Have a Happy Day | ft. Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are having a great day.

Today's card was a result of me just playing around. As you may have noticed, I cannot get enough of these markers. To be fair, after everything I went through to get my hands on them, I'm not really ready to put them away yet.

I'll apologize now, I didn't write down the colours that I used because, as I said, I was just playing around and ended up really liking the card.

To create today's card, I began by scribbling Red, Yellow and Blue Zig markers on 140lb cold press watercolour paper. I wanted to see just how well they blended and for me, the best way to do that is a rainbow look with as few colours as possible.

I then used clean water, starting on left and working my way to the right. I was amazed at how well they blended together with so little effort. I only added a bit of purple to make it more intense, but other than that I was able to create a full rainbow using only the primary colours.

Definitely a win.

After that was dry, I used CTMH Archival Black ink for the greeting, and traced over the "Happy" with my Stardust Glitter Pen.

I hope you like today's card and are inspired to create something of your own.

This card is for:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

Happy Birthday | ft. MFT "Happy" Die-Namics

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are having a great day.

I have two cards for you today, well really one card but two different versions of it. One feminine and one masculine. Always nice to have options, right?

I got this die a little while ago, but after putting it away in the stash, I kind of forgot about it. Isn't that how it seems to go? I was looking for inspiration and came across it so here we are!

 Both cards were created the same way just with different colours.

To begin, I cut down the front panel to 4 x 5 1/4". I lined up the die where I wanted it to go, and ran it through the die cutting machine.

I then used Distress Inks to colour the panel (Worn Lipstick and Spun Sugar for the first, Cracked Pistachio and Ground Espresso for the second). Once I got the blend I wanted, I used a medium sized paintbrush and clean water to create the splatter effect.

On the card bases, I used Shaded Lilac/Pumice Stone to ensure there would be colour behind the panel, I didn't want the stark white of the card base to be overpowering.

I stamped the Birthday greeting using Lawn Fawn Walnut ink on the second card and CTMH Amethyst ink on the first card.

To adhere the panel in place, I used 1/8" Skor tape to ensure a strong hold. To complete the card, I used a few enamel dots in coordinating colours across the bottom.

I hope you like today's cards and are inspired to create something of your own.

Mother's Day 2016 Series - Card 7 | ft. Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are having a great day.

Welcome to the seventh card in the Mother's Day series. When I started this card, I had no idea it was going to be a Mother's Day card. I have been really putting out a lot of Thinking of You cards, but by the time I was done painting the image, this card just screamed Mother's Day.

This is my first attempt at applying the Zig markers directly to a stamp, and overall I'm pretty satisfied with it, I've had some success with this technique using distress markers and wanted to give it a try with Zig. The internet and youtube have a lot to say when it comes to this technique, but really you won't know if it works for you until you try it for yourself.

I highly recommend giving it a try before dismissing it. Maybe I lucked out, but it seemed to work out pretty well for me. Even though someone else says it doesn't work, it may just be the exact look you are going for.

To create this card, I began by scribbling 032 Persian Blue directly on to the stamp and applying it to 140lb cold press watercolour paper. I then masked this off, and used the same technique with 048 Emerald Green for the leafy stamp.

I removed the mask and used 036 Light Blue to add a little contrast to the petals, with a damp brush I pulled the lighter colour down into the darker colour and let the water do it's magic. I added 045 Pale Green around the foliage and brought the greens together the same way.

To create the greeting banner, I used a banner die cut with a coordinating cardstock and metallic gold embossing powder for the greeting.

As usual, I felt the white area was too white, so I added a halo around the image using 026 Light pink, and pulling the colour outwards. When creating the halo, I have found the most effective way is to wet the paper first then drop in the colour and pull it out, otherwise the colour may be too intense around the image and it may not be what you are looking for. Maybe I just need more practice. I added a scattering of sequins and clear dots for interest.

I hope you like today's card and are inspired to create something of your own.

This card is for:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Show Us Your Metal