Sweatest Season

YAY! It is July.  I'm going to be celebrating to be celebrating Christmas all month long.  Hopefully catching up on all the unfinished cards from last year and getting a head start on the cards for this year.  It is really hard for me to work Christmas cards in the middle in the summer.  Summer is the awesome and the last thing I want to think about is snow.    However,   Christmas is the biggest card sending holiday sending of the year.   It is just too big to cram into the three week span the calendar gives us.    Hopefully this helps inspire you to dig out your stamps and take this journey with me.    Together we can chip away at our Christmas Card lists! 

I started off with one of my favorite fun folds.  I love this little flappy card! It is perfect for using smaller images. 

copic used

Skin: Eoo

Red: R29, R24

Black: W8, W6

Green G43, G40

cookies: E30, E31, E33, E35, E37

white: C3, C1, C0

I am Your Father

 Hey friends, 

I didn't get a chance to share this last year, but this is the card that we made for Connor for Father's day last year.   He is a huge Star Wars fan so he got a kick out of it.   Darth Vader was hard to color.  Black things are always hard to not make them look like a black blob.. but I think he turned out okay in the end. 

Copics used:

Black: W10, W8, W6, W4, W2

White: E50, E51, E52, E55, E57

Skin: E000, E00, E11

Hair: E31, E33, E51

White Gel Pen

Cherry on Top

Greetings!  

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?  What a hard question.  It is all so good.  We have a local ice cream shop here that makes homemade cake batter ice cream and that might have to take the win.   

In this case I let the decorative paper pick the colors.  Since white ice cream isn't all that fun to stamp... I went with pink (cherry or strawberry).   For the most part this is a monochromatic card.  It is all in the pink/red family.  It was fun to create.  The stamp set made the stamping really easy.  The class is supposed to be layered stamping.  I wasn't able to get that to work.  However, I think it looks fine with just one layer.   I hope some of this sweet treat finds it way to you really soon.  It is (almost) summer after all!  

Happy Stamping friends, 

Chris

No copics today

More than black and white

Hello, 

This adorable cat is from Unity stamps.  I'm a dog person, but this stole my heart right away. I couldn't help but love this guy instantly.   I thought his marking reminded me to a grey tabby cat So I thought I would try to make a black/white card with a pop of color.  Those are always a challenge for me.  How do you only do a pop.    I technically used two colors.  The touches of pink and the green in her eyes.  Did I fail? Anyway. I think it is cute.  I'll have to keep working on just a pop. 

Copics used:

grey: C5, C3, C1, C0

Pink: R20, R11

Green: YG13, YG11

Orange You Sweet

Orange you so sweet!  I love this fruity stencil set by Waffle flower .  It could be also be lime or lemon.  Am I forgetting any other citrus fruit?   Of course You're so sweet was meant for the Orange.   

 

No copics today

Not your friend

Hello all, 

I have a silly card for you all.    The dog is from Katzlekraft stamps.  It is a small French company.  They just announced they are closing.  Go grab him and several other adorable animals before they are no longer available.   They will be missed. Katzlekraft has such a unique style.  

Copics used:

"White" : E53, E51, E50

Brown: E44, E43, E42, 

Red: R35, R32

Green: G46, G43, 

Black glaze pen and white gel pen

Old Fashioned Hello

Hello, 

Just a quick card for you today.  I love this old fashioned phone from Stampin up.  We used to have one hanging on the wall at the cottage.  My sister and I used to play with a lot as a kid.  I wonder if my child would know how to use it to call someone if he had to use one.  It would be so much fun to see him try.  

I picked a bright color because I wanted the phone to be the focal point and star of the card since it was so simple.  I love how the phone cord spells out "hey" and offers a simple greeting for the front. 

no copics today

Dragonfly

Hello friends, 

This card has become infamous.  I had no idea when I brought it to class what it would become.   This is a die set from Spellbinders.  It cuts the wing segments into five segments for each wing.    It seems straightforward until you have several people cutting them from many different colors.  It is easy to mix the pieces.  It turns into an odd jigsaw puzzle.    We had fun with it.  It has become a long running joke in our class.   

I've since learned that you can also color the bands in.  It is way easer than die cutting them.  We might try this again next year, but do the coloring method again next time.  

