PaperFections

My Favorite Things March Release Countdown-Day 3

Welcome back to the My Favorite Things March release countdown ... All the new products will be available next Tuesday night, March 3rd. Be sure to head over to the MFT Blog to see today’s full product reveals AND enter for your chance to win a $75 gift voucher on each of the 5 countdown day blog posts there! Today features TWO sweet new Pure Innocence stamp sets: Feline Better and Woof You, another fabulous Die-namics set from the Inside and Out Stitched series -- this time Rounded Square STAX, and the fun Stitched Speech Bubble Edges Die-namics (all bold products are linked below in the supply section): I stamped the girl and cat with Black Licorice Hybrid Ink onto Copic X-Press It Blending Card die cut with the Inside and Out Stitched Rounded Square STAX, then colored them with Copic markers (colors listed below in the supply section). The background was airbrushed with Copic Y23 and is actually softer and not as blotchy as it appears here! The Stitched Speech Bubble Edge was die cut from Sno Cone cardstock, fit for placement, then the top trimmed with the the Inside and Out Stitched Rounded Square STAX ... I adore... Read more →

My Favorite Things March Release Countdown-Day 4

Welcome back to the My Favorite Things March release countdown ... All the new products will be available next Tuesday night, March 3rd. Be sure to head over to the MFT Blog to see today’s full product reveals AND enter for your chance to win a $75 gift voucher on each of the 5 countdown day blog posts there! Today features some fun new I Knead You (cat) and You Make My Tail Wag (dog) stamp sets and coordinating Die-namics from MFT's Birdie Brown line! (All bold products are linked below in the supply section). My first card uses the I Knead You stamp set with the awesome new Blueprints 23 I told you I can't put down! Aren't these kitties the cutest?!! I stamped them onto Blueprints 23 circles die cut from Primitive White cardstock with Black Licorice Hybrid ink and colored with Copic markers (colors listed below in the supply section). The kitty circles were inlaid into a Berrylicious panel die cut with the Blueprints 23 stitched rectangle panel and circles. The speech bubble and "Meow" were white heat embossed onto the Berrylicious panel and the "Just Fur You" sentiment white heat embossed onto the Black Licorice scalloped... Read more →

My Favorite Things March Release Countdown-Day 5

Happy Friday and welcome to the first day of the My Favorite Things March release countdown ... All the new products will be available next Tuesday night, March 3. Be sure to head over to the MFT Blog to see today’s full product reveals AND enter for your chance to win a $75 gift voucher on each of the 5 countdown day blog posts there! I was in a watercoloring mood for this card, which showcases today's featured Circle Scribble Flowers stamp set by Lisa Johnson, the fabulous brand new Blueprints 23 Die-namics, and fun Circle Grid Stencil (all bold products are linked below in the supply section): I am absolutely in love this new stamp set ... so many fun design opportunities with it! And don't get me started on the awesome new Blueprints 23 Die-namics -- I won't be putting this one away for quite some time, folks!! For this card, I white heat embossed the flower scribble lines and leaves onto watercolor paper which was die cut with the stitched panel from Blueprints 23. Next, I used these Premium Dye Ink Refills and a water brush to watercolor the panel: Cotton Candy & Ripe Raspberry, Lemon Drop... Read more →

Essentials by Ellen Winter 2015 Release & Giveaway!

Hello, and welcome to the Winter 2015 Essentials by Ellen Release Hop! I’ll be showcasing several of the new stamp sets and dies on my post today, starting with this beautiful Fancy Thanks stamp set and Folk Hearts designer dies, on a Copic Various Ink background (all bold products are linked below in the supply section): I adore the shape of Julie's Folk Heart dies and the fonts in the Fancy Thanks stamp set are simply gorgeous! Here's how I created the background: 1. Squeeze out Copic Various Ink Refill RV63 onto a scrap piece of acetate (to use as a palette). Using a 1" Round Ink Blending Tool, pick up the ink from the acetate palette, thoroughly saturating the foam pad. Pounce the ink onto a piece of Ranger's Specialty Stamping Paper. The surface of this paper is very slick/slightly coated, so the ink won't immediately soak into the paper -- this allows the ink to remain wet longer, and for it to be moved around a little. (You could also use glossy paper). No need to completely cover the cardstock, and you want to leave the look of the round blending tool ... it is creating a bokeh... Read more →

Essentials by Ellen Sneak Peek!

