Ring Around the Butterfly

This card was made for the color challenge on SCS. If you would like to participate, click on the link and read the challenge. The challenge was to make a card using purely pomegranate, basic grey and basic black.

To make the ring around the butterfly I removed a pre-printed piece of acetate and then sanded and distressed the ring with basic grey ink (SU). I needed the ring to match my pewter brads. I have a thing about mixing metals. It is a NO NO! LOL To adhere the ring to the card stock, I used a dimensional glue dot. I needed to make sure it would stick since I could only add adhesive in one area. I used some thick, grey thread to stitch with. That stuff feels like rope compared the skinny white thread I normally use. I think it gives a much more luxurious feel to the card. I NEED some more of that stuff ASAP! It is awesome! I need to take the spool with me to all the places I shop and get another one. Of course, I have no clue where I got it. Either Joanns or Hobby Lobby would be my guess. LOL The focal image and butterfly are stamped with Basic Black craft ink (SU) and then embossed with Iridescent Ice embossing powder. I love it, because it offers just a little bit of sparkle while still allowing the color of the stamped image to show through.

Stamps: Essence of Love, cheesecloth, en francais
Ink: basic black craft, versamark
Paper: black, grey, pomegranate
Accessories: silver ring, pewter brads, pomegranate ribbon, dimensional glue dots, iridescent ice EP, Janome sewing machine

I'll Be Your Umbrella

I apologize in advance for posting ANOTHER umbrella card! LOL! I promise after this one, I will move on to something else. Normally I stamp cards in a series by color. I suppose this was the umbrella series. :)

I used my drunken watercolor technique for this card. I cut apart my acrylic stamp so that I could change the orientation of the sentiment. Originally it was one long piece, but I cut it into 3 pieces.

Stamps: Rubber Romance umbrella girl, MFT rain or shine (sentiment)

Ink: palette noir, celery, blush blossom

Paper: celery, PTI white, basic black, SU patterned paper

Accessories: chipboard tag, Heidi Swapp mini ghost shape flower, large white brad, SU taffeta ribbon, green bezel Swarovski crystals, Janome sewing machine, dimensionals, aquapainter filled with rubbing alcohol, brown and cool grey #1 copic markers

Pretty in Pink Umbrella

After using my Rubber Romance umbrella girl for the last couple cards, I remembered I had another SUPER CUTE umbrella girl set from My Favorite Things I had never used! I bought it the day it was released after seeing an adorable project made by my friend, Carole Burrage.

There are lots of little details I want to point out on this card so you don't miss them. :)

• This card uses my drunken watercolor technique.



• I used a Marvy punch to punch a half circle out of pink patterned paper (SU) and then used scalloped scissors to create the scalloped edge. The set does come with an umbrella, but it is solid and I wasn't able to make it work with what I had envisioned for the card.



• I used a chocolate chip marker to draw the rest of the "pole" of the umbrella so it looks like it is extending up into the umbrella.



• As I was looking at the umbrella in the stamp set, I noticed there was a little peak on it. I needed to replicate that so I snipped off the prong portion of an aged copper brad using some wire snips. Then I adhered one of the prongs to the inside of the umbrella to make the peak. isn't it cute?



• When adhering the umbrella to the card, I lined it up with the hand drawn pole and then arched it slightly, so it would give a rounded appearance to the umbrella. I love the effect!



• The water that is pooled around her feet is covered with a clear glaze pen.



• The dogs shirt is paper pieced and matches the umbrella and lower patterned paper panel.

Stamps: MFT Rain or Shine, SU polka dot

Ink: Stazon timber brown, pretty in pink, so saffron, soft sky, blush blossom, versamark

Paper: pretty in pink, so saffron, chocolate chip, paper trey white, pretty in pink PP (SU)

Accessories: My Minds Eye pink crystals, Marvy circle punch, aged copper brad prong, glue dots, Janome sewing machine, Heidi Swapp mini ghost shape flower, Swarovski crystal (center of ghost shape), dimensionals, rubbing alcohol filled aquapainter, clear glaze pen (Sakura), chocolate chip marker

DEW DROP UPDATE: I received an e-mail today saying that the order is being processed today. She mentioned they have been very busysince CHA and have had a hard time keeping up with orders. I will keep you updated. :)

Sunny Side of the Street

Thank you all so much for your sweet comments on my last blog post! You made my day. :) I hope you enjoy using the DRUNKEN WATERCOLOR technique.

