A new coloring video, featuring the Beautiful Narcissus stamp set and Copic markers!

Hello, Julie here, with another coloring video! Today’s project uses the new Beautiful Narcissus stamp set and Copic markers. Copics are a fairly new medium for me, so I learned a lot as I prepared for this video. The first thing I learned was how to pronounce it – a little like cope-ic. I even went to the official website to watch a video just to hear how they pronounced it. I still think it looks like it should rhyme with topic, but oh well.

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Step-By-Step Instructions For Coloring the Beautiful Narcissus image with Copic Markers

If you'd like to print out step-by-step instructions, here they are. Or bookmark this page for future reference!

1. I stamped my image on multimedia paper here, with a water-based ink. Because many waterproof inks are alcohol-based, they don’t work so well with the alcohol-based Copic markers. It just blends into the color you’re adding. So, water-based inks are our friends here.
   

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2. I started with the greens. I found the color system easy to navigate, with the help of the Copic Marker site’s color chart and explanation. I chose three colors in the yellow green family - YG21, YG23, and YG25.
   I started with the lightest color, YG21, and filled in all the leaves and stems. After that, I put in shadows with the medium color, YG23. Then I used the darkest color, YG25, very sparingly in the very darkest spots. I will say that the stems here are fairly thin, so I didn’t do any detailed shading on them. Next, I went back to YG21 and used it as a blender. Now, I could have used an actual colorless blender to do this, but I didn’t really need to, as the lightest of the three colors worked well. This final layer blended the three colors a bit, and smoothed out any hard lines.
   

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3. Next came the flowers. I used three markers from the yellow family – Y13, Y15, and Y19. I started with Y13, the lightest color, then the medium color, Y15, then the darkest, Y19, and finally went back in with the lightest and blended them. One of the things that have kept me from trying Copics in the past was the fact that when I started to put down color, like I did here with the light yellow, it would start out looking sort of muddy. Tam, here at the office, encouraged me to keep trying, and I came back to a trial piece that I hadn’t liked as I colored it, but which looked amazing once it was dry! So these yellows are going to dry to be nice and bright.
   

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4. Next was the orange center. I used three in the yellow red family YR00, YR02, and YR04. Of course, I started with the lightest, and filled in the whole shape with it. Then the medium color went in, and because the lighter color is so light, I used a good bit of the medium. Next comes the darkest, which I used for just a couple of shadow touches. Finally, I used the lightest orange to blend them together.
   

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5. Once the flowers are all done, I started on the puffballs, which Tam and I decided are thistles, so they’re blue. I started with B60, and just swirled it around on each of the bits of fluff. Next was a touch of B63 for the start of the shadows, and finally some B66 for the darkest bit. The blending here started out looking a bit muddy but dried nicely.
   

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6. And lastly, I did the thistle stems in brown (I thought of them as dried thistles). Because these stems are thin, I once again only did the barest bit of color, avoiding any shading, because it got out of control when I tried too much detail with these.
   

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Here is the final piece. I added a touch of the blue in the little tie at the bottom and now I’m ready to make a card or gift tag out of it. I’ll see about putting the finished product up on the website when I’ve finished it.

I hope you enjoyed seeing how I used Copic markers to color the Beautiful Narcissus image. And I hope you saw something you can use on your next project!

PS: The Beautiful Narcissus is part of our Greenhouse Society collection of stamps and dies. You can see all of the flower and nature-themed products in that collection on our website!

Create Envelope Art with the Joyous Juniper Stamps

Hello, Julie here. In today’s video I’ll show you how I created some cool envelope art using the Joyous Juniper stamp set. The stamp set is part of our Greenhouse Society Collection of stamps and matching dies. I had a lot of fun with the Joyous Juniper stamps and am really looking forward to making more envelope art with it!

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Step-By-Step Instructions For Making Envelope Art

If you'd like to print out step-by-step instructions, here they are. Or bookmark this page for future reference!

