Impression Obsession DT Theme: Christmas

The Impression Obsession team has some projects to share today featuring a Christmas theme. Since our publishing schedule changed a little, I had some time to sit and enjoy the process of making a new card with some older stamps! This is a slimline card using some of my designs.
There are several designs that came out together with this poinsettia motif - a background, a border and corner, and this topiary image. Here they are together because that's fun to see:

I started my coloring by brushing a base of color with Distress Oxide inks, then misting to let the colors bleed. While they were drying, I laid a stencil over the upper right corner to leave an imprint. Additional layers on the flowers were done with watercolor and Zig markers. I added final shading and details with a colored pencil and a cream paint pen.

IO Products:

J13602 Poinsettia Topiary

B13487 Sending Love

H9336 French Poem

Be sure to check out the other designers' blogs for inspiration - see the I.O. blog for all the details!

If you're looking for a sale, be sure to check out the featured stamps page where a curated collection of themed stamps are 25% off! Take a tiptoe through the clearance pages while you're there too!

When you shop through the affiliate links used here, the company sends a small commission my way at no cost to you as thanks for the referral.
It's a lovely way to partner with these companies that mean so much to our creative community. Everybody wins!

Spellbinders - Hybrid Tea Rose and Teapot

Once in a while I get the chance to play with new Spellbinders products - Susan Tierney-Cockburn's botanical dies have long been a beautiful standard for realistic florals in the industry, and now they are calling Spellbinders home! I'll be honest - I tend to shy away from dies that require 'construction' - but I really enjoyed the process of creating these roses! Full disclosure - the large roses are 9 or 10 pieces, each piece watercolored and shaped individually. But look at the results:

How special is that?! Here's the Hybrid Tea Rose and Tea Pot set that I used, and you can find the rest of Susan's products at Spellbinders HERE.

I don't have Susan's tool kit so I grabbed a clay tool  - this is one of the Sculpey Etch N Pearl tools which worked just fine for shaping the petals. I used the foam padding on the back of my mini MISTI as a work surface, and used a paper bead roller to curl the edges of the petals.

To help the flowers hold their cupped shape, I shoved them into washi tape rolls until the glue dried - that worked really well.

Here are some closer views of the flowers - they're just beautiful! I used a smaller petal base and a center piece to make the little buds.

I cut the teapot from some foiled Tonic cardstock - it's a very heavy weight, and made a perfect base. I love the silver on kraft - shadows were easily added with a Copic marker and highlights and additional shadows were added with colored pencils.

So much dimension! I love the new container dies Susan's added to her line as well - I may need to get the lantern, and those boots! So pretty.

Hope you're having a great week - I keep having to remind myself that it's Tuesday since my Monday felt very much like a Sunday. It's another go-go-go day!

When you shop through the affiliate links used here, the company sends a small commission my way at no cost to you as thanks for the referral.
It's a lovely way to partner with these companies that mean so much to our creative community. Everybody wins!

Impression Obsession October Release Day 2

Welcome back for another day of projects using brand new Impression Obsession stamps! All new stamps are available HERE! We are kicking off the month with a 2-day hop, showing off the new releases - today is day 2! Head over to the Impression Obsession Blog for the start of the hop so you don't miss anything!
I've got another slimline set to share - I love this set of pine trees! I did some loose masking with a torn sheet of paper to create some sloping hills, and misted Oxide inks on the stamp for a faux watercolor look with the larger tree stamp. And - check out this new clear set for all your tiny animal needs! Deer, squirrels, bunnies, bears - we've got you!

IO Products:

F3278-LG Fir Trees

CL1095 Mini Woodland Animals clear set

 

Keep hopping for more inspiration!  We will be giving away THREE Impression Obsession $25 gift certificates for the event - so the more you comment through our Release Celebration the more chances to win! All comments for each of the event days will be open until Monday Oct. 11 at midnight CT. All winners will be announced on Tuesday Oct. 12 on the Impression Obsession Blog.