No copics today

Sending a Smile Your Way

Hello,  

Just a quick card to share today.  I found this card sketch on pinterest.  It is such a simple sketch.  I love that it make the butterfly the focal point.  It was however really hard to find paper in my stash that worked for this technique.   Most of Stampin up paper is double sided.  I don't have much Stampin up designer paper. I'm sure you could use anything, but part of the magic is the monochromatic theme going on here. 

If you were to try this, what would you do?  I really want to explore this sketch more.  Help me brainstorm.  

No copics today

Cow's it going?

 Cow's it going? 

Tiny stamps are challenge to use.  They don't take up much real-estate on a card.  I've been on a lookout for card sketches that lend themselves to using smaller stamps effectively.   I found this sketch on pinterest.   I liked the small boxes for featuring these small cows.    I can't wait to try this sketch with some other small stamps, but I liked how it worked with these little guys!  I hope you find the sketch useful. 

Copics used:

Black: W9, W7

Skin: E000' E00, E11

Red: Red 37,R35, R32

white gel pen

Mine! Mine! Mine!

Did someone say cake? 

Seagulls (well at least cartoon ones) have such personality.   My favorite seagull is Scuttle from the Little Mermaid.  He gets everything wrong, but he is so lovable.   These guys are more of the Little Nemo variety where they are scavenging for food.  Mine! Mine! Mine!   

To make the sand I sponged kraft card stock with various shades of brown ink then used a stamp that was just a bunch of dots to stamps brown ink on top to add texture.  It worked really well.  I hope you feel inspired.  Have a Gull-Tastic Day!

No copics used

Pew, Pew, Pew

 This might be my favorite of the 3 cards in my Star Wars series.  Probably because it was the most unexpected.  I don't think much about the storm troopers.   It is the sentiment that makes it to amazing. The weapons they shoot make the "Pew" sound.   They never hit anything.  Do they ever do target practice?   Anyway... on the inside it says. "I'm always missing you".  I just think that is the sweetest thing!   I love it.  

I hope you enjoyed this series.  Thank you for the encouragement to do this series.  

Copics used:

White: C5, C3, C2, C1

Black: C6 C8, C10

Happy Star Wars Day

 Happy Star Wars Day! 

You could pick any character to wish May the 4th be with you... but I couldn't resist using YODA.  He is just so lovable!   Do you have a favorite Star Wars character?     This is Day 2 of 3 of Star Wars Series.  

Copics used

Green: YG45, YG41, R20

Brown: E13, E15, E17

The Resistance - Leia

 Hey friends, 

Last May the girls in class asked to make May the 4th (Star Wars Day) cards.  It has been on my list for a long time.  I appreciated the push to get these stamps out.      This is Day 1 of 3 of my card share. 

Copic used:

White: C3, C1

Skin: E000, E00

Hair: E47, E44, E43

Crazy Eight Stencil Class Akron 2025

 Hello friends. 

Thank you so much for joining me for class today.  It was pleasure to meet you.   I love these quad stencils.  I love that you are making a set of coordinating cards to help refill your card box or to give them as a gift.    You can buy the ones we used at Taylored Expressions.  I would appreciate it,  if you told them I sent you.  Just write you took Chris O'Malley's class in Akron.  It might help us get a discount next year!

1. Remember to fill in the four tiny boxes on the edge of the stencils for perfect alignment.   On some stencils it really matters and the only way to get good placement. 

2. Remember to blend in circles and in both directions

3. When you are done blending trip 1/4 inch off each side of your paper.  Then cut at 4 inch and then at 5.25 inches.  You should end up with four panels.  

4. When I finish my panels off into cards.  I personally like to keep them simple.  Look for places to anchor your sentiments, so they are not just floating.   I love using tags, or vellum circles to help the sentiment stand out from a busy background.  

Sending A Smile Akron 2025

 Hello friends. 

Thank you so much for joining me for class today.  It was pleasure to meet you.   Below is all the photos.  If you have questions,  let me know I can get you the copic colors or other information that you need. 

The topic of paper was popular today.  Here is the link to the correct type of paper.  Neenah makes several kinds of paper and it can be confusing.  This is the paper that I use to color with copics.  I also use it for pencils...but you plan to do a lot of layering you should invest in specialized paper.  

