Power Poppy February Digital Release

Good morning, Coloring and Cardmaking Fans! Power Poppy has a NEW digital release to tempt you! 

With butterflies, anemones, and the gears of time, Time to Fly comes with three variations in the download: One as seen above, one with the butterfly wings much simplified, and one with more simple watch hands for a crisp look. 

Shimmering Flight contains a juicy stalk of hollyhocks, and nestled inside is a jewel where a dragonfly has landed. A second option has a wonderful turquoise-and-silver pendant in the style of Native American jewelry. This image comes both with and without the dragonfly. 

Each digital download comes with a few variations and all images are in both black and very light grey for “no-line” coloring.

I put on my Brave Girl pants and colored the Time to Fly image, printed in the pale gray, no-line version. I have never done a big piece like this in the no-line coloring style before! I used only colored pencils as well. No Copics this time!  

The finished piece is 8 7/8" x 6 5/8", which is a huge piece for me to color with pencil! I also used a new paper for this project. It was my first time coloring onto Bienfang Bristol Vellum cardstock (not translucent vellum, but vellum finish, which has a bit of tooth, but not too much). This cardstock has a rougher surface on one side, and a smoother surface on the other. 

A note about paper: I was finding that coloring on the smooth cardstock that I use for Copic markers was giving me a dull finish with pencils. Plus, I was not able to build up very many layers of color, which is important in colored pencil work. I am experimenting with various pencil-worthy papers at the moment, papers with more "tooth" but not too "toothy." 

This piece is colored on the Speedball Bienfang Bristol Vellum, which is about $9 for 20 sheets on Amazon. It is 146lb/238gsm, which is a really nice weight for card making or for framing a piece. 

I also have the Strathmore Bristol Vellum, which is also about $9 for 20 sheets, and 100lb/270gsm. The Strathmore won't go through my printer very well as it is VERY THICK card. 

You really do have to look at the paper in person, because the information is very confusing. I would think that the 146lb would be thicker than the 100lb, but the 100lb is more than twice as thick! The 238gsm vs 270gsm is quite a big difference in reality! GSM is an acronym standing for Grams per Square Meter. The higher the number, the "heavier" the paper. 

I have to confess that I struggled with the butterflies! I don't usually color bugs, birds, or other animals because it is very hard to make them look realistic. But, my goal for 2020 is to step out of my comfort zone with my art pieces! 

If you are wanting to print an image at this larger size, and try your hand with pencil coloring, try not to get overwhelmed by all the elements in the image. Pick one element at a time and focus on that. For example, I colored all the green leaves first, then moved on to the buds. I move around the image, coloring each similar item before moving on to the next. 

Keep your pencils sharpened to allow for the fine flicks in the flowers and to draw in the details needed. I don't blend with a colorless blender or a blending solution. I do pencil blending only. 

However, the clock face gave me a bit of trouble! The clock is printed at about 3" in diameter, and it was just not blending well. I finally had to get out the Gamsol blending solution and a blending stump and smooth it out! I really don't like doing that, but sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do!

Once I had the clock looking vintage-y, I went back in and added shadows. I used a sharp black pencil to add the numbers and other markings back to the clock. With the no-line coloring, you can often lose detail, so you need to add it back in.
I tried to make the gears look a bit rusty, which was fun, and uses a lot of different pencils! 

Here is a list of the colors I used. I used all Prismacolor Pencils (from the 150 set), plus one Arteza pencil (from the 120 set). 

• Leaves: Kelp Green, Prussian Green, True Green, Limepeel, Spring Green, Pale Sage
  
• Buds: Dark Green, Grass Green, Apple Green, Chartreuse, Pale Sage, Hot Pink
  
• Flowers: Arteza Pink Macaron, Hot Pink, Process Red, Mulberry, Chartreuse, Canary Yellow, Apple Green, Dark Green, White
  
• Branches: Beige, Light Umber, Dark Brown, Dark Green
  
• Blue Butterflies: Sky Blue Light, True Blue, Copenhagen  Blue, Indigo Blue, White, White Gel Pen
  
• Orange Butterflies: Poppy Red, Pale Vermilion, Orange, Salmon Pink, Canary Yellow
  
• Clock and Gears: Black, Dark Umber, Chocolate, Light Umber, Terra Cotta, Mineral Orange, Goldenrod, Sandbar Brown, Cream
  
• Shadows: 50% Cold Grey, 30% Cold Grey, 90% Warm Grey, 70% Warm Grey, Black

When coloring shadows and adding shading with the grey pencils, I choose warm grey or French grey for things that are alive and cold grey for inanimate objects.

