Distinctive Touches

The Birds and the Bees

Today on the CardMaker blog I've got a post about the birds and the bees... well, the ducks and the bees!  LOL 

Check out THIS POST to find out what one of my favorite crafting tools is and more about how I made this cutie patootie card!

Supplies used: X-Press It Blending Card, Copic® markers (Y00/Y02/Y08/Y11/Y19/YR04) and Multiliner (Black .3) from Imagination International Inc.; Sea Salt and African Daisy cardstock from Bazzill Basics Paper Inc.; Lucky Ducky stamp set from Verve Stamps; Memento ink pad from Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko.

You Make My Heart Spin

Just a quickie today as I am in the midst of a large writing project that has kept me out of my studio and confined to the office. 

I wanted to share this card I made to showcase the new Spellbinders Cut/Fold/Tuck dies. 

I cut out the smallest die shape from the Carnival Dreams set and used it as the pinwheel shape for the main image.  It gives great dimension to the card! (Now if I could only find a way to get it to actually spin!)

Hope you have a fantastic day!

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Supplies Used:
Bazzill Cardstock (PineCone/Iced Pink)
X-Press It Blending Card
Cosmo Cricket patterned paper
The Cat's Pajama's (What a Blast) stamp set
Tsukineko Memento (Tuxedo Black) ink
Spellbinders Dies (Scallop Rectangles/Carnival Dreams)
White Ribbon
Copic Markers - E21/E23/E25/E41/E44/C1/O

Make It Crafty Challenge - Creating Movement!

WOW... talk about a CHALLENGE! 

The design team just posted the next challenge for Make It Crafty and it's a tough one...

"Color something to show or create movement"

Phew... I was sweating bullets on this one, but I finally pulled it together and got to work.

Here's my sample - it's just the colored image.  Remember, you don't have to make full card projects to enter the challenge... it's not a design challenge, it's a coloring challenge! (See the MIC BLOG for more info and details on entering.)

I wanted to give the impression that this little hula girl's hips were swinging back-and-forth quickly... swishing the grass of her skirt from side-to-side. 

I colored the skin, hair and flower portions first and then got to work on the skirt.  To create the look of movement, I needed to keep the grass of the skirt (especially around the edges) fairly light.  I used YG11 over the entire skirt... covering even the hair and legs.  Since the color was so light, it lightened up the hair and skin underneath the moving areas... showing those areas just peeking through the moving grasses. I then darkened the area of the original grass skirt because it would be more dense. 

There are some really cool takes on this challenge from the DT!  Head on over to the MIC gallery and check them out... and then grab your favorite coloring medium and GET MOVING!!!

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Supplies Used
Image: Hula Girl Digi (Make It Crafty)
Paper: Make It Colour Blending (Make It Crafty)
Copic Markers
skin E21/E34/E25
eyes B12/B24
hair B41/C3/C5/C7/C9/black multiliner
skirt YG11/YG13/G14/G09
flowers RV52/RV55/RV66/RV19
grass G82/G24/G46/G16

 

Splitcoaststamers Product Focus - Smooch Glitz

Did you check out the latest Product Review from the Splitcoaststampers Review team? 

We got the chance to play with 6 new colors of Smooch Glitz by Clearsnap... and ohhhh what fun we had! 

Here is one of the projects I created... Tilda swimming through shimmery waters - reminds me of our snorkeling trip to the Bahamas! 

You can read the reviews from each team member HERE and check out the amazing variety of projects in the gallery HERE. 

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Supplies Used
Blue Jeans, African Daisy, Kisses, and Raven (Bazzill Basics)
X-Press It Blending Card (Imagination International Inc)
Scuba Tilda (Magnolia-Licious)
Mystic and Firecracker Smooch Glitz (Clearsnap)
Tuxedo Black Memento Ink (Tsukeniko)
Copic Markers

Happy Bird-Day Brook!!! (CardMaker Birthday Hop)

Today I am sending out "Bird-Day" wishes to my good friend Brooke Smith - the managing editor for CardMaker Magazine and leader of the CardMaker Blog team!

Our assignment for today's hop was to make a birthday card using the color scheme from this photo... teal, pink, white and gray.  Little did Brooke know... but, a little birdie told us that TODAY is actually her own birthday!!!  So I want to celebrate by sending this card and happy wishes out to her today. 

