Thursday, May 29, 2014

Bagel Birthday Wishes

Hello friends,

I have another "oldie but goodie" card.  I love House Mouse stamps.  These mice keep me laughing!  However, they can be a pain in the butt to color.  This past weekend, I spent some time practicing these little guys ad trying to figure out some tips for copic users.  This is a card I colored two years ago.  I was going to recolor this image... but I decided to color some new house mouse images instead.   I have some notes posted at the bottom for those interested.






Copics used:
Mouse
Skin: E00, E000, E21, R00 
Fur: E25, E23, E21, 

Bagel: E35, E33, E31, E30, E42, E41

Some tips...
1.  Color the skin first.  I also include the belly in this step.  The artist always make the fur on the belly thinner showing the cute belly underneath. 

2.  The mouse is usually darker at the edges of the fur, then lighten as you move towards the belly/center. 

3. House Mouse images are a mix of blending and texture.  Try to leave the hair on the edges of the image unblended...so it looks like hair.   Also let lighter colors show through some darker colors...giving the mouse texture.  

If I did recolor this image, I would add more pink to his face/nose.   It is really light and doesn't show up much in the photos.  I would use E93 instead of R00. 

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Hedgehog Celebrations

Happy Wednesday friends,

I have a fun card to share with you.  This card is part of the May Card Lover's series.  The hedgehog is adorable, but my favorite part is the embossed strip behind him.   It is created with a technique called "embossed resist". Embossing ink resists dye based ink, so you can sponge over embossing and it only soaks into the paper.   In the end, giving you a beautiful textured background for card.






Copics:  
Grey: C0, C1, C3, C5
Skin: E000, E00, R20, 0 to blend into white chest
Hat: BV20, BV23
Brown: E30, E31, E33
Orange: YR02, YR04
Green: YG61, YG63
Candle: Y13, YR12, glitter

I didn't blend the fur on the hedgehog.  I just used tiny flick strokes to get the look

Happy Coloring!



Monday, May 26, 2014

Grateful

Happy Memorial Day,

 I wanted to send out a BIG thank you to all the people who have or are serving in are Military.   Thank you all for the sacrifices that you make to keep us safe.   


No copics... just stamps and ink

Friday, May 23, 2014

Fishy Buisness

Happy Friday,

Well friends we made it through another week.  This week was much less stressful than last week.  Our little area of NY was hit with a huge rain storm last week.  Some areas received 5 inches of rain in just a few hours.  It caused massive flooding.   The lake we live near (the same one that inspired the name of this blog) spilled over.    The water rolled off the hills and caused the water level to rise about 18 inches.    The flood waters have started to recede but the lake is still closed.
Connor "walking on water"

Our neighbor's dock is totally submerged

Our dogs love the lake, no matter what

Widget was determined to rescue every stick that floated by.

To celebrate the start of lake season, I thought I'd make a fishy card.  My dad loves to fish and hunt.  I have seen so more than my fair of fishing shows on TV.  If I wasn't watching my dad fish... I had to watch him learn to fish from some weirdo on TV.    I found this stamp in Akron and I had to get it.  I made two versions of this card.  One says "Happy Father's Day" and the other says "What a Catch".

I love how this turned out!  I stamped the image twice.  I colored one and cut it out and used dimensional glue to adhere it to the background.    I colored the water with copics, but sponged ink to color the sky.



 Copics used:

Water: B12, B24, B26
Fish: YG61, YG63, YG67, YG03, G20, accented with E04, E07
I used the advanced blending technique that we learned in class.   Don't be afraid to leave some areas white.

I finished the fish off with glitter.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Feeling Crappie

Welcome Friends,

I'm rolling out another "Throw Back Thursday" Card.  I made this fishy card a while ago and he has been patiently waiting his debut.   He injured little fish will steel your heart.  He has bumped his head and is feeling a little "Crappie".  On the inside it reads "What a pain in the BASS!"




Copics used: 
Bubbles: B00, B01, very little B12 as shadow
Orange: YR12, YR16, YR18
Bandage: E40, E42, E43  or W0, W1, W3
Shadow in fishes eye: C1

I cut the fish and bubble out and used dimensional glue to adhere them to card.  I added some glitter to the bubbles. 

Monday, May 19, 2014

Silly Goose

Happy Monday!

 Mondays can be rough.  I know adjusting from the weekend to the work week can be daunting task.  So thought you could use something silly to easy the transition this week.   Have a happy Monday friends!!

The inside of this Card ready "You Quack Me Up"





Copics:
Yellow: Y02, Y15, Y35  or as an easier alternative Y11, Y13, Y15,
Orange: YR12, YR16
Grass: YR31 and YG41  any light brown/green will work

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Blessing to Me

Hello Stampers,

I have a super quick card to share with you.   I love the simple and elegant look of this card.   I stamped the flowers in an overlapping them just so slightly to give the appearance that they are in a bouquet.    I added a butterfly by the greeting for a little something special.   I made a bunch of these to restock my card box.