1. First, I stamped the image on the envelope using waterproof ink. Then I put a piece of chipboard into the envelope so that nothing could bleed through to the other side of the envelope, and to avoid any bumps from having creases or layers of the paper underneath. I got this piece from an old pad of list paper, but chipboard like this comes in all kinds of random packaging. Next I got out my water pen, my palette block, a piece of paper towel, and Distress Inks for the first half of this project. I spread my inks onto the pallet, a bit of Iced Spruce, and some Stormy Sky.
   
   
   

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2. To start the coloring, I put down a water wash and then added color from my block. On this paper, the water wash is going to soak into the paper really quickly, so I had to do it in small batches. A little bit of water wash, and then color over that, then a little more water wash, and so on. This ink layer is just fairly flat color, starting with the Iced Spruce in the leaves and stems. This is just to provide sort of a background to the pencils. The color coverage just comes out smoother with a flat color background under the pencils.

   On the berries, I did pretty much the same thing with the Stormy Sky, one berry at a time. Wash and then color, and repeat.

   

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3. Next came the pencils. I started with brown and greens for the stems and needles. Light Umber went in first, and I put it in pretty lightly on the stems only.

   Once the brown was in, I went into the needles with True Green, which is a sort of blue-tinted green. I just went into the ends of the needles with this, because I didn’t want to layer too much color on at once. Because this paper doesn’t have a lot of tooth, it’s possible that at some point the color won’t layer on any more.

   

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4. After that was the warmer Apple Green along the base of the needles.

   Next was the Olive Green, which went on the stems over the brown, as well as the very base of each needle, to provide some shadow. I went back and forth with these colors until I had something I really liked.

   

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5. Then, I started in on the berries with the Peacock Blue. I went over the berries with light circles of the peacock. Next was the Ultramarine Blue, which set up the shadow areas.

   A bit of Violet went in after that, to make the shadows nice and rich.

   

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6. Once I got that in, I went back in with the Peacock blue pretty thickly over the lighter areas. It’s about the right color for the sort of smoky blue I wanted for my berries, so I wanted it to kind of take over. Next I went in with the white, over that second layer of Peacock blue and sort of smoothed it out, and lightened it up.
   
   
   

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7. A little more ultramarine went into the shadows to blend them a little more, and then I started with the colorless blender.

   With the blender, I tend to move from dark to light so that if I have color built up on the pencil, I don’t get an accidental blob of dark color in the light area. Somehow it’s easier to blend a lighter color into the shadows than it is to deal with dark in the light. You can also just wipe the color off the blender pencil between berries if you want, using the paper towel.

   

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8. Last, I added a bit more white as a highlight or shine – that little ‘ting!’ This required a bit more pressure, because I’d built up so much color in this area already.

   

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And I did all the berries like that, and ended up with something like this.

I placed a label die cut on the front of the envelope and sponged some ink around it to make a space for my friends’ names and well, a fake address. The thing I loved about using the Joyous Juniper Stamp is that it fit perfectly into the pointed envelope flap. I love that on the back flap you see this beautiful image, but on the front, you just get a hint of the image, while the space for the stamp is still free. You can add your return address here on the front, or on the back somewhere. Keep in mind that as you get more on the envelope, the more likely it is that it will have to be hand-canceled. This just costs a touch more in postage, but shouldn’t slow anything down too much.

If you'd like to learn more about the Greenhouse Society Stamp Sets and matching dies, now is a good time. If you sign up to become a member by the end of this month, you'll receive a free stamp set. All the details are on our website.

I hope you learned something you can use on your next project. Have a great day!

How to create a cute critter snow globe!

Looking for a last minute Christmas project idea? One you can do with kids? Today we are sharing a snow globe ornament project made by Teri Anderson that features the Dani Deer Stamp Set and the matching dies. This project would work well with any of the Animal House stamps and dies. Choose your favorite cute critter and make a custom snow globe ornament for friends and family!

You will need:

• Cute Critter that has been stamped and cut out
• Plastic snow globe ornament jar
• Bean bag filler
• Tape

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Step one: After you color and cut out your cute critter add “L” shaped paper tabs to the backside bottom.

