colorwhimsy

Modern Bird Branch

Today I thought I would post a card that could work for fall or winter, depending on the need.

To make the card, I stamped the Modern Bird Branch (E1295) onto white paper using sepia VersaFine ink and then colored the leaves and branches with watercolor pencils and a blender pen.  For the bird, I paper-pieced his body with the same patterned paper from the Spiceberry collection as the background paper.  It looks a little different from the background piece because I used a different section of paper for each.  In order to distinguish the two a little more, I added a bit of brown watercolor pencil to the bird belly and tail and then softened it with a blender pen.   To finish the card, I layered everything onto a crimson notecard and added a few berry pearls.

Little Note

I just got home from teaching my latest Memory Box class, and I just have to thank everyone there for another fun evening.  I am just sorry everyone had to leave in the torrential rain while trying to keep their projects and craft supplies dry!

As with my last post, today's card features stamps from the Little Birdie Clear Set (CL133).  I just love this set!  To make the card, I created a background wash of color onto watercolor paper using yellow, orange, and red watercolor pencils.  I then blended the pencil lines with some Ink Potion #9 and a paintbrush.  Next, I heatset the paper to dry the ink and stamped my little birdie on top of the watercolor paper using black VersaFine ink. 

For the circles on the card, I punched out a standard circle out of eggshell cardstock using a Marvy Mega Circle Punch and the shaped circle out of Begonia cardstock using a Marvy Giga Scallop Punch.  I stamped my saying, bird legs, and music note onto the eggshell circle with Black VersaFine ink and then glued my bird that was cut from watercolor paper on top of the stamped bird legs.

To finish the card, I added a piece of decorative paper from the 12" x 12" Rhubarb Tart collection called "Sticky Jam" as well as a pink sheer ribbon.

Make a Wish

 

When I first saw the new Woodland Springtime squirrel stamp that had a separate acorn image on the side, I knew I wanted to make a card where the squirrel collected lots and lots of nuts.  It gradually turned into a birthday card where the squirrel was getting his birthday wish.  Personally, I would pick a mound of Godiva Key Lime truffles over acorns, but that's just me. 

To make this card, I made four quick masks out of Eclipse tape so that stamping a bunch of acorns on top of each other wouldn't take very long.  I colored the acorns and squirrel with watercolor pencils and blended the color with a waterbrush.  I added a light wash of blue around the squirrel as a highlight and layered everything onto some patterned paper from the Sweetbay collection.

On another note, I wanted to remind everyone about the current contests running here at Memory Box.  There is a link on the right side of my blog to all of the contest descriptions and requirements in case you need a reminder.  There is $400 in Memory Box money up for grabs, so make sure you enter any of the contests that appeal to you.  Good luck!

What's the Buzz?

I thought today's post was rather appropriate because things are really buzzing around Memory Box.  There are brand new blogs to enjoy, and you won't believe the surprises that will be coming next week!

The card above was made using VersaFine ink, 140lb watercolor paper, and some Twinkling H2O paints.  I just love the shimmer that you can get with Twinks!  I wanted my bees to shimmer just as much as my flower, so I added some gold Stardust pen to the bee bodies and some regular Stardust pen to the bee wings.  I am including a close up of the flower to try and show the sparkle better, but honestly, you have to click the pictures and make them bigger if you want to see the shimmer.

Be sure to check the Memory Box blogs next week.  You won't want to miss it!  Here is a sneak peek of what you could win.....

 

Feel Better Soon

I try to always have a "feel better soon" card on hand.  I usually need to send this type of card right away, so it is great to have one just in case.  I also tend to use a lot of bright colors in my cards, but I think there is something soothing about pastels and neutrals that makes for nice get well cards.  Maybe it is just me.

For this card, I paired one of my favorite floral images (Stem Flower C704) with Feel Better Soon (B1066).  The images were stamped with black Versafine ink and then colored with watercolor pencils and a blender pen.  I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but there is some gray pencil under the leaves to add a little shading and depth.  To finish the card, I added a strip of paper from the Sweetbay collection and added some baby pink pearls as accents. 

Watercolor Bunny

Have you entered your card yet to win a pack of the new 6" x 6" Poppyfinch paper?  Don't forget you need to email your card by Thursday night to [email protected].  More information on the contest can be found here.

For today's card, I chose one of the new Woodland Springtime images called Garden Bunny (D1253).  The Woodland Springtime stamps were designed to have a storybook feel to them, and I think the bunny is just too cute!  I stamped the bunny with black Versafine ink onto 90lb watercolor paper.  I then used Twinkling H2O's to color the sky and ground.  I colored around the bunny first and then worked my way out so that there was a darker blue color surrounding the bunny.  I let the sky and ground dry before coloring the brown bunny so that the paints wouldn't bleed into each other.  The paper behind the bunny and the small piece I used for the watering can are both from the Poppyfinch collection.  To finish the card, I stamped a saying (happy spring B849) with Spanish Moss VersaFine ink and added a couple of green brads.

