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 →

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 →

Bluebonnet Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day, Crafters! Before I get started with today's project, I wanted to share an amazing Mother's Day Sale going on at Ellen Hutson: You have until Tues, May 16 to use this coupon code but the earlier you shop, the more items will be in stock! Today I'm sharing a typical Texas Spring scene created with a wonderful new stamp from Pink Ink Stamps -- Bluebonnet Highway: Even though the native bluebonnets peaked here in south coastal Texas early last month, my neighbor has some in her garden that are still hanging on! It wouldn't be Spring in Texas without the ritual of snapping photos with your children in them ... I have lots of fond memories! Here's about the last photo I could coax my girls into taking in 2012: They create a gorgeous sea of blue! To try and replicate their coloring for the stamp image, I used one of Copic's Doodle Packs: 4pc Doodle Pack Blue. The Doodle Packs contain a range of color-matched products that make for a great doodling or coloring experience, and are a nice affordable introduction to Copic products. Packs include two markers, a color Multiliner, and a glitter pen. The... Read more →

Thinking of You Distress Oxide Watercolor

This week I've been playing with some new goodies -- Tim Holtz's new Distress Oxide inks! (Ellen Hutson just received a new shipment today, so get them while you can HERE! If they happen to disappear quickly, don't fret -- I hear another shipment should be received next week!) This first offering of 12 colors is a beautiful selection; below I've shown a few of them. (Ink swatches graciously provided by Jennifer McGuire and can be downloaded here.) On the left side of the color swatches, I applied the ink direct-to-paper from the ink pad. On the right side of the swatches, I sponged the color on. As you can see, the sponged color turns out a little lighter (although more color can be built up to achieve the same color as the direct method) and blends BEAUTIFULLY -- so much smoother and effortless than regular Distress Ink! The first thing I wanted to try with these inks was watercolor . . . And it worked beautifully! Since these inks are a hybrid of dye and pigment inks, the resulting color is very nicely opaque, buildable and beautifully soft, resulting in a slight chalky feeling when dry. As the "oxide"... Read more →

Masking To Create a Scene

One of my favorite backgrounds to create is sand and sea. With the help of masking and airbrushing, you can create any number of different scenes! Today I'm using X-Press It Mask It Sheets from Imagination International, Inc. These large sheets are designed for masking areas that require layers of color and since they are 10" x 15", they can cover a large area with their unique low tack feature, which allows the film to be applied on various surfaces. Need to mask something larger? There are Mask It Rolls that come in widths up to 25 inches! They are low tack, flexible, easy to cut, have a translucent backing which makes them perfect for use with a light box (maybe tracing a printed image?), and can be die cut! And they have a matte finish, which can be stamped on (which you will see below). Here's how I used it: We just booked a cruise for this summer, so I was extremely excited to use this awesome Pink Ink Dream Cruise ship! I stamped it with permanent ink (Memento Tuxedo Black) onto the translucent side of the Mask It film (the backing of the film is "water"marked with a... Read more →

Pantone Color of the Year 2017

Don't you love the new year, full of fresh starts? One of my favorite things to see each year is the new Pantone Color of the Year pick. This year it is Greenery. This fresh mid-toned yellow-green is the color of grass, which goes with anything and brings to mind the first days of Spring, when nature renews. Think about -- grass, leaves and greenery are (just about) everywhere, making it nature's neutral! As I did in 2014, I've prepared a Copic best match to this year's Pantone color selection and prepared this graphic for you. Since digital media differs greatly between monitors and platforms, I've given a range which *I believe could match*. You can find the full range of Copic's Yellow-Green markers available HERE at Imagination International Inc. And here's a project I created, using some of these pretty greens (and blues and pinks!): I thought this adorable Pink Ink Floppy Bunny would look cute sitting in some pretty Spring grass. This is how I colored him: I stamped him in soft Memento Gray Flannel ink (as opposed to black) onto Essentials by Ellen 100 Lb. Smooth Bristol cardstock. To keep him mainly white, I used Copic N0... Read more →

