Winter has seemed to hang around way to long this year.  I was so very happy to see a butterfly flying around in my garden Saturday and the humming birds have returned to enjoy the feeders I have put out for them.  I assume that means warm weather is here to stay.

To celebrate I have created this butterfly tutorial for you.  Let’s get started.

Supplies:

Stamped the Butterfly image on Whisper White card stock using Palette Noir Black Hybrid Ink.

Note:  This is a very good ink to use with Prismacolor Markers.  It doesn’t smear with the alcohol based markers.

Sorry for the first 3 pictures being blurry.  I changed my camera setting and forgot to change it back, yikes!

Anyway, I colored the image with a Yellow Orange Prismacolor Marker.

Colored the inside and outside edges of the wings with an Orange Prismacolor marker.

Colored the body of the butterfly with a Goldenrod Prismacolor marker.

Felt I wanted the color to me more intense so I went over the entire butterfly again with the Yellow Orange marker. 

Here we go the camera is in focus again. 

Also, went over the inside and outside of the wings with the Orange marker once more.  Yep, that is much better! 

Being careful to stay within the lines of the image I colored in the butterfly with a Versamark marker and then heat embossed it using clear embossing powder and a heat gun.

Wow, that makes this butterfly pop!

Sponged on Lettuce ink using a streaking motion with the sponge to get some grass texture started.

To continue getting texture I used the narrow end of the Butterscotch ink pad and did direct to paper with it.  Using a streaking motion.

Note:  It’s a good idea to try this out on your scrap paper first to get a feel for how much presser you want to put on the stamp pad.

For direct to paper techniques I like to use these Adirondack pads because the pad sits up more on the base giving you access to the edges of the pad.

Using the narrow edge of the Ginger ink pad I made lines to simulate grasses by just touching it to the paper at an angle.

I also did a bit of sponging with the Ginger ink at the bottom of the card stock.

Using a circular motion, sponged Aqua ink in the sky area.

Stamped side “A” of the Marble Texture Cube with Stone Washed ink in the top of the sky area.

Sponged side “B” of the Marble Texture Cube with Not Quite Navy ink over the Stonewashed ink.

Sponged some Not Quite Navy ink at the top of the card stock.

Sponged some Denim ink at the top of the card stock to make the sky really dramatic.

Applied Peeled Paint ink at the horizon line, by using the edge of the ink pad and pulling down.

Created a shadow for the butterfly by sponging in a circular motion around the side edge and bottom edge of the butterfly with Not Quite Navy ink.  I keep most of the sponge on the butterfly and barely go onto the background to get the shadow.

I think I need more grasses so I put some in with the edge of a Rust ink pad.

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

Thank you for coming along on this celebration of warmer weather.

Just a note:  I have added a new tab at the top of this blog in which I answer the most frequently asked questions.  I will be updating this from time to time so you may want to check it out occassionally if you have questions. 

Until my next post. . . . .

Michelle

The combination of embossed Creamy Caramel & Brayered Chocolate Chip ink reminds me of tooled leather so that is why I’m naming it Faux Tool Leather, lol.  Oh, the Power one has on their own blog

I’m also using the set from Gina K. Designs, Comfort & Peace.  You can get this set from http://www.shop.ginakdesigns.com/main.sc

or you may be the lucky winner of this set from yesterdays blog candy, which I will announce at the end of this tutorial.

Ready for todays tutorial?  Let’s give it a go.

Supplies:

Started out with a piece of Creamy Caramel card stock that measures 5″ x 5″,  used a ruler to find the center of it.  I put a little dot in the center with a creamy caramel marker so it wouldn’t show up later in the finished piece.

Stamped the larger floral image on my Stamp-a-ma-jig plastic with basic black ink.

Using my Stamp-a-ma-jig for placement I stamped the floral image using Versamark and lining the stem end up with the center dot and the leaf point with the corner.

