Category: TECHNIQUES

Ice Cream Kind of Day

Published on by Rowhouse Greetings1 Comment

HEY FRIENDS! It’s the first day of summer and here it Baltimore, it’s going to be hot and humid. We have a fabulous sno-ball stand at the end of my street and it’s going to be an ice cream kind of day. So to celebrate the first day of summer, I have TWO ice cream themed cards from Colorado Craft Company featuring images by Anita Jeram.

Rowhouse Greetings | Anita Jeram Sundae Funday & Anita Jeram Ice Cream Day Mini Stamps by Colorado Craft Company

I’ve linked all supplies with compensated affiliate links used where possible at no cost to you.

Today’s project features:

I’m still playing with my set of Zig Clean Color Brush Markers. I bought the set of twelve because it was available in my local Dick Blick art store, but as you know, I have full-set syndrome so I’ve been seriously tempted to buy a larger set. Going from 358 Copic markers to 12 Zig markers was quite an adjustment. But the reality is that my set of twelve has worked just fine and I recognize that at least for now, a bigger set is a want rather than a need.

Rowhouse Greetings | Anita Jeram Sundae Funday by Colorado Craft Company

I stamped the images on Strathmore 400 Series Watercolor Paper using Versafine in Onyx Black. I purchased the 5.5″ x 8.5″ pad because I can get two cards from each sheet without waste, but the paper comes in a variety of sizes. I colored the images using my Zig Clean Color Brushes (colors listed below) using a Zig Medium Water Brush. This is actually my favorite waterbrush, but it is getting harder to find so stock up if you find a source. Right now, the only place I can find them is on Amazon.

Rowhouse Greetings | Anita Jeram Ice Cream Day by Colorado Craft Company

The Sunday Funday stamp set has its own sentiment, but it’s currently lost on my work table so I used the sentiment from Ice Cream Day set on both cards.

After I finished coloring the images, I used the Chunky A2 Rectangles die set from Simon Says Stamp to trim the watercolor paper. I used SSS Card Stock in Fog for the background. I like this particular color because it’s neutral and works with most of my cards.

That’s all for today! See you again soon.

Rowhouse Greetings | Nancy Sheads

Supplies

ZIG MARKERS:

  • Sundae Funday: 060 Brown (bunny); 091 Light Gray (ice cream); 031 Cobalt Blue (dish & spoon); 025 Pink (cherry & sprinkles); 091 Light Gray (shadow)
  • Ice Cream Day: 091 Light Gray, 010 Black; 025 Pink (mouse); 031 Cobalt Blue, 030 Blue (bow); 060 Brown, 050 Yellow (cone); 025 Pink (ice cream); 041 Light Green (grass)
Rowhouse Greetings | Anita Jeram Sundae Funday & Anita Jeram Ice Cream Day Mini Stamps by Colorado Craft Company | Zig Clean Brush Color Map

[Compensated affiliate links used when possible. In addition, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were provided by a store or the manufacturer. All other items were personally purchased.]

Inspire Me Monday: June Blossom Challenge

Published on by Rowhouse Greetings4 Comments

HEY FRIENDS! This week at Inspire Me Monday is the start of the June Blossom Challenge over on the Power Poppy blog. Christine is hosting the Challenge and the rest of the Bloomies have joined in with cards to inspire you.

The theme this month is Glassy Eyed so pull out all those Power Poppy clear and digital stamps that show an image in glass. Color it up with Copics, watercolors or favorite medium and and join in on the fun!

I decided to feature the new digital stamp Accentuate the Positive. As Marcella says – it’s a rainbow in a jar!

Rowhouse Greetings | June Blossom Challenge - Accentuate the Positive by Power Poppy

COPICS: V22, YR04, Y17, YG03, YG17 (marigolds); V04, B63, B66, B79 (blueberries); B01, B66 (flower buds); V04, B01, B63 (blue flowers); YG01, YG03, YG17, YG67 (blueberry leaves); YG03, YG17 (stems); YG01, YG03, RV63, RV66, RV69 (pink flowers); BV000, BV00, B0000, BG10 (jar); BV000, BV00, BG10 (shadow)

Rowhouse Greetings | June Blossom Challenge - Accentuate the Positive by Power Poppy Color Map

So here are the details for the June Blossom Challenge!