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Step Two: Glue or tape the tabs that are attached to your critter to the inside of the lid of your snow globe jar.

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Step Three: Add a handful of bean bag filler to your jar and then screw on the lid with the cute critter attached. Now he’s on the inside of the jar.

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Step Four: Using red tape, add fun & festive paper around the lid base for extra pop.

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Step Five: Use ribbon or twine to embellish the top of your snow globe ornament.

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Here is the finished snow globe ornament!

How cute is this?! I love how Teri added little snowflakes to Dani the Deer. I hope you enjoyed seeing how to make your own Christmas snow globe!

Introducing the Bow on the Border Crafting Die

Hi, friends!

Isn't it fun when you get something that is all wrapped up with a ribbon and a bow! Whether it's for a birthday, anniversary, graduation, wedding, or Christmas, the Bow on the Border Crafting Die will let you add that special feeling to your next card. Here's a quick video introducing this new die. Plus check out the super-cool Bow on the Border projects from the Technique Tuesday Design Team! I think you are going to love all the crafty possibilities!

 

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Do you ever wait until the last minute to put together a birthday or anniversary card? Here's a quick fix for that situation.

1. Make a white card base that is 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" and score it.
2. Unfold the card base. Use the Bow on the Border Crafting Die along the left edge of the card.
3. Cut out 3 different strips of pattern paper. Adhere two of them to the inside of your card. And adhere the other piece to the outside of the front of your card. (If you want to get fancy, add a few stitch lines with your sewing machine after you've adhered them to your card.)
4. Then add a stamped sentiment.

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Want to make a bunch of Christmas cards? We've got a recipe for that too. You are going to love this.

1. Make a white card base that is 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" and score it.
2. Unfold the card base. Use the Bow on the Border Crafting Die along the left edge of the card. Save the little white pieces from the inside of the bow.
3. Run the Bow on the Border Crafting Die through your die cutting machine again. (Heather used red cardstock. You may want to use green, blue or some other color.)
4. Put the ribbon pieces and bow pieces back into your white card. Use some tape to keep them in place.
5. Cut out a 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" piece of patterned paper and adhere it to the inside of the card.
6. Add a sentiment.
7. Repeat each of these steps to make as many cards as you need.

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If you want to get the most cards for your time and money, do the same card design but use different colors of paper. For example, Heather was able to use the white ribbon and bow pieces that come out of card shown above, and put them into the red card-base shown below. And similarly, she put all the red ribbon and bow pieces that she cut out of this card base back into the card shown above. How fun!

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I hope you enjoyed seeing these Bow on the Border project ideas! We'd love to see your projects too. Share them with us on Instagram and Facebook. Be sure to tag us and use the #TechniqueTuesday hashtag.

PS. Do border dies make your card making heart flutter? We've got lots of different border designs available so you can make cards for all kinds of different occasions. Here's a link to all the border dies!

Creating Contrast with Watercolor Markers and the Luscious Grapes Stamps!

Hello, Julie here! In today's video, I will show you how to use watercolor markers to add contrast to images in the new Luscious Grapes stamp set. These new fancy-schmancy watercolor markers were a gift for my birthday. I love them and am excited to show you how to use them! 

 

(Can't see the embedded video? You'll find it right here on our website.)

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Step-By-Step Instructions

If you'd like to print out step-by-step instructions, here they are. Or bookmark this page for future reference!

1. I started with Canson watercolor paper and stamped the cluster of grapes using a quick drying, waterproof ink.
   
   
   

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2. I wanted to make the grapes be the color of Concord grapes, which is mostly blue with a hint of purple. So I started out with the blue marker and added a swoosh of color in the bottom of each of these grapes. Then I used a little water to spread the blue throughout the grape. Once I had the blue distributed, I went back in and added just a tiny spot of purple for the highlight. And as usual, I want back and forth between the colors. On some of the grapes I added more of the blue to intensify that color. You can get this great sort of gradient going, because you’re doing essentially wet-on-wet water coloring.
   