Thank you for visiting me today! I'm at the end of the hop list, but here's the full lineup in case you might have missed any!

IO Stamps Blog

Giovana Smith

Ilina Crouse

Jeanne Streiff

Kia Gibson Clapper

Laura Fulcher

Laura Williams

Lee Ann Barrett

Vicki Garrett 

Angela Bode

Anna Wight

Dina Kowal <<< you're here!

When you shop through the affiliate links used here, the company sends a small commission my way at no cost to you as thanks for the referral.
It's a lovely way to partner with these companies that mean so much to our creative community. Everybody wins!

Impression Obsession October Release Day 1

It's time for a new release from Impression Obsession! All the new stamps are on the site now and you can check them out HERE - I'll wait! We are kicking off the month with a 2-day hop, showing off the new releases. If you're already hopping and you came from Anna's blog, you are in the correct place. If not, head over to the Impression Obsession Blog for the start of the hop so you don't miss anything!

If you love slimline scenes, you'll be excited about the additions to the line in this release - this cottage scene is so detailed and fun to color! I had this rectangle die cut left from another card, so I decided to do a spotlight technique in blues. My coloring is done with Copic markers and I splattered a little gesso over the scene for additional snow effect.

IO Products:

IO Hybrid inks

3276-LG Winter Cottage

CL1098 Cool Yule clear set (sentiment)

Keep hopping for more inspiration - I hope you'll see more samples from my collections on the other blogs! Today and tomorrow (Oct. 4-5) you can find a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog. We will be giving away THREE Impression Obsession $25 gift certificates for the event - so the more you comment through our Release Celebration the more chances to win!

All comments for each of the event days will be open until Monday Oct. 11 at midnight CT. All winners will be announced on Tuesday Oct. 12 on the Impression Obsession Blog.

Thank you for visiting me today! Here's the hop list for more inspiration!

IO Stamps Blog
Giovanna Smith
Ilina Crouse
Jeanne Streiff
Kia Gibson Clapper
Laura Fulcher
Laura Williams
Lee Ann Barrett
Vicki
Angela Bode
Anna Wight
Dina Kowal <<<<< you're here!

When you shop through the affiliate links used here, the company sends a small commission my way at no cost to you as thanks for the referral.
It's a lovely way to partner with these companies that mean so much to our creative community. Everybody wins!

Splitcoast tutorial: Pencil on Canvas

It's my turn to share a tutorial over on Splitcoast - when I was cleaning recently I found some test swatches on a piece of gessoed canvas where I was playing with different colored pencil blending techniques, so that's what I'm showing this week in the Pencil on Canvas tutorial! Here is the canvas panel I color in the tutorial video - these are stamps from IO, and I'll link them below. This whole panel is done with colored pencils! 😀

Different blending methods and tools produce different results, so be sure to check those out and play around with what you have to see what works best at your house. 

Stamp links:

I didn't check first so both clear sets I used are discontinued. Gah! Sorry about that.

The peony set is gone, but there are individual rubber stamps by the same artist here:

J16438 Tree Peony Blossom

L16428 Peony

The Fred Said clear set is also discontinued (I'm so sad - it is one of my favorites ever!)  

- BUT - 

there are a few left if you RUN! They are 50% off and there are only 15 in stock.

WP915 Fred Said clear set

The sentiment is also available in rubber.

D13759 Beginning

Here's another project that grew from this technique - I have a pad of canvas sheets that are gessoed on one side - I'm not sure where I picked that particular pad up but it's similar to this one on Amazon. I stamped the leaves (retired Spellbinders set) in a repeating pattern using IO Hybrid ink (these are great on the canvas - they dry quickly and no need to prep or heat set, also unbothered by water, alcohol, and blending solvents!). I colored the full panel with an ochre pencil and blended with rubbing alcohol, then colored in the leaves and blended with odorless mineral spirits. The spotting was added with misted Inktense blocks (grated) and splattered gold paint. I adhered the canvas to precut wood pieces that I got at Michaels, and sealed with a matte varnish. I'm adding them to my show pile for November! So easy, and each one completely hand colored and unique. Double sided too!

