And yet another birthday!!

This one is for my younger son, Joe. Today is his birthday and he is all the way across the country. I sure miss him! He and his wife love to cook and bake, hence the Tilda and Edwin I chose. I learned a bit more about coloring fur in my certification class. I did the cat before the class and the bear after it. I am happier with the bear but I will keep trying to improve on it. It is a 5 x 7 card that just opens normally. It was so heavy, I couldn't get it to stand up! I did get a mite carried away with the papers and they were all cardstock! This one's going to cost to mail! Hope he likes it and hope you do too! Guess what?! I actually kept track of the copics! You should find them under the photos if I finally understand this blog thingy!
the bear is the outside of the card. I used the following copics: YG 63, 67; E08,31, 33, 35, 37, 00, 29, 11; Y28, 21; YR 23; B93, 95, 97, 0000; R20. Hope you enjoy it. I know I used the c's for the cat but don't remember which ones.

a paper craft

I saw this made on youtube and of course I had to give it a shot! It was a girlfriend's birthday so that was my reason! She really liked it. I didn't do a whole lot to fancy it up as I made it fairly quick. The only stamping I got to do was the little bees on the blue cardstock. Hope you like it.

Another birthday!

This is the card I made for Marissa's brother, Brad. I love this image and this time am really happy with the way I colored it. I can't believe how much I have progressed in such a short time. I did post a card with this image just a couple of months ago. It was one of the first ones I did. I have covered some of my writing as I had forgotten to take photos (among not keeping track of copics), because I wanted to show you the darling cardstock I found. It came in one of those smaller sized books. I fell in love with the little guy on it. Just too cute. If I get enough requests, I will figure out which book I took it from. I did the background with Tim Holtz's distress inks and foam tool, The culprit that started this whole card making thing! And Jennifer McGuire's series called "thinking inking". It's on Youtube.com. She did 3 videos for something like 8 weeks. There was a pdf file available for each program so I made a notebook to refer to.

I didn't like the way one of my buttons looked, so I glued a jewel into the center. I do get tired of twine. I have also used stickles at times. I missed my flowers. Will have to find something to replace all those flowers and ribbons. Guess men don't really care. Hope you like this one. The green cardstock has silver scrolls which fancy it up a bit. Hugs, Barb F

Marissa's Graduation

Well, mark another grandchild starting out on their life! Don't they grow up quickly? I never thought so when my 4 were home!! Marissa's school colors were black, red and a touch of white. This was my first attempt at darker skin and by george - it came out almost exactly her skin color!! Not bad considering she lives 5+ hours of driving away! I made a regular type card. Marissa loves giraffes and I couldn't find a place for the cute stickers I had bought ages ago for something for her, so I made a couple of bookmarks using the same papers. I found out that red paper doesn't photograph as red as it is - or maybe it does depending on whether it is a scarlet red, or a pink red. The camera knows! I just had to have that Bildarma flower stamp as I am so in love with them!! I had cutout a shiny black paper to cover my coloring of the robe just in case. That was a trip -- try finding an ink other than white that shows up on black enough that you can cut the stamp out!
The front has no coloring at all. Just a couple of pieces of dp, a sticker, lots of flowers, ribbon and jewel!

Now I did keep track of the copics - yeah! R22,27,37,59; E08,31,33,35; YR23, YG63, 67, 06; C01,03,05,07; 100; Y15,17; G21, 28. Tilda is on dimensionals as are some of the balloons and some of the flowers. I ended up drawing some of the balloon strings. Just got this wonderful heart corner punch set and had to use it. I used it on the glitter red paper for the sides - it has to be a standard size for the corner things to work with the sides. Mine wasn't and it was wayyyyy too late to correct that oversight! I stickled Tilda's socks and tassel as well as the flat technique which is what I call it when you pat the stickles, on the background.

Hope you think this was worth the wait. It has been one hectic week, finishing up stuff around the house and getting things ready for my trip. I do have another card that I made for Marissa's brother's birthday. I gave that to him when I first got there. I will post it another day hopefully soon as I am ready to call it a night. Hugs to you all!! Barb F

Happy Anniversary

This is a standup card with a twist that I gave my DH today as part of his anniversary gift. I got a beautiful smile as well as a fab gift of jewelry!! I colored the little guy in the boat awhile back so I can't tell you for sure which copics I used, but here are what I can recall for the rest of the card. The deep blue water is designer paper - wish I could color so good!!

