Have a Happy Day | ft. Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are having a great day.

Today's card was a result of me just playing around. As you may have noticed, I cannot get enough of these markers. To be fair, after everything I went through to get my hands on them, I'm not really ready to put them away yet.

I'll apologize now, I didn't write down the colours that I used because, as I said, I was just playing around and ended up really liking the card.

To create today's card, I began by scribbling Red, Yellow and Blue Zig markers on 140lb cold press watercolour paper. I wanted to see just how well they blended and for me, the best way to do that is a rainbow look with as few colours as possible.

I then used clean water, starting on left and working my way to the right. I was amazed at how well they blended together with so little effort. I only added a bit of purple to make it more intense, but other than that I was able to create a full rainbow using only the primary colours.

Definitely a win.

After that was dry, I used CTMH Archival Black ink for the greeting, and traced over the "Happy" with my Stardust Glitter Pen.

I hope you like today's card and are inspired to create something of your own.

This card is for:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

Happy Birthday | ft. MFT "Happy" Die-Namics

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are having a great day.

I have two cards for you today, well really one card but two different versions of it. One feminine and one masculine. Always nice to have options, right?

I got this die a little while ago, but after putting it away in the stash, I kind of forgot about it. Isn't that how it seems to go? I was looking for inspiration and came across it so here we are!

 Both cards were created the same way just with different colours.

To begin, I cut down the front panel to 4 x 5 1/4". I lined up the die where I wanted it to go, and ran it through the die cutting machine.

I then used Distress Inks to colour the panel (Worn Lipstick and Spun Sugar for the first, Cracked Pistachio and Ground Espresso for the second). Once I got the blend I wanted, I used a medium sized paintbrush and clean water to create the splatter effect.

On the card bases, I used Shaded Lilac/Pumice Stone to ensure there would be colour behind the panel, I didn't want the stark white of the card base to be overpowering.

I stamped the Birthday greeting using Lawn Fawn Walnut ink on the second card and CTMH Amethyst ink on the first card.

To adhere the panel in place, I used 1/8" Skor tape to ensure a strong hold. To complete the card, I used a few enamel dots in coordinating colours across the bottom.

I hope you like today's cards and are inspired to create something of your own.

Mother's Day 2016 Series - Card 7 | ft. Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are having a great day.

Welcome to the seventh card in the Mother's Day series. When I started this card, I had no idea it was going to be a Mother's Day card. I have been really putting out a lot of Thinking of You cards, but by the time I was done painting the image, this card just screamed Mother's Day.

This is my first attempt at applying the Zig markers directly to a stamp, and overall I'm pretty satisfied with it, I've had some success with this technique using distress markers and wanted to give it a try with Zig. The internet and youtube have a lot to say when it comes to this technique, but really you won't know if it works for you until you try it for yourself.

I highly recommend giving it a try before dismissing it. Maybe I lucked out, but it seemed to work out pretty well for me. Even though someone else says it doesn't work, it may just be the exact look you are going for.

To create this card, I began by scribbling 032 Persian Blue directly on to the stamp and applying it to 140lb cold press watercolour paper. I then masked this off, and used the same technique with 048 Emerald Green for the leafy stamp.

I removed the mask and used 036 Light Blue to add a little contrast to the petals, with a damp brush I pulled the lighter colour down into the darker colour and let the water do it's magic. I added 045 Pale Green around the foliage and brought the greens together the same way.

To create the greeting banner, I used a banner die cut with a coordinating cardstock and metallic gold embossing powder for the greeting.

As usual, I felt the white area was too white, so I added a halo around the image using 026 Light pink, and pulling the colour outwards. When creating the halo, I have found the most effective way is to wet the paper first then drop in the colour and pull it out, otherwise the colour may be too intense around the image and it may not be what you are looking for. Maybe I just need more practice. I added a scattering of sequins and clear dots for interest.

I hope you like today's card and are inspired to create something of your own.

This card is for:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Show Us Your Metal

Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers and The Emotional Roller Coaster of Getting Them

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are having a great day.

