Photo Album for my Niece

This is my 2nd post today so be sure to scroll down.

Whenever there is a new baby in the family I make them a little photo album of all the members of our family. I started this when my kids were little and it really shortened the time it took for them to warm up to people at family gatherings because we had looked at those photos and talked about who those people were so many times. I am continuing this tradition here for my new baby niece. It is even more important for her because she lives out of town.



The making of this clear envelope book was based on THIS tutorial. Here's a peak inside:




The front was decorated with the new image, Sparkle Thistleweed, from All That Scraps. Her eyes are awesome! I also enjoyed coloring her hair green.....another "something I never do". I punched the grass, embossed, and sponted a bit across the bottom. Have I told you yet how excited I am to finally have a grass punch! I stamped some white clouds and the word "Niece" to create the sky. My niece's initials were cut from the Cricut, embossed, and sponged also.

PS: I used double layers of cardstock on the front and back covers to make this more sturdy for little hands.

Stamps: C.C.Designs Presents Sweet November Sparkle Thistleweed, C.C. Designs Presents AmyR Stamps All Women Sentiments, C.C. Designs Sugarplums Scenery
Paper: GP 110, Tempting Turquoise, Pink Passion, Green Galore, Lovely Lilac
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black, Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, Rose Red
Accessories: Copics, Stamp-a-majig, Cricut Storybook, ribbon from Pink Hedgehog, Large Brads from Archivers, Swiss Dots embossing Folder, MS Grass Punch, Angel Wingz Shimmers, Spots & Dots embossing Folder, Score Tape, Crop-a-dile, clear envelopes

Enjoy!
Michelle B.
"Queen of the Scene"

Fairy on a Branch

Here's another piece for the All That Scraps Guest Designer gig. I love the face on Ginger and even had to add some eye shadow (something I don't normally do).

I started by brayering the sky and ground. Next I cut out the circle where Ginger would eventually be placed. This beautiful little fairy needed something to sit on so I embossed some green cardstock with the Leafy Branch embossing folder. I sponged a darker green on the bottom half of the leaves and added some white Prismacolor pencil highlights. The leaves were cutout and arranged into position here.

Ginger was colored with Copics and cut out. She has Shimmerz on her wings for sparkle. I bent her wings forward a bit and put pop-dots on the back of the wings so they would stick up a bit. Then I adhered Ginger into position. Here's a closeup:

Stamps: C.C.Designs Presents Sweet November Ginger, C.C. Designs Presents AmyR Stamps All Women Sentiments
Paper: GP 110, Whisper White, Old Olive, Lovely Lilac
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black, Soft Sky, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Old Olive, Garden Green
Accessories: Copics, Stamp-a-majig, White Prismacolor pencil, Nesties, Angel Wingz Shimmerz, Leafy Branch Embossing Folder, pop-dots

Enjoy!
Michelle B.
"Queen of the Scene"

February Artful INKables Hop Time!

Welcome to the Artful Inkables hop! If you arrived here from Jen's blog, then you are in the right spot! If not, you should begin the hop on Kristin’s Blog (Artful Inkables), so that you can get the full show.

Of course, when I saw these cute birdhouse images from the new Artful INKables set Any Birdy Home?, you know I thought of all sorts of scenes I could make with them! (and is that name fun or what!?) Today I have the birdhouse up on a "pole" with sunflowers growing beneath. I can get carried away sometimes so I kept these scene simple by using DP for my sky and punched/embossed paper for the grass.

Next stop along the way is Crystal. Hop on over and be sure to leave her a kind comment as she always does for so many others.

Stamps: Artful Inkables Any Birdy Home?
Paper: Not Quite Navy, Certainly Celery, kraft, GP110, SU Bashful Blue DP
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black, Garden Green, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Copics, Swiss Dots embossing folder, Nestabilities Labels 8, MS Grass punch, MS Garden Trellis punch, EK Success Rock Fern punch (with leaves cut off to use as sunflower stems)

Enjoy!
Michelle B.
"Queen of the Scene"

Happy V-Day!