Time for Another Contest!

Before we get to the next contest, I would like to share a card using the new Woodland Springtime release.  Dave said that the boxes of new stamps have left Memory Box headquarters, so be on the lookout at your local stamp stores! 

For today's card, I combined a little paper piecing with some watercoloring.  The background paper and tree leaves feature paper from the Poppyfinch collection, and the tree trunk is from the Butterfield collection.  I love the new Eclipse Tree (C1249) because I can see it used in different ways.  It could be a bare tree with a sun or moon behind it, or it could be a tree trunk with a circular leafy area.  Because I wanted to make a spring tree, I decided to go with the leafy tree option.  The background behind the tree is a simple wash of blue and green watercolor paints.  I then layered some decorative paper on top of the tree to color the branches and leaves.  Here is a close up of the paper piecing:

 

To finish the card, I stamped the Dotty Ring (C1252) multiple times with brown ink, added some punched brown circles, added some punched butterflies, and accented bits and pieces with pistachio green rhinestones. 

And now for the contest!  Do you love Memory Box papers as much as I do?  Here is your chance to show what you can do with them.  If you would like to win a pack of the new 6" x 6" Poppyfinch paper, please submit a card to [email protected]   with the subject line of "Laura Contest 2" highlighting your favorite Memory Box papers.  The theme can be anything that inspires you.  Of course, throwing in a Memory Box stamp or two couldn't hurt!  To enter the contest, submit a jpg file of your card to the address above by Thursday, March 5th at 10pm EST.  I really look forward to seeing what you create!

And the Winner Is...

 
The Oscars are over, but there are still be prizes to be won.  Thank you so much to everyone who entered my first contest.  I may be partial, but I have many Memory Box favorites too.  I ran a random integer generator, and it picked #23....Lois Bell.  Lois said:

Hmmm, favorite product - that is difficult.  But right now I'm using the Jewel Stickers for accents and have to say the Sparkling Diamond is a favorite. 

Lois, I will be emailing you to get your information so that we can send you your Rhubarb Tart paper ASAP.  Congratulations!

Speaking of Rhubarb Tart, I chose that collection as the background paper for today's card.  I thought it paired well with one of the new owls from the Woodland Springtime release.  To make the card, I stamped the owl onto watercolor paper using brown VersaFine ink.  I then colored the entire owl with a light layer of brown watercolor from my Prang box of paints (looks like the cake watercolors kids use).  I then added a touch of watered-down red paint to the wings so that my owl would match the colors in the background papers.  I finished the owl by adding a little more brown paint here and there so that the feathers would be multiple shades of brown. 

I enjoyed watercoloring so much that I think I will have to highlight some more watercolor cards during the week.  Also, I have a second contest to announce this week, so be sure to check back soon!

Spring Butterflies

I don't think there is anything that says "Spring" quite like butterflies do.  They are so bright and colorful...I just love them!

To make this card, I stamped the Silhouette Branch (F1231) and Springtime Greetings (B1226) onto eggshell cardstock using black VersaFine ink.  I then colored the leaves with two colors of watercolor pencils and blended them with a blender pen to soften the color.  For the butterfly layer, I stamped the Butterflies (B1206) several times onto a strip of Poppyfinch paper with black VersaFine ink.  Once again, I colored the images with watercolor pencils and a blender pen.  To finish the card, I cut out a butterfly and glued it to the branch and layered everything onto sage cardstock and a robin's egg notecard.

Light Up My Life

Today's card is all about Valentine's Day and features the Sugardrop line of stamps and papers.  I stamped the crystal chandelier (E1170) onto white paper with black Versafine ink and then painted the chandelier with yellow and pink Twinkling H2O paints.  I painted around the lights using yellow paint mixed with a lot of water to create a soft "glow" around the lights.  I then painted the crystals and framework with pink paint to match the papers I chose for my card.  The lights were colored with a yellow Tombo marker.

I punched out my image with a Marvy Mega Oval punch and then layered it onto some Sugar Plum paper that was punched with a Marvy Giga Oval Scallop punch. I finished by layering everything onto a selection of papers from the Sugardrop 6" x 6" paper pack and a Vanilla Bean notecard.  On a special note, I would like to mention that the saying I used was an older Memory Box stamp.  There is a brand new script "you light up my life" saying that is part of the Sugardrop collection.

As a final touch, I used just about every form of bling I could find.  After all, what is a chandelier without bling?  I added Diamond Stickles to the crystals and some of the new Memory Box pink rhinestones to the framework.  I even added a little gold Spica pen to the centers of my gold flames.

I am including a close-up of the chandelier so that you can see how I painted around the lights as well how the bling really makes the chandelier sparkle.