap of green;

Poptone Black Licorice

Stamps - Hero Arts CM425 Bookcase Peek-A-Boo Parts &

CL351 Friends (retired) - sentiment

Dies - My Favorite Things Blueprints 2 (retired)

Other - Copic Markers & multiliner, black & grey pencils; 

Hero Arts clear lacquer & gem; white gel pen

And here's a shot of the bookshelf with just the black and grey pencil additions as Kathy described in her 12 steps post. Sorry for the dark photo - big cloud at the wrong moment yesterday afternoon!

After the grey markers are done, the next thing she does is add deeper color to spots so I did that too; didn't take a photo of just that step but you'll see the enhanced spots in the card photo. I also added clear lacquer to the camera, the bell jar, the glasses and the framed girl silhouette. Also added a bit of Wink of Stella to the pig and the golden planter. To tie my sentiment into the bookshelf, I colored and popped up a wee kitty. Reminds me of Misty, except she has no stripes. I recognize that expression though - part disdain and part feed me!!

Will also add this to the current Hero Arts Stay Crafty Challenge #12 where the theme is Friendship! 

Next, a quick card using pieces from past print-making coloring days: background from Day 11 and butterfly from Day 22. To change it up I used some diecuts not part of either day but from same or similar sets. It was really fun to mix and match and I still have plenty of pieces left for future.

Supplies: Paper - DCWV A2 card; Strathmore watercolor paper 140lb;

Paper Studio Glitter, Adirondack Gloss Finish; Momenta watercolor print

Stamps - Hero Arts CL184 Thoughtful Messages (retired)

Dies - Hero Arts DI133 Swallowtail Butterfly Fancy Die (retired);

My Favorite Things Blueprints 13 (retired);

Memory Box Bubble Circles; 

Spellbinders Elegant Twist Circles Etched Dies

Other - watercolors & alcohol inks (see prev posts); Hero Arts gems

Thanks for stopping and have a crafty day!!

Coloring the bookshelf continues - Day 24 plus another Christmas card!

Hey friends - TGIF! For Day 24 of Kathy's (The Daily Marker) 30 Day Coloring Challenge, I'm continuing the work on my bookshelf started yesterday. Kathy shared a series of 12 tips with photos and am trying to follow her steps (some are combined in the same photo to save time). Here's today's coloring:

I'm coloring Hero Art's bookcase from CM425 Bookcase Peek-A-Boo Parts. My post yesterday showed the base layer of Copic Markers, nothing else. I did not draw any brown lines as Kathy did on her birds. Later yesterday afternoon I added texture to a few spots - not many as the images are so small - using a bit of Copic blender on a rag. I put the rag over a Q-tip to make it small enough to dab on these little images! Did some on the pig, a few books and the planters. Then I added the darker colors to the existing base colors. Here's a shot of the bookcase to that stage:

Can you see the difference from yesterday? Just doing those couple things added a lot! The photo at top has Kathy's next steps of outlining places with a dark grey marker, then softening it with a lighter grey. That added even more depth to the image. LOL - I see a lot of spots I missed; can you? Guess I was still asleep - will have to add some more grey!

That's all I'm doing for coloring today. I'll be back tomorrow with more additions! 

Still with me? In case you want to see something other than coloring, here's a Christmas card for two challenges - last minute for CAS Christmas Nativity and perfect timing for Christmas Kickstart Starry Starry Night.

Supplies: Paper - Neenah White; Poptone Black Licorice

Stamps - Hero Arts CM105 Dreams are Made (stars) &

CM374 Color Layering Nordic Tree (sentiment)

Silhouette files by Lori Whitlock - 4917 Nativity Silhouette &

70556 Full Nativity (I didn't use everything)

Inks - Tumbled Glass and Stormy Sky Distress, 

Distress Embossing & Hero Arts Intense Black

Other - Ranger Seafoam White ep; white gel pen; 

Michael's gem; brown pencils

Slimline cards are coming into fashion right now but I've had the Nativity pieces and a long card sitting in a project envelope for YEARS! When I was Misty-proofing for my brother's cat to  visit earlier this month I came across the project envelope with its mish-mash of Nativity stuff cut on the Silhouette. Decided I should use them for CAS Christmas but hadn't gotten around to it, then Christmas Kickstart announced a star theme. I knew I had to get moving! Used washi tap to mask off top and bottom for some white space. Stamped and embossed the stars, then inked the sky using my new Pink & Main tool. Added a brown line and some shading for ground and glued down the Nativity pieces (mixed and matched from two files). Stamped a sentiment and adhered a star gem - done!!

Thanks for visiting!!