Monday, March 31, 2014

Tilda Makeover

Happy Monday!

Connor and I had another busy weekend.   Connor was asked to teach at a Zumbathon this weekend.  We put on our dancing shoes, burned some calories and raised money for a good cause.    To celebrate surviving our three our workout we met my Dad for lunch.  He was nice enough to drive down from Rochester to help Connor fix our garage door.   It is so nice to have that working again!  It is the little thing, right?!

I was also able to catch up on some of thing that have been lingering on my craft table for a while.  I originally colored this image about 18 months ago.   At the time I was so proud of how it turned out.   Recently,  I pulled the card out and I was surprised at how much I've improved.  I wanted to recreate the card and compare.   I think it important to remember that using copics is a journey.  We are all constantly improving.  This just serves as a reminder.  I wonder where I'll be 18 months from now.

Here is the older card:







Here is the updated card:








Copics used for new card

Blue: B00, B12, B14,
Dark Blue: B16, B18, B39
Hair: Y21, E31, E33
Skin: E000, E00, E11
Gold: Y00, Y15, Y26
Boots: E41, E42, E33
Socks: W1, 0
Ground: W3,W1,W0
Fine Glitter on stars

Here is a side by side look at the cards.  What look do you like better? Do you like the rosy cheeks of the old Tilda or the softer look of the new card?  Do you like the chunky glitter on the old card or the finer glitter of the new card?
New Card
Old Card

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Easter Tulips

Happy Thursday Friends!

I've been working hard this week trying to catch up on things.  I must be working too hard... somebody is keeping her eye on me.  



I have another Easter Card for you today. I used a tulips stamp that I bought last year.  I was excited to ink it up.  It was a lot of fun to color.  




close up of the tulips.  I cut them out after I colored them.
Copics used:

Orange: Y15, YR02, YR04, YR09 
 (you can do an easier orange YR04, YR07, YR09)
Green: YG03, YG61, YG63, YG67
Yellow: Y11, Y13, Y15
Blue: B01, B00, B000, B0000
color the flowers first then do the sky

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Watercolor Day

Happy Monday,

I came across this image this weekend, and it made me laugh.

 I couldn't agree more!  It is time for daffodils and bunnies.   I know I'm dreaming of warmer days.   It might be a little early for this card, but I couldn't help it.  I love the sweetness of this card.  I'm in love with the soft watercolor look of this card.  





Copics used:

Pink: R20, R21, R22
Green: G43, G46
Hat: E50, E51, E53
Sand: E30, E31, E33, E35
Skin: E000, E00, E11
Hair: Y21
Butterflies: BV13
Sky: B00, B000- only did a little of this I didn't want to overpower the image.


Thursday, March 20, 2014

Brighten My Day

Hello all,

I have a surprise for you today.  My goal is to make a series of videos on copic marker techniques.   It is a time consuming process, but if you can be patient with me it is a challenge I'd like to take on. Today I'm sharing my second video attempt with you.  Please feel free to share any feedback you have.   There is always room for improvement.    The video is at the bottom of this post. 


 I have a new glitter pen.  This it the first time I've used it. I love it!  It is like a glitter paint brush, so you only apply a thin layer of sparkle.  It is very subtle.  I'm curious to see how long the glitter lasts in the pen....there is only one way to find out... use it!
 I used a black multi-liner to extent the ground across the entire bottom of the die cut for consistency. 

Here is the video of me coloring the image.  A special thanks to my husband, Connor for editing it and adding all the text to the video.

*There is no sound for the video.


Copics Used: 
Bunny: N0, N1, N3, 0, R11, R00
Flowers: Y11, Y15, YR14
Stems: YG03, YG06, YG67
Center of Flower: YR23, YR27, E99- Brown multiliner
Water: BG10, BG11, BG15, 0
Ground: E41, E43, E44

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Purr-Fect

Happy Wednesday,

Still recovering from this head cold.  Slowly starting to feel better... I'll be glad to get back to a normal routine.   I was able to sneak in some coloring today.  It felt good to have a marker in my hand.

I enjoy cats, but I'm a dog person at heart.   These two have me wrapped around their little (okay big) paws.   Today's card is dedicated to all those cat lovers out there.  I hope your day is Purr-fect!







Copics used:

I wanted to do an orange cat just to be a little different.  I'm glad I did. I found a new orange combo that I love!  This cat would also look great in grey. 

