Copic classes and the Copic Coloring Guide Level 2: Nature

Are you ready for more Copics? I am so excited....just received hot off the press my copy of the Copic Coloring Guide, Level 2: Nature. This is written by Marianne Walker and Colleen Schaan. If you would like to learn more about Copics I have a class at The Mercantile www.themercantilestore.com this Friday starting at 1:30. I am telling you this book is awesome.

 The class is called "Tips, Techniques and Applications". Sign up quick...seating is limited, I like to keep classes small.

Also included in the book is a cd of digital images for you to print out for your own use.  Hope you are able to come. Every skill level is invited.  

Water color Vegetable Cart from Art Impressions

I love water color and when I was introduced to water color via Art Impressions, I was hooked. Here was a technique that me, with no art training, could enjoy water coloring and get results with which I was happy.

Bonnie Krebs, owner of Art Impressions has several videos on youtube .  I love the videos and the way Bonnie presents this technique that she developed.  You can teach yourself simply by watching and pausing as you go.

I was lucky to be able to take some classes offered in my area but I also learned by purchasing the technique books, buying the necessary stamps and supplies, and working and completing each project for every available book.

So, if you would like to explore water color you don't need the excuse of no classes being offered in your area. With the videos and the great technique books offered by Art Imprsession you can create works of art that can be used in cards, scrapbooks, paper craft projects such as book making or simply framed and given as gifts.  I hope you will try this.  As always, any questions just leave me a comment or you can email me at www.maryfwitter@gmail.com  If you are within driving range of Greenville, SC and have a local stamp store or a facility that could be used for a classroom I am available to teach.  Thanks for looking.

Water color flower pot

 The instructions for the flower pot above is available in each Art Impressions project book:

The instructions are clear and easy to follow and are available at the Art Impressions website or your local stamp store.  Here is a sample that I did that uses a combinations of stamps and techniques including masking.

Second set of Tim Holtz 12 days of Christmas 2011 Tags

As promised here are the next set of 3 tags.  Tag #4, tag #5 and tag #6 from left to right in the picture. I really enjoyed making these tags, all different, all fun and I liked the results.  Learned alot too. Imagine, we use to think working with cardstock was fun...my, how our creative world has expanded thanks to Tim and others.  Much more colorful (Copics) and creative (grungeboard) and fun (Cricut, Eclips, Spellbinder). Things sure have changed.....and for the better, I think.





Instructions for these tags can be found on Tim's blog

www.timholtz.typepad.com

12 tags of Christmas 2011



Stickles holder

Guess you could say I am going thru an organizational kick!  So I saw this on Pinterest....what is Pinterest you say?  Well it is exploding on the internet...a place to "pin" all those ideas and inspirations no matter what your interest...hence Pin-interest or Pinterest.  I have been "pining" my work and ideas that I like there for awhile now.  Check it out at www.Pinterest.com
A picture is worth a thousand words so to save words here are the pictures on my latest project.

Any questions...leave a comment and I promise to respond.  

Tim Holtz Ink blending tool sponge storage

One of the advantages of our meeting at the Powdersville Community church with our "Truly Laughing Stampers" is the tips and tricks that we swap and the knowledge we gain from each other.  This tip was shared at our group and I am sorry but I don't know the originator of the idea....but thought you might be interested.

It's very simple.  Attach the sponge used with the Tim Holtz blending tool to the back of the ink pad with the "loop" side of the velcro. (I used red line tape)  The sponges already have the backing on them that will attach to the loops. This way you can have a sponge that works with each ink pad and you only need one blending tool.

Ink pad

Velcro loops attached to pad

Sponge attached

I hope you liked this storage tip.  If you are interested in how I store other items connected with this craft just let me know by leaving a comment. 

Tim Holtz 2008 February Tag

With the release of Tim's new direction of monthly tags for 2012 I wanted to see what his tag looked like when he first started doing tags on his blog.  That was in 2008 and I loved the monthly tag (not so much to purchase all at once and more time to do the tag).  Well, I did them all that year so thought you might like to see it.  You can access this tag and all the rest in his archives on his blog.  Just like the rest you can see the tag and download all the instructions.  It is good to look back.  I had forgotten how much I liked this tag.  Here is a picture of my tag and a link to Tim's blog for instructions.  http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/02/index.html

Tim's Tags 1-3

I am playing catch-up but I am determined to complete Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas 2011.  This is my 5th year of doing these tags and now that he has retired this series of Tags I am recommitting myself to finishing all 12.  I now have 3 done and as always they are so much fun to do.  Yes, he uses ALOT of product in each tag, but there is also multiple techniques and  each one teaches so much.  If you haven't checked him out you need to visit his blog www.timholtz.typepad.com and read about his new tag of the month,  and it can pay off!  I found out this week that I won something after leaving a comment on his blog.  Don't know what but when it arrives I will be sure to post it.  So here is a picture of the first three tags.  Three down and 9 to go.

