Well it’s a beautiful sunny day here in Ohio.  The birds are singing and my bird-feeders are extra busy this morning.   The bird songs I’m hearing are what inspired this creation. 

I used the up and coming sketch challenge that will be posted later at  http://www.innovativestampcreations.blogspot.com/  

and new stamp images from Innovative Stamp Creations - Nature Silhouettes II & Art 4 Frames II.  Here is a link to their online store:  http://www.innovativestampcreations.com/ischomepage.html

Ready for this Rusty Spring Scene Tutorial?  Alright, then let’s get started

Supplies:

Stamped Bird with Palette Noir Black ink on Whisper White card stock.

Colored birds belly with a Prismacolor Buff marker.

Colored the upper half of bird’s belly with a Prismacolor Burnt Ochre marker.

Colored the very top of the bird’s belly with a Prismacolor Terra Cotta marker.

Colored the top of the bird with a Prismacolor True Blue marker.

Colored the Bird’s beak with a Prismacolor Burnt Ochre marker.

Colored over the bird image with a Versamark Marker and heat embossed with clear embossing powder and a heat gun.

Stamp Floral Swirl stamp by first loading with Versamark and then with Lettuce Ink before stamping.

Heat embossed using Clear embossing powder and a heat gun.

Colored Center of flower with a Terra Cotta marker and went over it with Versamark and then heat embossed it with clear embossing powder and a heat gun.

Stamped Floral Silhouette stamp by first loading stamp with Versamark and then Lettuce Ink before stamping.

Heat embossed with clear embossing powder and a heat gun.

Starting at the center of the card stock, sponged on More Mustard ink in a circular motion.

Working from the outside in, sponged Pumpkin Pie Ink in a circular motion not covering all of the More Mustard.  I left a light area behind the bird.

Sponged Really Rust ink at the top of the card stock and at the bottom of the flowers.

Stamped the floral silhouette stamp again only using Oregano ink and moving the stamp about 1/2″ over to the right from where I stamp it before.

Sponged Walnut Stain using a swiping motion from bottom toward top to create the look of grasses.

Using a rag wiped ink from embossed images.

Made highlight with white gel pen on the top of the Flowers in the silhouette.

Distress edges with The Tim Holtz distressing tool.

Sponged Walnut Distress ink on the edges.

Stamped pen nib stamp with Oregano ink on Apricot Appeal card stock.  Cut out images wand swiped on end of the images over a Really Rust ink pad.  Colored the nib end of the images in with a white gel pen.

Stamped flourish with Oregano Ink at the top of the card stock.

Punched a label shape out of Apricot Appeal card stock.  Sponged Really Rust ink on it.  Drug the ends of the label over the Walnut Distress Ink pad.  Stamped flower on the label shape using Walnut Stain ink.  Colored Flower bud with a white gel pen.

Cut a panel of Apricot Appeal card stock and sponged on Really Rust ink and Walnut ink around the edges using a swiping motion.  Sorry, no photo.

Assembled card.  Finished card measures 5″ x 6.5″. 

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial and your day is one filled with bird songs and sunshine.

Until my next post. . . . . . .

Michelle

Announcement, Announcement!  I’ve been asked to be part of the Creative Architect Design Team for Innovative Stamp Creations.  Woohoo!  and what an honor to get to create with such artistic stamps and along side such artistic designers!

Here is a link to InnovativeStampCreations.com  http://www.innovativestampcreations.com/ischomepage.html

Check them out and you will find that their stamps are so artistic, fresh and wonderful!  I can’t say enough about their quality either, very deeply etched red rubber, MMMMMM.  Sorry, I sound like I’m describing a desert, lol.

I used two stamps in the making of this card.  One from Innovative Stamp Creations new set Flair of Summer and the other stamp from their Fancy Designs set.   This is my very first card with these stamps so I’m just getting my feet wet with this creation. 

This is also for the Innovative Stamp Creations weekly challenge.  These challenges are just starting and they are going to be good ones. 

Here are the details to play along. WIN a FREE ISC stamp sheet To qualify for the FREE stamp sheet of your CHOICE, you must use ISC images only and post your link on the ISC blog   http://innovativestampcreations.blogspot.com/   There will be a deadline for entries very soon.

Colors are:
Soft Sky

Certainly Celery
Sage Shadow

Chocolate Chip

River Rock or Neutral

Whew!  I’m a bit gabby this morning.  Ready to get going on this tutorial?  Here we go!

Supplies:

Started my main image panel scene by stamping four times the Fancy Designs set stamp on Whisper White card stock.  I loaded my stamp first with Versamark and then Chocolate Chip ink before stamping each image. 

Heat embossed the images with clear embossing powder and a heat gun.

Now this next stamp was loaded first with Versamark then River Rock ink, then I took the Certainly Celery pad and patted it on the bottom part of the stamp image, then I stamped the stamp on the card stock.  This gave me a variation in color on the image.

Heat embossed the image using clear embossing powder and a heat gun.

Punched a 1 3/8″ circle from the sticky part of a post it note and used it as a mask for my moon.

Brayered Soft Sky ink on the top 2/3rds of the card stock.

Masked the sky area with post it notes and brayered Sage Shadow ink at the very bottom of the card stock.

Sponged Sage Shadow ink at a diagonal from the moon, so there is a light spot left under the moon.

Removed the post it notes and sponged Sage Shadow ink at the top of the card stock.

Stamped the plant stamp again using Chocolate Chip Ink.

Sponged Chocolate Chip ink at the bottom of the card stock using a pouncing motion so it looks like grasses.

I let the ink dry a few moments and then I wiped the ink from the embossed images.

Here is the assembled card that measures 5″ x 6.5″.

