Fall Leaves

Hello Everyone! 

Is it feeling like fall by you?  It finally is here in St Louis.  No fall leaves yet, but that hasn't stopped me from stamping them!

This stamp from Technique Junkies, Autumn Blessings, is super easy to turn into a beautiful card. 

I wanted a very loose water colored look for this image.  Problem is, I am so picky about coloring that it is hard for me to go outside the lines, lol.  My way around that is to lightly pencil in approximately where the image will be and then watercolor BEFORE stamping.  No kidding!  That is the only way I can get a loose look! 
I did go in after I had stamped the image over the water colored card front and add some detail and shadows. 

You can get 10% off of this stamp- actually your whole card minus clearance- with code TJ10LeeAnn.  

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

Lee Ann 

Final Week with Stamplorations

Hello All! 

This is my final post as a guest colorist with Stamplorations.  It has been wonderful and Shery (the owner) is wonderful to work with.  Thank you, Shery! 

This week was a Copic week. The first card is with a new to me stamp, Oh So Grateful, which comes with a matching die as well.  Anyone smitten with blue pumpkins like me?

The background is watercolored and then stenciled with a lovely Tim Holtz flourish stencil and clear embossing paste.  Which you cannot see in this photo.  This week was bad photo week for me; seems to come in waves...

I can never use 2 or 3 Copic markers for an image; how many blues does it take to color a pumpkin!?

I spattered some rust watercolor paint on the background as well.  The sentiment is from the Best Mom Ever stamp set.  This card, however is going to my Dad, who has been having set back after setback following total hip replacement. 

The next card is made with this gorgeous Oriole from the Framed Oriole stamp. 

I used my MISTI to stamp this image with Memento Tuxedo Black ink so that I could go back when I was all done coloring and stamp the image again, this time with a much darker black ink. 

I love how this turned out, even though I have some practicing to do on how to color in a drop shadow behind a rectangle.  I kept it simple as I thought it could make a nice design for a set of note cards. 
I am linking my oriole card up to Addicted to CAS as this week the challenge is "Tweet'. 

My last card was an experiment from beginning to end.  I wanted to try no line Copic coloring.  I also wanted to have more than one pumpkin.  

The image from the Oh So Grateful stamp and die set was stamped in Memento Desert Sand ink.  Then I masked that and added another pumpkin and some additional leaves. 
Then I had the real challenge of no line coloring.  Oh boy.  This is not easy.  I have waaaaay too much ink on these pumpkins, because I had a hard time deciding where to start and how to have light and dark areas without the black lines.  It really should not be that hard, but it was! 

When it came to actually making the card, I had a hard time settling on a layout.  I added some splatters of watered down grey acrylic paint.  The sentiment is from Fond Expressions stamp set.  It is stamped in grey since there is no black anywhere else on the card.  I thought it would look funny in black.  Not sure I like it in the grey though...  learning, learning...
I am linking my last card up to the 'Just Us Girls' Challenge which has an inspiration photo this week~

Visit all 3 colorists' blogs and leave a comment to be entered to win a gift certificate from Stamplorations.  You can start HERE at the Stamplorations blog.  

Thanks so much for stopping by and happy coloring! 

Lee Ann 

Beautiful in Blues

Hello All!

I have been wanting to use this Unity stamp for forever, but things kept getting in the way of free time crafty time.  I finally pulled out the image and my Ken Oliver Colorbursts last night. My colors were inspired by a gorgeous floral from Tae Eun Yoo.  My sketch is from Sunday Stamps.

  I have to say, this is so much prettier in real life.  But between the overcast day, the embossing and the glitter glue, no amount of editing or photography was going to fix this. 
The Unity image was heat embossed in black ep, then water colored with Ken Olive Colorbursts on water color paper.  I fussy cut the image out and then created my background; first, I die cut a large scalloped rectangle (MFT) in white cs.  Then, with Cracked Pistachio and Evergreen Bough Distress inks using masking, I sponged a rectangle.  I used this sketch~

 The sentiment is heat embossed on vellum.  I added Dazzling Details to the flower centers and finished the card off with sequins.

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed week!

Lee Ann  

Bring on Fall

Hello, Hello!

I took the opportunity to play in a couple of challenges, using this gorgeous Power Poppy image.

I used this week's sketch from Freshly Made Sketches~

And am also playing in Time Out Challenges, which has this gorgeous inspiration photo~

As well as Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge, 'Bling it on'.

The background is stamped in a light warm gray color and then the same image was stamped with Memento ink, colored with Copics, and fussy cut out.

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed weekend!

Lee Ann

Pattern within a Background

Hello! 

I have a quick card to share today, using Prismacolor pencils and gold embossing powder. 

My background stamp is from Technique Junkies, Stained Glass.  The image was stamped with Versamark ink and heat embossed with gold embossing powder.  I used Prismacolor pencils to color in selected areas of the image.  A die cut sentiment and a few sequins finish it off! 

If you want to shop at Technique Junkies, you can get a 10% discount on your entire cart (minus clearance items) using code TJ10LeeAnn. 

Happy Weekend! 

Lee Ann 

Week 5 with Stamplorations

Hello Everyone!

Here we are already into the middle of September!  This is my 5th post for Stamplorations and I am heavy on the watercoloring this go around.  If you start over at the Stamplorations blog, you can join in the mini blog hop by leaving a comment on each of our blogs.  You will be entered to win a gift certificate to the Stamplorations store!
First up, a floral, using Blossom Sprays #2. 