My piece is all ready for framing! 

Thanks for joining me today! I hope you are inspired to color some images! Power Poppy has LOADS to choose from!

Digital Image: Power Poppy Time to Fly

Colored Pencils: Prismacolor, Arteza (listed above)

Cardstock: Speedball Bienfang Bristol Vellum, CutCardstock Squid Ink and Smoked Sea Salt

Enamel dots: Doodlebug Design, American Crafts

Adhesive: ATG tape

Really Reasonable Ribbon February Club Matches Graphic 45 Ocean Blue!

 

Welcome to the Really Reasonable Ribbon February Blog Hop! You should be coming to my blog first this month as Bonnie is taking a break. (For the complete blog list, scroll to the bottom of the post.) After visiting me, hop over to Ginny's Blog next!

At the end of the hop, comment on the RRR Blog post, answering the question listed, for a chance to win the February Ribbon Club Assortment shown below. (The Design Team appreciates your comments, too!)

I have an extra treat for you this month, because I am featuring the NEW Graphic 45 Ocean Blue Collection (coming soon)! By happy accident the February Ribbon Club perfectly matches the Ocean Blue papers! How amazing is that?!

The February Ribbon Club Assortment is called Blue and Brown Assortment, but I think we should rename it as the Ocean Blue Mix! 

I love a tall, skinny mini album! I have been making some planners and such lately, but I was a bit sick of doing those. But, I also love a flip album with pockets and flaps, but did not want to make a square one again this month! So, I went to town with this amazing paper and ribbon combination and created this lovely ocean-themed planner-style flip-fold mini album!

This mini is 8 1/2" tall and 4" wide, with a 1/2" spine. There are six pockets and two waterfall elements!

I used the 5/8” Plaid Blue/Ivory/Gold ribbon as a tie closure. This ribbon is beautiful in person. The gold threads are very sparkly, plus this ribbon has a bit of "stiffness" so that when I curled it around my fingers the curls stayed in the ribbon! 

The album has four different flaps that open to reveal pockets and the waterfall elements. Each pocket has tags or tall photo mats! 

This beautiful paper evokes calm, serene beach days! I only had the 12x12 paper, so I can imagine how much more I could have added if I had the full collection with all the bells and whistles. However, as you can see, even with "just" that 12x12 papers you can make a stunning project.

I added Light Navy Checkerboard Satin ribbon to the spine area, wrapping it around to the outside. I knotted the ribbon on the outside of the spine. This ribbon i wonderfully shimmery and such a lovely shade of blue!

When you open the flaps, you can see all the inside pockets, (To see the album "in action" check out the video below.)

I have used the wonderful ribbon on each of these pocket pages: 5/8” Tan Taffeta, 3/8” Blue and Brown Chevron Stripe Grosgrain, 5/8” Light Navy Taffeta,  3/8” Blue and Brown Confetti DotGrosgrain,  3/8” Smoke Blue Diamond Satin ribbons.
There are two waterfall elements, each containing five pages. 

The ephemera cut aparts are perfect for the waterfall. I do wish I had the actual ephemera cards, but, alas, I won't get my hands on those for a few more weeks.

If you want to make your own album, follow the directions below to make the album base.

Cut tan cardstock to 8 1/2" x 8 1/2" and score at 4" and 4 1/2". This makes the album base with the 1/2" spine in the center.

Cut four pieces of tan cardstock to 8 1/2" x 4 3/8" and score at 1/2" along one side to make tabs. Place double-sided adhesive on one side of all the tabs. Fold and burnish.

Place two of the panels onto the base with the tabs on the inside and the folds on the outside edges as shown above.

