Thursday, February 7, 2013

Outside the Box


Today I have a post on the CardMaker blog for a card that was inspired by one in a past issue of CardMaker. The challenge was to recreate it in a very similar fashion, but use different products.  Please check out the blog to see the fabulous card by Michelle Woerner that inspired me, as well as which products I swapped!  It uses these two sets from Gina K Designs:

and
  Pretty Patterns (clear or rubber)



Been in a rut or having trouble getting motivate to create? 
Flip through a magazine and recreate a favorite card!  
Thank you for visiting!

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Stacking Them Up (Making your Mark!)

Here is something I did the other day with my Copic markers, just adding a stroke of color to all sides of the lids of my new Gina K. ink pads so I can stack them from any direction on my shelf and still know exactly what color to reach for. This has saved so much time and makes putting pads away a snap.
Here is something I did the other day with my Copic markers, just adding a stroke of color to all sides of the lids of my new Gina K. ink pads so I can stack them from any direction on my shelf and still know exactly what color to reach for.  This has saved so much time and makes putting pads away a snap.  My shelves are deep enough that I found I can put more on them if I store the pads with the ends facing me instead of the fronts.  Pictured are the Copics I chose, but they need not be the exact shade as these or as the ink, just a close enough match that it makes sense to you which pad it is.  For me it was unnecessary to write the name; in a way, seeing just the colors is all the info I need to know which pad I want, same for my Copic Ciaos as they don't have a designation on the cap in my storage bucket, I just pull the color that is speaking to me!  I went ahead adid all my Memnto pads , too,and now my shelf has room for a ton of new (Gina K. Color Companion!) pads. :)

Hope this helps!


Friday, February 1, 2013

Simple Birthday

Here is a very simple card I made with the new Free with Three  Sweet Tweets set.  I just stamped the large and small flower randomly in black ink on Pure Luxury White and then had fun coloring with some bright Copics.
These images also fit in the Marvy flower punch Gina used to carry.  I added a few adhesive rhinestones for bling.  Card base is Black Onyx.  Adding the bird carrying the present popped up would be the icing on this birthday card's cake, but I was in a hurry!  Maybe later!


These adorable stamps is only free for a few more weeks! Have you picked out your three sets yet? :)

Have a fantastic day!

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Mixing and Kissing!

 Hello! Today's card uses three sets:   Lots of Letters,  Stamp it BIG from Carolyn King, and Simple Hearts from Tami Mayberry. Don't they work well together? I really like how you can spell out some different beginnings or endings for the BIG greetings of Carolyn's with Lots of Letters
 I kissed her small polka dot pattern from Stamp it BIG onto the bold border from Lots of Letters in Memento Lady Bug ink, re-inking each time.  Isn't that fun to give this bold border any pattern you want? I love how delicate this pattern is.  After stamping the border, I added the letters (one letter actually fell of the block as I was stamping so I had to make them all at slightly wonky angles to match!)  and then the THANKS and "I love you" around it in Memento Tuxedo Black.  I stamped Tami's hearts image and cut out to pop up at the top left and then used some Gina K Bowl of Cherries buttons and red bakers twine to finish the card. (Oh, that button on the right is covering a black smudge, hee!) Cardstock is Pure Luxury White and Black onyx.




Thanks for visiting me today!  It's almost the weekend, woo hoo!

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

No Line Rose

Here is another "no line" Copic sample I made with Stately Flowers 6  using Gina K Honey Mustard Ink and Copics R00, R22, R35, YG11, YG03, G07, and BV23 and C-3 for shadows. I cut around the side like I did on my card from Monday(scroll down to see) because I'm just enjoying that right now!  I also used R22 marker on one of Gina's Tickled Pink buttons to make it a little more coral to complement and balance the darker shades of my rose in the design.
I also stamped the large frame from my Branching Out set over my mat in Memento Bamboo Leaves and added some accents with a marker. This is the second time I've used the Branching Out frame with this rose and I just love how they look together!
Finally,  I used a quote I love from my Say it with Flowers set.  
It's just perfect with this blooming rose bud.
Cardstock is Pure Luxury Innocent Pink, Black Onyx and White.

Hope this inspires! I love pink roses!

Gina has a video on StampTV today using this set, plus a little more about me 
from our Design Team Bio pages. 

Have a great day!

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Gina K Color Companion Buttons


Good morning!  Today I wanted to show some of the buttons I picked out from the Bowl of Cherries button assortment, which coordinates, of course, with the Gina K Cherry Red ink pad and cardstock, as well as blending with our other red and pink inks and cardstocks!  

I was so excited when my packs arrived to see all the beautiful variety in color shapes and sizes ans well as the beautiful dyed to match!  As you can see, some have glitter, and many look very different on the front from the back, matte vs. shiny, flat vs. bumpy, giving you even more options which look you are going for.  Even some for threading your ribbons!  I also really like that you can find oval or square buttons (or even a heart or a flower?) when you rally want to repeat that shape form other parts of your design.  

Stay tuned for a peek of another gorgeous colored assortment.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Mountain Laurel Butterflies

Thanks SO much for all your sweet comments about the Stately Flowers 6 and Birds and Blossoms mix and match I did!  Gina tells me quite  a few of *both* sets were purchased later that day. ;)  I wanted to share another idea I had for combining these two sets, as Theresa's butterflies are sized just right for my mountain laurel bunch!  So here is another mash up, hope it inspires!


I decided to do the "no coloring" method again for stamping and coloring my flowers, but did less shading and kept my strokes looser and less blended for a more water-colored, Impressionistic look.  Stamp the flowers first in Gina K Honey Mustard  (I actually stamped it off to make it even lighter) and then color.  Stamp butterflies over it in Tuxedo Black and color.  Copics: R05, R22, R35 for the flowers and butterflies, and YG11 and G07 for the leaves.  BV02 for the shadow.

