WPlus9 and My Creative Spree

One of the tools that I've added to my belt this past year is Derwent Ink Tense pencils.

  

They aren't traditional colored pencils.  The "led" is actually ink.  You add the medium to your image and add water to spread the ink around.  It's like magic.  You get vibrant color that is water proof after it's dry.  The only thing, is you have to make sure you get all the pigment wet and spread out, or it will reactivate with any wet medium.  

I have been practicing and when I saw the Color My World stamp set from WPlus9 I knew it was just the right stamp set to try it out on.   

This set has some very cute hand drawn art supply images that are a hoot to color.  And the sentiments are so cool.  I stamped the ones I wanted to use in Archival ink so I could use water without smearing the image. 

I used masking paper to mask off the images and make a one layer card front.  It's important to use water color paper when you're using ink tense pencils.  Regular card stock will pill up and you'll be very sad.

 I used a water brush to move the pigment around with.  I find it easier than having a pot of water on my desk.  I spill things.  I do keep a paper towel handy to wipe off the extra water and color.

 

I used a fancy corner chomper from We R Memory Keepers to dress up the corners and added the panel to a card base.

My Grandpa Is 90!

My Grandpa is 90! He has always been one men I look to for an example of hard work and the cowboy way.  Until the last couple years he regularly still went out to check on the cattle and animals and still groomed his own dog.

I couldn't travel to his birthday celebration, because I live on the other side of the country with my children. :(That doesn't mean I didn't send him birthday wishes.  

It is no secret to my friends and family that I have a sarcastic streak.  Because of that, I have fallen in stamp love with Art Impressions Stamps. They are so sassy.  I found a couple stamp sets recently and used one of them for Grandpa's card.  

I used the couple in the plane and stamped it in memento tuxedo black and pulled out my Prisma Color Pencils again. I cannot say enough about how well these pencils color.  They really blend well, especially if you add one layer on top of another.

I really took my time and added one layer after another to get the blending I wanted.  I made a stamped panel with red card stock and the cloud stamp from the set. Then layered each card panel with a black mat.

And here's the finished card.

Now all I need is a cowboy Art Impressions stamp, hint hint!

Can't Go Wrong With Dinosaurs

There are a few things about the little boys in my family that you can count on, one of them is that they all are a bit crazy! Another is that they like dinosaurs, some more than others for sure, but dinosaurs are a hit.  One of my favorite dinosaur stamp set is the Lawn Fawn Critters from the Past set.

I used this awesome stamp set to make a birthday card for my nephew.  I started by stamping the images on craft paper.  I wanted to color with Prisma Color Pencils on craft for a change and for the practice. 

These pencils really are awesome.  They are smooth and color like butter, and give bright color, even on craft paper.

I used some masking paper to create a one layer card.  After it was all colored, I went back over the stamp lines with a Pitt Artist Pen to bring back the outline. 

Then came time to finish the card. Add a few details with a white gel pen and round the corners and it's finished.

Happy Birthday Buddy!

Happy Chef

When I saw the My Favorite Things February release there were two stamp sets I had to have! I told my hubby, "I bought my own Valentine's Day gift" and ordered them right away.

Recipe for Happiness was the first set that caught my eye.

There are some really clever sentiments to go along with the adorable chef.  I stamped them out and colored them all with my Prima Colored Pencils.

 I'm really starting to like using these awesome pencils without gamsol to blend it all.

I've been watching Julia Alterman's  You Tube videos on pencil coloring and I love how she colors in many, many layers.

Once I had them all colored, I cut them with the coordinating dies and my Cuttlebug.  Then I had this pile of cute little chefs ready for card fronts. 

I raided my pretty paper stash and went into card making mode.  I choose a paper that coordinated with the colors of each chef and his accessories.  

I found a different sentiment for each card from the stamp set and added one to each card.  I really love the stamp set and how many different cards you can make with one set.  Check out each card's photo below.