Last night after posting the tutorial, I went back to my stamp room to try it again. This time, I used a lighter shade of blue. Again, for this image I mixed 91% rubbing alcohol with dye re-inkers from Stampin' Up. I also filled my aquapainter with rubbing alcohol. The result is a color that stays true and is much more vivid than traditional watercoloring with water. I can continue to layer color without worrying that the colors will morph or bleed. My paper also stays very flat instead of curling up when watercoloring with water.

After coloring the main image, I sponged the layer with creamy caramel. Then, I used my Tonic paper distresser to rough up the edges of that layer as well as the larger creamy caramel card stock. I wrapped some SU taffeta ribbon around the corners and added a bow that I made using taffeta ribbon and glue dots.

Stamps: Rubber Romance umbrella girl, Many Happy Returns (SU), Pretty Petals BG stamp (SU)

Ink: Palette Noir, bashful blue, creamy caramel, blush blossom, pretty in pink, Versamark

Paper: bashful blue, creamy caramel, black, PTU white, SU print pack

Accessories: SU taffeta ribbon, black brads, Janome sewing machine, dimensionals, bone folder, aquapainter filled with 91% rubbing alcohol, ink palette, word window punch, glue dots

I also colored the image using traditional watercoloring and again, wanted to show you the side by side results. You can see the colors blend much easier using the alcohol solution and the colors stay true. The image on the finished card uses the drunken watercolor technique, but I wanted to show you both so you can compare the results. :)

The photo below will not enlarge for some reason. Sorry. :(

Drunken Watercolor

When I posted my previous card, I told you I would be sharing a new coloring technique with you. On the card I posted HERE, I used this technique on her jacket, belt and purse.

The other day I was thinking about Copic markers and how good some of you ladies make them look! I was sitting there fantasizing about ordering them in TONS of colors and being able to color any image I want and have it look good!

Then, I started wondering if I could color my images in a different way than I have prior that would look more like Copic markers. I decided I would try to use my dye inks with rubbing alcohol. I am not even sure that Copics are made with alcohol, but that is what came to mind.

I grabbed a brand new aquapainter (the horror... what happens if this ruins my aquapainter EEK) and filled the chamber with rubbing alcohol. Then, I grabbed another aquapainter filled with water. I prepped 2 palettes with drops of reinker in the same colors.

When I watercolor, I place a couple drops of reinker in a well in the palette and then in another well I squeeze my aquapainter and have a little bit of water to mix my ink with. I find it makes a lighter shade of the color I am working with so I can blend my image and add shading. In one palette, I did this and in the other palette I added rubbing alcohol to mix the ink with. Using my aquapainter, I grab some ink and dip it into the liquid next to it to make a watered down (or alcohol-ed down) version of the ink.

Keep in mind when you are reading my photo tutorial that there may be some places where I go out of the lines etc. Please try to ignore the flaws and focus on the science. LOL

You can click each of these pictures for a close-up view!

In the picture below you will see I always skip a well so I can make mix my reinker.

My conclusion is that the reinker mixed with water causes the colors to morph. They get easily washed out with multiple passes of ink. This doesn't allow for much shading. The colors change, the paper curls and ink colors will bleed into each other because the paper stays so wet.

Mixing reinkers with alcohol does not cause the colors to change. They stay constant regardless of the number of passes with your aquapainter filled with rubbing alcohol. This allows for lots of shading and multiple passes of ink without causing any splotches or wash out of the colors. The ink dries quickly, which helps prevent color bleeding since the paper stays a LOT dryer than when using water to watercolor. The alcohol will cause the stamped image to blur slightly if the card stocks gets too saturated with alcohol. Again, perhaps with a different ink this would have been less of an issue. I MUCH prefer the finished image that was colored using rubbing alcohol.









The results of the ink spot test were consistent with the results of the full coloring test. The brown got very washed out on the spot where water was used in the aquapainter. On the spot that used alcohol in the aquapainter, the spot stayed much truer to color and did not have any splotches.

