PaperFections

Top 5 Gifts for Crafters

Hello, friends -- Today I have a card to share that uses one of my favorite techniques, alcohol ink blending, to create a fabulously glitzy background for the holidays! My alcohol ink of choice is Copic Various Ink Refills, since I already have them on hand to refill my Copic markers. They are also my #1 pick for one of the Top 5 Gifts for Crafters this holiday season! There are a few different ways to work with alcohol ink. My first go-to method is to place drops of the alcohol ink onto a felt ink blending pad (I used YG03 & G46), attached to an alcohol ink applicator tool or ink blending tool. I also added in some drops of festive gold metallic mixative. You can also add a few drops of 0-Colorless Blender, to help keep the felt pad moist. Then just pounce the ink blending tool all over a piece of Yupo paper: The Yupo paper is coated, which allows the alcohol ink to move around on the surface of the paper, creating wonderful shade variations! You can keep working the ink until you achieve your desired effect. Another way to use the alcohol ink is to:... Read more →

Hand Lettering Techniques & Applications

Hand lettering is all the rage right now, and I'm on a mission to practice and get better at it! So I put together this list of helpful tutorials: Check out this fabulous Hand Lettering with Copic tutorial over on the Imagination International Inc. blog. David Sorrell walks you through everything from beginning to end -- choosing your word or phrase, spacing, balance, details, ink, etc. He used Copic Multiliners SP (0.2, 0.5, 0.7) and Copic Classic Marker to create this wonderful hand lettered Courageous sign! This tutorial by Lisa Funk and Addi Robison walks you through and easy process on how to create a faux calligraphy Thank You note. They used the Copic Multiliner Brush Medium Pen, the Copic Multiliner 0.8 Pen and the Copic Multiliner 0.5 Pen. This Mother's Day card tutorial by Melody Howe gives you a free downloadable template you can customize, along with a free downloadable alphabet which you can trace. To make this an easy process, use X-Press It Graphite Transfer Paper. Customize it and make it into a faux hand lettered card or sign for any occasion! In this Father's Day Mug Card tutorial, Melody Howe gives you another free downloadable coffee mug... Read more →

Figurine Refinishing

Hello Crafters! Today I'm sharing a sweet figurine I've had for many years. It was originally painted bronze and gold and looked fantastic in our old house, but since moving into our new house last year, it just didn't fit in with our new gray and silver scheme. So I turned to my Tommy Arts Paint to save the day (and the figurine)! Before, with the plaster figurine painted all the same color, none of the details really stood out. I love all the depth and details you can see after she was repainted! To start the process, I painted the plaster figurine with a base coat of Tommy Art's Rock Gray chalk based mineral paint: Tommy Art chalk colors are high-quality, rapid-dry, chalk-based mineral paints. Each chalk color offers superb coverage, opacity, porosity, and lightfastness. Tommy Art chalk colors adhere to most surfaces without preparation and are available in more than 35 colors. Next, I painted the girl's hair, the bird, and the base of the figurine with Tommy Art Brown Black chalk paint: The two different colors really helped bring out the details! Next, I painted Tommy Art's White Coating over the Brown Black chalk paint, focusing on... Read more →

Chalkboard Happy Flowers

Hello Crafty Friends! Today I have a fun chalkboard look card to share with you! To achieve this look, I started by white heat embossing Taylored Expressions Happy Flowers Background stamp onto black cardstock. Then I had fun coloring the background with Kirarina WiNK pens: The Kirarina WiNK pens are available individually (there are 18 beautiful METALLIC colors from which to choose!) or in four different 4-pack sets. These multi-purpose pens are compatible with a variety of surfaces and feature specks of glitter! They are acid-free and ideal for decorating paper, photos, plastic, and glass! They also give a wonderfully opaque coverage, as evidenced on the black cardstock I used ... I think the look resembles a pretty colored chalk chalkboard, don't you?!! These are the Kirarina WiNK colors I used: Bordeaux (dark pink), Dandelion (golden yellow), Orange, Lime Green, Emerald (beautiful aqua!), and Violet: To finish the card, I used the White Pearl Kirarina WiNK pen to dot the centers of the yellow flowers: The pretty sentiment was created with Taylored Expressions You're in my Prayers sentiment stamp set (gold heat embossed) and Prayers Script die (cut from shimmering white pearl cardstock), placed on a Stitched Fishtail Banner die... Read more →

