Running With Scissors...

Fun With Frames

 

Hello, my friends.  Today I’m sharing a card which was very fun to make and I love how it turned out.  It was difficult to represent in a photo so I made this rather large on the blog.  I hope it’s not too big for your screen.  I always wonder whether I should make my photos larger.  Your thoughts on that?

 

It occurred to me that I had the perfect dies – Impression Obsession Rectangle 6-in-1 Frames – for doing this type of card.  The image is cut into frames and mounted in multiple dimensions.  I used only two dimensions beyond the card base as I do want to mail this in an envelope.  My image is an old Hero Arts stamp called “Spring Garden Etching”.  I coated my colored frames with clear Ranger Distress Crackle Paint, but that is a totally optional step.  It does shrink and curl the paper a bit, but I rather liked the effect on the popped up frames.  The warp can be corrected by covering with a heavy object for a while, which is what I did with the parts that needed to lay flat on the card.

 

 

You can click for a larger view.  A picture is always worth a thousand words.

 

 

Pictured below is the stamped image on 5 1/4” x 4” white cardstock.  I used a ridiculous number of Copics for coloring, making sure I colored the entire panel.

 

 

The IO Rectangle 6-in-1 Frame die cuts all six frames at once, which is what makes it so easy for this process.  I positioned the die on the front of my colored image, then cut.

 

 

Below you see the back of the frames with Scotch brand foam mounting tape applied.  The larger frame is three frames fit together and two layers of mounting tape.  The smaller frame is two frames with one layer of mounting tape.  I should add that this photo is from another project of this type using designer paper rather than a stamped image.  If you have pretty designer paper you’ve not wanted to cut into, well, this is the perfect use for it.

 

 

The largest frame was left single and adhered to the card base.  The other frames were set into that, working from large to small.

 

 

My initial intention was to add this to my birthday card stash, but it would make a nice Easter card, as well.  Decisions, decisions!  If you eliminate the coloring and the crackle paint and simply use designer paper this is very quick and simple with fabulous results.  If you don’t plan to mail in an envelope you can make it with more dimension – as many as six.  Again, it is so easy with any of the Impression Obsession All-In-One frame sets.  As of this writing Dies R Us carries two rectangle sets, plus a set of squares and a set of ovals, both of which I have and will be using for this technique in the future.

 

I’ve taken enough of your time, so I’ll leave you with your thoughts and a wish for a happy day.  See you again soon!

 

Make Your Own A2 Designer Paper Envelopes

 

 

Hi, friends!  Just a peek . . .   Join me over at the Power Poppy Blog to see an extra-easy tutorial for making your own A2 designer paper envelopes to match your lovely Power Poppy cards.  No special tools required.  Thank you!

 

No-Line Copic Colored Azalea

 

Hello and happy Monday!  I had myself quite a little adventure in coloring my new Power Poppy Azalea branch and thought I would share that with you today.  I’m only just beginning to delve into no-line coloring.  It has been a learning process, but I’m enjoying the results a little more each time.    I’ll start by showing you a finished card using the Azalea branch and a sentiment from Power Poppy’s Good Thinking:  Renewal. . .

 

 

Okay. . .  I’m not kidding when I say it was an adventure.  I started out wanting very pale pink azaleas, and they turned out just beautiful. . . until I colored in the background.  It was way too dark for the pale flowers and had the effect of turning them into a garish neon pink abomination.  You can imagine how disappointing that was when they looked like this before coloring the background:

 

 

So sweet and pink and delicate.  I should have either stopped there, or just shaded in a very soft halo of color, but I had it in my head that I wanted to color the entire canvas.  Like I said – a learning process.  The beveled edge on the above photo, by the way, is a Photoshop addition.  It looks like the azaleas were painted onto a white wooden plaque, doesn’t it?  Well, at least I have the photo.

 

I don’t know about any particular rules for no-line coloring, but I’m thinking that, for me, I like to start with an image that’s large enough to see the detail clearly.  I also like to stamp in a color that’s least likely to be visible in the finished image.  In this case, my lightest colors were pink, so I stamped the image in a light pink.  I used regular old Stampin’ Up! Pretty in Pink dye-based ink.  I’ve been surprised to find that these inks work perfectly well for this type of coloring.

 

I’m showing just a few steps in the process here.  Below, you can see the pink stamped image with the coloring just begun.  I like to get the darker color on the edges and any defining marks before I lose them.