 E50,51,53,57, 00,11,02, 49,31,33,35,37,29,21; Y02, 15,17; YG67: G14,17: W1,3: C1,3,5,7, YR68, 61, B0000,93,95,97,23,24,60,32; R20,22,27. Here is the shed:

Here is cutie Edwin:  :  and Edwin & the boat:the bear:

I used a lot of stickles as you all know I love sparkle! I used distress stickle on the gold fish mounted on the shed. Lime green stickles in the flower boxes and also flower soft. I always color first as I am never sure what I would like before I do. I did the pail after coloring  - I kind of pat the stickles to eliminate any dimension from the stickles. Some places, like the bear's eyes and nose (black stickles) are done to look like beads. You can look and see all the rest of the stickles. Here is how I did the boat.

I cut an "L" tab from heavier cardstock and glued DP to the back of the part that was to be glued to the base (which I covered with DP first). I glued the other end of the tab to the back of the boat at the end which protruded the farthest down. I had to cut the shape so it wouldn't show from the front. I use scor-tape when I want to be sure my glue job will last forever. I know I am just taking someone's word for it, but I can never undo it, so I feel more confident. As forever goes, I haven't lived long enough to say it and mean it!!

See all that neat shading under the dock? Well, it was the result of a horrific accident! One of my copics dropped out of my hand and whoops ! I had a dark brown streak over my nice water which was slightly shaded. So I grabbed up all my lighter copics that were just laying there - they were all capped like usual. The one I dropped, well, I was using it for some touches somewhere. So now I know, you can't get that deep dark of copic completely out and I went with what a real shadow might look like colorwise under a real dock and this is what I came up with. But I really want to thank Suzanne Dean!!!! She said you could remove more than normal amounts of dark inks if you tried using the blender and had a softer pad underneath. I used my padded lap desk and wow! I didn't have anywhere near as much ink to contend with!! Since it took me hours to get this card stamped so I could color it, I first had to calm myself down from having a heart attack!! And I might say, my entire card was basically colored at that point - I was just fine tuning which I can't usually do until everything is colored! Hope you enjoy it as much as my Darling did!! Hugs, Barb F   PS, I won't be too productive online as I have lots going on in my life right now.

Little comments I left out

These are a few things you would see if you were looking at my Happy Box in person. Tilda's violin is glossy accents, There is an acetate curved piece (colored with gold alcohol ink - Tim Holtz) by the center Tilda. I put it there mainly to hold a bow in "thin air". Colored it so it would look nicer as I didn't like the look after I saw it clear. The packages by her feet are each made at a different distance from her - 3d effect. The flowers behind her are to cover the cardstock pieces that hold the whole thing up. I put glitter on all the big white flowers and the few I colored from stamping. The Tilda in the middle also has glitter on her socks and wand and the stardust around the wand. I used one of those bow ezy things so my bows would be the same size. I had a cupcake stamp from somewhere that I cut the very top off and I put those 3d stickers on Tilda only so I could get the box lid shut! I had intended to add a sentiment on a springy thing in the center and also to add Tildas to each panel on the outside of the box. I was also going to add a much more fancy top than I ended up with. Now maybe you can enjoy looking at this more. I have lots of gitter and most of my papers have lots of glitter!! I only do wish I had not used black cardstock. I think the blue or green or pink would have been much better - I ony had black and white 12 x 12 to chose from. Guess I should have shopped better! nHugs to you all!!

Ink Lover's Paradise: My Happy Exploding Box!!

Ink Lover's Paradise: My Happy Exploding Box!!

My Happy Exploding Box!!

I hope you all really enjoy this as it took me all week to do it! I had to scale back on what I was planning as I would still be working on it! Here are all the copics:
C1,3,5,7; Y8,21,28,63,67; RV000,21,23,29; YG00,3,23; B0000,00,2; E00,`11,31,33,35.37,29; YR23; R20. I use E00 on the face and E11 for the shading with R20 for the cheeks - always so far!I am posting 13 pictures if it will let me at one time. I am also entering it in Magnolia-icious birthday bash which is why I made it.