Orange: YR02, YR12, YR15, YR68, RV99, RV63, E97
This is an advanced blending combo. See below for alternatives
Nose: W7

Orange cat easy: YR12, YR14, YR16, YR18
Grey Cat easy: W1, W3, W5, W7

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Wishing You Ton of Happy Days

Hello all,

I hope you this post finds you well.   The cold bug finally caught up with me this weekend.  Last week I kept telling myself it was allergies, but by Friday afternoon I couldn't lie to myself anymore. Spent most of Saturday and Sunday curled up on the couch.  I'm hoping the worst is over and this week will go as planned.   Thank you all for understanding...that I'm a little behind.

Today I have one of my favorite cards from the March Class.  This little elephant is so cute.  He is wishing you tons of Happiness





Copics used:
Grey:  N1, N3, N5, N7
Ground:  W3, W1
Kite: BG45, BG49

Monday, March 10, 2014

Curling and a Card

Hello friends,

This weekend was filled with adventure.  First, I had a great class with the ladies in Brockport.  I always love seeing you.  Connor, Kim, Jeremy (Kim's friend) and I went Ice Curling on Saturday. This is something that Connor has always wanted to try.  I heard about an open house at the Rochester Curling Club.   I don't think you will see any of us in the next Olympics but we had a great time!


We put so much effort into making these beautiful pieces of art, it is a shame they can't enjoy them for a longer period of time.   This is why I love making bookmark cards.  The recipient of the card can use the enjoy the main image for a long time.

I have made this type of card before, but I just bought a new die to give the bookmark a finished look.  The book mark fits into pockets on the card (see second photo).  I don't use any glue to hold the bookmark in place.




 This is the what the finished card look like.   So cute!! 



Copics used:

Skin: E000, E00, E11
Black: N3, N5, N7, N9, 100
Hair: Y21, E31, E33-really small amount
Yellow: Y02, Y13, Y17, Y35
Wings: C1, C3
Red: R27, R39
Label: E50, E51
Brown: E33, E35, Dots E37
Ground: W1, W3, W5
I wrote "HONEY" on the jar with a pen

Tying the Knot:  Before you add the ribbon decide if you want to laminate your bookmark.  You can get it laminated at Staples.   You can write a message on the back of the bookmark with a gel pen.  I suggest you do this before you laminate it.

When you are ready to add the ribbon, assemble your bookmark.  Punch a hole through both the white and brown card stock.  Thread the brown ribbon through the hole.  Use the gold thread to tie a bow around the brown ribbon.  I never tied a knot in the brown ribbon.   I took a small scrap of thread and put it through the heart button.  I just tied a knot in the back of the heart.  I used a glue dot to glue to the knot in the gold thread bow.

If you have questions let me know.  Here is a close up photo of the top of the bookmark.




Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Love Birds

Happy Wednesday!

We have made it halfway through the week!  I wish I could say that I have spent the week coloring, but I have taken a few days off to work on some other projects.  Connor and I have decided to take a trip this fall.   Connor wanted to go somewhere in Asia and after chatting about it we decided to go to Thailand.  Nothing is official yet, but I'm excited!  So I've spent the last few days reading about activities and sights to see and visit on our trip.  I've made some progress with the planning process. I have a long way to go.  Tomorrow back to coloring.  If you could travel anywhere where would you go?

Here is my non-copic card from last month's Card Lover's Class.  I love this sweet card.  
The birds are so tweet!



Copics:  NONE!!

Monday, March 3, 2014

A Little Luck

Hello all,

Connor and I survived last week.  He started feeling better last Wednesday.  I however, started feeling really worn out.  We were both glad to see the weekend.  We both took a nap or two...and we are starting to feel like real people again.

To celebrate our transition into March, here is a St. Patrick's Day card.  Hope this bring a little luck to your day!  I tried something a little different on the edge of the white Card Stock.  I used my Versamark stamp pad to wipe ink on the edges and then embossed them with gold powder.  I love this technique.   The only thing to keep in mind is that you don't get a whole lot of control over where the powder sticks.  Some places it is thin...other's thick.   Each card is truly unique.  


I added some gold embossing powder to the edge of the card stock






Copics used:

Lt Brown: E40, E41, E42, E43
Dk. Brown: E70, E71, E74, E77, E79
Green: G40, G43, G46
Skin: E000, E00, E11, R00
Hair: E15, E17, E19