I love, love, love shades of grey.  Grey is a great neutral color.  One thing about greys, there are warm greys and cool greys.  I used Sahara Sand ink and card stock in this project and Sahara Sand is a warm grey.   The warmer grey went better with the warm color of Apricot Appeal.  It would not have look as good, in my opinion, if I would have used a cool grey such as Going Gray.

Let’s get started.

Supplies:

Are you inspired by this Blog?  One way for you can help support this blog is by ordering your Stampin’ Up products through me.   You can order from me 24-7 from this link:  http://michellezindorf.stampinup.net or e-mail me at mzindorf@aim.com if you are within the United States.  Want a copy of the current mini catalog, just e-mail me your address and I will pop one in the mail to you.

Want to become a Stampin’ Up Demonstrator and earn instant income?  Consider being part of my Stampin’ Up Team.

   

Stamped the Tree on a 3.5″ x 5″ piece of Whisper White card stock by first loading my stamp with Versamark, then Old Olive and then patted my Basic Black ink pad on the trunk of the tree before stamping it.

 

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

Punched 1 3/8″ circles from the sticky part of some post it notes. 

Note: I have 3 layers of post it notes, other wise I find they are to thin and will jam my punch.  The extra circles I put a side for later projects.

Put one of my circle masks where I want the moon to be in my scene and brayered Sahara Sand ink in the sky area.

Removed the moon mask and brayered Sahara Sand ink lightly over the sky again to reduce the starkness of the white moon a bit.

Brayered Apricot Appeal ink at the bottom of the card stock.

Brayered Cameo Coral ink at the bottom of the card stock, not covering the Apricot Appeal ink entirely.

Ripped a post it note and used it as a mask to create a hill.

Sponged Sahara Sand heavily at top of the post it note mask and on to the card stock.

Sponged a bit of Bravo Burgundy at the lower left corner of the card stock.

Added some black marker outlines to the left side of some of the limbs and the trunk of the tree.

Added highlights to the tree with a white gel pen.

Distress the edges of the panel with the Tim Holtz distressing tool. 

Dragged the card stock edges across the Sahara Sand ink pad to darken the edges.

Assembled my panels and stamped the Flourish at the top and bottom of the card with Basic Black ink.  Also added two brads.

Sponged Basic Black ink on the left side of the card front.

Here is the card completed measuring 4″ x 9″.  This card size fits wonderfully in a #10 size business envelope, which you can pick up at any office supply store at a reasonable price.

I hope this project has inspired you to get out your gray inks and give them a whirl.

May your day be calm and joyful.

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

Hugs,

Michelle

  Get ready for Brayer Workshops!  I am coming to:

Dayton, Ohio

Buffalo, Minnesota

Webster, New York

New Johnsonville, Tennessee

Stoughton, Wisconsin

Columbia, Missouri

Lynchburg, Virginia

Greewood, Indiana

Castro Valley, California

Yardley, Pennsylvania (near Philadelphia)

Knox, Maine

Broomfield, Colorado

Moore, Oklahoma

Portland, Michigan

2010

Jacksonville, Florida

Pocatello, Idaho

Salem, Oregon

Here is a link to my workshop calendar where you can see all of my travel schedule and to get info on beginner and advanced Brayer workshops:  http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/workshop-calendar

Link to my Stampin’ Up website were you can order all of your must have Stampin’ Up products from me 24-7:  http://michellezindorf.stampinup.net

Here is a link to all of my tutorials:  http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/tutorials-ive-written/

Frequently asked questions answers:  http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/frequently-asked-questions/

Good Morning Everyone!  Hey my blog is still a bit wonky from the Site Administrators moving it.  I’ve lost quite a bit of my side bar stuff.  I’m keeping my fingers cross that they will get it back and I won’t have to spend days reconstructing it.  I would rather be stamping.  Send happy wishes my way today, will you?

Today’s tutorial is all about bringing some light to the middle of the scene.  Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and hang out a while.

Supplies:

Are you inspired by this Blog?  One way for you can help support this blog is by ordering your Stampin’ Up products through me.   You can order from me 24-7 from this link:  http://michellezindorf.stampinup.net or e-mail me at mzindorf@aim.com if you are within the United States.  Want to become a Stampin’ Up Demonstrator and earn instant income?  Consider being part of my Stampin’ Up Team. 

Brayered Bashful Blue ink at the bottom of the 4″ x 5.5″ piece of Whisper White card stock.

Brayered Creamy Caramel ink at the top of the card stock, at a bit of an angle.

Stamped the Leaves from the Stampin’ Up set Lexicon of Leaves at the top of the card stock with Always Artichoke ink.

Colored in the leaves with a Stampin’ Up Creamy Caramel marker.