The second question that I got asked what the cheapest place to buy copics.  Click here.

This is a good source for gamsol. 

Key points from class:

Remember that you will probably have to modify your stamps to make it work.  I try to figure out where the natural break is in the stamp.  If it leaves a weird gap,  use a small stamp to balance your sentiment. 

Design tip- try to make the outside of the card look innocent...so they are surprised when they see the inside.  I also try to keep the card simple.  Focus on the joke don't get distracted with other things.

Look for silly critters to compliment your snarky stamps.  They make it the easiest to make cards. 

Great companies to look for snarky stamps are 

1. Technique Junkies- (sadly closing)

2. Art Impressions - Girlfriend line is hilarious

3. Riley and Company

4. Ink Road- (partially closed)

5. Stamping Bella- oddballs are great for characters. 

6. Whimsy Stamps- great mix of serious and goofy stamps

Here are photos of the cards.   There might be slight variations of course depending on what class section you were in.. but they were all very similar. 

Touch of Color Akron 2025

 Hello friends. 

Thank you so much for joining me for class today.  It was pleasure to meet you.   Below is all the photos of the cards we made today.   There are a lot of ways to add color to a project.  I hope you had fun experimenting with watercolor, pencils and alcohol markers.  The theory behind adding the colors are the same, the process is just a little different.  Hopefully you found something you enjoy.    Please let me know if you have any questions.  You can always email me. 

The topic of paper was popular today.  Here is the link to the correct type of  paper.  Neenah makes several kinds of paper and it can be confusing.  This is the paper that I use to color with copics.  I also use it for pencils...but you plan to do a lot of layering you should invest in specialized paper.  

The second question that I got asked what the cheapest place to buy copics.  Click here.

This is a good source for gamsol. 

Batavia Coloring Class Review

 I really had a wonderful time with all of you at the Batavia Card Making class.  

You all did a great job mastering alcohol markers and FLICK!.    I know that is rough I wish I could make that easier for everyone.  

I picked out a few things that I thought you might want to check out if you stopped by here that would help you if you are stuck

Here is a refresher on the squirrel card-- I color 2 different squirrel cards in the video

Here is a link to the Mice and Lemon Card Video ( we did a different card version in class)

Here is a video for the Elephant card-

COFFEE.

Welcome back,  

 

Today I'm sharing the coffee version of card I posted on Saturday.   My husband is a huge coffee drinker.  I've learned that nothing comes before coffee.  Thankfully, I enjoy sleeping in.  So he often gets up before me and self-medicates before I'm even out of bed.   This dog is how I imagine him in the morning.  If the cup was big enough I'm sure he would crawl right in.  

Copic used:

Brown: E42, E43, E44

Blue: BG02, BG05, BG07

White: E50, E51

Ground: W3, W1

Tea-Rex

Hey friends, 

I'm not much of a coffee or tea drinker, but this little image stole my heart.  He looks so happy in his little tea cup.  I thought it would be perfect for someone out there it a tea drinker.  I have a coffee version too.. don't worry I'll share that soon. 

Copics used:

Green:  YG17, YG13, YG11

Pink: RV02, RV04, RV06, 

Ground: W3, W1

One Sheet Wonder -- again

 Hey friends, 

I made these cards four years ago.  They are so nice to have on hand, when you a card fast.   Hobby Lobby still had some of "that" paper on sale (see note at bottom) I couldn't resist picking of a few sheets to make a few more.   I used some gold embellishments from a previous project.  They were perfect on these cards. I felt like it was a happy accident. 

Have you ever tried a one sheet wonder?  I promise to do another one soon.  I also promise to give this paper a break.  😊

**In the social media groups this paper has become really popular because it has lots of dimension, The colors are beautiful.  It was easy for me to match it to five different colors of card stock. It allows for a lot of variety in the cards you create.  It didn't have an official name and it has become known as "that" paper.   Personally I love that one pattern of paper has gotten so much attention on social media.   I'm sure it won't be the last sheets of "that" paper I buy.  If you do go shopping please note.  You can buy it with or without gold accents foil in it.  This is without.... and it was on sale 40% off.  

No copics used