Copics Used:  NONE!  I know I'm surprised too.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Owl Always Love You

Hello Friends,

Today is "Throw Back Thursday".  It is a trend on social media take a moment every Thursday to look back and reflect.  It is a way of being thankful year round rather than just in November before Thanksgiving.  When I first heard about it... I thought it will last for a few weeks and fade away.  However, here it is months later and it is still going strong.  I thought it is about time to get on board.   Today's card is one I made a while ago....but this poor guy never made it on the blog.  He has been patiently waiting for his day.

I have two versions of this card.  One with a red heart and one without.  Some people didn't like the red heart.  They wanted to add their own speech bubble with words.    Personally, I think I like the little red heart.  I made a bunch without and let people pick.  The red heart can always be added if they want it.





Copics used:

Brown: E31, E33
Chest: E11, E13
nose: YR14

I added the orange jewels to the edges of the plaque.  This is a very easy, quick, and fun card to make.  He has long been a favorite.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Hot Flashes

Hello Friends,

I love these old ladies.  They crack me up.  They are here with a birthday card.   The inside of the card reads " We are Still Hot, Only Now it Comes in Flashes!  Happy Birthday"




Copics used:

Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20  or E50, E00, E11, R20
Purple: V12, V15, V17
Green: YG03, YG06, YG09
Yellow: Y02, Y15, Y35-- an easier version is Y11, Y13, Y15
Dark Blue: B12, B26, B28--an easier version is B12, B14, B16
Light Blue: B00, B12, B14--an easier version is B00, B02, B04
White pants: W1, W0, 0
Brown Pants: E44, E47, E49-- an easier version is E42, E43, E44
Brown Hair: E40, E42, E44
Brown Hair 2: E31, E33, E35
Gray Hair: C0, C1, C3
Blonde Hair: Y21, Y26--I think  can't quite remember.
Camera: C1, C3, C5
Grounding: BV20

How to create matte:  First color the image then glue to green paper.   Then arrange how you want on the gray paper.  The excess paper will hang off the gray.  Use scissors to trim off the extra paper then glue to white card base.   Let me know if you have questions.

Monday, May 12, 2014

By the Sea

Happy Monday,

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!  Connor and I went to our family's cottage and worked with my Mom and sister to clean up the leaves, install the water, and do Spring cleaning.   It was nice to be near the water.  There is something so calming about it!  It is my happy place.  




Copics used: 
Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20
Pink: R81, R83, R85
Green: G20, G24, G28
Hair: Y21, E53, E31
Coconut: E70, E71, E74
Straw and Glasses: B000

Sand:  I used E30 (any light brown will work) to draw in where I wanted the sand.  I colored the entire area you want to be sandy.  Let this dry!  This will prevent the grains of sand you add from blending into each other.   Then use a selection of browns to make lots and lots of dots of various sizes to create sand.   If you are feeling brave, add some grays.   I tried to make the dots darker  and closer together towards the bottom of the card.  As they move towards the top they are lighter and farther apart.  Have fun with it. 

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Being a Super Hero

Hello friends,

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mother's out there.   I hope you enjoyed some festivities today. Connor and I weren't able to make it home this year to celebrate with our Moms.  So earlier this week we made our Mom's cards.   When this all started, I thought I'd be making two cards on my own.  I was surprised when he said he wanted to make his Moms.   I just purchased this new Super Hero set and found some inspiration on the companies blog.  

Together we created these cared together to send to our MOMs.

This is Connor's Card.  He did all the coloring himself.   He would only let me include this one picture.


Here is the card I colored:

   I made my own glitter paper for the star and face mask.  I love how it turned out!

On the inside I included a poem/note:

There will be so Many Times You will feel like You've Failed,
but in the Eyes, Hearts, and Minds of your Children.
You are Super Mom.


I liked this card so much, I made a few more.  I just changed the words around.   I love the unusual colors of this car and layout.   Sending a big thanks to the MFT blog for the inspiration.

Copics used: 
Hair: Y21, E53, E31
Blue: BG11, BG13, BG15
Pink: RV21, RV23, RV25, RV29
Skin: E00, E000, E11





Wednesday, May 7, 2014

I really dig You

Happy Hump Day!

I made another bookmark card.   I love these because your giving a gift and a card at the same time. I used one of the new Tilda stamps.  They fit the perfectly on the bookmark shape.




Copics used:

Pink: R81, R83, R85
Brown Dog: E30, E31, E33, E35, E37(for shadows)
Skin: E000, E00, E11, R11 for cheeks
Tilda's Hair: E40, E41, E43, E44, E47
I used a black copic marker to darken the nose and eyes of the puppy.  I thought I'd try it on Tilda too and I really don't like it.  I won't do that again. :(



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. 

Monday, May 5, 2014

Walk in the Rain

Happy Monday,

I hope this post finds you dry.  It has been raining in NY for days... It stops for a little while... but without fail it starts again.   The good news is the buds on the trees are starting to open up and every so often we see a flower or two.  I can't wait for SUNSHINE!   While we wait, I'm taking inspiration from the rain.




I took advantage of a dry moment to take a photo of the card outside with the grey skies in the background. 

Copics Used:

Green: YG03, YG06, YG09
Pink: R22, R20
Blue: B000, B00, B02
Grey: C1,C3
I finished it off with some glitter on the umbrellas