Marker Mondays - August Part IV

This card will use the blending techniques we have been practicing and you will learn a simple masking technique. Be sure to review the previous lesson if you need to.

All Supplies Available from A Muse Studio

For August are using the following three Copic colors:

• 0 - Blender Pen
• R29 - Lipstick Red
• Y17 - Golden Yellow

For these images I used the brush to brush color technique that I explained last week.  If you are using the Originals markers (the square Copics) then I recommend switching to the brush tip.  It is easy to switch the tips and they are fairly inexpensive.  If you prefer not to do that you can still blend using your chisel and fine point by using the plastic palette technique to pick up the darker ink.

Stamp the large flower in the corner using your Memento Black ink and then color it using the technique that you practiced last time.  I colored the entire flower yellow and then added red in the center.  I darkened each petal as needed by adding a second layer of yellow and then using the marker to pick up some red and make the petals a darker orange.  Blend while the yellow is still wet and do each petal individually.  Add some yellow over the top if you need help blending.

Once the large flower is colored then you can mask it by stamping another flower onto a post-it note and cut carefully just inside the edges.  Place the post-it note flower over the colored flower to protect it and use the smaller flower stamps to stamp your papaya, orange and cherry flowers with our delicious rich ink.  Once it is dry you can remove the mask.

Stamp your sentiment, add pearls (color them first with your Copics if desired) and mount onto black card front and orange card base.  Voila!  This concludes your Copic lessons for August.  Next week I will give you a head's up on what is needed for September.

 Marigolds Card Supplies Used:

• Marvelous Marigolds Stamp Set
• Paper - Sugar, Onyx, Orange
• Memento Black Pad
• Copic Marker - Colorless Blender
• Copic Marker -  Lipstick Red
• Copic Marker - Golden Yellow
• A Muse Studio Inks - Cherry, Papaya, Orange
• Pearl Stickers - Sugar

Marvelous Marigolds

All Supplies Available from A Muse Studio

I will be holding a monthly workshop in my home in Huntington Beach, CA so let me know if you want to join me.

Goosebumps Cards

There's a new project from Tsukineko called Goosebumps.  I recently got a chance to try it and teach some of the stampers at our LSS about my findings.  Below are two of the projects we made.  I donated my cards to Operation Write Home to send a little love overseas for our Heroes.

Goosebumps sprayed on white paper as a background resist

For the first project (above) we simply spritzed some goosebumps on the paper and let it dry.  Once it is dry you can sponge on your favorite dye ink (I used Tim Holtz distress inks) and wipe any excess off with a damp towel.  The light blue part of the card is the TH ink and the white is where the Goosebumps acted as a textured resist.  It looks like a shiny, bumpy plastic.  Once you use the Goosebumps you will need to use Stazon to stamp over it so the teal leaves (Wendy Vecchi)  and  black sentiment (Auntie Amy) are stamped with Stazon.  I mounted it simply to a navy cardstock and then a purple card base.  I added some pretty rhinestones to give the card a little bling.

Goosebumps sprayed onto rubber and then image stamped on white paper

For our second project we sprayed directly onto the stamp instead of using ink.  A bold image works best for this.  I used another Wendy Vecchi image to make the white foliage at the bottom of the card.  It will give a blotchy effect and not the precise definition you are used to with ink.  Once the Goosebumps is dry you can swipe your dye ink over the card (again, I used Tim Holtz Distress for this in two different colors) and wipe any excess ink off the resist image with a damp towel.  I used black India Ink to stamp the "delight" sentiment from Stampin' Up.  Add a pretty ribbon and mount to your card base and you're done!  The card is easy and has a lot of impact.

