I love to color.  It is so relaxing to me.  Last night I sat down to color and came up with this creation.  This is a variation on Karen Barber’s Black and White Magic technique that I did a post on last week.  The technique of coloring with Prismacolor Pencils and then outlining the image with a White gel pen apparently can be done on any color of card stock other than white with wonderful results.  It even showed up very well on SU River Rock card stock. 

I love making cards that look like tiles, they are so versatile you can use them for so many different occasions.

The images used in todays tutorial are from Innovative Stamp Creations “Artsy Victorian Sheet”.  Here is a link to their online store:  http://www.innovativestampcreations.com/ischomepage.html

Let’s get started on the tutorial. 

Supplies:

Stamped image on Basic Black card stock with White Craft ink.

Dried the ink with a heat gun.  You can also just wait for it to dry, but I’m not that patient.

When I color with Prismacolor Pencils, I dip my pencil point in Odorless Paint Thinner and then color.  The pencil melts like butter on the card stock and blends very nicely.

Started coloring with a Yellow Ochre pencil.

Then added Pumpkin Orange Pencil.

Colored part of the center of the image with a Warm Grey 30% pencil.

Then colored the rest of the center image with a True Blue pencil.

Colored around the center image with a Poppy Red pencil.

Used the True Blue pencil again on the outer frame of the design.

Here is where the magic happens.  Outlined the image with a white gel pen.  Wow!  That makes it come to life.

Trimmed the image down, leaving a bit of black card stock showing all the way around.

Stamped with Black ink part of the flourish image at each corner of a 4.5″ x 4.5″ piece of River Rock card stock using a Stamp-a-ma-jig for placement.

Colored the flourish with the Yellow Ochre and the True Blue pencils.

Outlined the images with the White Gel Pen.

Assembled card front and then felt the corners needed a bit more pop, so I added some of the Pumpkin Orange pencil to the center of the flowers.

Add some punched flowers to the center.

Added a copper colored brad to the center and used my piercing tools to add piercings in between the corner images.

And here you have it, the finished card measuring 5.25″ x 5.25″.

Hope your day if filled with warm rich colors!

Until my next post. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Michelle

We have had so very much rain all this month, not even once have I had to water the gardens.  This is my third year at this house and so it is the third year for this garden.  My Sister the Master Gardener told me, when I started putting in my perennial gardens, the first year your plants will sleep, second year they creep and the third year they leap.  Well they are all leaping this year for sure!

It was such a beautiful morning, not to hot or cold.  So I took a walk with my camera to take some photos to share with everyone.   Please don’t look at the dead-heading of plants that hasn’t been done or the weeds that haven’t been pulled.  I’ve been making card tutorials and have been a bit neglectful of late.  :)  The plants still seem to be so very happy this year.  They all seem to be two feet taller than they were last year this time.

Sweet Peas

Now here is my pal, Lucas behind the Day-lilies.  Note:  Lucas is over 100 lbs and he can almost hide behind them they have gotten so very huge.

There is definitely no rhyme or reason to the planting of my gardens.  Whatever I like gets shoved in somewhere.    I’m in the country for Pete’s sakes, so I have a country style garden.

I love Cone Flowers and so do the butterflies and Yellow Finches.  I’m sure to take some photos in the near future of all the butterflies, it’s to early in the morning for them just yet.

I still haven’t started digging my gardens that will go in front of this fence.  It’s an over whelming project that I just keep putting off.

Strawberry jar, yummmmm.

Come sit a while at one of our swings.. . . . . . .

A view from the swing this morning.  The corn fields are growing like made too.  Told you I was in the country.  There is no place like it.

I feed all the birds.  We have droves of Hummingbirds.

I have Lavender planted through out the gardens.  I love the smell as you walk by.

I’ll  leave you with the thoughts of the sweet, calming smell of Lavender, birds singing, corn stalks rustling in the breeze, morning sun on your face and the views from my swing. 

Have an absolutely lovely day!

Until my next post. . . . . . . . .

Michelle

I’m wrapping up leaf week here on my blog.  I hope you have been inspired this week to get out those leaf stamps and use them for projects other than Fall themed ones.  Now you know I had to wrap the week up with a brayered sky scene!

Let’s get started on the tutorial. 

Supplies:

Brayered Apricot Appeal on the bottom 2/3rds of a piece of Whisper White Card stock that measures 4.5″ x 4.5″.

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

Brayered More Mustard over the bottom 2/3rds of the card stock.

Brayered Really Rust ink at the bottom 1/2 of the card stock.

Brayered Soft Sky ink at the top of the card stock.

Decided I wanted some more interest to the sky so I sponged More Mustard ink in a “U” shape around the sun.

Sponged Really Rust ink just under the More Mustard sponging.

To add more interest, sponged black at the bottom, left top corner and then lightly through the center of the card stock.

Removed post it note mask and sponged Apricot Appeal ink at the bottom of the sun so it isn’t so stark looking.

Stamped leaves with Basic Black ink.

Highlighted the leaves by outlining just the side of the leaf that is facing the sun.

Assembled my card front and used my piercing tools and a White Gel pen to put in some faux stitching around the main panel edge.

Added some Soft Sky card stock photo corner punches and a brad to the bottom two corners.

Here is the finished card, measuring 5.25″ x 5.25″.

I hope your day today started with a fantastic sunrise and ends with a fantastic sunset!

Until my next post. .. . . . . . . . . . .