I tried to channel my inner Beate Johns by adding the fancy shaped die, the bling flourish, and the flowers on the bow...  It's a bit more flashy than my normal style, but I certainly do like it... and I hope Brooke does too!

Hop on over to the other designer's blogs to see their colorful creations and don't forget to stop by the CardMaker Blog and wish Brooke a Happy Birthday!

Tami Mayberry
Carolyn King
Trudy Sjolander
Colleen Schaan (you are here)
Kimberly Crawford
CardMaker Blog

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Supplies Used
Stamps - Bird Swing (Whimsy Stamps), sentiment (CC Designs)
Inks - Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock - Blue Calypso, Slipper, Stonehenge (Bazzill Basics), X-Press It Blending Card
Patterned Paper - Oceania (Graphic 45)
Copic Markers - Y21/Y38/E21/E33/E37/BG000/BG53/BG57/YG01/G14/G09/RV32/RV34/RV17
Other - Lacy Square Die (Spellbinders), Flourish Bling (Zva Creative), white ribbon, flowers, black multiliner

Copic Coloring Guide Level 2:Nature Winner!!!!!

Wow... thanks to all my readers for the kind and supportive comments for our second book in the Copic Coloring Guide series!  You guys really know how to make a gal feel special! 

When I posted about the book, my question was How do you store your markers? And I got a lot of great responses.  Most of you separate your markers into color families...some of you just jumble them all together, and some of you like to separate them into color families and then by number. 

There's no right or wrong way to store your markers... whatever works best for YOU is great. 

Many people have asked me how I store my markers... and here's my story. (Yeah, I'm going to babble on a bit before announcing the winner!  LOL)

I used to store my markers in the plastic containers that Copic sells their sets in.  I had those plastic cases all lined up in a big plastic bin so I could carry all my markers around together.  I am a bit OCD... so I always had my markers organized by color family (starting with E's) and then within the color family, I had them by number... with the lowest numbers first.  That way when I wanted a blending group, they were all right next to each other. 

Then I found these awesome cubbies...  (Thanks to Sharon Harnist who posted about them on her blog)... and I got 4 of them.  Now I store all my markers by color family only.  The numbers are all jumbled together within the family.  Now, it took me a while to get used to that, not having them in blending group order, but once I started doing "alternative blending" like we teach in this second book, it made it much easier to break out of the "blending group" rut that I had been in.  Now I experiement a lot more and really get the use out of many more colors!  I love it.

Whatever way you decide to store them...  always have fun and challenge yourself to color, play, and try new things!

And with that... I want to congratulate the winner of the signed copy of the Copic Coloring Guide Level 2: Nature....

Jodi said...

He's too cute! I just love your work and you're a great teacher, I can't wait to get my hands on this new edition! Thanks!

 

Jodi, please email me your mailing addy and I'll get this book (and a little something extra) off to you! 

Thanks again for all of your support.  If you purchase the book, we would LOVE to hear what you think. 

Colorful Hugs to all!

colleen

It's Easy... Being Green! - Coloring Challenge

(Winner of my Copic Coloring Guide Level 2: Nature will be announced tomorrow at 9:00 AM!!!)

In the meantime, it's time for another Make It Crafty Coloring Challenge!!!

Remember, the challenges are all about coloring... trying new things, and challenging yourself to think outside the box.  No need to make completed projects for the challenge... just show us your coloring skillz!  Each challenge runs for 2 weeks and winners will receive a $20 store credit!

The challenge this time... is Coloring Green!  Just in time to celebrate St. Paddie's Day!

Here's my card for the challenge.  I decided that I wanted to make EVERYTHING in the image green... including her skin!  (Yikes!!!)  I gave her a bit of jaundice I think... LOL  (Okay Okay... I didn't make the rocks green... but I tried that in the first attempt and they just looked like mossy mounds and there was absolutely no distinction between them and the background.)

I used just about every Copic Green, Blue-Green, and Yellow-Green available...  what fun! 

Head on over to the MIC Gallery to check out the other DT samples of Coloring Green and then grab your favorite coloring medium and Go Green!