Hey, I’m so very glad you got to join me today for this tutorial and little introduction to Innovative Stamp Creations.

Hope your day is one of peace.

Until my next post. . . . . .

Michelle 

If you missed the party last night over on Split Coast Stampers in Gina K. Designs Forum you missed a great new stamp release party.  There were tons of sneak peeks and contests.

This is a sneak peek card I did for the party last night using Melanie Muenchinger’s “Jumping for Joy” set.  You can see all of the new stamp sets today at Gina K. Designs, just following this link:  http://www.ginakdesigns.com/

I think I have been permanently trained now to take photos whenever I am stamping a card out, lol.  Imagine, here I was in a hurry to get a card done for the party and I’m stopping to take photos.  Yep, I’ve been trained to do tutorials for every card created!  Hey, it only took 56 tutorials to make it a habit, lol.  Old dogs and new tricks!

Anyhoo, here is the tutorial for this one.

Supplies:

Started off by stamping this sweet bear (love his expression) on a piece of Creamy Caramel cardstock with Palette Noir Black ink.  Note:  I used this ink because it doesn’t smear when using Prismacolor markers.

Colored the Bear with a Prismacolor Sand Marker.  I did not color his muzzle or his inner ears.   I also did a second swipe of color with the same marker to create shadows under his arms, feet, behind and chin.

Continued with the shadowing on him with yet a darker marker, Prismacolor Walnut on his under arms, feet, behind and chin.

I used scissors to cut him out.  He has pretty easy curves to maneuver around with scissors.

Ripped a cliff shape from a piece of River Rock card stock.

Heavily sponged River Rock ink on the right side of the cliff.  Leaving the left side bare because I’m imagining that my sun is shining on the front of the cliff.

Heavily sponged Old Olive ink on the top of the cliff for grass and lightly sponged on some Chocolate Chip ink at the right side of the cliff, not covering the River Rock ink entirely.

Now for the background, brayered on Soft Sky ink at the top 2/3rds of a piece of Whisper White card stock.

Brayered on Brilliant Blue ink at the top of the card stock, not covering the Soft Sky ink entirely.

Placed Post it Notes, sticky end where I wanted my horizon line to be and to mask the sky area.

Brayered on Cool Caribbean ink at the bottom of the card stock.

Sponged Taken with Teal ink at the Post it Note edge to make a dark line for the horizon.  Also using a swiping motion from left to right I sponged on Taken With Teal in the water area getting heavier towards the bottom of the card stock.

Took a piece of Old Olive card stock and tore the top edge of it off.  This will be the ground area.

Swiped the bottom and top of the torn card stock over the Old Olive ink pad.

Assembled main image panel.

Sponged Night of Navy ink at the top of the card stock.

Assembled card and here it is finished measuring 4″x 8.5″.

Hope your day gives you an expression like the one this bear is wearing!

Until my next post. . . . . ..

Michelle

The Color Challenge on Split Coast Stampers was one that reminded me of Northern Lights, so I did a very quick card this morning and tried to create it.

If you would like to do the Color Challenge here is a link:  http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=349309

Supplies:

Sponged Certainly Celery ink on Whisper White card stock.

Sponged Blue Bayou ink at the top of the card stock leaving a white showing between the it and the Certainly Celery ink.

Sponged Soft Sky Ink over the top part of the Certainly Celery ink.

Stamped trees with Basic Black ink.

Sponged Basic Black ink at the base of the trees.

Assembled card and here it is finished measuring 5″ x 6.5″.

Hope your day is filled with beautiful skies.

Until my next post. . . . .

Michelle

I’m still feeling under the weather here.  Thought a bright cheerful card might make me feel a little better.  This Blooming With Love set from Stampin’ Up had not seen ink yet so I decided to use it for today’s tutorial.

Supplies:

Stamped Flowers with Palette Noir Black ink on Whisper White card stock.

Colored some of the flowers with a Prismacolor Sunburst Yellow Marker and some with a Prismacolor Yellow Orange marker.

Colored over the flowers with a Versamark Marker and heat embossed them using clear embossing powder and a heat gun.

Stamped the stamp from Watercolor Minis set randomly over the flowers by first loading the stamp with Versamark and then with Cool Caribbean ink.  Heat embossed them using clear embossing powder and a heat gun.

Repeated last step, but used Brilliant Blue ink and Versamark, heat embossed using clear embossing powder and a heat gun.

Same steps again, but used Versamark and black ink and only stamped a couple of times in the middle of the flowers.  Heat embossed with clear embossing powder and a heat gun.

Using my Stamp-a-ma-Jig for placement, I stamp the cart with Noir Black ink.

Colored the cart with a Prismacolor Sunburst Yellow marker.

Went over part of the cart with a Prismacolor Yellow Orange Marker.

Added some Prismacolor Pumpkin Orange Marker at the left side of cart.

Lastly added Prismacolor Brun Sienne along left side and bottom of cart.

Went over the cart with a Prismacolor Colorless Blender to blend the colors.

Colored the Wheel with Brun Sienna. 

Added Cool Grey 50% to wheel.

Added Cool Grey 90% around the outer edge of the wheel and used the blender marker to blend the two grey colors a bit.

Note:  I missed taking photos of this but I colored the cart with a Versamark marker and heat embossed it using clear embossing powder and a heat gun.

Sponged Lettuce ink at the bottom of the card stock.

Sponged Oregano ink at the bottom of the card stock, not covering the Lettuce ink entirely.

Sponge Stonewashed ink in the sky area.

Sponged Brilliant Blue ink on the left 2/3rds of the sky area.

Sponged Oregano ink under the cart as a shadow.

Wiped ink from embossed images.

Assembled card measures 5.25″ x 5.25″.