Distinctive Touches

The Copic Coloring Guide is HERE!

This is it!  The day I've been waiting for... the day I've dreamed about... the day I can celebrate! 

I am officially an author! 

I'm so proud to announce The Copic Coloring Guide... a go-to guide for Copic users!  Whether you are completely new to the markers or you have been using them for years, this book contains wonderful and informational tutorials and projects for every skill level. 

I paired up with Marianne Walker and together we share our combined knowledge and love of Copic Markers. Included in the book are step-by-step tutorials explaining the numbering system, how to pick good blending groups, how to blend using a variety of techniques, and how to use that mysterious colorless blender.  Also included are over 40 card projects with easy to follow, step-by-step coloring and assembly instructions... from some of the most talented color artists in the business. 

Here's a sneak peek of one of my FAVORITE projects from the book... (It is so hard to pick a favorite... there are so many awesome samples- but I just love the texture on these two adorable little cuties! - Image by Whipper Snapper Designs) 

I want to thank Tanya Fox, our Editor Extraordinaire, for jumping in with both feet on this project and for being willing to take a chance on a new author and for truly making it the most amazing experience I've ever had.  I want to thank DRG for supporting our efforts and for being as excited about the project as we were.  I want to thank Marianne for saying YES when I asked her to join me on this journey... and for being an amazing friend as well.  I want to thank the superbly talented group of designers who shared their work in the book  - you are my inspiration!  I want to thank YOU... my friends, students, fellow artists who all have cheered my successes and shared in my frustrations along my journey.  And lastly, I want to thank my husband Nate... without whom I could not breath.  You are my very soul.  Thank you.

(Phew... I feel like Sally Fields giving her acceptance speech... LOL)

The book is now shipping and is available (or will be in a matter of days) at a store near you.

Super Duper Uber Excited Hugs Today! Thanks for stopping by!

colleen

 

 

A Silly Snow Globe

You know how some days you just feel the need to create?  That's how I felt yesterday... so I put aside some of my other projects and pulled out my stamping supplies. 

I happily stamped and colored away... while an idea was brewing in my mind.  I wanted to make a card that was different, unique, outside-the-box so to speak.  I cut and pasted and layered and tied.  The result? 

THIS! 

Bwaaahaaahaaa!  My spontaneous creativity flopped!  My "outside-the-box" should have been kept in the bag, my different wasn't good!  LOL 

These three guys from Whipper Snapper reminded me of a little snowy scene that you might find in a fluid-filled snow globe, so that's what I set out to create.  I ran into a few problems along the way.  While cutting the red layer (that was supposed to be my card base, I cut the top right off and ended up with two red globe shapes.  Well... that just wouldn't do, so I decided to mount one of them on a black card base... and this time I was very careful not to cut through the top... but it was pretty close.  I'll be honest and say I don't know that this card would survive being opened and closed more than once or twice. 

I wanted to create that nice shiny glass look, but UTEE tends to turn a bit amber in color, so I opted for about half a bottle of Inkssentials Glossy Accents!  yeah... there's about 5 pounds of glue layered over the image... I'm surprised it actually dried! 

And then to add that "snowy" look of a shaken (not stirred) snow globe, I added bits of diamond Stickles into the Glossy Accents as it was drying.  That part looks pretty cool actually.  I smacked it down onto the table a few times to flatten it all out and sort of integrate the Stickles a bit.  Worked like a charm!

Anyway... while it turned out NOTHING like my original (and brilliant) concept, it did make me giggle. 

Hey... did you notice anything new about my blog?  I've changed the format just a bit and now I have additional informational pages linked across the top (under the banner).  I figured it would be easier this way to present the information about my own Copic Certification Classes and the other activities I'm doing.  I've already got my first location picked out!  I just need to finalize the date and the details and we can start taking applications! 

Enjoy the rest of the day... and have a happy Friday!

Speeding By to Say...

Zippity Quick today! 

I just wanted to drive by and send a BIG Birthday Wish to the one-and-only Monica!

Monica...  I hope you have a FAN-TAB-U-LOUS day!  Make Tim do the cooking, the kids to the cleaning, and YOU my friend... you just do the relaxing! 

Hugs to you!

Card Deets
Cardstock: SU basic black, green galore, tempting turquoise
Stamps: SU (happy birthday greeting), Whipper Snapper (clown car)
Color Medium: Copic markers with Twinkling H2O's
Other: Dots embossing folder, scallop die cut, buttons, spiral clip, ribbon, faux-stitching

Have a Wonderful Thursday Everyone!

Happy July!

I LOVE July...  hot summer days, warm summer nights, BBQ's and cookouts, fireworks and friends.  Ahhhh, life couldn't get any better. 