   
   

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3. Once all the grapes were done, I started in on the leaves. I used the yellow marker to add a base layer. I wanted an autumn leaf color scheme, like the grapes were just ready to be picked, so the colors I used were generally warm. I just went around the edges and along the veins of each leaf with yellow. I didn't want to overwhelm the leaves, just give them a yellow base with a little color everywhere. I used my brush to spread the yellow around to make some nice gradients. There’s a lot of detail within the leaves that could get lost, so I tried to make sure that where the leaves overlapped, the bottom leaf was a bit darker than the part of the top leaf that’s covering it. The darker areas provide a little more contrast which makes the leaf details a bit easier to see.
   
   
   

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4. Next I went in with the orange watercolor marker. In my set that was Cadmium Red, which was the closest to orange that I had. I picked a few spots to make reddish orange... mostly in areas I wanted to make sure had some additional contrast as well as more intensity. I went back and forth between the orange and yellow, and used water to move those colors around. I planned ahead to put green near the reddish orange areas on the leaves that were underneath. Since red and green are complementary colors I knew that the green would make those areas seem even redder which would help make those areas pop.
   
   
   

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5. Next I used the red watercolor marker. In my set of makers this was named Alizarin Crimson as opposed to the Cadmium Red hue, which is a little bit more orange. I used the Alizarin Crimson to add a little more intensity to the areas that were already headed in the reddish-orange direction.
   
   
   

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6. Next I added a bit of Sap Green to a few spots. This is where you need to be a bit careful. Because red and green are complementary colors, (which means they’re on opposite sides of the color wheel), they will create a neutral color when mixed. I made sure I didn't add any green to areas that already had red in them. I knew that if I did mix them, they would turn a muddy brown.
   
   

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7. Next, I used a couple brown shades on the stem and vine areas. I used the lighter color along the top of the stem. Then I used water to spread the color out a little. Because it was pretty wet, the dark brown went in like a dream and spread itself out a little bit. By going back and forth with the brush and the markers, you can get the colors to go where you want them to be.

And here is my final piece! I went back in and added more color in a few places. I added some darker green on top of the lighter green to add contrast in one or two spots, but only very sparingly.

I hope you enjoyed learning how to add contrast to your stamped images. These watercolor markers are a great way to add color to nature-themed stamp sets like the Luscious Grapes Stamp Set or any of the flower and botanical themed stamp sets in the Greenhouse Society collection.

Thanks for reading! 

Add a Handmade Touch to Your Thanksgiving Table

Hi, friends!

Teri here today. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays!

When I was right out of college, I moved to a town several hundred miles from my family. I made several wonderful friends, who would invite me to their homes every Thanksgiving. The day was always so fun and resulted in memories I will remember forever. 

Something I always loved was how my friends would add a personal touch to their Thanksgiving table with decorations, like place cards.  The Thanksgiving-inspired images and words in the Happy Thanksgiving stamp set make it the perfect tool for making cards like these.

Start by cutting several 3 1/2" x 2" panels of white cardstock. 

Stamp an image and a few words on each panel. You could use the same words and images on each panel or you could mix it and use a variety of images and sentiments. I went with a variety!

Use markers or pencils to add a little color to the images. If you are using markers, be sure to use an ink that will not bleed when you add color to your stamped images. I like to use Memento ink pads when I color with alcohol-based markers but you may find an ink you prefer instead.

Now you are going to want to create the base for your place cards. Cut several 4" x 4" panels of cardstock. I wanted my place cards to feel Fall'ish so I used kraft cardstock. Browns, oranges and, even, greens would work well too! Fold your panels in half. Adhere your stamped panels onto them. 

Complete your place cards by adding a little twine or ribbon to each one. Not glitzy enough for your tastes? Consider adding some gems or sequins to them as well. 

Use your place cards on your Thanksgiving table. Place them on each dinner plate or set them randomly on the table in between the dishes of food. 