Tag 1, 2 and 3 from 12 Tags of Christmas 2011

Organization

Dear Blogger friends, today I intended to work on Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas 2011.  Instead I got side tracked when I went to pull out the distress stain that I needed for Tag #2.  I decided to share my project with you and maybe it would help you, too.
Recently I had completed the line of Tim Holtz' Distress Stains,  of which there are 37 different colors. I store all of them in a plastic container.  I want to be able to pick them all up at once and my shelf space is limited so I am not able to store them so I can see the labels.
When I realized that I had to search thru each one to find the one I needed I decided I had to have a solution.

1. First I put all the stains in alphabetical order.
2. Using a sheet of address labels I briefly identified each stain color on the sheet of labels...2 colors per label.
3. Place a nickle size dot of each stain next to it's identification.
4. Use a 1/4" round punch to punch out each stain and place on top of corresponding bottle of stain.

Here are some pictures of my progress:

Creating a color sheet

True stain colors on lids

I think this will help me to identify the stain I need in the future.  Let me know if this has helped you.  I have other organizing tricks I could share if you would be interested.  Leave me a comment if you would like more of posts like this.

Dots, dots and more dots......

This past week I received my order from Loralie which were from her new release of art stamps.  This one jumped out at me and I just had to color it first.  I used Copic markers of course, (is there any other kind of marker anymore?). Loralie Art Stamps are definitely different and work so well with Copic Markers. Check out the Loralie link above and you can see her new releases.  Don't forget that she does these same designs and more with fabric and embroidery patterns.
Well it is Saturday and there are plenty of other things to do around here beside create cards.  Have a great weekend and I hope you get sometime to play with your Copics, too!

Recipe:

Memento Tuxedo Black
Distress Aged Mahogany (used on background paper)

Loralie Art Stamps "Dots" 701113

Copic Markers:

Skin - E0000, E000, E02, BV0000, BV000, BV08,  R22,R39

Hair - YR16, YR18, YR27

Dress - B21, B24, B26

Gloves - YR01, YR12, YR27, BV08

Hat -  E34, E35, E37

Bow - RV65, RV63, YR000 (apply in this order)

Hat box - YR16, YR18, YR27

Flowers - YR12, YR16, YR18, YR27, E99, R37, R39, G20, YG93

Flower basket - YR27, YR12 

Tilda with a gift

Last night I was up until 1:30 working on a tiarra and a birthday card for our one an only granddaughter.  Her birthday is on February 17th so I had to get focused and get it done.  I decided on this Magnolia image of Tilda with a gift behind her back.  I was too tired to post this at 1:30 so here it is now.  Sorry I didn't take a picture of the tiarra ....it really turned out cute with lots of bling and glitter. Hopefully this grandma with get a picture of the birthday girl on her birthday wearing it. Oh, I failed to mention they live 2000 miles from us. I hope you like her card....and I hope she likes it too!



Clothes:  R81, R83, R85, RV0000

Hair:  Y11, Y13, Y23

Skin: E000, E01, R02

Spica:  Buttermilk 16

Opaque pen white

Spellbinders Frameabilities Classic Frame





Party Group

It's been awhile since I posted an Art Impressions stamp.  No joke, this was not an easy one to color and required many different Copic markers.  I tried to keep the number of markers I used to a minimum but this is a large stamp.  I would suggest that when you do this image that you divide it up into 5 smaller ones.  Small bites.
Remember that when using a stamp you don't have to use all of the image.  This would be a good one to divide up into single or partial images.  All that said, this is a fun stamp and I hope you enjoy it.  Remember Art Impressions stamps can be purchased on line at www.artimpressions.com  if your local stamp store does not carry Art Impressions or ask them to order it for you.  Thanks for reading my blog and I hope that what I post helps you in some way. Have fun and if you can leave me some feedback if you like this stamp!

Party Group

Art Impressions U-1552 "Party Group"

Copic Markers:

Y02    R05     YR16  (flame)

E000   E01     R02    (skin)

B93    B97     B95    (denim)

R81    R83     R85    (dress)

R02    R05     R08    (dress)

V12   V15     V17    (dress)

Y02   Y08               (shirt/balloon)

BG05  BG07           (pants)

BG000  BG01         (balloon)

C1      C2       C3    (hair)

YR16                      (hair)

G12    G14     Y00  (shirt)

E31     E33             (shoes)

My Sizzix Eclips

Did you see the Tim Holtz video on the Sizzix Eclips and Stamp 2 Cut that I posted earlier?  If you didn't here is the link:  http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/2012/01/cha-winter-2012sizzix-stamp2cut.html   

For a long time I have resisted purchasing any of the electronic cutting machines on the market (Cricut, Sillouhette) because I could not justify the expense.  Well when I saw Tim's video and the Stamp2cut system all my excuses went out the window. 

After searching the internet that night. this was ordered on line at www.ohmycrafts.com.  Their price convinced me to take the plunge.  Retail for this machine is $499 and they have it for $259 plus 2 free cartridges and free shipping. Here is a picture in my stamp room.  It arrived well packaged and easy to set up.  I was able to test drive it with the 2 cartridges included in the set.  I found it very user friendly and It worked great.  Now I have to wait for the first release of the Stamp2Cut system. I already have all his stamps.  Look for some samples of Tim Holtz stamps and die cuts using the Eclips and Stamp2Cut system in the near future. Whooo Hooooo!

Sizzix Eclips