Add pockets to both panels. Cut tan cardstock to 4" x 4 7/8" and score on three sides to make the pocket. Attach a pocket to each flap. Each pocket will be approximately 3 1/2" tall and 3 7/8" wide. (You will need to make four total pockets, plus two diagonal-style pockets.)

The pocket inserts/photo mats are 8" x 3 1/2" with four rounded corners. Cut these from tan cardstock. You will need to cut four inserts/photo mats.

Attach two more of the cardstock panels to the left and right of the center spine on the base piece. The folds with be toward the spine as shown above.

You will add diagonal pockets to the first and last panels. I made my pockets from paper rather than cardstock. (This was a mistake, but before I realized it, I had the pockets glued down!) Cut the paper to 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" and trim on the diagonal. Then trim the corners off the as shown so that the pocket is 4" tall and 3 7/8" wide. 

Attach the square pockets to the center two flaps as explained in the previous step.

Add tags and photo mats to the pockets. Trim the photo mats as explained above. 

The larger tag is a pre-made kraft tag, 6 1/2" x 3 1/8". I traced the tag onto the paper and then cut the paper a bit smaller. The small tag is a Graphic 45 Kraft ATC tag.

I used the G45 ATC tag die to cut the paper for the small tags. 

I love how the ribbon looks with this paper! So fun and pretty! The knotted grosgrain is especially cute!

The inside panels each have a five-page waterfall element. Cut 10 pieces of tan cardstock to 4 5/8" x 3 1/8" and score on the top at 1/2" to create tabs. Round the bottom two corners.

The pages will be 4 1/8": x 3 1/8" and can hold the 4" x 3" ephemera cards to pieces of paper. 

Add the second waterfall as shown above. If you need help construction and adding a waterfall element, see THIS POST for directions. 

I added magnets to keep the waterfalls closed; one on the base and one on the top waterfall page. 

Here is the album all folded together. I do wish I had added extra inside spines to the first flaps because the mini got a little chubby and hard to fold closed! I always say that every mini can use improvement. That is why I make so many! If I ever make the perfect mini album, I will have to quit!

Attach the 5/8” Plaid Blue/Ivory/Gold ribbon as a tie closure by gluing it to the center of the album and wrapping it around the back. I used a yard of ribbon so that I could tie a nice, big bow!

Add your decorative paper over the ribbon, making sure to place extra adhesive around the edges to keep the ribbon from pulling up.

I did not add a lot to the cover, mostly because I was nearly out of paper! I added some of the border strips, and then one of the cut apart ephemera cards. I had planned to glue a bunch of stuff to the front, but in the end I felt that a simple cover was best!

If you wish to see all the insides of the album, and how it folds open, please view the video below.

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for stopping by to see this magical pairing of Graphic 45 and Really Reasonable Ribbon! Now, hop over to Ginny's Blog to see what she has for you!

Here is the RRR Blog Hop Order in case you get lost!

Gloria - YOU ARE HERE!

Ginny

Cheryl

Karen

Kathy

Linsey
Really Reasonable Ribbon's Ramblings 
REMEMBER, LEAVE A COMMENT ON THE RRR BLOG FOR A CHANCE TO WIN!

Trims: Really Reasonable Ribbon February Ribbon Club (see the body of the post for direct ribbon links)

Cardstock: Neenah Sand Storm

Printed paper: Graphic 45 Ocean Blue (coming soon)

Tags: large (unknown), small (Graphic 45 Kraft ATC)

Dies: Graphic 45 Large Tag, ATC Tag, and Flower Dies

Ink: Ranger Distress Vintage Photo (or G45 Decades Dark Cashmere)

Magnets: Basic Grey

Adhesive: ATG tape, Scor-tape, white glue

Happy Valentine's Day from Authentique!

Happy Valentine's Day! I have always loved making and receiving Valentines! When I was in grade school, everyone in my class made a Valentine box, and then we got a list of our classmates to make sure that every student sent and received a Valentine from every other student. That was quite progressive thinking for the 1970's! My mom would take me to the "Five and Dime" to buy a box of Valentines! Which was a very big deal because we had limited funds in those days! We would have a party at school with treats (provided by the PTA), and usually a little film or cartoon. So much excitement! 