I hope you have enjoyed today's tutorial. Looking for more handmade ideas for Thanksgiving? Check out this video from Bev. You'll learn about making a Gratitude Jar, a Thankful mini scrapbook and other Fall-themed projects! 

(Can't see the video? You'll find it right here on our YouTube Channel.)

See you again soon,

Using Undertones with Colored Pencils

Hello, all!

Julie here, and I've put together a new video tutorial for you about using undertones with colored pencils on the Lovely Lavender stamp set.

(Can't see the embedded video? You'll find it right here on our website.)

Here are the steps I used for those of you who would like some step-by-step visuals to print out. 

I’ve stamped my image on mixed media paper with permanent, quick drying ink, and I’m going to start with a light blue undertone to build the desired color. My plan with this is to make it sort of a blue-lavender color, like the lavender flowers in my mom’s front yard.

I’m going to get started with small, light circles, and I’m sticking to the bottoms of each of these little pips, so that my shadows are sort of blue-tinted. I’m going to try and keep the circles pretty light, and to stay inside the lines, as usual.

And of course I’ll do that for the whole thing, and end up with blue in all the little nooks and crannies of the pips. The next color is going to be Lilac, and it’s going to go in the tops of the pips, and fade into the blue a bit.

Next I’ll go in with a darker purple and go over the blue here. It’s going to turn a sort of blue-lavender color. I’m trying to keep my circles pretty light, so that when I come back in a couple of steps with my colorless blender, I’ll still be able to mix the colors a little bit.

Next I put little bits of white at the top of each pip to be a highlight. This also tends to blend the lilac out a bit and makes it a little bit smoother.

Now I’m going to use my colorless blender to do the same sort of blending thing to the bottoms of the pips. As I said earlier, this will blend the colors as well as smoothing it out a bit. It’ll make that blue undertone stand out a little bit more. And as I’m doing this, if I decide that I want it to be a little bit darker or whatever, I can go back in with the Parma Violet and Light Cerulean Blue and intensify that color combination a little bit.

Next I'll start in on the stems and leaves. I’m going to start with Spring Green, with a light layer on pretty much everything that’s going to be green. On the stems, I’m just going to do light straight strokes ‘cause getting little circles in that tiny area is pretty difficult.

Now I’m going to go in with the Apple Green and I’m going to add some of the lighter shadow areas.

Next I’m going in with the Olive Green, my darkest shadow color. Just a few bits of shadow in the nooks and crannies.

And here is my final piece! I had a lot of fun doing this, and I hope you learned something you can use in your next project. Thanks for stopping by!

Julie 

Tutorial: Blending Distress Oxide Ink with Makeup Brushes

Hi, everyone!

Bev just made a quick tutorial showing you how to create some  amazing Distress Oxide Ink backgrounds using plain white cardstock and makeup brushes. Yes, you read that right... she used some very inexpensive makeup brushes to blend the Oxide Inks. These backgrounds are fun to make and  look awesome!

Here is Bev's video tutorial plus you'll find step-by-step instructions below so you can print them and use them later!

Step-by-step tutorial for blending Distress Oxide Ink using makeup brushes:

1. Start by getting out some cardstock for your inked background. Bev cut hers to be 4" x 5.25" so it would fit on a standard A2 card while still leaving a border around the edge of the card.
   
2. Now get out the Distress Oxide Ink colors you want to use. Bev used Salty Ocean, Broken China and Peacock Feathers for her background. Also get out your makeup brushes. (Can you believe you can get a pack of 6 of these large brushes for only $5.99 on Amazon? Here's a link to the makeup brushes that Bev shows in her video. And here is another one with 6 large brushes that may be even more useful for backgrounds.)
   