Added a bit of Stampin’ Up Always Artichoke marker to some of the leaf tips.

Stamped the Flower Silhouettes from the Stampin’ Up Pocket Silhouettes set with Creamy Caramel ink and then over stamped them with Close to Cocoa ink.

Used the edge of a Brushed Corduroy Distress ink pad to add a bit of grasses over the flower silhouettes.

Outlined a few of the flowers on the right side with a Close to Cocoa marker to create a shadow on them.

My piece seems a little flat so I brayered Not Quite Navy ink at the very bottom of the card stock to create a bit more depth.

Also Brayered Close to Cocoa ink at the top right Corner, at an Angle to create more depth in the sky.

Sponged Basic Brown ink all around the outside edge of the card stock.

Adhered my main image panel to a Chocolate Chip panel, then adhered that to a Bashful Blue Panel.  Smeared Brushed Corduroy ink at the top right hand corner of the panels.

Smeared Faded Jeans Distress ink at the bottom left corner.

Added another Chocolate Chip panel underneath.  Added some Bashful Blue brads and assembled card.

Here it is finished measuring 5″ x 6.5″.

I hope your day is filled with peaceful scenes.

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

Hugs,

Michelle

Get ready for Brayer Workshops!  I am coming to:

Dayton, Ohio

Buffalo, Minnesota

Webster, New York

New Johnsonville, Tennessee

Stoughton, Wisconsin

Columbia, Missouri

Lynchburg, Virginia

Greewood, Indiana

Castro Valley, California

Yardley, Pennsylvania (near Philadelphia)

Knox, Maine

Broomfield, Colorado

Moore, Oklahoma

Portland, Michigan

2010

Jacksonville, Florida

Pocatello, Idaho

Salem, Oregon

Here is a link to my workshop calendar where you can see all of my travel schedule and to get info on beginner and advanced Brayer workshops:  http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/workshop-calendar

Link to my Stampin’ Up website were you can order all of your must have Stampin’ Up products from me 24-7:  http://michellezindorf.stampinup.net

Here is a link to all of my tutorials:  http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/tutorials-ive-written/

Frequently asked questions answers:  http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/frequently-asked-questions/

Hi Everyone, The Blog Site Administrators have been working to move the Splitcoaststampers Blogs from one server to another.  There has been some difficulty with this task so our blogs are a little bit wonky today.  I’m going to leave my blog alone today and work in my gardens.   That is my excuse and I’m sticking to it!

Hope your day is filled with Sunshine and flowers also.

Hugs,

Michelle

Today’s tutorial gives you another way in which to use White in your projects.  The darker you make your background the more your white image will stand out.

Let’s get right into the tutorial today.

 Supplies:

Are you inspired by this Blog?  One way for you can help support this blog is by ordering your Stampin’ Up products through me.   You can order from me 24-7 from this link:  http://michellezindorf.stampinup.net or e-mail me at mzindorf@aim.com if you are within the United States.  Want to become a Stampin’ Up Demonstrator and earn instant income?  Consider being part of my Stampin’ Up Team. 

Used the direct to paper technique, by smearing my Old Paper Distress ink pad from top to bottom on a 3.5″ x 4″ piece of Whisper White card stock.

Stamped the Flourish with Brushed Corduroy on the left side of the card stock twice.

Stamped the Hummingbird image with Frayed Burlap Distress ink.

Colored in my images being careful to color inside of the outlines with a white Gel pen.

Sponged Kiwi Kiss ink around the outside edge of the card stock.

Sponged Brushed Corduroy ink around the outside edge of the card stock, not covering the Kiwi Kiss ink entirely.

Cut a 4.75″ square piece of Stampin’ Up Designer paper and sponged Kiwi Kiss around the edge of it to coordinate with my main image panel.

Assembled the card and here it is finished measuring 5.25″ square.

I hope this tutorial has inspired you to try using your white gel pen to add a bit of drama to your creation today.

May you have time today to feel the sun on your face.  I am heading out to my gardens. 

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

Hugs,

Michelle

Get ready for Brayer Workshops!  I am coming to:

Dayton, Ohio

Buffalo, Minnesota

Webster, New York

New Johnsonville, Tennessee

Stoughton, Wisconsin

Columbia, Missouri

Lynchburg, Virginia

Greewood, Indiana

Castro Valley, California

Yardley, Pennsylvania (near Philadelphia)

Knox, Maine

Broomfield, Colorado

Moore, Oklahoma

Portland, Michigan

2010

Jacksonville, Florida

Pocatello, Idaho

Salem, Oregon

Here is a link to my workshop calendar where you can see all of my travel schedule and to get info on beginner and advanced Brayer workshops:  http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/workshop-calendar

Link to my Stampin’ Up website were you can order all of your must have Stampin’ Up products from me 24-7:  http://michellezindorf.stampinup.net

Here is a link to all of my tutorials:  http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/tutorials-ive-written/

Frequently asked questions answers:  http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/frequently-asked-questions/

 Before we start today’s tutorial I need to announce the winner of the Creative Hot Marks tool.  The random number generator selected. . . . . . . . ..  .. . ..  .

