My 2011 Blog Year in Review

Karin over at With an "i" For Paper is hosting a Year in Review Blog Hop and offering a $25 gift certificate and another for $15 to randomly selected entries.  What a fun way to highlight some favorite projects or events from the past year.

Click Above Photo to enter

2011 has been an important growing year for me with my blog.  I began the year as a newbie blogger and in the past 12 months, I think I've progressed to at least a slightly-experienced blogger. I've been inspired and encouraged by so many amazingly talented artists.  As I look back through the year, I see how my blog posts show that my papercrafting interests have changed a bit as I'm more likely to skip scrapbooking layouts in favor of card making or other gift giving projects.  I've included some of my major blogging/crafting events below.  These are some things that changed the way I post blog entries or create my projects.

In January of 2011, I invested in a Sizzix Big Shot Pro die cutting machine and with just a few dies I developed an interest in enhancing die cut projects with embellishments.  Here's an example of one of my first Pillow Purses:

In February, I entered my first sketch challenge using Lady Tilda on a card.  I learned how following a good card sketch can help to unblock creativity and get the juices flowing again.

I was thrilled to accept an invitation to join the Copic Goddesses design team at the Copic Creations Challenge blog in March and held my first blog give away.  I was introduced to the fabulous fantasy images at Crafts and Me Stamps (Yay!!!). I also had a project published in Magnolia Ink's magazine!

April brought more experimenting with card shapes and styles.  I also posted a photo that was successfully taken under a black light, showing my Copic Fluorescent-filled image on a card:

In May, I had to find a way to add Copic clouds to my images and so began experimenting.  I've used this technique on many of my cards since.

In June I added my first real guy card and held my second blog give away . . .

I was overjoyed to accept an invitation to join the Dynamite Digi design team at Crafts and Me Stamps and began entering my projects into multiple challenges in July.  I also added my first 2011 Christmas card.

I spent quite a bit of time with Spellbinders Labels One dies and in August I posted ten examples.  I also gained my 100th follower!

I dabbled in the Steampunk trend in September . . .

In October, I found Elisabeth Bell's World Challenge blog (Yay!!!).  I also posted various ways to use Spellbinders Labels Two.

I was thrilled to accept my first guest design team assignment at Elisabeth Bell's World Challenge in November.

Adding multi-textures to this multi-layered Christmas card was a fun way to spend some time in December . . .

Oh, it's been a fabulous year in papercrafting, alright.  After looking through all the photos and my posts, I understand better why my dear non-blogging husband, when seeing me with my camera or at the laptop after 7pm, is compelled to ask, "Whaddaya have a blogger tonite?"

Thank you all for your kind words, encouragement, and inspiration.  I am ever grateful.

Here's wishing you a happy and healthy New Year that's overflowing with all good things!

Copic Creations Challenge: Add Grass and Landscape

The current challenge at the Copic Creations Challenge blog is to add grass and/or landscape to your images.  Lili of the Valley is sponsoring this challenge and offering a generous gift certificate for use at their online store as a prize to a randomly selected entry.  Find out more about this challenge and the sponsor here.

I've used Lili of the Valley's Time for a Cuppa image.  I do love tea and I'm always attracted to tea-related images and sayings.  This view shows a closer look at my Copic filled image where I have used quick, short strokes of the brush tip to flick some blades of grass for ground cover and stipple a few wildflowers throughout the ground . . .

I chose Copic colors to coordinate with the Echo Park's Life Is Good Floral Dress patterned paper that I layered with Bazzill cardstock.

I used flower and birch leaf punches with a mini sun to layer coordinating flowers on one side,

while a Crafty Secrets Tea with Alice sentiment and teapot charm adorn the other side.

This photo shows the completed card front that shows how I've used Copics to add grass and a bit of wildflowers to my image.