I'm so excited to share a sneak peek of Julie Ebersole's newest release of Essentials by Ellen clear stamps and dies today (releasing on Monday)! Over on Ellen Hutson's the CLASSroom, I share you how I watercolored these cuties -- I hope you'll join me there! Then I'll be back on Monday with some more projects for the big release blog hop we'll be having! Happy weekend! Read more →

MFT Die-namics Design: Express Yourself

Words are the foundation of card design. We all love a beautifully crafted design but the sentiment is really what makes a hand-made card special. Word Die-namics are such a valuable tool, as they can be used to create layered die cuts for added dimension, to create peek-a-boo effects, as a mask for different coloring mediums, and so much more. This month, the My Favorite Things design team is featuring the incredible versatility of word Die-namics! My first card was very difficult to photograph, because the "happy" and balloon were die cut from silver foil paper! So here's a good photo of the silver foil elements, but the "birthday" is a little difficult to see at this angle (all bold products are linked below in the supply section): Below, the "birthday" shows up a little better. Both words are from the Happy Birthday Die-namics set -- I love the scripty font! I die cut "birthday" from a Copic "watercolor" background I made with Copic Various Ink Refills (you can find more details about this technique here). Next, I die cut the "birthday" word again four times from Smooth White cardstock and glued them all together using my Copic Glue Marker.... Read more →

Ink Pads For Sale

UPDATE: THESE ARE SOLD ... THANKS! FYI -- I've updated my For Sale page with this listing: Ranger Adirondack Dye Ink Pads & Reinkers(*) Ranger Adirondack Pigment Ink Pads & White Reinker(*) -- Asterisks below indicate 1oz Reinker for that color is included. -- Ranger is retiring these ink pads & Reinkers, so get them now at a great price! -- Color group price reflects $1.50 per Ink Pad, $1 per Reinker. See last paragraph below for lot price. Containers not included. -- All pads are in good condition, gently used but still juicy (see 2nd photo below). -- Click on photos for larger views, or see listing below for color details. Ends of pads are nicely labeled, for easy viewing: Photo below shows the good condition of the pads, which were swiped on the paper to the left, to show they are still juicy. Reinkers (1 oz. bottle shown) are all still very full -- may have only been used once, if at all. The lower pigment pad shows how juicy they all still are, with the protective acetate covers still in place. Prefer to sell whole lot to one person (see ** discounted price below) -- Will keep... Read more →

MFT Creative Challenge: Hop Into Action!

Is there any holiday that spotlights sweet and cuddly imagery more than Easter? Bunnies, chicks, and eggs in pretty pastels are the norm but I have a feeling the My Favorite Things design team will open your eyes to a variety of beautiful new Easter crafting ideas with this month’s Creative Challenge. Get a jump (or a hop?) start on Easter projects as we hop into action ... Easter-style! My first card combines this month's Spring Tulips stamp set from Lisa Johnson with the One Of My Favorite Peeps Pure Innocence stamp set (all bold products are linked below in the supply section): The girl was stamped with Chocolate Brown Hybrid Ink onto a Stitched Jumbo Fishtail Banner Primitive White panel and colored with these Copic markers (more details in the supply section below): The sentiment was stamped wonky (on purpose!) with these Hybrid Inks: Sour Apple, Grape Jelly, Blu Raspberry, and Razzle Berry. The colored panel was layered onto a Sno Cone Stitched Jumbo Fishtail Banner and popped up on Copic X-Press It Foam Tape. The Spring Tulips were stamped in Sweet Tooth and Sour Apple Pigment Inks along the bottom of the Natural card base: My next card... Read more →

Colorful Copic & Art Squares Blog Hop

Welcome to the Colorful Copic & Art Squares blog hop! You are in for a treat today, as Copic pairs up with the ever popular Art Squares by Inchie Arts. There are so many things to love about this pairing! Did you know: Art Squares are the perfect canvas for creating small-format art! They come in 6 sizes (1 inch, 1.5 inch, 2 inch, 3 inch, 4 inch, and ATC). Art Squares come in 7 colors (black, dark gray, light gray, kraft, dark cream, light cream and white). They are perfect for wet or dry mediums. Copic markers and inks look amazingly vibrant and deliciously rich on Art Squares! Copic multiliners glide smoothly across the surface. Work on the “top” or toothy side for the best results. You can mix and match your mediums! No warping, bending or curling. You can find more information about both Copic products and Inchie Art Squares at the links below: Copic Website All In An Inch - Inchie Arts Blog Our teaching and design teams have been challenged to put marker (or ink) to these precision-cut matboard surfaces and see what happens! (All bold products are linked below in the supply section). I used... Read more →

Organization for Your Creative Space: Coloring Mediums

A full complement of coloring mediums includes a wide assortment of container shapes, sizes, and storage requirements. Today the My Favorite Things design team is sharing the ways we manage the mayhem of our coloring mediums with this installment of the Organization Challenge! (All bold products are linked below in the supply section). "Coloring Mediums" for me usually means only one thing ... my Copic markers! :) All my markers and their accessories sit right in front of me on my desk top, within easy reach, in these Color Cubbie towers (which, unfortunately are not being manufactured any longer). If you are looking for a similar storage solution, I would highly recommend the Marker Nook by Stamp-N-Storage. They are the makers of my ink pad and refill storage units (as seen in last month's organizational week blog post here), and I highly recommend their quality sturdy handmade wood products! Whenever I may need any more storage, the Marker Nook is what I'll be purchasing! The markers are stored by color families within each "cubbie". I LOVE the ease of being able to just toss them back into one spot -- not necessarily having one small hole for each marker to... Read more →