I created a home decor panel so that I can "celebrate" Valentine's Day all month long! I used the Love Notes Collection to create this red and pink treat for the eyes! 

I am quite addicted to making these home decor panels. See the full list of panels below!

I love the vintage images in all the Authentique collections, but especially the Valentine images because they remind me of the little Valentines we used to send back in the 1960's and 1970's! 

This 6" x 6" chipboard-wrapped home decor panel looks so lovely sitting on my desk! If you would like to see more information, and see a tutorial for making a panel for yourself, check out the tutorial HERE.

For this Valentine version, I cut out a heart doily using a die cut template. I added some pink ribbon and some pink and red flowers. The final touch was the heart pin!

I love to change out the decor in my home, especially around my desk and studio. I have several easels that hold various projects that suit each season. If you want to make some fun decor for your desk, here is a list of all the panels in the series. As you can see, there are many more panels to come!

Winter - Frosted Collection
Valentine's Day - Love Notes Collection
Spring - Dreamy Collection
St. Patrick's Day
Easter
Mother's Day
Summer
Father's Day
4th of July
Autumn
Back to School
Halloween - Twilight Collection
Thanksgiving - Gracious Collection
Christmas - Nostalgia Collection

Paper: Authentique Love Notes Collection
Cardstock: WorldWin Black, Natural; CutCardStock pink
Die cut doily: Spellbinders Lace Hearts
Ribbon: Really Reasonable Ribbon Pearl Pink Bold Satin with Grosgrain Edge, Pink Random Hearts Grosgrain 
Flowers: Wild Orchid Crafts, Prima
Decorative pin: unknown
Chipboard: Grafix
Adhesive.: ATG tape, hot glue, white glue, foam tape, scor-tape

Monthly Coloring Series - February 2020

Welcome to the February project for the 2019 - 2020 Coloring Series! To read the introduction post for this series, click HERE. To see all the coloring series projects, click HERE. 

Since my birthday is in February, I decided to make a fun birthday card to showcase the Power Poppy images for this month! The only thing missing from this scene is a new book...but perhaps there is a book in one of those pretty packages! This is my ideal birthday...cake, a warm drink, and a pile of gifts! Plus...chocolate AND strawberries...yes, please!

For this project I have combined three images: the cake and tea from the Tea Cake with Strawberries digital set (also available in a clear set called Tea in the Garden), the gifts from the Party Essentials digital set (also available as a clear set called Party Time), and the sentiment from the Layer Cake digital set. 

If you want more information on how to put a digital scene together, please see my post HERE. 

To get started with your scene, you first need to print your images. (Or, stamp them if you are using clear stamps instead of digital images.) 

Let's talk about cardstock. The brand I use is Hammermill 100# cardstock, but there are other brands that will work, including Copic X-Press It cardstock. I prefer the Hammermill Premium Color Copy Digital Cover Cardstock (100 lb) because it is a brighter white than the Copic, which reads a bit on the gray side to my eye. Plus, the Hammermill is a lot cheaper and it's a bit heavier weight. It goes through my Epson Eco Tank ET-3700 printer very well, as long as I choose a cardstock-weight setting. (There is an 80# version of this cardstock, but I prefer the heavier weight.) 

There are a few famous colorists/teachers out there who do NOT recommend the Hammermill cardstock. But, to me paper preference is very subjective and individual. I have tried every cardstock ever recommended for Copics, and the Hammermill 100 pound works the BEST for how I color. I am "heavy handed" and put down a lot of ink when I color. I need a thick cardstock, and I want a super smooth cardstock. The Hammermill ticks all my boxes! 

You should try to purchase a few sheets of all the recommended brands and try them out to see which you like best. Truth be told, I even like the Stampin' Up Whisper White cardstock! This paper was soundly thrashed in several Copic classes I took years ago when I was just learning. I was afraid to say I liked it! But I do like it because it is smooth, has a coating that allows the ink to "float" a bit, and the antique white color is perfect for my more vintage cards. 