Heat embossed image with clear embossing powder and a heat gun.

Repeated the last two steps again 3 more times, embossing each image as I stamped it.

Colored the un-embossed centers of the flowers with a Tempting Turquoise marker.

Went over the Tempting Turquoise with a Versamark marker and heat embossed using clear embossing powder and a heat gun.

Heavily brayered on Chocolate Chip ink over the entire piece of card stock, turning the card stock different directions to get good coverage over the entire piece. 

Note:  The ink will look almost black, but as it dries it lightens up a whole lot.

Let it dry a few moments and then wipe the Chocolate Chip ink off of the embossed images with a paper towel.

Using the smaller floral stamp in the set, I colored just part of the image on the stamp with a Chocolate Chip marker and then stamped it on my Stamp-a-ma-jig plastic.

Used my Stamp-a-ma-jig for placement.

Colored the same particle part of the stamp I did before, I colored it in with a Chocolate Chip Marker.  Stamped it on the card stock four times, coloring the same part of the stamp between stampings and huffing my breath on it to get the color moist.

Let the images dry for a few moments and then wiped the ink off of the embossed images again with a paper towel.

Stamped large floral stamp around the edge of the card stock with black ink.

Let the black ink dry a few moments and then wiped the ink from the embossed images again with a paper towel.

Used a Sharpie Gold Paint Pen and drug it along the outside edge of the card stock on all sides.  This creates the look of a gold layer with out the bulk or cost of gold card stock.

Note:  Hold the tip of the Paint Pen half on the card stock and half on your scrap paper and drag it straight down the edge.  It’s easier than it looks to get a nice straight line.

Punched a small flower from Tempting Turquoise card stock and a large flower from Creamy Caramel card stock.

Adhered them to the center of the layered card front.  Poked a hole in the center of the flowers and each corner with my piercing tool.

Added gold brads and here you have it, the finished card that measures 5.25″ x 5.25″. 

Yesterday I offered as blog candy this great set from Gina K. Designs. 

But first, I want to thank everyone who left a comment.  You all are the most wonderfully supportive group of stampers ever!  I received so many good suggests for things to added to this blog.  Thanks again.

Well my Husband, Russ selected a number and we have a winner, Charmaine!  Charmaine left this comment:

Have a super Saturday!

Until my next post. . . . . . .

Michelle

I’m not a blog candy kind of girl.  Meaning you won’t see me giving stuff away constantly in order to create traffic to my blog.  I would rather give you tutorials you can use.  But I stayed up way to late last night and I slept in this morning and find myself having two of these beautiful stamp sets Comfort & Peace from Gina K. Designs.  A gal only needs one set so the other one I am giving away as my first ever blog candy.  So leave a comment on this post telling me the things you would like to see in the future on my blog.  I will have my husband, Russ draw a random number tomorrow morning and that number will receive this set for free! 

Fair enough, I got to sleep in this morning and you have a chance at a beautiful free Gina K. Designs stamp set.

Hey, have a fabulous Friday!

Until my next post. . . . .

Michelle

Before I started my blog, I would start each day by doing one of the challenges on Split Coast Stampers.  The challenges really helped me grow as a stamper and come out of my secure little box.

I decided to do my favorite SCS challenge, the sketch challenge.  Here is a link to the challenge:    http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=346067

Supplies:

Stamped fisherman with Black ink, using a Stamp-a-ma-jig for placement.  Note:  I used Classic Black dye ink to stamp on the plastic sheet of the Stamp-a-ma-jig, not the Palette Hybrid ink.  The Palette Hybrid ink is very hard to get off of the plastic, if you can get it off at all.

Decided to use my Prismacolor markers to color with today.  I store them on their sides and I have them cataloged in my binder since I am a visual person.  This way I can instantly see what color I would like to use and how it will look when it is dry.

Colored his pants with Blondwood.

Colored the creases & knees of his pants with Light tan.

Also colored his hat with Light Tan.