 

 

The pinks in the photo below, dark to light, are RV04, RV02, RV00.  The greens, dark to light, are G94, G82, and G40.

 

 

Naturally, there’s a lot of fine tuning to be done during coloring.  The photo below shows the edges softened a little more by coloring light into dark.  Certain petal areas were given more light by blending in RV000 and even going as light as RV0000.  The yellow throats were added with Y21 as the darkest yellow.  I used Y11 to help the yellow fade softly into the pink – stroke toward the pink with Y11, then back toward the yellow with RV0000.  I should add that I sometimes have to make do with the colors I have in my collection.  These two yellows aren’t textbook perfect together, but in the end they worked.

 

 

To avoid the image edges looking like they were simply outlined, I used feathering strokes from the edges inward.  I don’t know that the outline can be avoided altogether, but that’s why it’s stamped in pink.  The pink disappears completely under the darker green of the leaves, and the pale petal edges look soft and natural.  The woody part of the branch is a combination of W7, W3, W1 and E23.

 

 

And then came the background.  It was hideous with the pale pink and I’m not even showing a photo of that.  DELETE!  I had to turn my precious and pretty pale pink azaleas into bold deep pink azaleas, which are beautiful in their own right, just different.  The new, deeper pink is RV09, and I worked down from that through RV04, 02, and RV00.  For the background I used greens in YG11, 13, and 17.  I blended in some blues in BG10, 11, and 23.  The palest blue was blended into the palest green with BG0000.  There are also a couple of knuckle smudges which I had to blend in and hope it looked like they were supposed to be there.

 

 

Well, that’s it!  I finished the card with Spellbinders A2 Bracket Borders One and a rhinestone which I colored with the RV09 marker.

 

I’m sure Marcella will soon have more beautiful flower images in the Power Poppy Shop for me to practice on.  In the meantime I’ve got a few other things I need to finish up and get in the mail.  Have a beautiful day!

Quick and Cute Last Minute Gift Card Holders

 

It happens every year -- I never think about the gift card holders until the last minute – and, consequently, when I do make them they have to be very quick and easy.  I would have liked to dress these up more, but with everything else I’ve got going on at this busy time I had to get in and out of my stamp room with haste.  Next year I’ll include a few gift card holders in my early preparedness plan along with the Christmas cards.

 

 

I wanted to make something that requires no special dies, templates, or cut files.  Something anyone could make in minutes with supplies on hand.  So, if you’re last minute like me, or if you’d like a basic design on which to build your own fabulous creation, here’s the how-to:

 

Cut 4 1/4” x 6”.  Score and fold at 2 1/4” and 4 3/4”.  The width can be narrower for most gift cards, but I needed this width for the particular cards I had purchased.

 

 

Fold to closed position and place dot near flap edge at halfway mark.  This is where you’ll insert the brad.  How close you place the brad to the flap edge depends upon the diameter of the brad.  Not much overlap is required, and too much will make it difficult to open and close without damaging the flap.

 

 

Cut two pieces 1” x 2 1/8”.  Score vertically every 1/4” and fold like an accordion.  Place adhesive strip on each outer fold (both sides).  I used 1/8” Scor-Tape.

 

 

Adhere accordion pieces as shown below.

 

 

 

 

The accordion sides make it a little more interesting and allow the gift card to be slipped in and out easily.

 

 

On this one I punched a half circle before I folded it up.

 

 

These are a coin purse or clutch purse style holder.  Originally I had intended to add a handle and a magnetic clasp, but even that would have required more time than I had to spare.  I hope the recipients will reuse these at some point.  That’s the nice thing about pretty little gift card holders and gift bags – they become part of the gift, itself.  Happy holidays!

Quick and Easy Christmas Cards

 

Hi, there!  Are you all staying warm, or are you freezing?  I’m doing a little of both because the dogs still need to go out for a good run to keep in shape, but, oh, how nice it is to come inside afterward.  A cup of cocoa and a little stamping time – Heaven!

 

I’ve been getting cozy with the Christmas cards.  Now that the season is here I can’t seem to stop.  Today I’m sharing a couple I made this weekend, very quick and easy with a Sizzix cut and emboss set I picked up recently.  The Sizzix set is called Ornament Set #2, and the stamp set I used is Flourishes’ Christmas Classics.

 

 

 

A 4 1/2” x 6” card or larger is required to accommodate the embossing folder.  It works for me as I have a supply of envelopes to fit this size.  It’s such a beautiful embossed design, isn’t it?  Below, you can see a close up of the Copic colored image with Stickles glitter added to the berries.  The three tiny pearls were white, but I colored them purple with a V09 Copic marker.