Here are some tips I found while I was working with the Goosebumps:

• Clean your stamps IMMEDIATELY after you use them with a good cleaner like Ultra Clean.  
• Be careful because the Goosebumps may permanently stick to your acrylic blocks or will take lots of work to remove (sigh!)
• IMMEDIATELY clean the whole Goosebumps pump with soapy hot water after you use it or it will get clogged.  I thought I just needed to rinse it off but you really need to remove it and clean it all thoroughly.  
• It will still clog the tip of the sprayer so be sure to clean it with a pin and do some test spritzing before use or you will get blotchy sprays.
• I was unable to get good results with the technique where they used a brass stencil.  Maybe my tip was too clogged and blotchy.
• I was unable to get good results with the technique where they used a clean stamp to remove the goosebumps from the paper.  Maybe I was spraying too much Goosebumps onto the paper (again, could be the clogged tip)
• I learned this was a little too much trouble to be my favorite technique but I did like the cards I ended up with.

Here is a link to the Tsukineko education sheet to give you more tips and techniques.  Let me know your experience with Goosebumps and any tips to help us out!

Studio Stampers Blog Hop

Welcome to our A Muse Studio Blog Hop for Krystie's Muses group.  You should have come from Kari's Blog.  If you want to go to the beginning go to Krystie's Blog

All Supplies available from my A Muse Studio Webstore

Supplies used: Stamps - Too Cute To Spook
Ink - Onyx
Papers - Wasabi, Spooky Hollow, Slate Woodgrain
Dies - Classic Tags Die Set, Web Die
Accessories - Onyx & White Baker's Twine-


Your next stop is Kellie's Blog

Here is the blog list in order:

Krystie Hersch http://www.cleanandsimplecards.com/

Kathy Hatzke  http://www.kathatstamps.blogspot.com/

Karen Crisp  http://www.papernstamps.blogspot.com/

Kari Bell  http://karikards.blogspot.com/

Lianna Vigil (YOU ARE HERE!)

Kellie Maggio  http://iscrapyouscrap.blogspot.com/

Angela Schellenberg  http://gypsypaperie.blogspot.com/

Lisa Chapman  http://www.piesafepapergoods.blogspot.com/

Veronica Zalis  http://lk2thestarz.blogspot.com/

Kristen Watson http://branchandsky.blogspot.com/

2011 A Muse Studio Holiday Catalog

All supplies available from my A Muse Studio Webstore.

I am so thrilled with the new A Muse Studio Holiday Catalog that just debuted.   Please let me know if you would like me to mail you a copy or email a pdf.  You can also see it and order online HERE.

There is a rotating graphic on the top of the home page with a link to download the catalog and you can order using the regular order process now.

If your order subtotal is $150 or more be sure to email or phone your order to me so I can set it up as a workshop so you will earn extra hostess benefits!


Stay tuned tomorrow (Tuesday) for a blog hop featuring some awesome holiday goodies.

A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA DAYS ARE HERE!

All supplies available from my A Muse Studio Webstore

The best time of the year starts tomorrow!  Are you wondering what A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA is?  It's an awesome stamping extravaganza that is hosted by A Muse Studios.  When they changed to a home sales model, the company decided to keep the fun and festivities going. 

What does A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA mean for you?  Well, if you host a workshop there are extra goodies available from August 22-September 30th.   Below are some of the highlights but be sure to contact me for full details.

• With a $150 party you can earn an exclusive limited-edition stamp set that is only available during this celebration.  
• I am giving a special hostess gift to all my hostesses with a $150 party - your choice of a Gold or Silver Uniball Pen
•  A Muse Studios is also giving extra hostess credits to qualifying parties of $250 or more.

Our new Holiday Catalog debuts at Midnight tonight!
Email me for an advance copy of the catalog in PDF format or check back at midnight to see the catalog online.

Marker Mondays - August Part III

Today we will practice and refine our blending techniques.  Be sure to review the last lesson if you haven't already.