Creative Construction with Blueprints - Frame It In February

I love My Favorite Things Blueprints Die-namics because they take the guesswork out of crafting beautiful cards in quick fashion when I'm short on time or inspiration. I also love them for their versatility and ability to be mixed and matched when I have the time and inspiration to create something truly unique. MFT's Creative Construction Challenge focuses on these attributes each month, challenging the design team to both assemble a card based on one of the provided Blueprints sketches (all of the Blueprint sketches are now conveniently located on the Printable Resources page of the MFT Blog!), as well as design an original card combining elements from the featured Blueprints. This month, we’re framing it in with Blueprints featuring framing elements of all shapes and sizes. The featured Blueprints this month are 2, 16, 17, & 19. My first card uses Blueprints 19 and one of its provided sketches, turned 90-degrees (all bold products are linked below in the supply section): The sweet Love You With All My Heart Pure Innocence girl was stamped with Black Licorice Hybrid ink onto Copic X-Press It Blending Card, then die cut with the scalloped rectangle frame from Blueprints 19. She was colored... Read more →

Watercolor Resist

Hello and happy Friday, everyone! Today over in Ellen Hutson's the CLASSroom I'm continuing my Beautiful Backgrounds series, with a watercolor resist technique. I hope you'll join me there for all the details! Read more →

MFT February Release Rewind

Happy Friday and welcome to My Favorite Things February Release Rewind! The design team hopes to inspire you with more ideas for those new February products you've purchased and are patiently awaiting to be delivered, or to help you finish up your shopping if you are still on the fence about anything! :) My first project today uses the awesome new Candy Jars Die-namics and coordinating Candy Jar Companions stamp set I just couldn't get enough of -- you can get SO many different looks with these sets! (All bold products are linked below in the supply section): This fun tall candy jar was die cut from Smooth White cardstock and stamped with the Candy Jar Companions candy sticks in Cotton Candy, Gumdrop Green, Lemon Drop and Red Hot Premium Dye inks. The jar was die cut again from silver metallic cardstock and Vellum, then pieced together with the vellum over the stamped candy. The cute candy label was also die cut from silver metallic cardstock and white heat embossed. The tab from Blueprints 22 is a perfect mat layer for the candy jar lid! The pretty sentiment was silver heat embossed onto a Cotton Candy circle (from Blueprints 22).... Read more →

MFT February 2015 New Product Launch!

Welcome to the January New Product Launch from My Favorite Things! This is the design team's chance to highlight and share more of the new release products that are NOW AVAILABLE for purchase at the MFT Store! Be sure to leave a comment here on my blog post, to be entered for your chance at winning a $100 gift voucher (see last paragraph below for details)! Tonight I'm focusing on MFT's fun new Inside & Out Diagonal Stitched Square STAX. I adore anything stitched and these great new diagonal stitches make fantastic layers for stamp or die images and one die gives you two different looks from one cut! Here's a great example -- when cutting the squares out of cardstock, besides the diagonal sticthed center square you can use for a mat layer, the dies also cut diagonal stitches on the OUTside of the square cut line, like the window in my first card (all bold products are linked below in the supply section): On the inside of the card, I placed a Pink Lemonade Inside & Out Diagonal Stitched Square STAX die cut layer, on which to place the sweet Somebunny. She was stamped with Steel Grey Hybrid... Read more →

MFT February Release Day!

Tonight's the night ... the My Favorite Things February release products will be available on tonight, Tuesday, February 3. Be sure to head over to the MFT Blog to see today’s full product reveals AND enter for your chance to win a $75 gift voucher on each of the 5 countdown day blog posts there! My last countdown project before the big release tonight features these FUN Donuts Die-namics and coordinating Donuts and Sprinkles stamp set from Laina Lamb, along with the awesome Stitched Jumbo Fishtail Banner STAX and the new Harlequin Stencil (all bold products are linked below in the supply section): The Primitive White background panel was created with my Copic Airbrush System. I started by randomly spraying B00 and BG45, then filling in with YR31. Next, I lifted the Harlequin Stencil and shifted it OVER the areas I just airbrushed, exposing the areas that had not been previously airbrushed ... then I airbrushed those spaces with just the YR31: The Harlequin background was die cut with the large stitched panel from Blueprints 15 and adhered to the beautiful brand new Summer Splash cardstock base. More Summer Splash cardstock was cut with the gorgeous new Stitched Jumbo Fishtail... Read more →