Colored his face and hands with Eggshell.

Colored his jacket with Limepeel.

Colored the creases of his jacket with Light Olive Green.

Colored over the fisher man with a Versamark marker and then heat embossed him with clear embossing powder and a heat gun.

Brayered Soft Sky ink on the sky area of the card stock.

Brayered Not Quite Navy at the top of the card stock not completely covering the Soft Sky ink.

Brayered Not Quite Navy ink on the water area of the card stock.

Used my curvy cutter to cut a circle from Soft Sky card stock.  Cut the circle in half.   Stamped the lures with Black ink on each half.

Colored Lures with Limepeel marker.

Added White Gel Pen highlights on his gills and on the hooks.

Added some stripes of Mediterranean Blue on the lures.

Sponged on Soft Sky ink on the curved part of each half circle.  Ooops, missed taking a picture of this but I also, sponged on Not Quite Navy ink on the outer most part of the circles and under the lures.

Sponged on Old Olive around the edges the Soft Sky card stock panel.

Added some Not Quite Navy sponging around the edge of the panel too.

Used a distressing tool and distressed the half circles, main image panel and Soft Sky panel edges.  Drug each distressed edge across a Night of Navy ink pad to make the white edges dark.

Assembled card front.

Used my piercing tools to pierce holes in the upper left and bottom right corners of the card front.

Used a Not Quite Navy Marker and created faux stitching by running the marker from one hole to another.

Here is the completed 5″ x 6.5″ card.

Hope your day is filled with creative challenges that will bring growth to your crafting!

Until next post. . . . . .

Michelle

This is for all my fellow gardeners out there.  This branch from Stampin’ Up’s Spring Solitude set has always reminded me of a seedling.  So here it is as such.

Ready for the tutorial?  Let’s get to it!

Supplies:

Stamped a row of seedlings on Whisper White card stock by loading my stamp first with a Versamark pad and then with Lettuce ink before stamping.  I had to use a Stamp-a-ma-jig for placement because I cannot for the life of me stamp in a straight line, lol.

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

Stamped a second row the same as the first with Versamark and Lettuce ink.  Heat embossed second row with clear embossing powder and a heat gun.

Brayered on Butterscotch ink in the sky area.

Brayered on Rust ink at the top of the card stock, not covering the Butterscotch ink entirely.

Brayered on Creamy Caramel ink on the ground area.

Masked the sky area with post it notes that have been torn on the sticky edge side.

Lightly sponged Chocolate Chip ink in a circular motion at the torn edge of the post it notes.  This will create the horizon line.

Moved the post it notes down to create the mound of dirt for the seedlings in the foreground.

Sponged Chocolate Chip ink heavily on the bottom of the card-stock, covering the entire unmasked area.

Removed mask and sponged Basic Black ink at the very bottom of the card stock.

Heavily sponge some Rust ink at the top of the card stock to create a little interest in the sky area.

Time to put in some shadows

Using my Stamp-a-ma-jig for placement I stamped the seedling again to create the shadow for the back row of seedlings with Creamy Caramel ink.

Using the Stamp-a-ma-jig again for placement, stamped the shadows for the first row of seedlings using Chocolate Chip ink.

Using the Stamp-a-ma-jig again and stamped my sentiment with Chocolate Chip ink.  We’ve gone to far now to stamp the sentiment crooked, lol.

Used a White Gel Pen to highlight the left sides of the seedlings.  This makes them look like they are back lite.

Assembled card and here it is complete.  This finished card measures 5″ x 6.5″.

Hey, I want to thank everyone for visiting my blog.   I am shock to see that my blog counter has went over 100,000!!!!

Also, I broke down and purchased a camcorder.  My hope is to figure out how to use it and do a few technique videos.  Would anyone be interested in seeing a video on Brayering?

May your day be filled with new growth and sunshine!

Until my next post. . . . .

Huge Hugs,

Michelle