3. Swirl the makeup brush across your first Distress Oxide Ink pad.
   
4. Swirl off any excess ink on scratch paper.
   
5. Then using a light, circular motion, blend the ink onto the piece of cardstock.
   
6. In between ink colors, rub the extra ink off onto your scratch paper. Repeat this process for each color of ink.
   
7. When you are finished, use some mild hand soap to wash your makeup brushes.
   
8. Spritz the background with water to make it even more interesting. Once the background is dry adhere it to a standard A2 card. Add stamped and die cut flowers or cute critters. Bev used Wendell the Whale and other sea creatures from the Animal House collection. Finish your card by adding a stamped sentiment.

We hope you enjoyed today's tutorial! Is there a technique you'd like to learn more about? Leave a comment and let us know! 

 The Technique Tuesday Blog Team

Make Your Own Stencil with the Bubbles on the Border Die!

Hi, everyone! 

Bev here with a brand new card making tutorial for you! Today, I'm going to show you how to make a stencil with the Bubbles on the Border crafting die to create one really cute card! 

This technique is easy and fun. You are going to love it. Let's get started! 

First, cut out the mask or stencil with the Bubbles on the Border crafting die. I used plain cardstock. (If you want to make more than one card, consider using stencil material instead.) Make as many die cuts as you want to create an interesting pattern for your stencil.

Now use Distress Oxide Inks (or regular Distress Inks) to sponge ink onto cardstock. This panel will serve as your background paper. I used Mermaid Lagoon and Faded Jeans on my background paper.

Temporarily adhere your stencil or mask to the background paper. I used Washi tape.

Get out a fine-mist spray bottle and fill it with water. Also get out some paper towels.

Spray water onto your masked, background paper. If you only want to remove a little color, don’t use much water. To remove more color, add more water.

Place a paper towel over the project and soak up the water. Then remove the mask. It's like magic! 

Now adhere your panel to a card and add some sea creatures and a sentiment. (The sentiment and critter on my card is from the Wendell the Whale stamp set but you'll find other fun critters in our Animal House collection of stamps and dies.)

Also I put together a quick video showing this technique for you!

(Can't see the embedded video? You'll find it right here on our website!)

Thanks for checking out today's tutorial! Let me know if you decide to give it a try! Leave a comment for me so I can see your projects and leave you some you some love! 

Create a Handmade Card in a Few Easy Steps

Hi, friends!

I feel like my home is in a constant state of renovation and redecoration lately. I'll replace one thing in the house and then find something else to do. It results in trips to the hardware store several times a week. 

A recent trip there led me to the electrical department, where I was mesmerized by some of the light fixtures that mimicked the look of light bulbs hanging freely from the ceiling. I was so inspired that I came home and made this light bulb-inspired card! 

Want to make a card like it? It's easy. Just follow these simple steps.

Start by die-cutting several small and large light bulbs from white cardstock with the Bright Lights paper crafting dies. (If you are having a hard time getting the die to cut, consider using a metal adaptor plate with your die-cutting machine. I find this helpful when working with intricate dies.)

Set the light bulbs on scratch paper. Use a couple gray pens to add some color to their necks like so. 

Use a sponge dauber (or cosmetic sponge) to apply ink onto the glass portion of the smaller light bulbs. 

Repeat the last step. This time apply ink to the larger light bulbs.

Remove the center pieces from most of the light bulbs. Consider replacing the center pieces in some of the light bulbs with fresh pieces cut from white cardstock.

Adhere your light bulbs to a card. (Not a cardmaker? Use them on a scrapbook page instead!) For added visual interest, arrange them so they are next to each other but are at different highs. 

Make your light bulbs hang by drawing wires. This is easy! Take any black pen and then use either a ruler or a stamping block as a guide for drawing straight lines.

Complete your card by adding a sentiment to the card. (The phrase I used is from the Light Bulb Moment stamp set, but you will find lots of great phrases to use instead from all the other Occasion and Sentiment stamp sets on our website! ) You'll also want to add a few strips of cardstock or patterned paper toward the bottom of the card. Give the card a hint of glitz by adding a few sequins or gems to it. 

I hope you enjoyed this quick tutorial! I'd love to see what you are making with Technique Tuesday's stamps and dies! Leave a link to your latest project for me so I can check it out and leave a little love.