Just a quick card today as this is a busy weekend. This piece features the new set from FireCracker Designs by Pamela called Heart Strings.

I have been seeing a lot of people coloring with Copics on kraft paper and also combining white with kraft. These are things I don't normally do so I thought I'd give it a try. This was a fun change!

Stamps: FireCracker Designs by Pamela Heart Strings
Paper: Papertrey White and Kraft
Ink: Whisper White

Accessories: Copics, corner rounder punch, Martha Stewart edge punch

Enjoy!

Michelle B.

Ground Sponging Tutorial

I wrote a little tutorial about sponging a ground around images for Artful INKables. If you haven't seen it yet, you can find it HERE.

NOTE: This sketch is from Fall To Layout #52. You can find it HERE.

Enjoy!
Michelle B.

Think Ink Challenge # 13

How about a Clean and Simple card today? This was inspired by the sketch in the current Think Ink Challenge. There is still time so I hope you'll play along for a chance to win some Artful INKables stamps!

For the main panel here, I first inked the main flower image in Virsamark. Then I inked my flower image with Old Olive in the stem areas and Almost Amythyst and Perfect Plum in the flower areas. (Sorry, no markers here!) Finally I stamped the image on the paper. A little dusting of clear detail embossing powder and a shot from the heat gun and I am ready to add the leaves. The leaves were first inked with River Rock and stamped off on a scrap. Then I stamped (without inking again) onto my piece. Because my flowers were embossed, I could simply rub any River Rock ink right off of them with a paper towel. I love the effect of those soft leaves in the background!

Stamps: Artful INKables Plant Prints, Artful INKables A Bird’s Song (sentiment)
Paper: Papertrey White, Bazzill Black, Perfect Plum
Ink: Old Olive, Almost Amethyst, Perfect Plum, River Rock
Accessories: Clear detail embossing powder, Stamp-a-majig (sentiment)

Enjoy!

Michelle B.

DH Bday & FCD News

I saw a piece of art used by a designer on a television show the other day and I wanted to re-create that here (Can you see me pausing the TV and taking a pic with my phone so I wouldn't forget what the piece looked like? ha!). I gave this to my husband for his recent birthday.

I brayered the sky with Creamy Caramel. I masked the ground with a torn paper and sponged a bit of Apricot Appeal along the horizon. I masked the sky with torn paper and sponged in Old Olive and moved the mask around to create some hills (remember: darker in front and lighter in back to create distance). I stamped in the tree and colored in the trunk with Copics. I used a blender pen to add some darker areas to the tree top. The sentiment is a rub-on. I used some embossed & sponged pieces in various colors in the background.

Stamps: FireCracker Designs by Pamela Scenic Byways
Paper: GP 110, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Old Olive, Creamy Caramel
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Garden Green, Creamy Caramel, Apricot Appeal
Accessories: Copics, Sentiment Rubon from SU

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FCD NEWS
A. FireCracker Designs by Pamela has some new FREE digi's. You can find out how to get them HERE and HERE (these are fabulous for Valentine's Day!).

B. Share the LOVE of FCD Celebration! to celebrate reaching 100 members on FCD FaceBook:

1. Just for being an FCD FB member, you'll have a chance to win a 10$ gift card. To enter, all you have to do is join the FCD fan page, before Feb. 14th!! Easy huh? One randomly chosen member will win. If FCD reaches 150 members before Feb. 14th, FCD will draw TWO winners!

2. FCD is having a contest! Create ANY piece of art that uses ANY FCD image you have, submit it to the fan art by uploading in thru a post on the FCD wall, and you are entered to win a 15$ GC! ONE entry per person, one randomly drawn winner will be chosen.

Don't own any FCD rubber? No problem! You can use an FCD digital to enter! AND to kick things off, FCD has uploaded TWO brand new freebies to the digi page, so EVERYONE can play!! What are you waiting for? Go get creating!! Deadline is Feb. 13th!

Drawings will be held on Feb. 14th!!

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Enjoy!
Michelle B.