Lani *Day 3*

Hi everyone! I'm in a rush to get this posted today so this post will be quick! :) Here's our beautiful inspiration by Lani:
And here's my take. I decided to make a set of 2 cards featuring all Hero Arts stamps.

On each card, the flower, Hero Arts Classic Bloom H5481, was first colored with Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Stampers Big Brush Markers and then I added shading directly on top of this using the Faber-Castell Art GRIP Aquarelle watercolor pencils. LOVE that the Stampers Big Brush markers are india ink making the first layer of color completely waterproof! :) The grid panels were lightly distressed and stamped (Hero Arts Graph Background S5435) with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink. The sentiment, Hero Arts Made with Love CL491, was stamped using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. The background on the blue card was colored using Broken China Distress Ink and the background on the orange card was done with Rusty Hinge Distress Ink. The small border of green is Crushed Olive Distress Ink on white paper. Yep, both of these cards began completely white. I LOVE making cards this way!

Thanks so much for popping by! HUGS!

Lani *Day 2*

Here is our next card by the talented Lani: Don't you just love the dark black sillouette image with the beautiful colors of the background? I sure do! The blueish purple, aqua, and yellow are so charming and really pop against the dark black stamping.
Here is my take. I just had to do some dark black stamping, too! And I used Lani's background color choices as the inspiration for my flower colors.This image, Large Blossom CG271 by Hero Arts, was first stamped in black ink on white cardstock. The flowers were colored in with Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft PITT Artist Pens. I also used the Faber-Castell DMC Stampers Big Brush Marker in black to go over the black stamped image to darken it and fill in any parts that did not stamp completely. The sentiment is from the Hero Arts clear set, CL487 Thank You For Being My Friend.
Thanks for visiting! See you tomorrow! :)

Inspired by...Lani and Tiffany Doodles Challenge

Hi everyone! It's Monday and I think I am now caught up from my trip to CHA. I mean really, how does laundry pile up so quickly?! LOL :) This week's featured artist is SO talented, I could look at her cards for hours. You MUST go check out her BLOG. I know you will adore everything she creates. Yep, this week's featured artist is Lani Bin Haider and here's her first inspiration card:Lani's card is so delicate and pretty! I love her red and green color combo. Her coloring has a softness that suits this stamp perfectly. And that sentiment banner adds a bright and fun touch.
Here is my take. I was especially inspired to do a center panel that features the emboss resist technique:
The center panel was created by stamping Hero Arts CG192 Floating Garden with VersaMark ink on white paper and heat embossing with clear embossing powder. Then I used Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft PITT Artist Pens to color in the image. I was able to color quickly and wipe off anything that went "outside the lines" with a baby wipe. The green background was created by embossing Hero Arts layering paper with a Sizzix embossing folder. After embossing I sanded the raised areas and then colored the sanded areas with a green Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Stampers Big Brush Marker. The sentiment is Hero Arts CL351 Friends.

Today is also the kick-off of the Tiffany Doodles February challenge. Be sure to check out the Tiffany Doodles BLOG for details on the challenge and how to win a gift certificate for the new and improved digi store. Here are my samples created by coloring this great image, Stained Glass Heart, with copics and then coloring white cardstock with Distress Ink and flicking it with water for the backgrounds. The text stamp is by Hero Arts, CL479 Dictionary Greeting.

Thanks for popping by! See you tomorrow with another FANTASTIC card by Lani! HUGS!

Faber-Castell, Day 5 and CHA pics

Today, I am going to provide you a few links to check out some projects by other artists using the Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft product line.

*You'll LOVEEE this background that Gina K. created using the PITT Pastel Pencils. Check out her card and video HERE.
*This altered canvas by Mou Saha is sooo bright and adorable -- see it HERE.

*THESE monochromatic ATC's are butterfly heaven!

*And if you've been wondering about the new Color Gelatos by Faber-Castell, HERE'S a great video showing a fun technique featuring these fun "color chapsticks."

And I just couldn't resist sharing a card of mine today, too! :)And here's a peek at the gorgeous shimmer- much prettier in real life: This card was created using the Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft gelatos in silver and gold metallics. I first stamped and embossed the script text (Purple Onion Designs) using VersaMark ink and clear embossing powder on dark blue cardstock. Then I colored directly on top of the blue cardstock using the silver and gold gelatos. I blended these colors using my fingers (the embossed script acts as a resist to the rich gelato color). I used the same technique with the butterfly stamp (Purple Onion Designs). I stamped and clear heat embossed it on orange cardstock and colored over the top using the gold metallic gelato.

And now, time for some CHA photos! My trip to LA by train was tons of fun and filled with lots of laughter. :) Lisa (the owner of my LSS, Mementos) and Peggy (an awesome instructor at Mementos) began our journey at 3:30 AM at the small Yuma train station (i.e. a slab of concrete next to the train tracks...LOL)-- all aboard!

Here's the Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft booth and pictures of me posing with some of my samples. It was sooo surreal to see some of my cards at the show! Then it was time to head to the Hero Arts booth and meet a few of my favorite crafters, Jennifer, Shari, and Lisa! Seriously, such an honor! Oh and what a thrill it was to meet the BEYOND sweet and designer extraordinaire Kathy!
I also got to meet my good friend, Nancy, but my picture of the two of us is on my friend's camera, not mine, so I will post as soon as I can. I hope you've enjoyed my photos (if you made it to the end of this long post)! HUGS!

Faber-Castell, Day 4

Today's card features another great new Hero Arts stamp along with Faber-Castell's Design Memory Craft Art GRIP Aquarelle watercolor pencils. I stamped the image with black ink on watercolor paper. I colored in the image using the watercolor pencils and a light wash of water with a very small paint brush. Once dry, I added dot details with a white gel pen and a PITT Artist pen in black. The background was created using Distress Ink (Peeled Paint, Wild Honey, and Broken China). Finally, I stamped the script text using Pumice Stone. I dabbed the stamp with a baby wipe before stamping to remove some of the ink. All Stamps Hero Arts.

Thanks for stopping by! See you tomorrow with some fun links. :)

Faber-Castell, Day 3

This card was created using the Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Stampers Big Brush Markers, PITT Artist Pens, and Art GRIP Aquarelle Watercolor Pencils. I began by coloring directly on the large damask background stamp with the Stampers Big Brush Markers. I "huffed" on the stamp and then stamped onto white cardstock. I then used the fine tip of the PITT Artist Pens to add shading to the background image by coloring directly on the paper. Finally, I used a light wash of yellow paint from the watercolor pencils over the stamped image. Because both the Stampers Big Brush Markers and PITT Artist Pens are india ink, they are completely waterproof once dry. Background Stamp by Purple Onion Designs, Sentiment by Hero Arts

Thanks again for peeking! Hope your week is going well. :)

Faber-Castell, Day 2

You may have spied today's card on the Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft blog last week, but I thought I would share it here, too. :) It features the Faber-Castell Art GRIP Aquarelle watercolor pencils with one of my favorite new stamps from Hero Arts.



And here's a video showing the creation of this card from start to finish.


Thanks so much for watching!