Today I'm going to do something a little bit different. I don't have a card for you. That's right. Today I'm doing a product spotlight. It's my first one, so please, be kind. Also, it's a lot longer than I usually post, because a lot happened in the process.

Brush Tips

Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers. We've all seen them, some of have had them for a while, some are brand new to them (like me) and some may be sitting on the fence. Hopefully this will tip you off, in either direction, depending on which way you were already leaning.

First I'm going to start with some backstory. I have been eyeing these for quite some time. But isn't that the way it goes with all new things. It's all shiny, then we get it and we never touch it because we forgot what we were going to do with it in the first place, or we are so overwhelmed that we have no idea where to start.




I'm in Canada, and these are not the easiest markers to find. Nor are they something that we can say was an "impulse buy".

I hit the internet. I found various US vendors that would sell them, but with the exchange right now, they were ridiculously priced. Enter Amazon - Canada edition.

January 24th 2016: Placed the order through Amazon for the 36 pack through a Japanese distributor. I received confirmation of my shipment the next day, and was told to expect delivery between February 19 - March 11. -- Sad face! But considering what I thought to be an wicked deal, I figured I could wait.

Markers

February 19 - March 11 2016: I'm still waiting. There is nothing in the mail, no notices of delivery. I'm getting sadder and sadder all the time.

March 23 2016: I email the seller and advise that it has been 12 days since the lapse of my expected delivery window and I still don't have my package. They email back the next day, asking me to wait an additional 10 days because it is their busy season. Also, they tell me that because they shipped it standard, there is no tracking information available.

(Side note: Who sends anything overseas without tracking information? Honestly!)

April 3 2016: Still nothing. I email again, saying I have waited as they requested and I still have no package. I'm asked to wait. Again.

April 11 2016: I email again, saying that it is now a month past my delivery window and I believe the package has been lost, to please cancel my order, I'll buy them elsewhere. They emailed me back, saying that they "now also feel the package has been lost. Will send repayment today. [And that] they hope to see another order from me soon." uhhh no.

I call local art stores here in Calgary, AB and find that one of them does carry the markers. They have them in open stock, packs of 24. 36, and 48. I asked the price of the packs. It was at this point I nearly swallow my own tongue. I politely decline his offer to order a pack in for me.

April 16 2016: I hit Amazon again. I find another Japanese company that sells the markers for an even better deal than the first, but the product is supplied by Amazon. These markers are already in Canada! I place my order and they are shipped the next day. With tracking information.

April 21 2016: The markers arrive and I am so happy!

In my home, the day I received them!

Colour Swatches

I attempted to print out the colour swatches by Jennifer McGuire, but sadly my printer hates watercolour paper and I had to make them by hand. I realized after I took this photo I was so excited about finally having them that I didn't even finish trimming them down.

Colour-coded caps

Creating the colour codes for the caps took a bit longer. I learned that using a hole punch by hand on 140lb watercolour paper is difficult, but I wasn't about to stop. I covered them with glossy accents and I couldn't be happier.

So there it is, the emotional roller coaster that I went through to get my hands on these markers. They are a little difficult to get used to after using other products, because of the brush tips, but I can't believe the precision and detail I can achieve. You can definitely look forward to seeing lots of posts using these markers.

I highly recommend them. If you can find a good deal, get the pack and save yourself some time and money. If you are uncertain, get a couple and try them out. They are an amazing product, the colours are vibrant and there is a huge range in the 60 pack. So far (after a only a couple days) I can't think of any additional colours I would want and there are certainly a few that I will likely not use very often, if at all.

(In the event that I ever actually receive the lost package, I'll let you know. But I'm not holding my breath.)

Birthday Orchids | Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are having a great day.

Today's card is for my beautiful friend Andrea. Her birthday is coming up on Tuesday, but we celebrated last night. After she opened this card, she told me she had been going through my blog to see which one might be her's.

To create today's card, I began by stamping the orchid image from Clearly Besotted's Miniature Florals Collection with VersaMark ink on 140lb cold press watercolour paper. I heat embossed this with white embossing powder.