I am loving using Ken Oliver Colorbursts to watercolor with.  I have heat embossed this floral with clear embossing powder, then watercolored it with the powders.

 Easy peasy!  I added gold colored seed beens to the center of the flowers.  I got so into coloring this image that I forgot to take a process picture.  So sorry, all!

The next card is also watercolored with Ken Oliver Colorbursts~

Like the first, the image is heat embossed with clear embossing powder (if you look closely, you can see the embossed image).

I used the In Bloom: Precious Plumeria for this card.

This card was also watercolored with Colorbursts.  The sentiment is from the Fond Expressions.

For my third card, I returned to Copics, my favorite coloring medium~

I opted for a monochromatic palette on this one and stamped my images in a circle.  The flower is from The Birds and The Blooms.  Each flower was colored in a different green.

This is one of my favorite flowers and one of my favorite Stamplorations images.  The sentiment is from the same set.

That's it for me!  Remember to leave a comment and then hop over to the Stamplorations blog to complete the mini hop.  You will have a chance to win a gift certificate to the Stamplorations store!

Thanks for joining us and enjoy the hop!

Lee Ann 

Two for One with Lift Ink

Hello and Happy Sunday!

I am finally getting over being sick for 3 weeks- Hallelujah!  So many things around the house are waiting to get done.  Maybe now...
I do have two cards to share today, using a stamp from the September Technique Junkies Release.  I consider the September release to be the release that just keeps on giving! 

 This Autumn Doodles Background stamp - What a beauty!  This first card uses a technique that Jennifer McGuire shared on a video.  So fun and easy!  And you get two cards out of one technique.

I started with a piece of Yupo and alcohol inks in a fall palette.  I created my alcohol ink background and then simply stamped the Autumn Doodles stamp in Alcohol Ink Lift Ink (using the MISTI).
I then immediately stamped the ink that was on the stamp onto a piece of cardstock that I placed in my MISTI.  I repeated this technique 2 or three times to transfer the maximum amount of ink to the paper, getting intense color. 
I simply matted the background and added a simple die cut and stamped sentiment to the card.

Now I still have the original Yupo paper left that I had lifted ink from.  It had a beautiful texture on it from the ghost image of the Autumn Doodles stamp.  I used this to make on of my favorite backgrounds- popped up negative die cut pieces~

Such a fun technique!  The background die is a retired Sizzix product and the 'thanks' die is from SugarPea Designs.  Gold thread looks so great with fall colors!

That's it for me!  If you plan on doing any shopping at Technique Junkies, use code TJ10LeeAnn

for a discount of 10% on your entire order (excluding clearance).   

Lee Ann 

Birthday Background

Hello Everyone! 

This week has been crazy busy and my posts have been few.  But coloring is a de-stressor, so I did make time for water coloring.  I love that background stamps are trendy again.  There are so many wonderful ones to choose from.  My background today is from Technique Junkies, simply called, Batik. 

The image was stamped in Versamark and heat embossed in white.  I used Ken Oliver Colorbursts to watercolor the image.  It was too pretty to cover up, so I simply added a sentiment from Gina K, some gold thread and sequins. 

Easy Peasy! 

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed week~ 

Lee Ann 

G'Day Mate!

G'Day! 

I had the pleasure of meeting Beth Duff of Beth Duff Designs at JunkieFest this summer.  I also had the pleasure of receiving a free stamp set from her.  So if you are down under, or just wish you were down under, this stamp set if for you! 

I could not resist combining the Aussie hat and the sweet koala.  Colored the image with Copics and fussy cut out.  Die cut a circle from the card front and pout a piece of teal cardstock behind.  I did a bit of shading on the teal cardstock. 
Sponged a leaf stencil around the image to frame it and added the fun sentiment. 

Thanks for popping in and have a blessed week, all! 

Lee Ann 

Floral Watercolor with The Ton

Hello, Hello!

I hope my American friends are enjoying their 3 day weekend! 

I have been on a watercoloring kick lately (a bit unusual since I am a Copic girl).  I combined two of my favorite things- CAS sketches and The Ton Stamps for this card~

I used the sketch at CASE this Sketch~

I used Happiest of Peonies from The Ton and colored them with Colorburst powders. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Lee Ann  :)

Technique Junkies September New Release!

Hello, Hello and welcome to the 

September New Release Blog Hop with Technique Junkies!

 If you came from Jeanne Streiff's blog, you are in the right place.  If not, you 

can start at the Technique Junkies Design Team Blog to view the entire hop. 

It's that time of year, when we start to see all stamp sets about Halloween!  All of these
new release stamps are 15% off through September 8th!  No codes needed, just put them in your shopping cart and the discount will be applied at checkout.

What a fun background stamp!  So quick and easy- and a one layer card to boot!  

I have used the new Raven Collage Stamp.   

I masked off a large rectangle on my card front.  

Using Direct to Paper Technique, I dragged 3 Halloween themed colors of Distress ink to the rectangle, then placed the card front in my MISTI. 

I inked it up with black ink several times until I got good coverage of my solid image bird

(one of my favorite features of the MISTI!).  

And that is it!  

Your next stop is Cheri Weston's blog for some amazing inspiration!

New release is 15% off through September 8,

 all other items (excluding clearance) are 15% off with code TJ10LeeAnn.  

Thanks!  

Lee Ann