Last I stamped this greeting from Carolyn's Stamp it BIG in Gina K Red Hot ink, and then shifted the stamp and stamped again without re-inking (stamping off) to create that peachy color to match the shades in the flowers.  To add some interest, I decided to do a cut away on one side of my rectangle mat and just love how it turned out!  Just going around one side like this, and not cutting up to the actual edge of the image itself makes the card so much more special but isn't as time consuming as fussy cutting the entire thing!

I thought about using red, peach, or black as a card base at first to pick up some of those colors, but my son wandered in and suggested Turquoise Sea* to make it pop, and I have to agree, I love the contrast here, not so matchy-match!  Thanks, Jonathan! :)

If I had to do this card over again, I would stamp on White cardstock, instead of Ivory which you see here.  I just happened to have a piece of ivory on my desk ready to go at the time, AND I thought I was going to keep a warm color scheme.  It still works with the cool Turquoise, but white would be that much sharper/brighter /cleaner.  Just sayin'!

Have a wonderful day!  Gina will be featuring Stately Flowers 6 in her StampTV video on Wednesday (and Birds and Blossoms on Friday) and I can't want to see what she has in store! Glad you are all enjoying the new stamps!


*Well, actually he said "greenish-blue", but that translates to Pure Luxury Turquoise Sea to me!  He's a Gina K fan, too, but does not know all her cardstock colors by name, hee!

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Mix and Match Gina K. Blog Hop!

Good morning! Welcome to our Gina K. Mix and Match blog hop
with the illustrating team mixing it up by pairing some of our new sets! 
Comment on each of the blogs and you could win a huge bag of Gina K. Designs stamps, patterned paper and embellishments, courtesy of Gina K!!
The realistic nature images in Stately Flowers 6 and Birds and Blossoms are a match made in heaven!

Pine branch and pine cone are stamped with Gina K. Dark Sage.  This pad (or Fresh Asparagus) is perfect for stamping this branch so the needles are already green, no need to trace with color.  Pine cones are colored with Copics E43, Y28, E57.  I sponged the edges with Gina K. Ocean Mist.
Bird is stamped in Gina K. Honey Mustard and colored with Copics E43, Y28, E71, C-5 and E49 (this last color really making the bird spring to life on the tip of the beak and around the eye, which gave him a little spark).  These pads are great for line art and Copic coloring and I am loving this shade for the bird, the "no line coloring" showing just enough detail to show you were the color should go, but enough to recede so you see the form but not the outline.  Cardstock is Pure Luxury White, Ocean Mist and Dark Chocolate.
 While I didn't take step by steps of the coloring, I am recreating for you how simple it is to build out the scene for the bird to perch!  Here is the large pine branch stamped and turned, re-inking each time.
Add in the smaller pine cone.  No need to try to mask those needles, they could be in front, so just stamp right over.
Sponge the edges, and the scene is complete! Just color in the cones.


 And here is a new way to use Debbie's Skater Diva, how about a Roller Diva??  Just cut off the blades after stamping and add brads. You can even put a little dot on each for the axle.  I also used Tami's Simple Hearts for the greeting and punched X O embellishments to mimic the wheels.  That's how I roll...!

Finally, here is another match up I did earlier in the month, but hadn't blogged yet:

With Carolyn and Becky's sets, the big SMILE is just perfect with the little Polaroids!  Be sure to pop up a few to add dimension!  You can stamp directly onto your photos and then cut them out like you are paper piecing, or here I just reduced them down to the same size opening as the photo window and printed them out to then cut and add. These little moment/memories form the past of my boys' real photos (I made this card for their proud uncle) just melt my heart!

You can also scroll down and see some other pairings I did with other new sets this past week if you haven't visited lately! :)

I hope you enjoy the rest of the hop and are inspired by how wonderfully our Gina K stamp sets work together!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

CardMaker May Arts Blog Hop!

     
      Good morning, and welcome to a ribbon-tastic blog hop with the CardMaker team and our designing friends, sponsored by May Arts!  May Arts will be giving away four spools of the winner’s choice!
   Leave plenty of comments along the way while you hop today to enter to win a prize of 4 spools of ribbon – your choice!  And that includes anything from their Winter 2013 New Releases These are so new they aren't even listed on their website yet.  So you'd be the one of the first to get your hands on 'em! Giveaway details can be found on the May Arts blog

You should be arriving from the talented Jennie's Harper's blog...
     
   I had some really fun choices of ribbon for my sample today!  I decided on this adorable green and white grosgrain with a printed stitch and scalloped edge.
 
     The detail of the tiny punched holes in the scallop is just amazing!  Little finishes like this on trims really take your designs to another level.  

     Supplies used: 5/8" green scalloped grosgrain 426-58-46 ribbon by May Arts,  White and Black Onyx Pure Luxury cardstock, Stately Flowers 6 and Stamp it Big stamp sets, Gina K. Mixed Greens buttons, and Fresh Asparagus ink pad  from Gina K. Designs; Memento Tuxedo Black ink pad from Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko; Copic markers YG11, YG03, BV31; and foam dots and EZ Runner permanent adhesive from Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L.

Thank you, May Arts, for sponsoring today! 

Now please make your way to the fabulous blog of Monica Edwards!  

Good luck with the giveaway!

Here is the full link list, lots of peeps participating today, don't want to miss a post!


Thank you for visiting me, and enjoy the rest of the hop!
Have a wonderful day!