  • You must use a Power Poppy image somewhere on your design.  It could be a stamp, digi, sentiment, Power Poppy freebie, or a background, but we want to see you using your Power Poppy images.  Those will be the cards entered for our monthly prize. 
  • There will be a monthly PRIZE for playing along!  Sometimes it will be a random draw, and other times it will be a Bloomie Favourite winning design.  Winners will receive a $20 Gift Card to the Power Poppy store!   
  • Full details for entering this month’s challenge are available on the Power Poppy Blog!

Barbara Campbell
Christine Okken
Esther Swartz
Gloria Stengel
Lisa Johansen

Furever Friends by Colorado Craft Company

Published on by Rowhouse GreetingsLeave a comment

HEY FRIENDS! It’s been awhile since I posted. I was busy behind the scenes reorganizing my studio and getting ready to sell off some of my stash at the yard sale last weekend at Photo Scraps. Thank you to everyone who made a purchase. You helped me clear out space and reduce the clutter that was overwhelming me and my space.

Now that I can see the top of my table (for now!), I was able to sit down and create a new card featuring the Furever Friends stamp set by Colorado Craft Company. I used all three Anita Jeram images on the same card as well as three of the sentiments so this stamp set got a real workout!

Rowhouse Greetings | Furever Friends by Colorado Craft Company

I’ve linked all supplies with compensated affiliate links used where possible at no cost to you.

Today’s project includes:

  • Furever Friends by Colorado Craft Company [ SBC | SSS | SBP ]
  • Copic coloring (see marker list below)
  • Additional supplies linked in thumbnails below

The images were stamped on Hammermill cardstock using Nuvo Hybrid Ink in Black Shadow. I use Versafine Clair in Nocturne to stamp the sentiments. Versafine is not compatible with Copic markers so I heat set the ink with clear embossing powder so that it would not smear if I accidently hit it with a marker.

Rowhouse Greetings | Furever Friends by Colorado Craft Company

I trimmed the image cardstock on each side by 1/8″ and backed it on a piece of Simon Says Stamp Cardstock in Fog. The images took a some time to color, but I liked the impact of the combined images.

That’s all for me today – see you again soon!

Rowhouse Greetings | Nancy Sheads

Supplies

COPICS:

  • Top image: T1, T3, T5, T7 (gray cat); YR21, YR23, YR27, E19 (ginger cat); BV20 (shadow)
  • Middle image: YR21, YR23, YR27, E19 (ginger cat); W1, W3, W5 (mouse); YG13, YG17, YG21, YG67 (grass & foliage); B0000, B00, B41 (sky)
  • Bottom image: E30, E33, E35, E37 (dog); W1, W3, W5 (cat); YG14, YG17 (grass); BV20 (shadow)
Rowhouse Greetings | Furever Friends by Colorado Craft Company | Color Map

[Compensated affiliate links used when possible. In addition, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were provided by a store or the manufacturer. All other items were personally purchased.]

Experimenting with Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens

Published on by Rowhouse GreetingsLeave a comment

HEY FRIENDS! I’m back today with a different sort of project. You know that Copic markers are my first love, but sometimes I just want to do something different. As I’ve confessed before, I am a frustrated watercolorist. I use good quality paints, brushes, and watercolor paper and the results are still hit and miss. The reality is that I’m better with ink than paint and with markers instead of a brush. So I decided to try the Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens to see what results I could get. While I am no expert at this, but I’m pretty happy with the initial results.

Rowhouse Greetings | Birdie with Message by Stamping Bella using Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens

I’ve linked all supplies with compensated affiliate links used where possible at no cost to you.

Today’s project features

You know me – I have full set syndrome BIG TIME, but I settled with a set of 12 pens. Why? Because a set of 12 was all that was available at my local craft & art stores and I had to satisfy my “I’ve got to have it NOW!” obsession to try these pens. So I bought them and at the moment I’m challenging myself to see how far I can get with just these pens. Of course, next week I may cave and buy a bigger set, but for now this is what I’ve got.

As a sidenote, I thought about ordering the pens from Amazon, especially since they would have been delivered next day. However, I read some of the Amazon reviews and people complained about receiving dry pens, used pens, damaged pens, etc. So while the sets on Amazon were both larger and cheaper, I decided to purchase directly from my local highly reputable art supply store (Dick Blick, in case you were wondering). I’ve never had an issue with anything that I bought in the store or ordered from them online so I went with a known retailer for my purchase.