Michelle

My Dear and Talented Friend, Karen Barber taught me how to do this “Black & White Magic” technique a while back, but I hadn’t had a chance to use the technique for a project of my own until today.  So I am going to share her technique with you.  To see more “Black & White Magic” cards check out Karen Barber’s SCS Gallery, here is the link:  http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=138472

Ready?  Let’s get started. 

Supplies:

With a Coluzzle circle template, cut a 2.5″ circle from Black card stock.

Also, cut a 3 1/8 circle from Bashful Blue card stock.

Using a Stamp-a-ma-jig for placement, stamped two leaves on the black circle with White Craft ink.

Heat set the white ink with a heat gun.

Now it is time for some color.  Colored the leaves with Prismacolor pencils.  When coloring I first dip the end of my pencil in a little container that has Orderless paint thinner in it.  This makes the pencil melt like butter onto your card stock when coloring.

First colored with Sky Blue Light.

Next colored with True Blue.

Next colored with Peacock Blue.

Finished coloring with Lime peel.

Next, outlined the images with a White Gel pen.  Wow!  That makes them pop!

Cut a Piece of Black card stock 3 1/8″ x 5 1/8″.  Used my Circle Coluzzle template to round one end of the card stock.

Stamped the Flourish with White Craft ink on to the end of the card stock.

Heat set the White ink with a heat gun and then colored the flourishes the same way I colored the leaves.

Finished by outlining the flourishes with a white gel pen, assembled card and added Photo Corners.

Added Brads to the photo corners and here is the completed card measuring 5.25 x 5.25.

Ok, it’s time to announce the winner of the Leaf in Pond card,  drum roll, please. . . . . . . . . . . .

The random number generator picked a low number today, #12 and the winner is: 

Alison Snow, who left this comment:

Michelle, you have such a way of thinking outside the box with your creations…truly a talent and a gift.  Thanks for sharing and I would be so happy to be the recipient of this beautiful work of art!

Alison, congrats!  Please e-mail me your complete address and I will get that card in the mail to you.

Everyone else, thank you so much for playing along!

May your day be filled with cheerful colors and cheerful thoughts.

Until my next post. . . . . . .

Michelle

I’m continuing on with “Leaf Week” in which I’m trying to use leaf images in ways other than fall themed.

Now this card is visually interesting, don’t you think?  Get a load of that shadow on the left and bottom side of the main image panel.  That panel is not raised, it is glued directly onto the panel under it, but putting in the shadow with markers really makes it look dimensional.  Follow along with todays tutorial to see just how to get that effect and maybe save some dough on postage by cutting down on card stock layers. 

Supplies:

Stamps:  Stampin’ Up With Gratitude, French Script, Stitched Exotics

Paper:  Stampin’ Up River Rock & Very Vanilla

Ink:  Stampin’ Up River Rock, Distress Ink Peeled Paint, Aged Mahogany & Black Soot, Palette Noir Black

Accessories:  Prismacolor Marker Chartreuse, Faber Castell Black Marker, Going Gray marker, Aqua Brush, Small post it note 

Masked the center of a 3.75″ x 3.75″piece of River Rock card stock with a small post it note.  You could cut a shape out of the sticky part of a large post it note to and use it if you don’t have small post it notes.  (Nope I don’t have stock in the Post it Note company.  I should since I use them almost every day, lol)

Now beware, Distress inks go on very dark and then dry much lighter.  You’ll see

Dragged the Peeled Paint Distress ink pad directly over the card stock and mask.  Dragging it from left to right and then top to bottom.

Stamped a large leaf twice on the card stock using Peeled Paint distress ink.

Stamped stitched designs with Aged Mahogany Distress ink.   This looks sooooo very dark now, but it will dry much lighter, trust me.

Removed post it note mask and stamped a smaller leaf in the center of the card stock with Palette Noir Black ink.  Note:  I used the Palette ink because I am going to color the leaf in with a Solvent based Prismacolor marker and the Palette ink won’t smear with them.

Colored the leaf in with a Chartreuse Prismacolor Marker.

I used a piece of coarse sand paper to distress the card stock edges and center a bit.  Sand paper is a great distressing tool and very economical too, as far as tools go.   Also, see how much lighter the ink is getting as it dries.

Stamped a small leaf image randomly on a 5 1/8″ x 5 1/8″ piece of Very Vanilla card stock with River Rock ink.

Dragged the River Rock ink pad directly across the card stock from left to right on the top of the card stock and then top to bottom on the right hand side of the card stock.

Used an Aqua Painter and River Rock ink and watercolored the small leafs loosely.

Glued the Main image panel to the center of the background panel.

I inked only part of the French Script back ground stamp before stamping it in two different directions using Black Soot Ink.

By inking only part of the background stamp it gives this worn away look.   Note:  Yep, I know I stamp it up side down. 

Dragged the Peeled Paint ink pad randomly over the edges of the background panel.

Dragged the Aged Mahogany ink pad randomly over the edge of the background panel.  The splashes of Red really add something. 

Now to create the shadow for the main image panel.   Using a SU Going Gray marker, made a thick line under the main image panel and to the left side of it.

Using a fine point black marker, drew a line right against the left and bottom sides of the main image panel.  Like magic, instant dimension. 

I also darkened the outside of the main image leaf with the black marker to make it pop a bit more.

Note:  I messed up and got black marker on the main image panel bottom left corner.  Solution, sanded it off with the sand paper.

Additional Note:  Faber Castell markers are wonderful!  They are Indian Ink markers and very dark.  You can get them at about any art supply store or online at DickBlick.com.

Here it is the finished card measuring 5.25″ x 5.25″.

Hope your day is spectacular in every way!

Until my next post. . . .. . . .

Michelle