Workbook notes and A Muse Studio coordinating ink samples

 For August are using the following three Copic colors:

• 0 - Blender Pen
• R29 - Lipstick Red
• Y17 - Golden Yellow

For these images I used the brush to brush color technique that I explained in the last post.  If you are using the Originals markers (the square Copics) then I recommend switching to the brush tip.  It is easy to switch the tips and they are fairly inexpensive.  If you prefer not to do that you can still blend using your chisel and fine point by using the plastic palette technique to pick up the darker ink. 

You can make different flower colors with only three pens!

I have colored the top right flower with yellow ink and then used the yellow pen to blend red onto the center petals and make the flower into a deeper orange.  It takes time and practice but you can always color and then add more depth later on and blend out any parts you want to darken or fix.

The center yellow flower was colored first with the blender pen and then the blender pen is carefully used to make the pale yellow petals by taking ink from the Y17 pen or palette. This flower takes a little more practice and patience. 

The pink flower was the hardest because the red is so dark.  Work one petal at a time with the blender pen and pick up tiny amounts of red to blend with.  Practice, practice, practice!  I really did this flower using only the blender pen and the R29 ink.  You can too!

Practicing blending on Vanilla cardstock and Cocoa ink. Notice the warmer feel of the images?

It is fun to try the Copics on different backgrounds to see how they change.  I made the same yellow and orange flowers on Vanilla instead of Sugar paper to add some warmth.

Marvelous Marigolds

I will be holding a monthly workshop in my home in Huntington Beach, CA so let me know if you want to join me. 

Marker Mondays - August Part II

Let's start today's lesson by playing and getting used to our pens.  Here is the last post if you need to review or have questions about the workbook supplies and pages. For August we are using the following three Copic colors:

• 0 - Blender Pen
• R29 - Lipstick Red
• Y17 - Golden Yellow

Start by stamping the kite image using Memento Black ink and let it dry.  In my workbook I like to label images as I color them by using the Copic Multiliner.  This is a waterproof pen that will not smear when you use your Copic Markers over it.  I can draw lines, take notes and then color over it just like I can with the Memento ink.  Make a habit of making color swatches like I did on the bottom left.  That way if you want to replicate a look later you know exactly what colors you used.

Workbook Page1

The kite on the left I colored using the markers with solid colors and no blending.  The kite on the right uses some blending techniques.  I colored the whole kite with yellow and then I blended using my yellow pen and picked up red ink from a palette onto the yellow pen to make orange.  I made a palette by scribbling some red ink onto a piece of plastic.  Any plastic will do, including  an acrylic block, plastic palette or a scrap of a cellophane wrapper.

Palette Blending

A second way of blending is the tip to tip method where you pick color directly from the tip of your dark marker onto your light marker and use it to color.  The best part about using Copics instead of water-based markers is you can wipe off the excess color onto your paper when you are done and the marker is as good as new!  The ink does not stain the marker when you blend colors.  Try it out and be sure to practice because with blending you will get better with more you do it. 

Tip to Tip Blending

Use your workbook to practice blending and be sure to play with the pens.  Look at the right side of my workbook page and see how I experimented with different layers of marker.  Letting each coat dry before adding another will make a darker color that you can use to subtly deepen shadows without having to use a darker color pen.  The blender pen acts as a sort of ink-removal system so you can use it to erase or lighten colors for highlights.  If you color over the wet blender, it acts as a sort of primer and helps spread the ink over the paper for easy blending.

If your paper gets too wet the ink may start to spread too easily; simply let it dry and then you can use your markers again to re-blend and fix anything you want.  If your coloring is not solid and looks streaky then you are not using enough ink.  Be sure to saturate the paper thoroughly and the ink should show through on the back (unless you are using extra-thick paper).  Don't be afraid to use lots of ink because your paper will not pill and tear the way it does with regular water-based markers.

Back side of colored flower

 Once you have had a chance to play then you can color the image for your card and finish it! 