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Supplies:
Make It Colour Blending Card (Make It Crafty)
Pear Crush and Raven Cardstock (Bazzill Basics Paper)
Tropical Waterfall and Summer Dreams from the Island Collection (Make It Crafty)
Sentiment (Hero Arts)
Tuxedo Black Ink (Tsukeniko)
Copic Markers:
Skin - YG0000/E50/E53/E71/E04 (yeah, I know... challenging!)
Dress - YG21/YG23/YG25/YG17/YG09/G09
Hat - YG000/YG01/YG03/YG06
Shoes - G40/G82/G24
Hair - G00/BG11/G41/BG32/BG15/BG07
Hills - G20/G12/G28/G42
Trees - G14/G03/G17/G28
Water - BG0000/B00/B21
Sky - BG70/BG72
Rocks - C00/C1/C3/C5/W5/W3/0

Winners of Copic Foam Tape!

Congratulations to...

# 27 - KarenH said...

I have to laugh at this one. I store mine in ziploc bags by color.

 

#83 - Melissa said...

I store my Copics in trays for Copics and organize them in numerical order by color family starting with violets (my favorite color!) :D

 

And #77 - bevyb said...

I store my copics by color family, this way I can grab what I'm looking for quickly.
Thanks for a chance to win

Please email me at colleen.schaan@gmail.com with your mailing address and I'll get that tape right out to you!

Hugs!

colleen

Copic Coloring Guide... Level 2: Nature! Blog Hop

Good morning and welcome to a very special blog hop!  Marianne Walker and I are excited to be bringing you the second book in our coloring series... 

Copic Coloring Guide, Level 2: Nature!

And we are giving away several signed copies!!!

We've partnered up again with the team at Annie’s Attic and some of the most talented artists and designers in the industry to bring you a quality publication packed full of techniques, theory, tutorials, and inspiration.  The 64-page book is the next step in the Coloring Guide series, offering information and educational material for crafters of all skill levels.

From the introductory suggestions for creating a Copic journal and tips for working with digital images, to explanations of advanced blending techniques and detailed tutorials for coloring specific objects, the book presents useful information in an easy-to-follow format. 

A bonus CD comes with the book that contains all of the hand-drawn images used in the tutorial section of the book, along with the assembly instructions for all of the projects.

Speaking of projects...  each of our designers is hopping along with us today to give you a peak at their favorite project from the book - and a chance to WIN your own autographed copy! 

Here is one of my favorite projects from the book...  LOVE this little guy!!! 

(This guy is a great example from the "coloring metal" tutorial of the book... 
 just LOVE his little robotic body!)

 

Just visit each of the blogs listed below and make sure to leave some love.  Each designer will be drawing from the comments on their own blog for the winner of an autographed copy.  (Signed by Marianne, myself and that particular designer!)  Commenting is open until Friday, March 9th.  Winners will be announced on individual blogs.

Michele Boyer

Lori Craig

Jennifer Dove-Bonner

Sharon Harnist

Tammy Hershberger

Melanie Holtz

Michelle Houghton

Debbie Olson

Claudia Rosa

Colleen Schaan (you are here - don't forget to comment for a chance to win my copy!)

Marianne Walker

 

Can't wait for your copy? 

Copic Coloring Guide Level 2: Nature is now available at many stamping and scrapbooking stores. Visit your local store today and ask about availability.  It is also sold through the Annie’s Attic catalog, accessible online at AnniesAttic.com.

Thanks for stopping in today... make your world colorful!

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Supplies Used
Cardstock:     X-Press It Blending Card
                     Raven and Caribbean Beeze from Bazzill Basics 
Patterned:     Journey Explore (Authentique)
Stamps:         Beep Beep I Love You (Whiff of Joy)
                     Clearly Sentimental About You (MFT)
Ink:               Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
Copics:         B000/B00/C00/C1/C3/C5/C7/G29/R21/R32/R37/R89/YG21/YG23/YG63
Other:          Black multiliner, wide white ribbon, heart charm

 

 

 

Copic Design Team - New Memebers!

We on the Copic Paper crafting team would like to extend a very warm welcome to our newest members Cindy Lawrence and Michele Boyer!

These girls are both uber talented and have amazing ninja coloring skillz!  

You’ll want to be sure to visit their blogs for fabulous Copic inspiration and give them a warm welcome.  Oh, and if you do... you might just win one of these fabulous Copic All-Marker carrying cases (markers not included)!!  That's right, both Cindy and Michele are going to be drawing winners for the new Copic Marker Carrying Case... 