Cledith who wrote “After discovering your website, I’ve bought a brayer. Now I have to use it!”

Congratulations Cledith, please e-mail address to mzindorf@aim.com and I will pop this set in the mail to you.

Thank you to all 459 of you that entered the drawing.  Wish I had a set for each of you.

One other announcement, I will be teaching my Beginner & Advanced workshops for one day only in Greenwood, Indiana (right outside of Indianapolis) at Sharon’s Crop Studio Store on August 29, 2009.   E-mail me at mzindorf@aim.com for information on the workshops or to register.  Warning, these workshops are filling very fast.

Now a bit about today’s project.  This project was done using the direct to paper technique for the background.  I wanted to demonstrate how effective it is to leave the white of the paper showing through on your backgrounds to give the scene a real sparkle of light.  Hang out a few moments with me and check it out.

Let’s get rolling or smearing, lol . . . .

Supplies:

Are you inspired by this Blog?  One way for you can help support this blog is by ordering your Stampin’ Up products through me.   You can order from me 24-7 from this link:  http://michellezindorf.stampinup.net or e-mail me at mzindorf@aim.com if you are within the United States.  Want to become a Stampin’ Up Demonstrator and earn instant income?  Consider being part of my Stampin’ Up Team. 

Start out with a 3.5″ square piece of Whisper White card stock.

Mask a little over half the bottom of the card stock with a post it note.

Drag one edge of the Antique Linen Distress ink pad across the unmask portion of the card stock, LEAVE SOME OF THE WHITE PAPER SHOWING THROUGH.

Flip your card stock upside down and cover the sky area you just smeared in with the post it note to mask it.

Smear about 3/4 of an inch of Faded Jeans Distress ink right above the post it note, LEAVE SOME WHITE OF THE PAPER SHOWING THROUGH!

Smear Old Paper Distress ink on the rest of the card stock that is unmasked, LEAVE SOME OF THE WHITE PAPER SHOWING THROUGH.

Unmask the scene and turn it around so it is upright.

Load this great Palm tree from Innovated Stamp Creations with Peeled Paint ink, then load the trunk of the tree with Black Soot ink before stamping it.

Colored in the trunk of the tree with a Stampin’ Up Basic Black marker.

Added a bit of Close to Cocoa marker to the leaves of the tree.

Added White Highlights to some of the leaves on the tree.

Oops!  Missed a photo, after I applied the White Gel pen Highlights I used a Tim Holtz Distressing Tool to fray the edges of the main image panel.

Next, stamped the Totally Tab image on a piece of Whisper White card stock and then punched it out with the Stampin’ Up Tab Punch.  Folded it in half and adhered it to the main image panel while assembling the card front.

Look at this, I’m using pattern paper!  Gasp!  I know, I know, I never use pattern paper.  Well you will probably be seeing me use more of it since I went wild and purchased about every piece of pattern paper Stampin’ Up has.  They have a sale going on right now, buy 3 packs and get one free.  Yep, I love a sale!

I added some Old Olive brads to the tag, by starting the hole for the brad with my piercing tool.

Stamped the sentiment from the Stampin’ Up “Dream a little set”, using my Stamp-a-ma-jig for placement.

Here is the finished card measuring 5.25″ square.  Check out that sparkle.

Now it is your turn to leave a little white showing in your backgrounds!

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

Hugs,

Michelle

Get ready for Brayer Workshops!  I am coming to:

Dayton, Ohio

Covington, Indiana

Buffalo, Minnesota

Webster, New York

New Johnsonville, Tennessee

Stoughton, Wisconsin

Columbia, Missouri

Lynchburg, Virginia

Greewood, Indiana

Castro Valley, California

Yardley, Pennsylvania (near Philadelphia)

Knox, Maine

Broomfield, Colorado

Moore, Oklahoma

Portland, Michigan

2010

Jacksonville, Florida

Pocatello, Idaho

Salem, Oregon

Here is a link to my workshop calendar where you can see all of my travel schedule and to get info on beginner and advanced Brayer workshops:  http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/workshop-calendar

Link to my Stampin’ Up website were you can order all of your must have Stampin’ Up products from me 24-7:  http://michellezindorf.stampinup.net

Here is a link to all of my tutorials:  http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/tutorials-ive-written/

Frequently asked questions answers:  http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/frequently-asked-questions/