Felt Stocking

Happy hump day! Is everyone ready for December? Our stockings are finally hung by the chimney with care and this one is filled with lots of goodies already! Isn't this Pink Ink Stamp Company Felt Stocking the sweetest?!! All of the fine details just amaze me and they really pop when gold heat embossed! (Click on any photo for a larger view. Bold products are linked below in the supply section). I stamped and gold heat embossed the stocking onto white pearl shimmering cardstock, then colored it with Copic markers R20-22-24, YG25-17, B21-23-24, E42-43, C0-1. Next, I hand trimmed the image. To create the background, I airbrushed Copic Y17 onto the center of an Inchie Arts 4-inch White Art Square. Then I gold heat embossed the adorable Heartfelt Holiday sentiment Time to get your sparkle on!! :) To finish this art piece, I adhered X-Press It's 6mm (1/4-inch) blue Glitter Deco Tape around the edges. I love all the pretty metallic sparkle this tape has, but yet it is thin (not bulky) and silky smooth . . . and the glitter doesn't rub or flake off! It is also repositionable, so if you make a mistake applying it, just lift... Read more →

Framed Ice Skates

Hello, Friends! Today I have a wintery framed Christmas art piece to share with you, using Pink Ink Stamp Company's beautiful Pair of Ice Skates image: (Click on any photo for a larger view. Bold products are linked below in the supply section). I started by stamping the image onto a white Inchie Arts 4-inch Art Square with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. Next, I colored the foliage with Copic YG61 and YG63. I used Copic’s NEW! Lavender Multiliners to color in the berries of the foliage. I like the fine point for coloring small spaces, and this Lavender color does not match any of Copic's blue-violet or violet marker colors, so the Multiliner gives you another color option in your BV and V color range! This new Lavender Multiliner is available in five different sizes: 0.03, 0.05, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5. Here, I used 0.3 (fine) and 0.5 (bold): I like having an assortment of Multiliners on hand to add pattern, doodles or to fill in lines of a stamped image that may not have stamped 100%. I also used a Sepia Multiliner to color the branches of the foliage (shown below), as well as the soles of the ice skates.... Read more →

Shadows & Shading

Hello Friends! Today I wanted to share a wonderful resource that often helps me with my colored image shading and contrast: Marianne Walker's Shadows and Shading book is great for beginners -- either papercrafters or general artists -- everyone who colors can learn something from it. This reference book helps you add shadows to give your images more dimension. The book does not teach you to draw, rather it helps you add shadows and shading to your artwork, for a more realistic look. It will help you understand different kinds of light sources and the difference between shading and cast shadows. The book teaches you how to properly color a variety of objects, from simple to complex, plus shadow color theory! It is not Copic-specific; rather, it is filled with principles that can be used by people who love Copic markers, or people who can't imagine coloring with anything other than their colored pencils, or people who wouldn't dream of using a medium other than watercolors. Seriously, it's good stuff for everyone! This wire-bound book comes with 4 guides printed on clear acetate to help you add shadows and shading properly on your own work. Simply place the overlay(s) on... Read more →

Stitched Bird with Copic Bubble Background

Hello and welcome ... Today I have a fun background technique to share with you, adding to my Beautiful Background series! To create this easy bubble background, I used an Aristo Circle Template and Aristo Finelead Studio 0.5 mechanical pencil to lightly trace overlapping circles onto a 4.25" x 5.50" X-Press It Blending Card panel. This template features 45 different circles, ranging from 1 to 36mm and is transparent so it's easy to see through and plan out circle placement. And while linking this, I just noticed that ALL Aristo products are currently 50% off in the Aristo Store at the Imagination International website! Next, I used the Aristo Click Eraser to erase any overlapping lines I didn't want. This eraser's ergonomic shape features push-button technology to advance the refillable eraser. It is the nice soft and non-abrasive white eraser which is less likely to smear surrounding areas or damage your paper. I like how small this eraser is, allowing it to be very precise and work easily in tight spaces. Then I used some of my favorite color combos of Copic Sketch markers pictured above to color and shade the circles. Once colored, I used the Click Eraser again... Read more →

August 2016 Calendar

Yes, folks -- August arrives on Monday, can you believe it? The summer is almost over and school will be starting soon, so that makes it time for another monthly calendar from me! (Click on any photo for a larger view. All bold products are linked below in the supply section). This month's calendar uses a brand new Fall Pink Ink stamp, Apple Stand #2275H. You can see all the newest Fall/Holiday stamps from Pink Ink HERE. The calendar grid is one I made on my computer. I sized it approximately 4.50" wide x 3" tall, to fit inside the largest stitched scalloped Frame in Frame 2 dies from Taylored Expressions. The calendars are shown at left (click on the photo for a larger view), with outlines of where the die will cut. I have made the calendar available as a free download for you (without the die outlines, so you can just trim and use however you'd like), which includes August through December ... Enjoy! You can download the calendars HERE: Download 2016_calendarsAug-Q4_SharonHarnist For future quick finding, the download will also be included on my Download page HERE. Now for that cool background ... Here's how it was created:... Read more →

