Blossom shaker

Hi gang!  I wanted to put up a real quick post to let you know I've got a new blog post up over at the Kennedy Grace Creations Blog.  Pop on over to read all the details of the project below!

You can find their blog here

~Toodles!

Kristina

Pretty in pink

Hiya fellow crafters!  I made a card that I just had to share with all of you so I'm here with a super quick post.

Joanna Munster from Inspired by Stamping put out a call for some crafty people to color one of her digital images for her upcoming newsletter.  I was lucky enough to be one of the few to get my hands on the image early and color it up.

I encourage you to check out her blog here AND sign up for her newsletter.  She sends out a wonderful newsletter and it usually has an awesome freebie.  I have loved every one since I signed up.  Without further ado...

To be honest, I'm not 100% certain that sunflowers come in pink but I found several images when I did a Google search.  I wanted to color them up differently than the usual yellows.  I printed the image out on Bristol smooth paper and picked up my Zig Clean Color real brush markers.  I love these markers!  I achieved all of the different pink shades with just two pink markers and a water brush.  It's all about quantity and ratios.

When I got ready to do the centers, I added several dots with a sharpie.  I knew they would hold up under the waterbrush.  I then colored right over them.  For a little extra bling, I added an assortment of sequins from my stash.

I grabbed one of my favorited rectangle dies (it's from Craftin Desert Divas) and cut out the flower layer.  I cut a thin gray layer from MFT Stamps Steel grey.  Also a favorite of mine.  I popped that layer up with foam tape and attached it to a pink card base.  And yet another favorite of mine, Sweet Gelato cardstock from WPlus9.

Hope you all have a great day!
~Kristina

Friendship is a flower--KGC blog hop!

Good Morning Crafty Friends and Welcome to Kennedy Grace Creations September Blog Hop!

We are so happy you have stopped by and joined us for this very special event!

Our newest release of Stamp and Sequins is now live and available for purchase in the store!

Here is what I have created for you:

I got to work with the gorgeous Friendship Blessing stamp set.  The Crocus flower in this stamp set is amazing!  Not to mention the great sentiments to go with it.  I had a hard time choosing which one to use.  Guess I'll have to make more cards with this set!

The flower stamp is an outline image and I knew I could just color it up as a solid but I wanted something different.  So I used good ol' Google to look up several pictures.  So many lovely varieties out there!  The one that caught my eye was a white flower with stunning purple veins.  I knew I found what I was looking for!

To start my card I stamped it once, made a mask, and then stamped the image again on either side of the central image.  Now we all know you can't really just leave white flowers white so I reached for some C Copic markers.  I used C5 for my darkest shadows and went all the way out to C00.  I may have even used a little colorless blender.

When I was happy with the "white' shading, I had to figure out what I was going to use to make the veins.  I knew from some online classes I have taken that you can used Triplus Fineliner markers with Copics.  I happen to have a set on hand!  I pulled out a dark purple and went to it.  I'm not much for drawing but I figured I could handle drawing lines. With the lines all drawn I added green to the leaves and yellow to the center of the flowers.

I VERY carefully fussy cut out the image.  I used a stitched detail line die to add the stitching right under the flowers and at the bottom.  I took a diagonal back ground stamp and stamped purple stripes on white cardstock.  I took a solid piece of purple cardstock and ran a Versamark ink pad around the edges.  I added the silver embossing powder and used a heat gun to melt it.

I cut a white circle with another stitched edge die and stamped the Friendship sentiment.  I sponged a little bit of purple ink around the edges.  The layer underneath is cut from vellum.  I also ran Versamark around the edges and added silver embossing powder.  I adhered all layers to a purple card base and added a couple sequins from Isabelle's Dream and Lemon Sorbet.

We will be giving away a prize package to one lucky winner.

All you have to do is join us for hop and leave a comment on each project. The more you comment the more chances you have to win!! Winner will be announced on Monday.

We hope you have enjoyed this release and will hop along to see what our talented designers have made using the Stamps and Sequins from our September release.

Your next stop is the lovely and talented: Berina 

But just incase you miss some one along the way I have included the entire hop for you!

Kennedy Grace  

Jill

                                                                          Donna

Beverly

Brenda

Kristina

Berina

Martha

Erica

Rachel

Heidi

Marina

Karen

Monica

LeeAnn

Chera

Christine

Cindy

Thank you for stopping by today! 

Coffee is a hug

Hello my fellow crafters!  I know I have been absent for quite a while but I'm happy to say I'm back! I was selected to be on the Kennedy Grace Creations design team.  I can't wait to share their gorgeous stamps and sequins.  In the meantime, I wanted to create a coffee themed card so I could participate in the Fall Coffee Lovers blog hop!  Woot!!

Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year so I seem to own lots (and lots) of fall themed stamps.  I really can't resist.  Let's not even talk about Simon Says Stamp and Stamptember!  Oy!  My checkbook is crying!  On to my card.