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:
Lili of the Valley Domi's Sketch Challenge (here)
Paper Sundaes Clouds and Sky Challenge (here)
Allsorts Free and Easy Challenge (here)

 

"Top 3" Aug. 10, 2011 Paper Sundaes

 

 



Copics used:
skin - E000, E01, E11, E93
hair/table legs - E21, E23, E27
hat/dress/socks/cupcake - RV0000, RV00, RV11, BG11, BG15, BG18
shoes/teapot/teacup - Y21, Y26, Y28
grass - G00, G12, YG11, YG13, YG17, BG18
tablecloth - R20, R22, R27
airbrushed clouds - BG15, BG11/ground G12

Copic Creations Challenge: Make Clouds

The Copic Goddesses at the Copic Creations Challenge Blog are challenging Copic lovers to use their Copic colors to make clouds.  Lili of the Valley is sponsoring this challenge and offering a generous gift certificate for use at their online store as a prize to a randomly selected entry.  Find out more about this challenge and sponsor here.

I've inked up my Times to Treasure stamps from the Lili of the Valley January 2011 release and stamped them on Bazzill Smooth White cardstock.  This Times to Treasure image comes with a sentiment.  I imagine that these little folks are lovingly looking through a scrapbook of their treasured moments on a beautiful and bright spring day.

This photo shows just the image filled with Copic colors:

I spent some time experimenting with making clouds on spare paper using a variety of colors:  Copic marker tips directly to paper; a QuicKutz weather die cloud used as a mask for airbrushing; various ink refills pounced and rubbed; using Copic markers directly on an Alextamping's mountain skies rubberstamp spritzed with colorless blender before stamping onto paper.  Here are the results of my experiments.  Somehow these clouds just didn't make me happy.

Finally I used a Great Impressions Stamping in the Clouds Stencil Kit and airbrushed.  Ahhh, this is what I'll try to show on my finished project.

I die cut my image with a Spellbinders Fleur De Lis Square.  I used temporary adhesive to place a cut out mask over my colored image.  Leaving the die in place, I began by covering the top of my image with a torn paper mask to create a horizon line.  Tearing the paper allows a soft line rather than the harsh line created by a straight edge mask.  Within seconds, my airbrushed ground was complete.

I replaced the torn paper mask covering the top of my die cut colored image with the matching bottom half of the mask.  Using the lightest color first, I began airbrushing around the sporadically placed acrylic cloud mask.  I started from the top of my image and moved the cloud mask closer to the ground as I moved along.

Here's how the clouds look with just the lightest color.  Soft and subtle.

I just couldn't leave well enough alone!  LOL!!!  This step would have likely filled my needs for a nice, soft cloudy background.  But nooo . . . I needed to brighten it up a bit more.  So I used a brighter blue and went through the same steps again.  Here's what happened . . .

I think I've overdone it!  Now I have some areas that need to be covered.  That's what flowers are for, right?  I may need a bouquet - LOL!!!  Here's how my die cut, color-filled and airbrushed background image looks now.

I formed an easel card out of Bazzill dark teal and pine green cardstock, Bo Bunny a gift of love Mama-Razzi stripe and aperture.  Punch Bunch elongated leaves, mini sun and stamen, combined with McGill branch and EK Success paper shaper punches in daisy, small daisy and snowflake made it easy for me to use coordinating Copic colors in my attempt to create some handmade paper lily flowers.

Paper Lilies as inspired by Susan Tierney Cockburn

This photo shows the completed easel card and my attempts at making clouds . . .

You have until May 14th to show us how you make your favorite Copic clouds.  We'd love to see 'em!

I'm entering this card into the Lili of the Valley "Love Is In The Air" Challenge.  Find out more about their challenge here.

"Top 3" Designer May 5, 2011 Lili of the Valley

 

 





Copics used:
skin - E000, E01, E11, E93, BV00
hair, bench - E31, E35, E47
shoes girl - T0, T6, T8
shoes boy - E30, E33, E37
hat - RV23, RV14, RV19
shirt boy - G82, G85, G99
book - E41, E43, BG70, BG75, BG78
airbrush ground - G82, G85
airbrush clouds - B91, B14
paper lilies - RV23, RV14, RV19, G82, G85