And that’s not all . . . each of the rest of the Copic team members also have giveaways posted on their blogs.  Here’s what the rest of us are giving away — a brand new product from Copic, introduced at the Craft and Hobby Association show a few weeks ago: X-Press It High Tack Foam Mounting Tape:

It’s available in 2mm thickness and either 1/2” wide or a unique 1/4” width.  This is a perfect dimensional foam tape for all of your projects. Here are some of the highlights:

• A very high tack/adhesive — means this stuff isn’t going anywhere. I’ve been using it for quite a while, and it holds so well.
• The white protective liner is very easy to peel off.

I LOVE< LOVE<LOVE this stuff... I've already gone through all of my "sample" rolls and am putting in an order for about... oh, 10 more rolls!  LOL

For your chance to WIN one roll each of the 1/4” and 1/2” tapes, just leave your answer to this question below in my comments for this post:

“How do you store your Copic markers - separated by number, color family, or all jumbled together?"

Leave your comment by Midnight - Monday, March 5 and I’ll have Random.org choose THREE lucky winners to be announced on Tuesday!  (Contest is open to winners in the US and Canada, as we only have distribution rights for those areas).

Be sure to visit each of these Copic design team members, for chances to win on their blogs, too.

Cindy Lawrence (carry case giveaway)
Michele Boyer (carry case giveaway)

Colleen Schaan < you are here
Debbie Olson
Lori Craig
Marianne Walker
Sherrie Siemens
Sharon Harnist

Happy Friday to you all and make it a colorful weekend!

Imagine the Possibilities! CardMaker Blog Team Meets Imaginisce

Sometimes I think I live under a rock.  I honestly think I'm the LAST person on earth to hear about the i-top by Imaginisce.  Seriously, how did I not know about this uber COOL TOOL? 

When the CardMaker Blog team was told we get to play with products from Imaginisce, I was pretty pumped.  I knew they had all sorts of pretty papers, adhesives, albums and even the i-rock...  but I DIDN'T know they had stamps (ohhhh, I see some shopping in my future) or this wacky-looking thing called the i-top! 

Luckily for me... my package arrived full of i-top goodies... (punches, the i-top tool, and all sorts of brad, button and pin pieces).  I hopped on over to the web site to find out how to use the i-top and realized that it couldn't be easier.  Just punch, place, squeeze, and pop...out comes a custom-made brad, button, pin, snap or magnet!

tool, fabric circle, top and bottom button pieces

place fabric and put button piece on top (or hook it to the upper clamp)

squeeeeeeze - this is NOT hard at all

open, fold edges in, and place bottom piece into clamp

squeeeeeze again - it will "click" shut (this does NOT require brute strength!)

open and fold plastic edges down to release button

voila... a custom-made button!

I do have to warn you... this is going to be totally addicting!  I started by making some fabric buttons in the XL and Large sizes.  I used up a bunch of fabric scraps and was a button making machine! 

Here's a card I created with a few of my fabric buttons...

(Chipboard flowers painted white and airbrushed with Copic markers - B00/B02/BV01/BV04, fabric strip across the bottom, purple strip with MFT open scallop die, blue strip with Sizzix Brackets die, sentiment from Hero Arts.)

 

I wanted to try out the smaller sized brads, so I stamped a few hearts (Gina K Designs), colored them up with Copics (R83/R85/R46/R59).  I punched them out with the small punch and then "place, squeeze, pop" I made them into brads!  (hopping up and down here)

And then.... because I couldn't stop... I went through all of my "pre-colored" images waiting to be used in cards and picked some for my next idea!  LOL

  Punched circle from colored image

OMGosh... stinkin' cute gnome button!

Gnome button adhered to flower centers for a cute floral arrangement!

I hate to sound like a commercial and I don't like to "pimp" product on my blog... but seriously, this is the coolest gadget around!  I want to thank Imaginisce for supplying product for this hop - and for introducing me to something new! 

Check out what the other CardMaker Blog Team designers did with their Imaginisce + a bit of imagination!

Imaginisce Blog
Tami Mayberry
Carolyn King
Trudy Sjolander
Colleen Schaan (that's me!)
Kimberly Crawford
Melanie Muenchinger
Lora Brinkman

Thanks for stopping by and have a colorful day!