I used my brand new Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers to colour the flowers and to create a halo around them. I trimmed this down to 2 7/8" square and rounded the corners using the half inch corner rounder.

I used some purple papers from my stash to create the back ground panel, and heat embossed the birthday greeting using gold embossing powder. To add the glittering accent line, I used 1/8" Skor tape and sprinkled on some gold glitter.

The watercolour square was popped up on foam tape to provide some dimension to the card.

I'll have a post about the new markers shortly, but I had to get this card up and share it with you!

I hope you like today's card and are inspired to create something of your own.

Splattered Butterflies

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are having a great day.

I've been having a lot of trouble sleeping lately, and when that happens I turn to pinterest. I mean if I'm going to be awake anyway, why not spend my time looking at stuff to inspire me? Now that I think about it, that may not be the best way to help me sleep, but I still think it's a great way to spend some quiet time.

There has been a whole lot of splattering going on on the boards lately. So I figured, why fight it?

To create today's card I began by die cutting the butterflies out of 140lb cold press watercolour paper. I then used a couple shades of blue to create a splattered paint look on them.

I stamped the greeting with Golden Glitz Delicata ink, and covered it with a strip of paper to protect the area. I then used the same colours from the butterflies, though more concentrated to create splatters on the panel.

Once that was completely dry, I adhered the butterflies in place using Ranger's Multi Medium Matte.

I hope you like today's card and are inspired to create something of your own.

This card is for:

Simon Says Stamp: Wednesday Challenge - Make it Girlie

Thinking of You | Wreaths and Flowers

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are having a great day.

As soon as I saw this sketch, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I had to dig down deep in the ol' stamp stash to find the wreath, but I knew it was there. (Who says hoarding is bad, c'mon people!)

I had originally planned to cover the wreaths with flowers, but after setting them out it really didn't look as awesome as I had thought it would. Soooo, I went with a less is more, (but not too much less).

To create today's card, I began by stamping the wreath in three shades of green. I then stamped the flowers on Copic friendly paper and colouring them in. I didn't want the black outlines, so I used CTMH Whisper ink for the stamping. (Be very careful when stamping an image you plan to use Copic markers with as the ink may smear, so practice or use an incredibly light hand.)

I fussy cut the images out, and scattered them across the card, adhering them with Ranger's Multi Matte Medium. Once they were set, I used clear Wink of Stella to add some shine. Unfortunately, the photo doesn't pick it up all that well.

The greeting is stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. To finish the card I used a few sparkling enamel dots, and a stripe of glitter along the left boarder.

I hope you like today's card and are inspired to create something of your own.

This card is for:

MFT Sketch Challenge #277

Floral Encouragement

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are having a great day.

I'm going to be pretty honest with you guys for a minute. Not that I'm not honest all the rest of the time, but you know what I mean. This week (*cough month) has been pretty terrible for me. A year ago my Father passed away very suddenly and the anniversary of that is coming up right quick. The entire year has been a struggle; for me, for my Mom and sister, for my own family. Every day is a challenge.

This week, however, has been so utterly beyond trying. Maybe because it is the first anniversary of his passing, maybe because it is the spring and that was his favourite time of the year, or because while everyone else seems to think I should be "past" this, I'm still grieving (albeit privately) as much as I was when it happened. I don't know.

So for those of you who are regular readers (and I love you all dearly, you mean so very much to me), you will have noticed that this week has had a lot more inspiration and encouragement cards, than usual. Perhaps I have been trying to pick myself up by creating these cards.

So this challenge really moved me. You never know when the last time you see someone will really be the last time. Make it count.

To create this card, I began by stamping the flowers from Lawn Fawn using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colouring them with Copics. I then added the greeting (which makes me teary every time I read it) with Lawn Fawn Black Licorice ink, because it is wonderfully crisp.

I used some warm grey markers (W1 and W0) to create a shadow on the lower side of the image. I trimmed the panel and extra 1/4" so I could add the glittery strip. All of this was adhered to a standard A2 sized card base.

