Falling Leaves

Hello!Long time no write! Once again school has started and teaching English takes all of my time. So many things to do, so many papers to grade. Since the start of the school year I've made like 10 cards. Sad but true.  This card uses a set from Simon Says Stamp (Leaves and Scribbles?) and some PTI paper and ink.  The leaves are die cut and also brushed with gold perfect pearls... sparkly in real life- not so much on the computer screen.  Thanks for stopping by!

Me... Begging for Money on Behalf of My Students

Hi Friends!  I interrupt this blog to ask you to consider to giving to my classroom via Donor's Choose.  I am once again asking for books for my classroom.  I have my students read 5 novels per term for a total of 20 novels per year.  They don't always make it but even if they only do half they will read 10 books in a school year!  This is in addition to our 4 class novels.  Some of my students come from homes completely devoid of books.  Some of them hate reading.  Some have never read a novel by themselves.  Its my job to try to change that.  I look for books that will interest them.  I talk up new books.  I try to tailor book choices to their interests.  I will spend tons of my own money on books this year, as I did last year.  Will you help?  Even if you can't donate, can you help spread the word?  Also if you donate in the next 6 days you can put in the promo word SPARK and Donors choose will match your donation! So $5 becomes $10!  Here's the link:

http://www.donorschoose.org/mrshetland

Clean and Simple Birdies

Hello friends!  I have some very CAS cards for you today.  Two stamps (both from a muse), some copics, and patterned paper.  Thats it.  All cuts done with the paper trimmer.  Quick and so easy!

   

Different orientation, one bird stamp

   

Same thing but fun color change!  Thanks for stopping by!

More Lawnfawn

Hi Friends! I have another Lawnfawn creation for you today.  I used the Bug set.  Sorry the name is escaping me at the moment and I am too lazy to look it up.  I stamped on stampers white and colored with copics.  I added some stickles for sparkle.  It's mounted on PTI wisteria cardstock.  Thanks for stopping in!

 

Lawn Fawn Gleeful Gardens

Hello Friends!  I came into some Lawn Fawn stamps the other day, aren't they the cutest?  I love that little snail.  Although I admit the scientist in me is screaming that snails eyes are on those antennae!  Of course, eyes up there are not nearly as cute.  Google snail eyes, you'll see what I mean.

   

Anyhow this card uses PTI cardstock, pti sentiment and Lawn Fawn Gleeful Gardens.  It is colored with copic markers.  Simple and easy!

More Watercolors

 

Good Morning friends!  I got together with a friend yesterday for some card making and now have a few new things to show you.  Above I have a little sunrise scene that I drew and colored with Zig Clean Color markers.  I used watercolor paper.  I added some Maya Road twine and a sentiment from PTI.

   

Here we have a little beach scene.  Again colored with the Zig markers on watercolor paper.  Maya Road twine and PTI sentiment.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Snail Mail

Hi friends!  My blog is being updated- it must be summer!  Today I have a cute little Lawn Fawn card for you.  Copic coloring, memento black ink, PTI stampers white cardstock.  Quick and easy with just a bit of masking.

 

Thanks for stopping in friends!

More Zig Clean Color Bouquets

Hello Friends!  I have something new for you today. I am still using the zig markers.  I am starting to enjoy them a bit more now that I have a better feel for how they work.   I decided I like them best on watercolor paper and I really like using them with pencil drawings.  The card below uses the 12 pack Zig on watercolor paper.  I used both a waterbrush pen and a regular paint brush.  The panel is mounted on PTI Kraft with scrap patterned paper (no clue of maker), and some maya road twine.

 

The second card is basically the same thing.  The pink paper is from PTI.  Everything is else is the same as mentioned above.  Thanks for stopping in!

 

Watercolor bouquet

 

Hello Friends! I am back!  Still working with those zig markers.  I do have to say they are growing on me.  Here is today's offering.  This is a hand drawn creation.  I drew it with mechanical pencil and then watercolored with the zigs and a waterbrush and a regular brush on watercolor paper.  I only have the 12 marker set so I think you can see here you can really get a lot of different colors out of that 12 set.

Zig Clean Color Brush Markers

Hello Friends!  Wow its been awhile, hasn't it?!  It's finally summer!   My first year as a middle school teacher (after 17 years in Elementary) was so hard!  It was such a hectic, hard, and rewarding year.  I barely crafted at all!  I feel so out of practice right now!
I was chatting with my crafty friends and I heard about Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers.  Well of course I couldn't ignore the siren call of new supplies.  I clicked on over to my trusty friend Amazon and bought some.  Of course then I needed a water brush, some bristol board, and some watercolor paper.  Next I watched a few You Tube videos where I was assured that this was the easiest thing evah!!!  I am calling BS on that.  And I know how to watercolor, like actually paint paintings, with real watercolor.  I've taken some pictures of work in process so you can see a few different things.  The finished card above was done on watercolor paper as were the baskets in the picture below.  If you are using watercolor paper the colors blend more effortlessly but if you get things too wet you will find your colors bleeding all over the place.

The picture below is the pens used on PTI cardstock with a tiny bit of water applied with a brush. You can see that on this thick cardstock the colors do not blend as easily.  Also too much water will shred the cardstock.

The picture below shows the pens on Bristol paper.  Its smooth like cardstock but not as thick.  The colors blend very easily especially without water.  However, the paper will also stand some water to be used with blending.

This final picture is hand drawn art (Please forgive my horrid lettering!) on PTI white.  I used the pens and a bit of water.  I am really sorry I didn't just stick to copics here but I thought you might like to see one more example.

Half Full?

Hello Friends!  I've been making cards all weekend.  I feel a little rusty but its so great to get creative.  I picked up this wine set from PTI a month or two ago and today was the first chance I had to use it.  Lining up those die cuts was a breeze with my MISTI.  I had lots of fun with the fancy flourishes as well.  This card is already in an envelope... hopefully I will remember to post it tomorrow!  Hope you have a great week!

Another MISTI fan

Hi Friends!  Guess what I did?  I jumped on the MISTI bandwagon!  And I am so glad I did.  My MISTI arrived last week and I was smitten after the first stamp.  I used it to create the card below.

 

I used two PTI sets- Natural Beauties and Fancy Flourishes.  The best thing about the MISTI is it lets you easily double or triple stamp the same image.  See how crisp that sentiment is?  I triple stamped it- easily and with no blurring or mis stamps!  MISTI is totally worth the money.

 

Papertrey Ink Anniversary Challenge Day 3

Hello friends!  I am enjoying my day off.  Got in a little crafty time in between writing lesson plans and correcting essays.  I do apologize for not editing the picture- time is of the essence around here.

Today's PTI anniversary challenge was to "spring into action and use a set that hadn't see ink".  I have the pretty petals free gift set from December.  It was still all wrapped up so I broke it open and inked it up.  I used berry sorbet, harvest gold and spring moss ink.  The lighter pink is just berry sorbet stamped off.

PTI Anniversary Challenge

Hello Friends!  It's been a good long while.  I offer no excuses except to say my creative times are few and far between and teaching 7th grade is a 50 hour a week job.  Anyhow, its anniversary time over at Papertrey Ink.  They are celebrating 8 years in the business with lots of challenges and give aways.  This challenge can be found here.  The challenge was to build a bouquet using two or more floral sets.  I've got two floral sets here:  Birds and Blooms and Mini Blooms.  I used New Leaf, Harvest Gold, Hawaiian Shores, Tropical Teal, Berry Sorbet, and Select White.  Everything else is pretty self explanatory.  Have a fabulous day and thanks for stopping by.