Spice of Life

It's release week for some more fabulous new Essentials by Ellen products! Are you loving the Leading Ladies as much as I am?!! Well, you are in luck because there is another wonderful new one added to the family this month ... Meet the Cozy Lady! She was SO much fun to color! I stamped her with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto X-Press It Blending Card, then used her coordinating die to die cut her. I used these Copic Sketch Markers to color her to match the hues in this wonderful new Reverse Confetti Every Little Bit patterned paper: The sentiment piece is another pattern of the RC Every Little Bit paper, die cut with Taylored Expressions Stitched Essentials banner. I love all the different items included in this stamp set that the Cozy Lady can carry in/on her arm, and that the die automatically cuts out her arm to carry them ... so clever! I opted for the cup of tea, to coordinate with the "friends are the spice of life" sentiment I chose. To create the basket of leaves accent, I used some fun new X-Press It Cork Deco Tape. I just applied the tape (it has an... Read more →

Textured Pumpkin

Happy Fall, friends! The weather is cooling down and starting to feel like Fall, so that put me in the mood for some Fall crafting! Some of my very favorite Fall decorations are pumpkins ... I have them scattered all over the house! So naturally, when I spied this plain bisque pumpkin at the craft store, I had to scoop it up and find something fun to do with it! To transform this pumpkin, I turned to my Tommy Art paints and began by giving it a base coat of Brown Black Chalk Color (I left the stem unpainted for now, so I could use it as a handle to hold the pumpkin and turn it as I painted. You can see the original color and texture of the pumpkin/stem in the photo below.) The pumpkin started out very smooth: Tommy Art Chalk Colors are high-quality, rapid-dry, chalk-based mineral paints. The chalk color offers superb coverage, opacity, porosity, and lightfastness, which adheres to most surfaces without preparation. Available in more than 35 colors, these chalk-based mineral paints are suitable for a wide range of decorative styles and come in three color ranges: pastel, neutral, and intense. Next, to give the... Read more →

Thankful, Grateful, Blessed

The past week has been very humbling here in my south eastern part of Texas, to see the sometimes very destructive capabilities of Mother Nature. My family and I are definately counting our blessings and extremely grateful and thankful most of our friends and family are safe. I will be reminded of this time whenever I look at this DIY Fall sign I made: Here's how it came together: I started with an 8" x 11" inexpensive whitewashed plain wood plaque I found at Michaels. Next, I used my computer to generate and print the words I wanted, in two different fonts (please see this post for the fonts and where to get). After positioning the words, I secured them with washi tape on the right side: Next, I lifted up the printed words and placed X-Press It Graphite Transfer Paper under them (graphite side down, facing the plaque): Then I traced over the words. This Transfer Paper has graphite on one side (facing the plaque) and is white on the other side, so you can also run it through your printer, printing directly on it! This would save you one extra step, but I just wasn't in the mood... Read more →

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 →

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 →

High Five To That!

A Note From Ellen Hutson: Last November Ellen Hutson began celebrating our 10th anniversary with the theme United We Flourish. And what does "United We Flourish" mean? It means that our company would not be here without the amazing companies we work with, the designers who create stunning projects showcasing the wonderful products being created AND you, our fabulous customers! YOU are such a vital part of our creative community - you inspire and encourage us! Your response to United We Flourish was overwhelming and heart-warming. We heard repeatedly from you that you appreciate how our little company works together with the other manufacturers we carry to bring you their products and education showing how to use those products. To thank you for your constant support and encouragement, we have partnered with some of our friends to offer exclusive limited edition stamp and die sets! These sets will be available for a limited time (most likely 3-6 months) after each release, depending on how quickly you snap them up. The theme of these stamps sets are uplifting and fun. We are thrilled to present the second one to you ... G’Day Mate stamps and die combo by Avery Elle exclusively... Read more →