I hope you like today's card and are inspired to create something of your own.

This card is for:

Muse Challenge #162

Inspired by Tracey McNeely's card

Emboss Resist Watercolour

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are having a great day.

I have had this stamp for ages. I saw it on Pinterest and I had to get it as soon as possible. Which ended up not being all that soon because it was sold out. A lot. Ever notice that? When you really want something you can't find it anywhere, and you have to wait and wait. Then when it finally comes in, you can't remember what you wanted to create with it.

That's what happened. I have had this stamp for over six months, and it wasn't until today that I finally cracked it open.

I began this card, by stamping the image with VersaMark ink on 140lb coldpress watercolour paper and heat embossing it with white.

I then used Distress inks to watercolour the flowers. The greeting is heat embossed in gold on a strip of vellum. To create the diagonal strips, I cut down a scrap of paper to 1/4" and used CTMH Sunset ink to get a close match to the flower colour.

I used the same ink to do very light sponging along the edges of the card base, just to break up the white space. I may end up adding a couple enamel dots to the card, but I'm not sure yet.

I hope you like today's card and are inspired to create something of your own.

This card is for:

LawnScaping Challenge: #128 Sketch Challenge

Watercolour Butterflies

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are having a great day.

I've been sitting here, looking at this post for the last 10 minutes and I have no idea what I want to say. The colours that I used for this card (purples, blues and greens) are some of the most peaceful colours I know. None of them are my favourite (that's oranges and corals) but ... peaceful. I don't know of any other way to describe these colours. They make me breathe slowly and smile on the inside.

Sounds silly, right? But, there it is. And here is today's card.

To create this card, I began by stamping the butterfly image from Lawn Fawn in VersaMark ink. I also stamped them on two inch post it tape to create masks. I heat embossed the images with clear embossing powder and masked them off. I then sponged the background using three shades of Distress ink, I used clean water to create the splatter effect.

I used shades of blue to watercolour the butterflies.

I heat embossed a strip of vellum with silver embossing powder to create the greeting banner, because I want to hide the adhesive, I wrapped the ends behind the panel and taped them in place. I then adhered the panel down to an A2 sized card base using super strong sticky tape.

For a bit of added interest and to finish off the card, I added dots of glossy accents. I have found that when I put glossy accents directly over Distress ink, the dots seem to take on that colour because they are wet and will reactivate the ink. However, if I put them on my nonstick craft mat and let them dry, I can add them with a liquid adhesive and they stay shiny without taking on the colour of the ink.

I hope you like today's card and are inspired to create something of your own.

This card is for:

Simon Says Stamp - Monday Challenge

Butterfly Beauty

Mother's Day 2016 Series - Card 6

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are having a great day.

Welcome to the sixth installment of the Mother's Day 2016 Series.

As a child living on a farm, I was always so amazed by how many stars were in the sky at night. Being away from the lights of the city really lets you see how expansive the sky is, and I think it something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime.

I remember asking my father how many stars there were, and he told me that if I could count every night for the rest of my life, I would never even come close to counting all the stars in the sky. That is the inspiration for this card.

To create this card, I began by sponging Chipped Sapphire and Seedless Preserves Distress ink onto regular cardstock. I then used the splatter technique and a medium sized paintbrush to create the smaller stars in the background. Because this is not watercolour cardstock, you must use a very light hand when splattering so that the paper doesn't warp too much.

Once that was completely dry, I used my powder tool to prep the panel for heat embossing. I used white powder to heat emboss the greeting.

The stars were added last using the silver Delicata pigment ink. I adhered the panel using strong double sided tape, to ensure that it would lay flat on the card base.

The sentiment on the inside reads: "Count the stars in the sky."

I hope you like today's card and are inspired to create something of your own.

Happy Birthday "Tutu" You | And a Lesson in Gravity

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are having a great day.

I made this card for my niece's fourth birthday. Not only is she cute as a button, she was also in dance this year so it was just perfect.