Sand Between Your Toes

Hello, Friends! My family is headed to the beach soon and I can not wait to feel the warm sand between my toes and listen to the crashing waves! That is DEFINITELY what inspired today's card! All of these fun stamps are from Pink Ink Stamp Co -- the great Beachtown Fence, Beach Sign, and Sandy Toes sentiment. Let me tell you how this card came together (All bold products are linked below in the supply section): After stamping the images with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto X-Press It Blending Card, I tore a piece of scrap cardstock to use as a mask to create the waves. I placed the mask along the bottom 1/4 of the card, where I wanted the edge of the waves to meet the sand, then I softly airbrushed Copic B00 along the the edge of the torn mask. (I have moved the mask upward a little in the photo, so you can see where the airbrushing occurred). In all of my airbrushing, I am getting close to the stamped fence/images, trying not to get too much overspray onto the image ... This is my lazy way of not having to use a mask! You... Read more →

Summer Sketchbook

My youngest daughter has always loved drawing and has taken a renewed interest in it again lately. To help nurture her talent, I customized a sketch book for her: To customize the cover, I stamped a variety of Pink Ink Stamp Company’s latest summer release of stamps all over the cover. I love all the beachy, summery images and hope these will help inspire my daughter over the summer! I added my daughter's name using Essentials by Ellen Basic Alpha: And since this is a sketch book, I thought it would be appropriate to keep the images stamped in just black ink. I used Memento Tuxedo Black ink and was very pleased with how well the images stamped out on the leather cover! Don’t you love all the fun, amazing details in these images?!! The book I’m using is a 6” x 8” senseBook. This book has a beautiful recycled genuine leather cover! The book also has thread binding, a red ribbon bookmark, 135 numbered index pages to easily keep your thoughts / sketches / drawings organized, acid-free wood paper, personal information page, red elastic rubber band closure, 16 perforated pages for easy removal, 7 pages of index for individual... Read more →

March New Beginnings & Copic Opaque White 4 Ways!

Happy March, everyone! Today I am sharing a Spring home decor project with you, using some of Pink Ink Stamp Company's latest stamp release! This photo holder/stand was a gift from a dear friend nine years ago, shortly after we moved into our last house. I thought it was only fitting to spruce it up a bit, since we will be moving into a new home in one short month ... thus, the great "New Beginnings" sentiment! So I made a watercolor background on a 4" x 6" piece of watercolor paper using Tumbled Glass Distress Reinker: Once the background was dry, Copic Opaque White was used to paint the clouds -- I thinned it with a bit of water and painted it on the watercolored background with a brush: Next, I stamped Pink Ink's Row of Bulbs and New Beginnings sentiment with Versamark Ink onto an Inchie Arts 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" ATC Art Board and gold heat embossed it. I always love how nice and crisp Pink Ink's red rubber stamp images stamp and emboss -- such pretty fine details! And the Art Board stands up to the heat embossing, Copic coloring AND the Opaque White being heavily painted... Read more →

Celebrating Spring!

Happy weekend to you all! It's been a gorgeous one here, making me definitely ready for Spring so I thought this adorable new Pink Ink Flower Delivery bike would be a great choice to work with today! (Bold products are linked below in the supply section): The bike was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto Neenah Solar White cardstock and then colored with these Copic Atyou Spica Glitter Pens from Imagination International Inc: I used these glitter pens 7 from Set A to color the image: Lavender, Pink, Orange, Lemon, Melon, Turquoise, and Silver. I used these 6 glitter pens from Set B: Pitch Black, Blossom, Peach, Lilac, Mint, and Baby Blue. The small tips on the pens make it easy to color the small images in this stamp, and the beautiful translucent glittery color adds gorgeous sparkle! Hopefully you can see the pretty shimmer in this close-up: I adore all the fine details in these basket of flowers and cute bike! To finish the card, I added shadows under the bike wheels with Copic C0 and C1, then added the 4" x 5.25" panel with Copic Foam Tape to a white top-folded notecard with a Bazzill Candy Necklace... Read more →