 

 

The Sizzix Ornament Set #2 comes with a second embossing folder, as well, and some Framelits dies.  I found it worked best to cut the shape first, and then fit it to the matching design in the folder to emboss.  It’s very easy to match it up, and the embossing stays crisp if you cut first and then emboss.

 

 

Here are the parts ready to put together.  I used both large and small Spellbinders circle dies for the Cardinal image.

 

 

I loved the white on white, but wanted to try the folder on a color, too.  I used some Stampin’ Up! Core’dinations paper and sanded to bring out the design.  Just a simple sentiment and some designer paper makes this a very quick card.  Again I used the Spellbinders circle dies and added a Lacey Circles die cut, as well.  The sentiment is embossed with a pretty deep red called Claret.  The bow was made with a Bow Easy tool.

 

 

The second card with no coloring would be very easy production line stamp, cut, and assembly if you wanted to mass produce, especially if you had all year to do it.  It would be fun to relieve the monotony by using a few different colors, designer papers, sentiments, and ribbons.  But then, what would I do with all those Christmas stamps I love to color?

 

I’ll be back soon.  Stay cozy, my friends!

Flower Pitcher and a Paper Bow

 

Hey!  Come on in!  That’s probably what I’d be saying if I were greeting you at the front door, and this is pretty much the same, isn’t it?  So… welcome to my craft room!

 

I have an “old meets new” card today – old stamp and papers, new die and bow-making technique.  The stamp is from a set called Friends are Like Flowers (Stampin’ Up!).  Still just as cute as can be and I’d buy it all over again.  The die is Spellbinders Timeless Rectangle, added to my collection because I felt I “needed” something more elegant.  Well, this is not an elegant card, but I find the die happily takes on the character of the image you use it with. 

 

 

As for the bow, I didn’t make this up.  I learned it from a friend who learned it from someone else.  I don’t know who the originator is, but I’d like to thank them, and I thank my friend for sharing it with me.  I’ll give you a quick rundown just in case you haven’t seen it before.

 

This technique requires two ovals, one larger than the other, and a strip of paper.  I used the medium and large SU! oval punches and a 3/4” x 4” strip of designer paper.  Cut the ovals in half and flip them around, glue them to the strip as shown.  Place something pretty in the center.  That’s all there is to it!

 

                     

                     

 

Since I made an extra bow, I guess I’ll have to make another card to put it on.  Something young and girly.  I’ll work on that later.  I tried this with oval dies, too, and it works just as well.

 

I colored with Copic markers on Flourishes Classic White cardstock and did a little layering and stitching.  It was all just so I could use my new paper bow.

 

 

For those of you who are wondering, LuLu’s paw is healing surprisingly quickly.  I’ve been told it takes a long time for a gash like that to heal on a paw pad, but she’s almost all better.  I’ll have pictures on Goldens and Garden tomorrow.

 

I’m so glad you could stop by.  Have a happy day!

 

 Stamps:  Friends are Like Flowers (retired Stampin’ Up!)  Paper:  True Thyme, Classic White, retired Stampin’ Up! designer paper  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers for coloring  Accessories:  Candy Dot (self adhesive, looks like a brad in the flower center), 1/4” circle punch (under the Candy Dot), Medium and large oval punches, flower punch, Spellbinders Timeless Rectangle die

Easy Photo Editing that Makes a World of Difference

Today I have something a little different to share with you.  This is info that not everybody needs or wants, perhaps, but some may find it useful.  My own photos aren’t always the best, and it's frustrating when I do essentially the same thing every time. I’m no kind of photography or technical expert, but there is one tool that has helped me more than any other.  Whatever method I use needs to be easy and quick and most of all easy.  Did I mention that it has to be easy?  So, here we go, for better or for worse.

********************

First things first… Pictured below is my (ahem) ultra-sophisticated photo set up.  A light box would probably be wonderful, but I don't have one and don't want to spare the space to keep one.  This is the desk where I do my stamping.  When I’m ready to take a photograph or two I pick up my mess and set up for picture taking.  I bring the poster board out of the closet, reposition one of the Ott lights, and I'm ready to go.  I do most of my photographing at night, so artificial light is a must for me.  In the past I have used fluorescent daylight bulbs with good results (much less expensive than Ott lights), but the fluorescent bulbs do need to warm up to full strength before photographing.

