Friends

I used an endearing, tender image drawn by Sherry West for my card today. So many people are having a difficult time right now, and sometimes all they need to hear is that you care, and are here for them. This image, Amelia and Duckling, is available right now as a clear stamp from Stamp Addicts. I printed my sentiment on the cardstock before coloring the image with Copic markers. I used a white gel pen for the grass highlights. I cut lots of hexagon shapes from five different cardstock patterns to use as the background and popped those up on foam dots. I then added some rainbow rhinestones in the corners that I ordered from Honey Bee Stamps (they have some great embellishments!). I also added a very tiny rainbow rhinestone in Amelia's hand that is outstretched to the duckling. Sherry also has her own Facebook page, Sherry West Art Coloring and Crafts, which you should check out! There is a lot of inspiration and other goodies available on her Facebook page! I also want to give a shoutout to Kit and Clowder for the wonderful coloring classes! I have learned so many coloring techniques and still have many more to learn - lol! Well, here is my card showcasing Amelia and Duckling - let me know what you think.

Skin E000, E00, E21, E11, E04, RV02

Hair and sandal soles E21, E23, E25, E27, E29

Clothing BG75, BG57, BG53, BG01, BG10

Duckling and flower Y11, Y15, Y17, YR14, E23

Rock W5, W3, W1, W00

Grass YG01, YG03, G05, G25, white gel pen

Dragonfly B0000, BG10, Y11, E21, E23

I hope you enjoy my card! Lift someone's spirits today and let them know you are here for them.

Have a wonderful day!

Christmas Stocking

 I think Christmas is the most magical time of year, don't you? That's why, when I saw Christmas Stocking, I knew there was a little miracle, a beautiful surprise, inside the stocking. The image is drawn by Sherry West and is one of her beautiful images, available as a clear stamp from StampAddicts.com and spotlighted by them on HochandaTV. This week is Stamp Addicts 28th Birthday and they are having a HUGE celebration, so make sure you check them out! Sherry also has a Facebook page, Sherry West Art Coloring and Crafts, which you should check out - lots and lots of goodies there, too! I printed the image along with a few digital images I had from Designer Digitals. I colored the image with Copic markers using techniques I learned in classes from Kit and Clowder. Then I used a gold gel pen for the tree lights and a white gel pen for other highlights. I then mounted the picture on top of some Christmas cardstock and used some 1/8 inch Christmas ribbon to wrap the cardstock and the same ribbon for a bow. I tried to make the stocking contents look as if they are glowing, as a true magical, beautiful surprise would. Let me know what you think!

Skin E000, E00, E21, E11, E04

Hair and tree trunk E21, E23, E25, E27, E29

Pajamas and present B26, B24, B12, B00, B0000

Tree, stocking and present G28, G05, YG03, YG01

Star, stocking glow and lights Y11, Y15, Y17, Y38, E97

Tree skirt and stocking R39, R29, R24, R22

Dog W5, W3, W1, W00, E25, E23, E21

I hope you have not only a magical day, but a magical Christmas!

Signs of Autumn

 This month in the Outlawz Challenges our Progressive Freebie Challenge image came from Jan's Digi Stamps and is called Signs of Autumn. The image comes with two sentiments and even some pre-colored images. Although I printed this image at 3.25 inches tall, I used a ton of Copic markers to color the leaves. I searched the internet for a picture of autumn leaves and just tried to color something similar. Thanks to the coloring classes at Kit and Clowder, I am able to be brave enough to try different colors together like this! After coloring, I cut a very small piece of Saran Wrap, put it on top of the glass jar and then used Glossy Accents all over the top of it to hold it in place. A complete experiment, but I wanted to see if it would make the glass jar look any more realistic than just the Glossy Accents. I'm not sure if I accomplished what I was going after, but you can let me know. I decided to try a slimline card that seems to be all the rage right now. I made my own frame, diecut a pumpkin, and wrote my sentiment, all on my Silhouette Cameo. The frame is on some foam dots to raise it from the background. Then I added a few orange sequins for some sparkle!

Leaves E57, E55, E53, FY1;

YR09, YR27, YR24, Y11, RV02, RV00;

RV09, YR09, YR04, R22, R20, YG01;

E25, YR09, YR04, YG03, Y21, Y11;

E25, Y28, Y26, YG01, YG21, Y11

Jar B000, white gel pen

I said it was a ton of Copic markers - lol!

I hope you enjoy my card and that Harvest Blessings come your way!

Nuts About You

 Nuts About You - isn't this a great sentiment?! And it's the name of a new image from Sherry West Art Coloring and Crafts. This cute Squirrel is soon to be released! Check out Sherry's Facebook page for more images coming soo, too! Since I seemed to be on a roll with the bookmarks I made for some of Sherry's other cute images (and those were for girls), I thought I could make bookmarks for boys with this cute squirrel! The sentiment I put on the bookmarks was "I am nuts about books!" Perfect! I colored the squirrel with Copic markers and added some highlights with a white gel pen. I cut them out with my Silhouette Cameo and glued on the bookmarks, then added two 1/8" ribbons in contrasting colors for the top. I used a glitter pen for the lettering. I won't do that next time, as you cannot take a good picture with it. I think they're a great little gift for some boys that like to read! Let me know what you would do with this cute Squirrel and check out Sherry's Facebook page for more ideas and images!

I hope you are having a wonderful day!

Azaleas Forever

 Have you discovered Power Poppy stamps yet? They are simply beautiful and they are offered in both clear and digital format! Although I have purchased many (MANY!), all digital, I haven't been brave enough to color most of them. I'm afraid of my coloring not doing the stamps justice. But, I was inspired by a thank you card I received from Honey Bee Stamps. Did you know that when you order from Honey Bee, they include a little thank you with each order? My first two orders (lots of embellishments) had a cute card to color, which I made into cards to send to friends. The card was a picture of a flower spray split in half, with a message in the middle saying, "sending you sunshine." So I used an image from Power Poppy called Azaleas Forever and applied the same idea. It worked! I am really happy with the way this turned out, and I think I might try it with a few other Power Poppy images! I colored the image with my Copic markers, used a white gel pen on the tips of the stamen and added a few colorful sequins. Let me know what you think!

Flowers RV09, RV04, RV02, RV00

Yellow Y17, Y15, Y11

I'm sorry, but I don't remember the colors I used for the leaves and stems.

I can't wait to try this idea on a few more images!

I hope you have a colorful day!