Iris Thanks

Earlier this year I won some stamps from Crafter's Companion, and they've finally arrived at my house... I am a big fan of Sheena Douglass' stamp lines, and she had just added some new floral sets when I was shopping. This iris image is from her A Little Bit Floral line, and it is huge and full of detail.

I painted the image with Shinhan Premium Watercolors (Permanent Magenta, Permanent Violet, Ivory Black, Greenish Yellow, Green Deep) on a 3-inch Art Square from Inchie Arts, and added some texture by stippling paint through an area masked with drywall tape.

The sentiment I used is from Heart and Soul Rubber Stamp Co.

Click here for more Inchie Arts products!

Dream Big

I recently acquired a new bag from Daily Window Bags - I have had the largest size bag (All-Around Classic Tote) for over a year,  but this Eight Days a Week bag is such a great 'tuck under the elbow' size - perfect size for my notebook, planner, and Bible for our Monday ladies' meetings... the construction is beautiful and sturdy, and I love the apple green lining... here's a peek inside:

Daily Window Bags also has several collections of preprinted backgrounds that fit in the transparent window pocket, which can be left as is or embellished to your personal style or mood of the day. I made this panel for Birgit's Mix-Ability challenge this week, to use gesso and newspaper. I brushed gesso from the bottom of the panel to the top, dried it with my heat gun, then sanded to let the printed damask pattern show through. There are a couple strips of crinkled newspaper above the stamped words - I think you can still see the crinkles, though the newsprint is covered up!

I didn't document my process at all, since I was sort of making it up as I went along... I used stamps from Impression Obsession (script, lace borders, postmark), Crafter's Companion (tulips), Unity Stamp Co. (butterflies), and Graphic 45 (ABC stamps). The tulips are painted with acrylic paints.

Hope you're having a great week!

We change.

Just wanted to share the new panel I made for my Daily Window Bag! Looking forward to doing some freelance work for them soon too. :) My bag has been getting lots of use the last few weeks - love the big deep compartments especially when I have to take extra visual aids for health class, notes, handouts, laptop, etc.

I had a cardstock panel that has been protecting my workspace, so it's covered with inks, stamped edges, paint, and marker lines, and that became the base for my project. The Fuchsia stamps are by Sheena Douglass - part of her Paint Fusion line which is available through Crafter's Companion. I love love love these stamps!

They are designed to be used with acrylic paints and her special painting strokes, but they're great for watercoloring, too, especially with a borderless coloring technique. (Actually, if you click on that link, the poppies in the sample are from the Paint Fusion line too!) The sets come with laminated practice sheets so you can practice the strokes, wipe the paint off, and try again. So practical! There are bunches of floral sets and bundles to choose from. I happened on a sale when I got these, so I bought up a bunch of different ones to play with.

Almost forgot! I  had a lightbulb moment the other day - I designed a couple stamps last Fall that catch the chalkboard 'look' that is so popular right now. This is the one I used, embossed on glossy black cardstock:

We Change

Love that quote!

Daily Window Bag Contest!!

Have you been looking for a portable way to display your artwork, scrapbooking, or photos? 

Are you ready for a chance to win a Daily Window Bag like this?

Maybe even some spending cash?!

 Daily Window Bags has generously organized a contest where you'll create a sample card that would fit in their customizable bags. It's so easy to enter, and the prizes are amazing:

The 1st place winner will receive:
a Daily Window Bag of their choice and $100 cash.

Seven other winners will receive:
a Daily Window Bag of their choice.

Here's what you need to do: Create a card with a seasonal theme! Any season will do. 

1. Make your card base 5-3/8" x 7-7/8". This will fit perfectly in your new Daily Window Bag if you win!!

2. Please use rubber stamps to personalize your entry, and keep in mind that all entries will be judged based on uniqueness and creativity. We want to see cards that express who you are, while following the theme of the challenge.

3. Email your entry to ontrack@dailywindow.com by November 30th, 11:59 EST. Please photgraph your entry against a solid background (black is preferred), and make sure your photos have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi.

4. Participants agree to allow their entries to be used in advertising and promotional materials, on the DWB blog and other websites. Some entries may be requested as physical samples for trade shows and conventions. Artists will always be credited for their work.

 Here's the newest piece I created for my bag - it was done with acrylic paints and stamps from Sheena Douglass, Jim Stephan, and Impression Obsession.

You have plenty of time to come up with the perfect entry - and if you win, you'll be able to tuck it right into the pocket of your new bag! Come play along!

Hope happens.