• I use a lightweight white poster board, curved up the back and held in place by the smaller light and my tool caddy.  The curve gives the look of infinity, but I've also arranged a white cloth napkin with some folds around the card which would hide the line if you were to have a squared off backdrop.
• I use a tripod with my camera, but any means of steadying the camera will work.
• I use the macro setting on my camera.
• When I step back and zoom in I’m more apt to get a soft focus background.  

Because folks do ask sometimes, I will share with you the different cameras whose pictures are scattered here and there throughout my blog:

• Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 megapixels
• Canon Rebel XT SLR 8.0 megapixels
• Nikon Coolpix S6000 14.2 megapixels
• Canon PowerShot Elph 310 HS 12.1 megapixels

When all is said and done, the difference in how the photos look on the web is negligible, and that’s in large part because of the photo editing software.  This is where we get down to what I really wanted to share with you.

I’ve used a variety of photo editing software, but my favorite to date is Windows Live Photo Gallery.  You can download it free at that link if you don’t already have it.  I was probably the last person to learn about it.

The following is the unedited card photo taken in the setting shown above.  Not so great.

Next is a screen shot of Windows Live Photo Gallery as I prepare to edit.  To get here, I clicked the edit tab (upper left), selected my photo, then right clicked on photo and clicked View File.  To get a closer look at this screen shot, please click on the photo.

The first thing I do is crop.  I try not to crowd the card.  I leave more space on the bottom and to one side.  It sort of leads the eye up to and along the card.  More detail about cropping with the next photo.

I had to actually photograph my computer screen to get this info to show.  A techie I’m not.  To crop, click on that little drop down arrow under “crop”, select Proportion, then Custom.  Custom will allow you to adjust all sides of the crop independently.

Once the photo has been cropped, I proceed with straightening, if necessary.  Select Straighten photo.  A grid will appear over the photo.  Adjust the slider one direction or the other to align the top of the card with the horizontal grid.  A side fold card would be aligned with the vertical grid.  Click the check mark when finished straightening.

The exposure adjustment is one of my favorite features about this software.  I mean, all that light on the subject and it’s still not enough?  Go figure.  For this card I brightened a little bit and enhanced the contrast just a smidgen.  Most importantly I moved the shadows slider all the way to the right to brighten the background and lighten some of the shadows on the card.  By doing this I can brighten the whole picture without over brightening the main subject – the card.  I can control the light and dark areas without getting any glare.  I can also darken the highlights, if need be.  Yes, this can all be done in Photoshop, but it seems so much easier here with everything in one window.

Color adjustment is easy, too, and much the same as most programs.  Once I had brightened the photo I could see the color was pretty true because of the Ott lights.  However, it did have a bit of a grayish cast, and this is so not a grayish kind of card.  I moved the color temperature slider to the right to warm up the color.  I also gave it a little more color saturation – just enough to make it look more like the real thing.

Now I’m ready to sharpen.  I keep in mind how large the finished photo will appear on the screen.  The larger the photo, the less it will need to be sharpened.  There’s a slider at the very bottom of this screen (not shown here) which will allow me to enlarge my view of the photo.  I enlarge it to approximately the size I think it will be viewed on my blog, then I proceed with sharpening.  I try not to over sharpen.  If a white halo appears around the objects in the painting, I have gone too far.  Note that sharpening can give the photo a rough or grainy appearance.  We’ll fix that in the next step.

This part is easy.  Simply click the Analyze button and it will soften the photo without compromising the clarity.  Remember, if you’d like to see a magnified view of any of these photos, just click on the photo.

Finally, you may notice the soft edges of the finished photo, below.  This is the one thing I do in Photoshop Elements, and I learned it from Amy Sheffer right here.  It’s in a Splitcoaststampers forum.  Scroll down to Post #13 for this bit of information.  If you start at the beginning of the thread, you’ll find that Amy has shared a wealth of information about how she photographs and edits her cards.  She photographs in daylight and edits in Photoshop Elements.  You may find her methods more to your liking.  I’d like to thank Amy for sharing her knowledge.

One final look at the before and after.  A world of difference.

       

Thanks so much for your time today.  If this info helps one person, it will have been worth it.

Fairy on Tiptoes

This is a project I made way back in the beginning of September.

My friend saw me coloring this Lili of the Valley fairy image, On Tiptoe, and exclaimed how the colors matched the quilt she was making for her little granddaughter, so I decided to make it up extra pretty for gift giving.