I'm feeling the stress of what I call Septoctember - I've got products to make for a holiday show, portraits to get done for Christmas orders, and Falliday Fest to plan for! Crazy days. Lots of lists. My brain is full, and that's when I start to forget things.  Acckkk! 

When you shop through the affiliate links used here, the company sends a small commission my way at no cost to you as thanks for the referral. 

It's a lovely way to partner with these companies that mean so much to our creative community. Everybody wins! 

Impression Obsession DT Theme: Silhouettes

The Impression Obsession team has some projects to share today featuring silhouettes. I was in a spooky scenic mood, so I pulled out a few Halloween stamps for the challenge.
I started by lightly brushing some ink over the panel, then masking the moon to brush a little more against the edges. The clouds were done with this stencil, which is great for sky, water, and ground textures. 

The cemetery silhouette was stamped in Versafine Clair Morning Mist, and the girl was stamped with Distress Oxide Soot, then shaded and highlighted with colored pencil.

IO Products:

D13611 Raven Silhouette

3271-LG Graveyard Scene

CL886 Monster Mash clear set (sentiment)

Be sure to check out the other designers' blogs for inspiration - see the I.O. blog for all the details!

If you're looking for a sale, be sure to check out the featured stamps page where a curated collection of themed stamps are 25% off! Take a tiptoe through the clearance pages while you're there too!

Impression Obsession September Release - Team Favorites

The IO Team is back today with a little hop to share our favorite cards from this month's release, so here's mine! If you're already hopping and you came from Anna's blog you are in the correct place. If not, head over to the Impression Obsession Blog for the start of the hop so you don't miss anything!
Mixed in with the Halloween sets this month is this clear set of cats silhouettes - there's a cardboard box die they can go in, or they can peek around edges or over the tops of things. So fun! I stenciled a background of 6 squares, laying a second stencil over for an additional pattern in the openings, then stamped a few of the cats in a balanced arrangement. Little design tip: I used a pencil point to dot white gesso into the eyes to give the cats a little life! 😏

IO Products:

CL1088 Black Cat Love clear set

DIE965-Y Small Tags

Speaking of cats, I added this pair of earrings to my Etsy store yesterday - I couldn't decide which order I liked better, so you can order an asymmetrical pair like this or get both the same.

IO will be giving away THREE Impression Obsession Grab Bags this week! Each comment you leave along the hop will give you a chance to win. Comments will be open until Monday Sept. 20 at midnight CT. All winners will be announced on Tuesday Sept. 21 on the Impression Obsession Blog.

Hop along! Here's the list:

Impression Obsession Blog 

Ilina Crouse  

Jeanne Streiff 

Kia Gibson Clapper

Laura Fulcher 

Laura Williams

Lee Ann Barrett

Vicki Garrett 

Angela Bode 

Anna Wight 

Dina Kowal <<<<<< that's me!

Giovana Smith 

New art!

I've been working on this colored pencil piece for weeks, and it's finally finished! Prints and notecards are in my Etsy store now! I scanned the drawing all through my process to be able to document progress, and this is my favorite contrast between two stages. In the first photo all the color is in, then I went back in to lift out all the highlights, texture and details using erasers, tape, and a ceramic blade. So much fun, and such a difference! Cool huh?

It's always fun to work on different things! I'm back to commissions today though - bills to pay!

Spellbinders sale!

Goooooooo take a peek at the clearance section over at Spellbinders! I am always amazed at the $1 section - there are stamp sets and dies in there, and so much more. If you're a pin collector, there are a few special ones there too! Embellishments, inks, stencils... I only scrolled up to the $3 items - it's a lot to take in. I was a good girl though - and I had $10 in rewards points saved up, so that helped! 

When you shop through affiliate links, the company sends a small commission my way at no cost to you as thanks for the referral. It's a lovely way to partner with these companies that mean so much to our creative community. Everybody wins!