I'm happy to say that we finally got our flower beds all weeded and looking spiffy again.  All that hot weather after all that rain really did a number on them...  WEEDS EVERYWHERE!  But... with the help of my wonderful hubby, we got all 4 areas done in just three days.  Weeded, new plants planted, and about 40 bags of red mulch spread.  Phew... all that's left is a few hundred pounds of stones and we are set! 

I haven't been stamping as much as I would like, but I do have a cute card to share today.  This is the card that I made for my dad for Father's Day.  I know... I know... it says thank you... but inside it says "for always being there and for being a great dad"  so really, it's a Father's Day card.  LOL 

One of my fondest memories of childhood is waking up EARLY...to go fishing with my dad.  It was always the highlight of my week.  I LOVED every moment that I spent with him...and wish I would still be able to spend time fishing with him now. 

So anyway... this Whipper Snapper stamp is one of my favorites... it is so fun to color!!!  I started with my Copics and then added some extra punch with highlights and shadows with my Koh-I-Noor pencils. 

I wanted to keep the primary color scheme going, so I used some polka-dot paper and layered that with Green Galore, Real Red, and YoYo Yellow.  Bright, sunny and fun!  I used my large label Nestability and cut the image out and then mounted it on the side of the card and trimmed the extra... it gives it sort of a different look.

Hope you like it! 
Happy July -
colleen

Cow's It Going?

Just a quickie today... I'm taking a quick break from my writing to well... write!  LOL  I am in the middle of creating my materials for a new class that I'm offering this spring over at My Creative Classroom.  I am going to be teaming up with the UBER talented Kylie Hopkins to do a "scrap booking/creative writing" class.  I can't give too much away yet, but I CAN tell you that it is going to be a HUGE hit... I can feel it in my bones. 

So anyway... I took a few minutes this morning to whip up this card and I wanted to share it with you while I'm taking my break. (You'll have to excuse the greenish tinge of the white paper... I forgot to fix that in my photo editing software.)

This Whipper Snapper cow is just one of my favorite images (I know... I say that about all of them, but who can resist such a pretty cow?)  I stamped it in Adirondack black ink and colored it with my Copics.  I picked the bright greens and yellow for the colors from the grass and the bell in the image... plus, I wanted it to be bright and cheery! 

I sponged some shabby shutter distress ink onto the green layers and some scattered straw distress ink onto the yellow layers... and built it up.  I'm getting into the whole twist and tilt look with my layers.  I stamped "Cow's it going?" with my Karen Foster stamps and added a metal swirl, some brads, and a bright ribbon to finish it off.  I sure hope this brightens your day!

Thanks for stopping in today.  I'll be back tomorrow with another Thursday Throwdown!

PS - How do you like January's Blog Banner... a bit of Industrial Craft for you...

Hugs,
colleen

Friday Featured Card - By Christine Okken

Good Morning!  I hope to be back to a more normal posting schedule now that the holidays are over.  There will be a few changes to my blog for 2009 (a new banner each month, my Project 52 works, and some different types of crafting projects), but I will also be sticking with my Technique Tuesdays, Thursday Throw-downs, and Friday Featured Cards. 

And since it's Friday (WaHoo!)  I've got a wonderful Featured Card to share with you.  This week I went in search of something fun and fresh... and I found THIS adorable card by Christine Okken (AKA ChristineCreations over at SCS).  I was immediately blown away by Christine's pretty watercoloring... and who couldn't love those adorable bees???  The red, brown, and mustard is such a rich color combination... the whole thing just makes me smile...and of course, that's what Friday Featured Cards are all about. 

So of course, I was immediately inspired to 'get buzzin' and started in on my own card.  THIS is the result.  I needed a "get well" card for my dad (he did something really dumb and was pretty seriously injured as a result - he'll survive... just minus a few digits).  I was going to send him a "You're a Dumb A$$" card (as a joke - sort of) but I couldn't find a donkey image... so I figured I'd be nice and give him a bit of support.  Although... this monkey DOES only have three fingers... huh, I wonder if he was "hanging around" my dad last week??? 

Anyway... I used Christine's layout as inspiration... and went from there.  I actually had it all laid out with the sentiment and ribbon on the bottom (just like hers), but after playing around with the pieces, I realized they worked better (with the dimensions I had) this way.  I thought about adding more embellishments, but I wanted to keep the focus on the image.  Now that I look at it (and at Christine's) I think I should have taken her cue and cut the monkey out and popped him up... that would have been cool! 