It’s colored with Copic markers on Classic White cardstock and embellished with flowers and flourishes.  The larger purple flower with the pearl center is a Prima, but the roses are a Wal-Mart find from a long time ago.  I’ll list all the ingredients in the recipe at the end, but for a quick reference, these are the Spellbinders dies I used (cut in my Grand Calibur):

• Classic Squares Large S4-126
• Lacey Squares S4-295
• Twisted Metal Tags and Accents S5-071
• Nested Lacey Pennants S5-029

The finished product is sprinkled overall with fairy dust (Stickles Stardust Glitter Glue) and the Lacey Square is dotted with a rather inexpert application of Ranger Liquid Pearls.  The fairy’s red hair -- you guessed it -- matches the hair of the adorable little girl who will receive the card and quilt.

Ordinarily I like to keep my cards envelope-able (I know, not a real word). Even if they require extra postage for hand cancelling, I like them to be ready to mail in an envelope, rather than a bubble pack or box. In this case, however, I knew the card would be hand-delivered, so I was free to indulge myself.  I made a little window box for the card:

The construction of the box is not a new concept, but I’ve included a brief tutorial with measurements, photos, etc. for the sake of keeping it all in one place (and in case I make more lumpy cards in the future, I’ll have these instructions to refer to).

Box bottom:

• Cut cardstock 6 1/2” square (to fit a 5 1/4” square card).
• Score all four sides at 1/2”.
• Cut each end to score line as shown below.

• Fold into box shape and tape closed with flaps to the inside (I used Scor-Tape).


Box top:

• Cut top 1/16” larger – 6 9/16” square.
• Proceed same as box bottom – score all four sides at 1/2” and clip ends.  Do not fold and tape yet.
• To create window, center die on box top (I used the smallest die of the Spellbinders Grand Squares LF-126).
• Cut and emboss.

• Apply Scor-Tape to inside around window.
• Cut acetate or clear cardstock (I used Flourishes Clear Cover Cardstock) 5 1/4” square.
• Adhere to inside of box top.

• Now it’s ready to tape into a box shape and decorate.

I used more roses and glitter and shapes from Spellbinders Twisted Metal Tags and Accents, as well as pearls, metallic ribbon, and the Martha Stewart branch punch.  I also embossed two of the box top surface ends with a Cuttlebug Organic Flourish border folder.  With the Grand Calibur, embossing can be accomplished by sandwiching the folder between the Grand Calibur cutting plate and a Cuttlebug B plate.  Very easy!

Thanks for hanging in there with me and my erratic posting!  Bless all your little hearts, and I’ll see you again soon.

Stamps:  On Tiptoes (Lili of the Valley fairy image), Warm Words (SU! sentiment)  Paper:   Pink Pirouette, Barely Banana (Stampin’ Up!), Wisteria (Memory Box), Flourishes Classic White cardstock and Clear Cover Cardstock, Prima Sweet Fairy designer paper  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers for coloring  Accessories:  Flowers, pearls, ribbon, decorative pearl brad, Martha Stewart branch punch, Stickles Glitter Glue, Cuttlebug Organic Flourish embossing folder, Spellbinders dies as listed above, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

The Leaves are Falling

Hello?  Is anybody out there?  Well, here we are at the first Monday in October and it’s time for me to step back into blogging.  I have to say I enjoyed my break, but I did miss communicating with you all through this medium.  Funny, how that is… it’s become such an integral part of my life.

During my break I did a little stamping, though not as much as I expected.  I found I enjoyed it more when I didn’t have unfinished business in the back of my mind, and, goodness, I do always seem to have a lot of other things on my mind!  One makes time for the things they love, however, and… well, we all know how I feel about stamping.  Now that I’m no longer designing for anyone, my only deadlines would be self-imposed, and I think I’ll not go down that road.  It’ll be free-flowing, come what may, when the mood strikes and time allows.

Since the season changed while I was lollygagging, I thought it appropriate to come back with a Fall card today.

I stamped Flourishes’ Falling Leaves on the Basketweave background and watercolored with Tombow Markers.  I used Palette Cognac for the Basketweave, and Palette Noir for the leaves.  All Palette inks are waterproof and perfect for watercoloring.