Since this fall hop is also coinciding with The Daily Marker 30 day challenge, I happened to have this lovely little coffee cup from Unity Stamps already stamped and colored.  I originally stamped it on Bristol smooth cardstock with a dark brown ink.  I then colored it using my Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers and a waterbrush.  I cut it out using a die from Lawn Fawn's Stitched Rectangles and adhered it to a piece of Cajun Craze paper from Stampin Up!

The white layer is a piece of Canson XL watercolor paper.  I put several leaves from the Autumn Flowers set by Clearly Besotted onto a block.  I carefully inked them up with several different colors of Distress Oxide inks.  I used Peeled Paint, Vintage Photo, Fired Brick, Seedless Preserves and Fossilized Amber.  Before I stamped them on the paper I very lightly misted them with water. Stamped down in place and held it there for a moment or two.  I repeated that step until I had it how I wanted.   For added interest, I ran it through my Cuttlebug with a coffee bean embossing folder.  I then used the Lawn Fawn Stiched Rectangle die to cut it out.  I did go around the edge with the lightest of touch with the Vintage Photo.  This layer was adhered onto a piece of Crumb Cake from Stampin Up which I also sponged with Vintage photo.

The bottom layer was also cut out using the Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle die out of Rich Razzleberry from Stampin up!  This was adhered to the Crumb Cake card base which you don't see.

I dug through my many coffee sets and came up with this sentiment from Altenew.  It comes from the Coffee Love set.  One of my very favorites!  I reached for several of the Distress Oxides to ink it up and stamp it onto watercolor paper.  I wanted my browns to match so for the layer under the sentiment I sponged Vintage Photo onto watercolor paper.  I added some gold drops before adhering it to the sentiment.  Before I put the sentiment on the leaf layer, I added some flicks of gold.  Can never have too much sparkle!  

I added foam tape to most of the coffee cup layer and adhered it in place.  Ta-da!!  I had intended for this to be a quick card but it didn't work out that way.  I do really love how it turned out though!  And here's another photo from the side so you can see the embossed coffee beans.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Kristina

Thanks a bushel

How's everyone doing today?  I'm trying to get over the post vacation hump!  It's hard to get back into the swing of things with work and kids and the like.  Slowly things are resuming there normal schedule and I'm getting back into my craft room.

I have finally had the chance to finish the last sections of the Create with Markers Mega class!  I have been working my way through section by section.  Mindy at My Creative Scoop breaks everything down into differenct sections.  It makes it a lot easier when you don't always have a lot of time to devote in one sitting.

The last portion deals with wood/leaves/greenery.  I should have printed out the digital stamp a little bit larger but I made it work anyways.  I think it would have been easier to squeeze in some more wood grain texture but there is always next time.

I turned the completed piece into a very simple card.  After I spend all that time coloring an image I really want to keep it as the focus.  This sentiment is from the Thanks a Bushel set by Lawn Fawn.  It was the perfect sentiment!  I stamped it onto dark brown cardstock and embossed it with white embossing powder.  I cut the main piece down a little bit, adhered it to a green layer and then onto the brown card base.  It is the same dark brown that I used on the sentiments.  I gathered up a couple diffrent sequins to coordinate and called it done!

If you haven't checked out Mindy's classes yet, you can follow this link to all her current offerings. She recently added an amazing hair and skin class!  It is on my wish list but it will have to wait.  I just signed up to take her Creating Backgrounds with Markers class.  I can't wait!

~Toodles!
Kristina

Balloon coloring

Hiya my crafting friends!  I'm back today to share a card that I made out of a practice piece I colored in Mindy Baxter's Copic Create with Markers Mega class.  Check it out here.  I have been having a great time with the class.  I had to take a short break due to a family vacation but I plan to be back at it again shortly.  I think I'm down to the last couple of sections (trees, grass, etc.).  Then I hope to take her Creating with Backrgrounds class!  I love learning more and more about using my Copic markers. I am always looking to improve my skills.  I highly recommend you check her classes out. She even has a free class to try out!

The section I just completed was on coloring transparent items.  In particular, balloons.  In the past I have just colored balloons that overlapped as a solid color with no transparency.  NO MORE!  Check out my results...

I am amazed at how simple she makes it seem!  I was able to follow her instructions to achieve beautiful results the very first time I colored the image.  I just love how it turned out.  I can see myself coloring a lot more balloons in my future.

The gray layer is Going Gray cardstock from Stampin Up.  The blue layer is Pacific Point also from Stampin Up.  I used the Roses all over background stamp from MFT Stamps and embossed it with white embossing powder.  The aqua layer is Cool Caribbean from Stampin Up.  The balloon layer was cut using a die from the Fancy Frames set from Craftin Desert Divas.  I did add a little glossy accents for a little extra highlight.  The sequins are from my stash (most likely from Pretty Pink Posh). The birthday die and stamp are from Lawn Fawn.

I appreciate you stopping by!  Remember to check out Mindy's full line of classes here.

Toodles!
~Kristina

Summer Coffee Lovers Blog hop 4

I didn't realize I have to have separate blog posts in order to do the link up.  So I'll have three posts that are just the pictures.  Please see my original Summer Coffee Lovers blog hop post for full details.

~Kristina