Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Introducing Furever Friends: Kitty Cat Cards

Hello there!   Today I am excited to share some ideas using the first set I created called Furever Friends.  I love that you can completely change the look of these kitties just by the way you choose to color them!

For my first card I thought I would try one of my favorite color schemes:  Black, grey and pink!  I started by coloring in my images with copic markers and then fussy cut them out.  For those who dislike cutting things out by hand there will also some cool matching dies available.  ;)


I inked up my background using Spun Sugar and Worn Lipstick distress inks and then adhered my images and stamped my sentiment with VersaFine Black Onyx ink.  When I had those placed just the way I wanted them I set to work stamping the open hearts from the set (and a tiny one borrowed from the Harvest Happiness set) to frame them.


For my next card I chose to go with another favorite color combo of mine using soft blue and brown together.  I couldn't decide which color to go with for my kitty so I decided to stamp three of them so I wouldn't have to choose.  For the middle kitty I colored a random calico pattern with my Copic Markers and then used my .3 mm Copic Multiliner pen to trace the edges of my pattern.


My background was inked up using Tumbled Glass distress ink and a Tsukineko Jumbo Dauber.  The sentiment was stamped with Hero Arts Cup O' Joe Shadow Ink.

This particular image is extra special to me because I quickly sketched it of my own kitty as he sat hogging my desk space while I worked.  He was laying in this exact pose next to my warm keyboard and I was so giddy I was able to capture his personality on my first attempt.  In moments like these, I swear God was literally guiding my hand as I drew.  ;)


Here's a look at the full Furever Friends stamp set used for both of today's cards (available for purchase on September 8th):


Thanks for hanging with me today.  :)

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Introducing Harvest Happiness: Autumn Blessings Card

Today I would like to formally introduce the new Harvest Happiness stamp set.

For my card I created a little scene using the pumpkin and leaf images from the set which I colored with Copic Markers and fussy cut.  I will admit cutting out these little leaves made my eyes cross and were largely responsible for inspiring me to release a line of dies with my debut (that and the skinny little Turkey and Owl legs).  ;)


My background was a created through lots of trial and error.  I really wanted to create a multi-colored background picking up all the colors of the leaves, but it just wasn't coming together the way I imagined.  I actually was close to pulling my hair out with how bad it was looking.

To try a miraculous rescue I ended up spritzing the whole piece like crazy with water, soaking up some of the darker mucky colors with a paper towel, hitting it with my heat gun and sponging on some more Ripe Persimmon and Spice Marmalade distress ink over the top.  In the end I actually love the layered, modeled look of it all and how it compliments the pumpkins.  I thought I would share my experience in case you're ever feeling like your project is also a hot mess.  With a little perseverance & experimenting you can frequently turn things around.  ;)


Here's a look at the full Harvest Happiness stamp set used for today's card (available for purchase on September 8th):


I hope you've enjoyed the sneak peeks so far.  I will be back tomorrow with some more fun reveals.  :)