I came up with a neat way to use it since I am not giving it away. When it is one of the grandkids birthday or anyone else, I will let them open my birthday box! Inside I will put a lottery ticket or cash or gift card for them! Well here goes - hope you like it! Hugs, Barb F

Princess Lilyana

I can't believe how long it has taken me to make another card! I have been coloring and just a couple of days ago I got the fabulous news that I have been accepted to take a copic certification class in June! What is so really neat is that on the last trip we made, I met a lady (shop owner) who will be at the same certification class! How often do you run into people you know like that? This is the card I wanted to make for my youngest granddaughter - not collectively but just mine. I glittered up one of the other cards I had made so I could get her present to her in a reasonable amount of time. I was waiting for Princess Tilda to get here. So finally I could make the card. Lilyana is 4 and from what I can figure out she seems to like all the gaudy stuff her Grandma likes! I bought this neat paper awhile back when our scrapbook store reopened under new owners. I also just got a humongous order from Wild Orchid - can you tell? I love flowers and now I have so many, I don't have to be stingy with them! I also have a major shocker for all of you - I kept track of the copics! I have a new system - I keep the little post it note pad with my copics and as I pull them out to use them, I write them down. Its is working. When I am done, the post it sticks to the back of the image ! This is getting a bit wordy like me so here's the card! Hope you like it. Tilda was colored with
E00, E11, R20, E31, E33, E35, E37, RV21, RV23, C1, C3, C5, C7, B0000, B02, Y17, Y28.

Most of my markers are Ciao so I can't see taking a photo of them, I have a couple of sketch like maybe 2 or 3, Hugs all around, Barb F

Fishing Birthday card

I am sorry I disappointed so many of you yesterday! There were a lot of people wondering if I had flipped out, I guess. This one is for no challenge just a needed card for one of our many kids., He loves to fish and I love the Edwin I used! I colored him awhile back. I love that fishing shack! Wish I had one like it! Hope you all enjoy it. From now on when I color something I will keep the copics separate until I post it. That should get me making cards and not just coloring! I used flower soft in the flower boxes and glossy accents on the chimney. There are lots of stickles through out the cards. I never made a card like this and I ended up tying it shut! Hugs to you all! Barb F

Monochrome Tilda

This is one card that I can tell you every single copic I used!

B93,95,97. B39, 32 and B0000.That's it for everything. The challenge was monochromatic and I decided to actually follow it to the letter. I think I understand the shading thing even a little better now. Hope you like the card! It was too much to try to do a sketch also. Hugs, Barb F

Tilda on Bike

This card wass of course done for a couple of challenges and since one was color, I can tell you the colors wereB02, bv02, yg03 I also used booo and yg00, e11, e00 and r20. The last three are the ones I use for skin most all the time. I have a very unusual card that I am working on and hope to have it put together for you so I can enter it. I used very few copics on it. For those of you that are interested in what I am doing, I have found that the less copics I use, the better control I have over what color is going on the paper. I like using the same marker to make it darker. Hope you enjoy this card. I am showing the inside as I actually put something inside! I colored the outside with Tim Holtz distress inks. Something I do when I can't find a paper I like. Hugs, Barb F

Odd colors for me

Here's another Tilda colored for a challenge that I never entered! I love bright colors but this one's a wowser! I think it came out ok but wouldn't want to do it again in that combo. It was a lot of fun figuring out what to put with her. I just had to have glitter on her dress which was kind of a shame as I think I did a better than usual job on it but that color just cried for glitz!This is another sketch challenge - seems like there are lots of them out there for this week. Well, maybe I'll get all my colored images into cards! Now wouldn't that be something?!! Hugs to you all! Barb F

Sweet Tilda

Just finished this card for a sketch challenge. Colored Tilda awhile back for a color challenge and didn't make a card so missed the deadline. It was hard picking out the papers for this as I have no brown. Don't know why as I like every color. Hope you enjoy her. I have a few Tildas that I did for color challenges just waiting to be made into cards, so just maybe some odd ones will be turning up soon. Hugs to you all, Barb F