To create today's card, I began by stamping the image of the little girl onto Copic friendly paper and colouring her in with Copics. I used clear wink of stella on her tutu to make it shine. I then fussy cut her out and popped her up on foam tape and set her aside.

(A little side note about my wink of stella. I love this pen, I use it all the time. Like any type of water pen, sometimes the flow isn't awesome, so just give it a little squeeze. *LITTLE SQUEEZE*, I was distracted and not paying attention to how gravity works, I was looking at the top of the barrel while squeezing, all the while wondering why there was nothing moving out of the chamber. Gravity is this funny thing that will screw with you when you least expect it. When I moved the pen to see what was going on, I had huge drips everywhere. Not on my project, but I was still upset, because I didn't want to waste my wink of stella.)

I used two different stamp sets for the greeting, and used silver embossing powder on a strip of light coordinating cardstock. I used the same colour of the matting panel.

The background panel, is a piece of wonderful pattern paper that I had hidden in my stash. To finish off this card, I used a few enamel dots just to add interest, and because they are pretty.

I hope you like today's card and are inspired to create something of you own.

Thank You Bouquet

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are having a great day.

I can't even begin to tell you how fast this design came together. I looked up the challenge this morning, normally I am way more on the ball about these, but it has been a crazy week, and within minutes I had my design and in 20 minutes the entire card was put together.

To create this card, I began by stamping the floral images with CTMH archival black ink (which they appear to be discontinuing.... BOO!) I used PrismaColor watercolour pencils and an *very* light hand to create a watercolour look. This is not watercolour paper, so if you are going to do this, make sure you practice a bit, you need so very little water and have to work the piece gently, otherwise the paper will pill and it will be ruined.

I used my largest oval die to cut out the flowers, and my chevron boarder die to cut three chevron pieces.

I stamped the greeting in Lagoon ink (also CTMH) using the MISTI, just in case it didn't stamp fully the first time.

I hope you like today's card and are inspired to create something of your own.

This card is for:

Fusion Challenge: Orchid Occasions

Mother's Day 2016 Series - Card 5

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are having a great day.

I love this fuchsia image from Clearly Besotted so much that I just had to create another card. I wanted to make it a bit different, so I decided to no-line watercolour the image. This technique makes the image appear as though it wasn't stamped at all, and gives a softer look than stamping with a darker ink.

To create today's card, I began by stamping the floral image using Antique Linen Distress ink on 140lb cold press watercolour paper. I then used Distress inks to watercolour the image, and used Tumbled Glass to create a halo around the image.

I then stamped the greeting using Golden Glitz Delicata ink.

I adhered the panel down using strong two-way tape on a standard A2 size card base. I was a little unhappy about the white space and added a scattering of sequins to add interest and fill it up a bit.

I hope you like today's card and are inspired to create something of your own.

This card is for:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

Mother's Day 2016 Series - Card 4

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are having a great day.

Welcome to the fourth installment of the Mother's Day 2016 Card series. Today I thought I would also include a card made for the Mom of our Moms (and Dads); a card for Grandma.

I thought it would be nice to include something for Grandma because while we do have a Grandparents Day, we sometimes forget that Grandmas are still Moms.

Card for Mom

Card for Grandma

To create today's card, I began by stamping the floral image on Copic friendly paper, using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and on a piece of masking paper. I then covered the image with the mask, and sponged the background panel using Tumbled Glass and Milled Lavender Distress ink.

I then coloured the image using Copic markers. I wasn't sure of the colours for fuchsias so I did some googling. Once the colouring was complete, I used a clear Wink of Stella glitter pen over the blossoms and then glossy accents to give them a shine.

For the greeting, I used some stamps from Lawn Fawn's Mom and Me stamp set, using Memento for the black (so it would match) and Golden Glitz Delicata for the "Mom" and "Grandma".

The panel was die cut using the largest of Lawn Fawn's stitched rectangle dies. I then adhered the panel onto a standard A2 card base.

I hope you like today's card and are inspired to create something of your own.

This card is for:

Lawnscaping Challenge: Beautiful Florals