Detail of finished colored image

Kite Card Supplies Used:

• Vintage A Muse Stamp Set
• Paper - Sugar, Orange, Cranberry
• Gingham Paper - Orange
• Memento Black Pad
• Copic Marker - Colorless Blender
• Copic Marker -  Lipstick Red
• Copic Marker - Golden Yellow
• 3D Foam Adhesive
• Nestabilities Scallop Rectangle - Small

Marvelous Marigolds

Vintage A Muse

I will be holding a monthly workshop in my home in Huntington Beach, CA so let me know if you want to join me.  

Sneak Preview!

Welcome to another edition of the A Muse Studio Blog Hop. If you are participating in the blog hop, you should have come from Tara Johnson's blog and if not, then you should start from the beginning with Samantha's blog until you come to my blog.

All Supplies from A Muse Studio

Our theme today is "Summer" and what is more Summery in Huntington Beach than a Beach Wedding card!?  So many people here get married near the beach or with a beach theme I thought it would be fun to show how pretty our shells stamps look in soft pale colors.

Are you in LOVE with the pretty ribbon I used?  Did you notice how it matches the pretty ink I used for the background.  It is a sneak preview of our new "Pebble Gray" color that I just adore.  Doesn't it look pretty stamped on the Vanilla?  I paired it with some Latte accents and a pearl and it coordinated beautifully.  I added some pretty glitter to glam it up and make it extra pretty.  The Tag is also a preview of our New Tag Dies and the French Roast Baker's Twine is also available in our new Holiday Catalog.  You can order from it starting on August 22nd but in the meantime if you want to see a PDF of the catalog, please send me your email address and I can a catalog to you right away!

Supplies Used:

• Sea Shells Stamp Set
• Latte Paper
• Vanilla Paper
• Pebble Ink
• French Roast Ink
• Classic Tags Die Set
• French Roast Baker's Twine
• Pebble Satin Ribbon
  
• Diamond Glitter
• Quickie Glue Pen
• Latte Pearls

Your next stop on the hop is Melissa Roell's Blog.

Marker Mondays

Do you want to learn how to use - Copics with me?  Let's start a new adventure where you can learn and have an easy way to start your Copic collection without having to buy a ton of markers at once.  With my class we will use three markers each month (plus the blender pen) to make some awesome creations.  I picked some of my favorite and most useful colors so we will have a great collection and actually be able to use the markers we have.  We will end up with workbook pages and two cards each month using our three colors.

Workbook Cover

For my workbook cover you can see that I used one flower for each of the five months and colored  each flower using the three monthly colors.  I used Kraft paper for fun but you can use whatever you want.

For August we will use the following three Copic colors:

• 0 - Blender Pen
• R29 - Lipstick Red
• Y17 - Golden Yellow

You can use Ciaos, Sketch or you can buy the Originals from my A Muse Studio Webstore (or anywhere else you like).

Here are the other supplies I used for the August Workbook and almost everything is available from A Muse Studios or feel free to substitute your favorite brands.

• Kraft Cardstock
• Sugar Cardstock
• Vanilla Cardstock
• School Lined Cardstock 
• Marvelous Marigolds Stamp set
• Personal Stationery Stamp Set (optional)
• Memento Black Ink
• Memento Rich Cocoa Ink (optional)
• Copic Multiliner (I use the 0.5 size) 
• Corner Rounder
• Crop-a-Dile or hole punch
• Scrap of Cellophane paper wrapper
• 2" Metal Ring (from office supply store)

To start your workbook cut the papers to 8.5" x 4.25" as following:

• 2 Kraft (for the covers)
• 2 Sugar
• 1 Vanilla
• 1 School Lined

Round the right side's corners and  punch a hole in the left corner using your crop-a-dile.  The metal ring is to hold it together when we're done.  I recommend working on the pages individually and put them in the ring after you finish.  Otherwise your Copics may bleed through to the next page and it won't look as clean!

Marvelous Marigolds

Vintage A Muse

I will also be holding a monthly workshop in my home in Huntington Beach, CA so let me know if you want to join me.