Just wanted to share a card I made for Lydia's Hope You Can Cling To challenge on Monday - she challenged us to create a card that expressed our personal style. I love poppies because they remind me of home, and I love watercoloring, and I combined those two loves into a card that shows my love of bold color, realistic design, and balance... I chose a favorite coloring technique too... I love this sentiment, too... because it's true.

The stamps I used are from Sheena Douglass' line of Paint Fusion stamps - these are from the Poppy set. These outline stamps are perfect for a borderless coloring technique.

 If you've never tried this technique, I have a tutorial available! The tutorial is done using watercolors, but the principles are the same for markers, pencils, or whatever coloring medium you're comfortable with.

On this card, I stamped the images very lightly in Willow ink (Ranger) to create my scene, then began layering colors until my shading was deep enough.

The sentiment is from Flourishes' Magnolia set.

Speaking of Flourishes....... they are sponsoring a wonderful cause over at the Copic OZ blog! If you are a Copic user and you're making cards this month (for Hope You Can Cling To or any other breast cancer awareness cause) I'd love to encourage you to check out the  challenge this month (my friend and design teammate Kathy is the hostess!). Every entry to the challenge results in a $5 Donation to the McGrath Foundation in support of those suffering with breast cancer. The more entries, the better!  Thanks in advance for what YOU are doing to promote breast cancer awareness!

Lots of goodness going on this month!

Borderless Watercoloring with Rubber Stamps - Tutorial Available!

I've just finished up writing a tutorial for using rubber stamps to create borderless watercolor paintings like this one. It is a nine-page, photo-rich, step-by-step tutorial with lots of information, observations, and tips along the way. It's really too long to post on my blog, and for all the work that went into it, I'd like to offer it as a pdf download for purchase. We have a lot of recent moving and medical expenses and I would love to be able to help chip away at those enormous costs in this way.

The image on the card shown here is the one I used for the tutorial. Stamps are from Sheena Douglass' Paint Fusion Line, colored with Touch Twin Markers and Derwent Watercolor Pencils.

You can purchase the pdf for $5.00 USD by clicking the Paypal button below, and the file will be sent to you via email within 24 hours.

Thank you so much!

Just because....

This is my celebratory Touch Twin Marker card... I have been using my markers like crazy REALLY, but most of those cards are exclusive to the upcoming Dirty Dozen gallery, so I can't share them here! It was so sweet just to sit and color purely for the fun of it, and not for any requirement.

I've used another set of Sheena Douglass' Paint Fusion stamp sets (Berries) which I picked up from Joanna Sheen - I have used these stamps with acrylic paint and watercolors, and thought I'd give the markers a try as well. I'm pleased with the results here too. I stamped the images in Adirondack Willow ink, and then added layers of color and blended. Love this look.... and oh, those berries!
The sentiment is from my sweet friend Nina's recent release from Layers of Color, called Encouragement - this is a gorgeous set, and the verses and quotes are so heartfelt and encouraging. Nina is another stamper-blogger-designer-illustrator in full-time ministry overseas.... I love that we get to share our hearts in all those ways! Kindred spirits are such a blessing.

These are the markers I used on my card:
Thanks so much for stopping by! BTW, if you're interested in learning more about the markers, pop over to the Touch Twin Markers & More blog, become a follower and/or sign up for the newsletter - there will be lots more information, tutorials, challenges and prizes beginning next week!

Dare to Get Dirty!!

Over the next week (July 30 - August 5), the Dirty Dozen design team and alumni will be hosting a week packed with fun challenges for Splitcoaststampers fan club members! This is my first time participating, and *I* even get to host a challenge - but - more about that on Tuesday! Today we're kicking the party off with 5 challenges, and you can expect 4-6 challenges each day! The challenges will be posted at around 8:00 CST. You can find all the details over at SCS - if you're not a Fan Club member, now's a great time to join - come Dare to Get Dirty with us!!

I've provided samples for two of the challenges today - I'll share one card today and one tomorrow. This card is for Lydia's challenge. For this sample I used the Poppies set from Sheena Douglass' line of Paint Fusion stamps, stamping the images first, then painting over them. I used acrylic paints on the image - actually this is several images, as the set is made of individual 'parts' that you stamp together to create your own floral scene. I LOVE these sets, and will be ordering more soon. They are so versatile, and the artwork is just perfect for any coloring medium. By the way, this designer cardstock held up really well under the acrylic paint - I wasn't sure if it would warp or not.

Hope you'll come play with us!!

P.S. The sentiment I used is from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps - I love this one!