For the ink swirl test on a smoother paper (shimmery white) this shows the same result again. After multiple passes with the water filled aquapainter, the swirl looks splotchy, washed out and a totally different color than when the test began. However, the ink swirl that was tested with the alcohol filled aquapainter looks smooth, not washed out and the color stayed constant throughout the test.

So what does this mean?

I am going to keep a dedicated aquapainter for rubbing alcohol! This technique seems to work SO much better than using dye ink with water. I will be using rubbing alcohol with my dye inks! Of course I will still use water for other techniques such as using my watercolor crayons, but I find that the rubbing alcohol creates a much more pleasing effect!

I hope you found this tutorial helpful and interesting. :) If you use this technique, please link back to this post or send me an e-mail showing me your finished product. I would love to showcase some of your projects right here on my blog. :)

I am naming this technique: DRUNKEN WATERCOLOR. :)

Have a great day!

Rainy Rubber Romance

I LOVE Rubber Romance girls! They are so cool!

I chose a Rubber Romance girl because I had an idea for a new way to color images and needed a larger to stamp to try it out. I am not going to tell you my idea just yet, but so far I think it works and I am excited about that! :) I am still testing some different inks and will share my technique very soon. :)

I went over the girls boots and umbrella with my black Spica glitter pen. My photo picked up a little bit of the sparkle on the umbrella. The sketch came from a sketch challenge on SCS. I flipped it to make it vertical though.

Stamps: Rubber Romance

Ink: Black palette, dye reinkers, Copic markers

Paper: SU PP (amethyst), lovely lilac, PTI white, basic black

Accessories: black brads, striped ribbon, dimensionals, horizontal slot punch, Janome sewing machine

Dew Drop Update: I have placed 3 orders already for dew drops. None of them have shipped to me yet. I have e-mailed the company, but haven't heard back from them yet. They did mention at the time of ordering that they had quite a few orders from CHA to fill, but that they would ship asap. I will keep you posted! The share is now closed. I have a small waiting list that I can add you to if you are interested. You can find the sign up info HERE. If there is enough interest, I will e-mail everyone on the wait list and place an additional order. Thank you! :)

Glittered Chocolate

This card uses the new set Essence of Love by SU. Have I mentioned I love this set? LOL I paired it with Wild Wasabi again. I stamped the main image in chocolate chip craft and embossed with iridescent ice embossing powder. I did the same for the butterflies on 3 small panels. It was hard to photograph the card because of all the sparkle, so I am showing you 2 different angles so you get the full effect. :)

This a sketch from Jen Del Muro at i{heart}2stamp HERE! Thanks for the sketch, Jen.

Stamps: Essence of Love, cheesecloth

Ink: whisper white craft, chocolate chip craft, close to cocoa

Paper: wild wasabi, chocolate chip, afternoon tea patterned paper (SU)

Accessories: iridescent ice embossing powder, wild wasabi stitched ribbon, Janome sewing machine, dimensionals, square punches

Pink Polka Dotted Basket

When I wrote this title I was singing the song... a tisket, a tasket, a pink polka dotted basket. :)

I taught another class today at the LSS and these were the 2 projects we made. This little basket is just SO fun to make! I got the idea and pattern from Lauren Meader HERE.

The card was sweet and simple. We made an egg shaped card, added a cute little Elzybells chick inside and finished it off with a bow and Swarovski crystal.

Stamps: Elzybells chick, sentiment, Stampendous chick

Ink: Palette black

Paper: barely banana, pretty in pink, papertrey white

Accessories: silver brads, Nestabilities, ribbon, Spica pens, Marvy punches, AMuse stitched ribbon, Swarovski crystal

Guava Thanks

Here is another card made with the new set available from SU starting today, Live Your Dream. This card is based on a card sketch that someone posted, but I have no clue who it was. It has been 2 weeks since I made this card. Sorry. :(

Stamps: Live Your Dream, CHF canvas, friend by definition

Ink: chocolate chip craft, close to cocoa, guava, Versamark, chocolate chip

Paper: guava, close to cocoa, whisper white, chocolate chip, afternoon tea PP

Accessories: Janome sewing machine, aged copper brads MM, Prima flowers (Essentials 3), dimensionals, sponge