The image is from Whipper Snapper and I actually drew in additional branch pieces on both sides to make it go all the way across the paper.  I then masked the monkey and tree and airbrushed the sky with my Copic ABS...  super simple!  I then colored the cute little guy in with Copics and gave him a few additional highlights with my white gel pen.  The sentiment is stamped with my trusty Karen Foster Snap Stamps and I added a cheesecloth background to the light green card base to add a bit more texture.  I think it turned out adorable... let's just hope dad gets a kick out of it.

Thanks Christine for being my inspiration this week! 
You can check out more of her amazing work HERE in her SCS gallery and keep up with her at her blog ChristineCreations. 

Have a wonderful weekend!
Hugs,
colleen

Hanging In There?

As we all get caught up in the frenzy of the holiday season, it's nice to remember that it's really the little things in life that can bring us joy. 

I've been busy cleaning (well, picking up - which is the precursor to cleaning), doing ump-teen loads of laundry, planning a holiday party, working out at the gym, teaching classes, trying to make at least a few holiday cards, and decorating the house.  It's easy to get stressed out and bogged down in it all. 

I figured that I would share this cute little reminder this week as you all are probably doing the same types of things.  Remember it's life's simple pleasures that fill your heart with joy.  (Stamp is from Whipper Snapper and Sentiment is from Verve.) 

Some stress busting tips for the holiday:

1. When you are stuck in a LONG line at the store and the person at the register needs to do a price check for a Be Dazzler... instead of thinking about how you would like to BEDAZZLE that person right to the moon, take a deep breath, smile at the person behind you and use the time to plan out your new year's eve party.
2. When holiday traffic has you seeing red, pop in a tape of your favorite Christmas music, turn it up loud, and sing along!  (at the top of your lungs and preferably off key)
3. When you are frantically baking and cooking, covered in a layer of sweat-soaked flower, take a five minute break for a cup of cocoa and a sampling of your treats! 
4. When the stress of finding "just the right gift" has your head spinning and your wallet feeling a bit light... remember that it isn't the gift... but the THOUGHT that counts.  
5. And above all else... when those dysfunctional family gatherings have you ready to pack it all up and move to Aruba... I say... GO FOR IT! 

I'll be posting as much as I can these next two weeks... but if I miss a day or two... no need to call the rescue dogs... I'm probably just buried under a pile of sugar cookies and wrapping paper.  (SIGH)

Hugs!
colleen

Technique Tuesday - Bling A Bling!

Morning Peeps...  I figured it was time to put up my Holiday Banner... hope you like it!

I hear it's snowing up by some of you.  Brrrrrr, we had a few tiny flurries over the weekend, but nothing serious.   In honor of the white stuff, I made this simple card.  The image is from Whipper Snapper and it is one of my favorite winter scenes.  I like it because I can whip out a bunch of images in no time; the coloring is pretty simple.   For this sample, I used my Koh-I-Noor colored pencils and blended lightly with OMS.  The white parts aren't really just white... I shaded all of the white snowy areas with a very light blue to give it that cold feeling.  And to top it all off, I added Ice Stickles to the icy stuff dripping over the top of the word.  This card is in honor of my mom... who just found STICKLES!  And so my quick technique for today is adding a bit of bling to your cards... with Stickles.

Stickles are a glitter glue from Ranger.  They come in lots of yummy colors and now there are even new Distressed Stickles (with bigger chunks of glitter).  How do you use them?  Easy... they come in a tiny bottle (like ink refills but with a longer tip) and you just gently squeeze the bottle to apply the glitter glue anywhere you want.  Instant Bling! 

Now... there are some tips I've learned. 
#1 - The glitter is colored, but you can't use the glitter glue to actually color a complete image... (well, you CAN, but you won't get full colored coverage).  You need to color your image first and then add the glitter as an accent... it will pump up the volume on the color and add lots of sparkle.
#2 - If you are planning on embossing an image that you also want to add sparkle to, EMBOSS FIRST!  Otherwise you will end up with shinny sparkle on future embossing projects, whether you want them or not.  LOL
#3 - Add Stickles LAST...  I can't tell you how many times I've added my Stickles and then tried to draw in a stitched frame or add a stamped sentiment.  Yeah, sparkle is pretty... but not smeared all over your card!
#4 - On that same note... Don't Touch The Stickles!  I know you are impatient... and you are super excited about the blingy-bling on your card... but please... Keep Your Hands OFF!!!  At least until it is completely dry.  (And no, it's not a good idea to use your finger to test if the glob of Stickles is dry yet... leave it alone!)

There it is...  my Stickles Words of Wisdom.  If you haven't tried Stickles yet...  OMG... What are you waiting for??? 

Have a Sparkly Day!
colleen

PS - if you are really into learning some awesome new techniques, head on over to Tim Holtz's Blog... he is on Day 2 of his 12 days of Techniques... and there is a giveaway each day... he's amazing!