Saturday, January 14, 2017

Less is More - Favorite Drink

It has been raining and freezing here, well our definition of freezing...which is in the 40's.  A very rainy week, so not much outdoor activities this past week.  Lots of gym time though!

We have a new challenge starting over at Less is More and the theme for this challenge is favorite drink. Of course, when I first saw the theme, I immediately went to a cocktail.  However, in light of this cold weather, I changed it up a bit and went for the hot chocolate instead!

Here is my take on the theme...

I was watching a video from Sandy Allnock which inspired me for this card.  She created a blizzard card using copics markers.  I'm not that creative, so I created my blizzard using a stencil and distressed inks. But used my copic markers to color my main images.  This is a one-layer card, so I masked off my images prior to adding the background inking.


Here is a bit of a close up of the card.  You can see the white snow drift on the sweater of the polar bear!  Thank you Sandy for the inspiration!









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Sunday, January 8, 2017

CAS on Sunday - Black, White & One Color

What a stormy weekend we are having!  It is kinda nice to hear the rain pour down, but limits my outdoor activities, so off to the gym I go.

We have another challenge starting over at CAS on Sunday.  The theme for this challenge is Black, White & One Color.  I have to say, this is one of my favorite themes.  So fun to think of something that falls into this category.  Anywho, here is my take on the challenge...




I started off my selecting my image.  Nothing better than this cute little panda for this challenge!

I simply stamped this little guy and added a tiny bit of green the the bamboo stalks.  I then die cut the Happy Birthday sentiment from colored cardstock.  I thought it still needed a little something, so I added some uncontrolled splatter to the background using distressed ink.

Quick and simple card!


Here is a close up of the card.  You can see that I added a bit of dimension to the main image.

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!







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Saturday, January 7, 2017

Less is More - Ombre

Welcome to 2017!  

Hope you are ready for another challenge at Less is More.  Our first challenge of the new year is super fun, with the theme:  Ombre!  Lot's of opportunity for creativity here.

Here's what I came up with.  Swing on by to see what the team has come up with.  We are looking forward to seeing what beautiful creations you have come up with.

Okay, really nothing better than ice cream!  I started by adding some distress ink to some watercolor paper (I thought this might look a bit better on a non-bright white cardstock), then using my die cut to cut out the ice cream.  I then cut the cones from some kraft cardstock.
Then decided I like the inlaid die technique for easy mailing.  Once I put my puzzle together, I stamped the sentiment.


Here's a close up of the card. While you can't really tell that it is inlaid in this photo, you can tell there is no dimension :)!

Can't wait to see what you come up with!














I've also decided to play along at CASology this week.  Their theme is Cold...which I think this card captures the theme.  What do you think?





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Monday, January 2, 2017

Top 10 Projects of 2016

Happy New Year!  

I hope everyone had a happy and safe new year celebration.  Before, I start the new year in full force, I'm taking a step back to review some of my favorite projects of 2016.

It is fun to go back and see what was created at the beginning of the year and see how my style has evolved over 12 months.  While I'm not sure I have a distinctive style, I do tend to like a bit more clean and simple.  Lot's of white space, few embellishments.  Most of my cards use copic markers, and I'm still trying to improve my shading and color choices.

Here are my 10 favorite cards of the year (in no particular order)...



This is a departure for me.  Very little color - the main image is stamped in black and the sentiment banner has a splash of color from distressed inks.

To see original post, click here.






This card is made with my newly purchased Zig Real Brush Watercolor Pens. While most of my cards have bright colors, I like the soft colors of this card.

To see original post, click here.





This was a super fun card to make. This card was done with some masking. A technique that I really found that I enjoy very much!

To see the original post, click here.





 

I learned to love one layer cards this year.  Here is an example of one of my favorites. Not only a one layer card, but a funny image and lots of bright colors!

To see the original post, click here.

This card was my first attempt at partial die cutting, which I found I really liked, and made several Christmas cards with this technique. This card also has another favorite technique...embossing paste!

To see the original post, click here.




Shaker cards are the best!  Super fun to make and recipients always love them.  This was my go-to celebration card for the year. It works well for milestone birthdays and generally celebration cards!  I used the silver foil paper to add a bit of added sparkle to the cards!

To see the original post, click here.




This fun card was my first attempt at a square card...which I found I really like! Also, I love this technique of making background clouds--super cool. And then of course, some bright colors to round out this festive card!

To see the original post, click here.


My favorite characters this year has been monsters.  Finding fun ways to color them with copic markers is the best! This card has some of my favorite monsters!  Any my favorite card size 4 x 4!

To see the original post, click here.



One of my favorite techniques for the year, has been to use distress ink to watercolor my stamped images.  This makes me feel artistic.  This is one of my favorite images to watercolor.  Also, this was one of the projects where I stamped my main image in something other than black.  I have to remind myself that not everything needs to be outlined in black!

To see the original post, click here.


I choose this card as a favorite, because I took a risk.  The theme for this one was watercolor, and this was the first time I made a whimsical watercolor background. Typically, I would control my background with a splatter stamp, but this card just called for a messy background :)

To see the original post, click here.


Looking back at 2016, I feel like I tried lots of new techniques and for 2017 will continue to try new things!  Thanks for stopping by and hope you swing by often in the New Year!

Saturday, December 31, 2016

Less is More - Dimension

One more day of 2016!  Boy did this year just fly by.  I'm hoping for a better 2017, as we have had some difficult challenges during this last year.  But the good news, is that it is ending a it bit more positively than a few months ago!

We have a new challenge starting over at Less is More, so spend sometime in your crafting spot and join in the fun.  Our theme for this challenge is Dimension.  Super fun and lots of possibilities.  Here's my take on the challenge...

I started by using my stencil and adding distressed ink to the card front. I then cut the circle and used the inlaid die technique to insert the red circle after using embossing ink to highlight the sentiment.

I then stamped and colored my main image with Copic markers and popped him up on some foam tape.

Add the sentiment at the bottom and done!





Here's a close up shot, so you can see the dimension I used for the main image.

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!








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