My designer papers are from the Kaiser Craft Hunt & Gather collection, including the curved border along the lower edge.  It’s one of the punch outs that come with the collection.  I sanded the edges of the designer papers, and the center chocolate panel is embossed with the Cuttlebug Argyle embossing folder.  I added Spellbinders Floral Flourishes S4-327 along one edge of the image panel, and the sentiment is cut with Labels Four S4-190.

I took pictures long the way, so I might as well share those, too.  It’s sometimes fun to see how an image evolves.

Stamped leaves, masking one.  I used a pink Post-It note for the mask.

I masked all four leaves before stamping the Basketweave background.

I cut the panel down to size and colored all leaves in a mustard yellow base.

Added gold, green, and red with center leaf in all three colors.

The finished image has a little brown shading around the leaves to add depth.  I did that with SU! Chocolate Chip and Close to Cocoa markers.

I hope you’re enjoying these early Fall days.  They’ve been incredibly beautiful here, for the most part, and all the better when savored at a slower pace.  Thank you for visiting today.  I’ll see you again soon!

Stamps:  Falling Leaves, Basketweave (both Flourishes)  Paper:  Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, 90# hot press watercolor paper, Flourishes Classic Ivory, Kaiser Craft Hunt & Gather designer paper  Ink:  Palette Noir, Palette Cognac, Chocolate Chip, So Saffron (for sponging the sentiment panel, SU! and Tombow Markers for watercoloring  Accessories:  Velvet ribbon, decorative brad, Cuttlebug Argyle embossing folder, Spellbinders dies as listed above

A Sweet Easter Treat

Hello!  I have some new stamps to play with – quite a few, actually.  I’m not sure when I’ll have time to get to all of them, and I certainly won’t want to forget the old stamps in the meantime, but I’m going to have fun slaving away in my stamp room…coming up for air, wiping my brow, diving back in…oh, what a grueling task – NOT!

Is this a sweet image, or am I imagining it?  I picked this up, along with several other items at Stamper’s Dream recently.  I was shopping with a purpose, showing great reserve, passing over several stamps I was drawn to for their beauty, and focusing only on what I felt I “needed”.  Michelle has a lot of new items in the store!  When I selected this stamp I was thinking it could do Easter for either an adult or a child, and it just happens to be beautiful, too!

It’s an Impression Obsession stamp, illustrated by Alesa Baker, called Happy Wishes.  The sentiment, also Impression Obsession, is appropriately called Sweet Wishes.  I watercolored on 90 lb. hot press watercolor paper with Tombow Markers.  There’s nothing I love more about stamping than watercoloring a pretty image and then imagining how it would look in different colors with different papers.  If I had more time I’d color up several of them and lay them out like a box of candy and devour them with my eyes.

 

A bit about the markers and watercoloring:  First of all, why use one coloring medium over another?  Well… they just look different, for starters.  Additionally, the watercolored image is very forgiving.  You don’t necessarily expect the blending to be utterly smooth and seamless like Copic Markers, for instance.  You can expect the brush strokes to show.  Some mottling of the image is acceptable.  That’s what makes it look watercolored, and a watercolored image has a unique beauty.  I wrote a tutorial here, if you’d like a little more info.

When I watercolor I stamp with Palette ink.  You can use StazOn, also, but Palette is kinder to your stamps and just as waterproof.  I always keep a scrap of the same type of paper I’m painting on for testing my colors and their blending qualities.  The more pigment a color has, the more it will bleed and blend.  If a color, such as some of the pastels I’ve used here, looks like it will need a little more help, I’ll paint the area with water first, just to dampen.  Then I’ll stroke on a little color with the marker and put the brush to it immediately.  The color blends better while the ink is still wet.  I’ll repeat this step until I’m satisfied with the result.

Most importantly, I try not to over-focus on or overwork a spot I’m not too happy with.  I’ll move on and find that the image as a whole looks pretty good.

These are the colors I used.  Sorry for the glare.  You can click for a close up and read the numbers more clearly, if desired.

Well, gee, there I go being long-winded again.  I don’t always have time to write much, but at the start of the year I promised myself I would share more information for the folks who are trying to learn.  We’ve all been there, and I’m still trying to learn, too.

Thanks so much for your time!  More stamping and less words to follow soon.  Take care!

Stamps:  Impression Obsession Happy Wishes and Sweet Wishes  Paper:  Ivory, Banana, 90 lb hot press watercolor, October Afternoon Fly a Kite designer paper  Ink:  Palette Noir, Berry Sorbet, Tombow Markers for watercoloring  Accessories:  Ribbon, flower, oval punch, Scotch brand foam mounting tape