#WorldWatercolorMonth with Copic Various Ink Refills

I'm loving #WorldWatercolorMonth -- how about you? I thought my Copics might be getting a little jealous, so I decided to incorporate them into the watercolor mix today and use my Various Ink Refills in one of my favorite ways ... you guessed it -- by "watercoloring" with them! Don't you LOVE that vibrant color?!! "Watercoloring" with your Copic Various Ink Refills is quite simple -- Just squeeze a little of the ink into a palette, fill a waterbrush with Copic Colorless Blender, then pick up your desired Various Ink color with the brush and paint away on watercolor paper! Note: It may take you a bit to get used to the flow of your waterbrush and how much Colorless Blender it dispenses -- if one brush flows a little too much or not enough, try a different brand of brush. I have several different brands and they all flow a little differently. If there is not enough Blender solution on your brush when you pick up the Various Ink color, the resulting color going on your paper will be dryer and may streak and not color smoothly. But, this can sometimes work well to add shading to previously laid-down... Read more →

Copic Sketchbook Art Journal-2

Today I have another page to share with you from my Copic 5x7 Sketchbook Art Journal. You may remember my Plumeria page from a few weeks ago, where I airbrushed in the journal. But I really wanted to try coloring with my Copic markers directly on the paper, since the paper in the journal is made with the highest-quality Japanese illustration paper and claims to be ideal for use with Copic markers and mixed-media. Sure enough, the uncoated medium weight paper colored on beautifully! For this page I used Copic's Tracing Memories app on my phone, to turn a photo I took on vacation last week into a line art sketch I could color! Here's my reference photo (beautiful Flamingo Beach in Montego Bay, Jamaica): You can find out more about the Tracing Memories app here and here, and download the app in the iTunes store. Then I printed the sketch on a page from my Copic Sketchbook Art Journal and colored it with Copic markers! To do this, I just used scissors to snip the paper in between the spirals, and gently took the paper out of the journal: Next, I used washi tape to tape the journal page... Read more →

Copic Sketchbook Art Journal

Hello, Crafters! Today I'm sharing my first attempt at an art journal page (so please go easy on me!). I've wanted to try art journaling for a long time, so when I saw these new Copic Sketchbooks, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to start one! I had so much fun, and that's what counts the most, right? :) I'm using the 5" x 7" Copic Sketchbook, made with the highest-quality Japanese illustration paper. This newest edition of the sketchbook is ideal for use with Copic markers and mixed-media! The 50 sheets of uncoated, medium-weight paper are spiral bound between two heavyweight black covers for stability, making professional grade paper and artwork palette portable and protected. FEATURES: • 50 Sheets • 70 lb professional-grade Japanese paper • Super smooth surface for clean inking • Uncoated paper (ideal for Copic markers) • Warm toned paper for vibrant coloration • Pencil erases cleanly • Super thick covers Here's a little back story on the pretty plumeria flower theme I chose ... My husband and I spent our honeymoon in Hawaii and that was my first introduction to these beautiful fragrant flowers/trees. They were everywhere and their gorgeous fragrance filled the... Read more →

Life is Better When You're Golfing

Hello, Friends! Here it is June 1st and Father's Day is right around the corner. I thought I'd better be prepared for the day, with a card for my husband. Golf is his favorite past time, so I thought this new The Golfing Line stamp from Pink Ink Stamps would be perfect for him! The fun background was created by airbrushing Copic G09 onto white cardstock, through a stencil I thought resembled golf balls! After removing the stencil, I airbrushed lighter Copic G03 over the white background: The golf image was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto Neenah 110 Lb. Solar White cardstock and colored with these Copic markers: I know the orange golf balls may seem like an odd choice of colors, but that's the color my husband prefers! I stamped, colored, and cut out an additional golf bag, then popped it up using X-Press It's new Foam Mounting Squares. These squares have the same great high tack adhesive and easy to remove backing as my favorite X-Press It Double-Sided High Tack Foam Mounting Tape that comes on the continuous roll, just already cut into convenient 1/4-inch or 1/2-inch squares! The Foam Mounting Squares were also added behind... Read more →