PaperFections

Airbrushed Embossing

It looks and is feeling like we may be getting an early Fall in my part of the U.S. -- one of my favorite seasons! So today's card honors cooler temperatures and rich, Autumn colors! I wanted a pretty leafy frame for this wonderful new Dancing Leaves stamp from Pink Ink. Here's how it came together: I used Taylored Expressions Embossing Folder-Scattered Leaves and began airbrushing the top side of the folder's debossed/recessed leaves, since this side of the embossing folder ends up making the raised/embossed leaf impressions on your cardstock. Airbrushing is a quicker way to deposit the Copic color onto the embossing folder, AND helps prevent your marker nibs from getting frayed as opposed to trying to color directly on the rigid plastic. I started with Copic YR07: Next, I airbrushed the other leaves with (left to right, top to bottom in the photo below) with these Copic Sketch Markers: YG95, YR24, E07, E25-only on the stems of the leaves. You can get adventurous and use more than just one color on each leaf, too! I didn't color the center part of the embossing folder, since I wouldn't be using it for this card. (In hindsight, I should... Read more →

Crafty Hurricane Harvey Relief

Crafters, if you are looking for a way to help with disaster relief for my fellow Texans, AND organize your crafting space, this is one way you can help! One of my favorite craft-related companies, Stamp-N-Storage, is donating 15% of ALL SALES through Tues, Sept 5, 2017 to benefit Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief! You can read more about their efforts HERE and shop their website HERE. My favorites are their Marker Nook: and Distress Combo Holder: They come to you as smooth, sanded "naked" wood, ready to be used as is, or you can stain/paint as you wish. I spray paint mine all white, to match my other craft room furniture. <3 Bless you, Stamp-N-Storage!! Many thanks to everyone who has inquired about my family ... we are all safe and drying out! Fortunately, we had no damage in my immediate area -- just landlocked for a day, by a flooded street. Counting our blessings, and praying for all those affected. Read more →

Essentials By Ellen August 2017 Release

Happy Friday, Friends! Have you been enjoying this week of inspiration with the latest Essentials By Ellen August Release? I know I have! And I LOVED working with these wonderful new Rustic Botanicals stamps by Julie Ebersole! Aren't they fun and funky?!! They stamped out beautifully with Distress Oxide inks (Peeled Paint, Twisted Citron, Picked Raspberry, Peacock Feathers, and Wilted Violet) on Julie's fabulous new Modern Graphics Paper Pack, using my Misti (<-- And yes, those lovely new Distress Oxide inks are all still in stock at Ellen's store!): When stamping a grouping of stamps like this, I love using the Misti and just position the stamps wherever I want them on the paper, then use the Misti's lid to pick up the stamps, ink them individually or all at once, then stamp! And guess what? This wonderful black and white patterned paper pack is printed with toner, which can also be FOILED!! So while at first glance my paper may look like black dots (well, above the dots ARE still black!), I used my Laminator to heat apply Gold Deco Foil, but you can also use a Minc Foil Applicator, if you have it: Originally, I was only going... Read more →

Beet the Heat!

Hello, Crafty Friends -- How's the August heat where you are? Here in south Texas it is hot, Hot, HOT ... and don't get me started on the humidity, LOL! But I'll take it any day, over the frigid, frozen temperatures some of you endure in the winter! And while I love gardening, about the only time I get out in the August heat is to water a few potted plants the irrigation system doesn't reach (poor plants)! That's why I fell in love this this adorable new Essentials by Ellen release, Leading Ladies-Plant Lady by Brandi Kincaid! Isn't that saying on her shirt hilarious?!! And there are several more puny quips in this set: This set is part of a new Essentials by Ellen release from Ellen Hutson, available TODAY! You can find the entire release HERE and I'll be back on Friday with another sample using Julie Ebersole's new Rustic Botanicals set! As promised earlier last week, this is the entire image I colored using the custom RV65 color I created with an empty Sketch Marker and empty Various Ink bottle! These are the Copic Sketch Markers I used to color Plant Lady's shirt, beet, boots, hat, apron,... Read more →

Using Empty Copic Markers to Create Custom Colors

Hello, Crafty Peeps! I'm here today to share with you just how easy it is to create your own custom Copic color! Did you know Copic has empty markers available in three different sizes -- Classic Markers, Sketch Markers, and Wide Markers? And they come with the same nibs as their filled marker versions! You can use these empty markers for a number of things, but my favorite way to use them is to create my own custom Copic color. Maybe you are saying, "Why would I want to do this, when there are 358 colors of Copic ink?" Most often, I use custom Copic colors to fill blending gaps, such as this -- my favorite RV63 and RV66: These are some of the newest Copic colors and while it is entirely possible to use them together in a blending group (after all, we've been doing it since they were introduced, right?), having another color to bridge that wide gap would just make things a little easier, wouldn't it? :) So here I am today, creating that custom middle color! To get started, you will need an empty marker -- I chose an empty Sketch Marker, along with an Empty... Read more →