I watched a lot of YouTube videos before I bought the set to see what watercolor paper I should use. Most reviewers recommended saving the good stuff like Arches Cold Press for other projects. The pens distribute water-based ink rather than paint so the ink gets absorbed quickly into the paper, leaving you with less time to dilute and blend. Here, I used Strathmore Watercolor 400 Series, a mid quality Cold Press paper that was highly recommended, relatively inexpensive, and easy to find locally. The pad I purchased was 5.5″ x 8.5″ so I can get two A2 card fronts out of each sheet with no waste.

So here’s another confession. I own a full set (of course!) of Karin Brushmarker Pro pens. I’ve even taught a class with them, but I’ve never been quite comfortable with them. But finding the right paper for the Zig pens has prompted me to go back and try them again. The moral of the story is that you just have to find the paper that works for you, whether you’re using Copic markers, colored pencils or any other medium and you might not find the right one on the first try.

Rowhouse Greetings | Birdie with Message by Stamping Bella using Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens

I stamped the image onto the watercolor paper with a waterproof ink. I like using Versafine Clair [ DB | SSS ] which has always been a favorite of mine. Just make sure that it is thoroughly dry so that you don’t smear the ink while you are coloring. Don’t ask me know I know ….

You can either color directly with the pens on your paper or add small amounts of ink and blend it out with a water brush. I did both. For the flowers, I colored directly, blending the red and yellow roughly midway. For the bird, I added small amounts of color and blended it out with water.

I have to admit that when you only have 12 pens, color selection is pretty much decided for you. If you want a blue bird – pick the blue pen. If you want a darker blue bird, add a second layer of color. Want a lighter blue, blend it out with water. Hmm – I might be onto something here!

Anyway – that’s all from me for now. I’m headed back to the craft room for some more experimentation! See you again soon —

Rowhouse Greetings | Nancy Sheads

Supplies

ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Pens: 030, 031 (body) 025, 050 (face); 022, 050 (beak & feet); 025, 050 (flowers); 040, 041 (leaves); 050, 060 (basket); 022 (heart)

Rowhouse Greetings | Birdie with Message by Stamping Bella | Color Map for Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens

[Compensated affiliate links used when possible. In addition, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were provided by a store or the manufacturer. All other items were personally purchased.]

Fly by AALL & Create

Published on by Rowhouse GreetingsLeave a comment

HEY FRIENDS! I’m back today with my last project as a guest artist for AALL & Create. I’ve enjoyed working with the eclectic and quirky images and this experience has certainly expanded my understanding of mixed media. And now — get ready to Fly!

Rowhouse Greetings | Fly by AALL & Create
Some links in the post are affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Thank you for helping me provide you with more new content!

Today’s project features:

For the background, I mounted the #398 Celestial Navigation stamp on an acrylic block and inked it with Distress Oxides in Black Soot, Villainous Potion, and Shaded Lilac to create a gradient. I stamped the image on a piece of white cardstock. In the lower left corner, I stamped the sentiment from the #357 Fly stamp in Versafine Clare in Nocturne as well as the decorative image along the bottom. I trimmed the background to 4″ x 5.25″ and set it aside.

Next, I cut the Die #24 Moon Star twice from white cardstock. I glued the two layers together and then adhere it to the background as shown. I stamped the main image on Hammermill cardstock using Hero Arts Intense Black and colored it with Copic markers (see list below). Afterwards, I assembled the layers as shown.

Rowhouse Greetings | Fly by AALL & Create

That’s all for me today! Thanks for stopping by and see you again soon!

Rowhouse Greetings | Nancy Sheads

Supplies

COPICS: E000, E00, E11, E21, R20 (skin); YR24, YR27, Y35 (hair); BV00, BG10, B000, B00 (flower eye); BV00, BG10, B000 (wings); V09, V15, V17 (dress); R14, R27, R46 (heart, stockings)

Rowhouse Greetings | Fly by AALL & Create | Color Map

[Compensated affiliate links used when possible. In addition, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were provided by a store or the manufacturer. All other items were personally purchased.]