Every paper will react differently for each colorist. I highly recommend that you try different papers to see which you like best, regardless of what I, or any other blogger/teacher has to say! I have found that the advice of hobby colorists and coloring instructors often conflicts with that of fine artists as well. Sometimes a little information goes to a person's head! (Present company included!) Just because a "famous" blogger or youtuber tells you something, does not mean it is the whole truth! 

If you find you are fighting your blends or are having a lot of bleeding outside your lines, try a different paper! There are times when one paper may work better for you, and times when another brand is best! Don't get married to a certain brand just because your favorite coloring personality loves it. If you buy the brand I like and hate it...go out there and try something else! It is just paper and ink, not the cure for the common cold. {grin}

Another color tip for today... When you are coloring a busy scene like this one, try to plan out your colors ahead of time so that you don't end up with a hot mess of every color in your marker collection! 

I started out with the red, because...strawberries are red! I chose to "spread the red" around my picture to give the whole scene a balanced look. I then colored the leaves green, but did NOT add more green to the image. I did not want this to stat to look like Christmas!

I knew I needed to color the slice of lemon in the tea cup yellow. That became my second color, which I sprinkled about the scene. I felt that aqua blue would look nice with both the red and the the yellow. To tone it all down, I used brown and gray (to simulate white). Making the cake frosting and the cake stand brown, rests the eye. Creating three white items (the cake doily, the napkin, and the largest box), also helps give your eye a bit of rest. 

I think the picture is bright, but not clownish. I admit to being a bit sorry about the large ribbon bows, but...once they were glued down, I decided to keep them! 

Here is the list of Copic markers I used. I did NOT use any colored pencil this time.

Background, napkin, cake: E0000, E000, E00, E21, colorless blender
Doily, box: C3, C1, C00
Ribbon, boxes, lemon slice: Y08, Y06, Y02, Y11
Cake, cake stand: E79, E29, E27, E25, E23, E35, E33, E57, R83, R81
Leaves, stems: YG03, G43, G99, YG21, YG05, Y11, YG01
Cup, boxes: B04, B01, B000
Strawberries, boxes, cup, cake stand: R14, R27, R29, R89, YG21 (strawberries only)


Thanks for stopping by! I hope you are enjoying this coloring series!

Digital images: Power Poppy Tea Cake with Strawberries, Party Essentials, Layer Cake
Cardstock: Hammermill 100# Digital Color Copy; WorldWin Brown
Copic markers: assorted, listed above
Enamel dots: Simple Stories, My Mind's Eye
Star: craft supply
Ribbon: Really Reasonable Ribbon
Paper: Authentique Party, Sassy (both retired)
Dies: Spellbinders Curved Borders 1, Heartfelt Creations Rectangles

Adhesive: ATG tape, white glue, scor-tape, hot glue

Vintage Valentine

Good morning, Authentique Fans! 'Tis the season for making Valentine's Day cards! But...what if you don't have any Valentine-themed paper? (It could happen!! It's not likely, but it could happen!)

We all know that I have loads of Valentine paper, but...I wanted to try to use something so very NOT Valentine-y! I chose the NEW Voyage Collection for my card. Now, Voyage is very FAR from being a Valentine-themed paper collection. However, it does have lots of red and white, plus some great images that could be perfect for a love theme! Plus, not every Valentine's Day card needs to be pink and heart-filled, right?!

I was captivated by the romance of these vintage people, on the deck of their fancy ship, having fancier cocktails. What is more romantic than a Valentine's Day cruise?! Well, not if it's the Titanic, but I digress! This was the perfect image to build a Valentine card around! 

I did sneak in two stickers from the Love Notes Collection. It is fun to pick through my stuff to see if I have things that can work with my ideas! Sometimes it means looking at collections in a new way, or combining collections, or looking at older, retired collections! Let's face it, shopping your stash is FUN! 

The card is 6" x 5", made from dark blue cardstock. Yes, dark blue...not red, or pink! I love the sailing images from the background paper, too! But....yet...we still have a Valentine card! 

I die cut a lace heart, and added some lace trim to the card. I also glued on some red and white flowers. I gave the whole card some shine with the enamel dots.  

I hope you are inspired to look at your papers to see how you can use them in different ways! 

Thanks for looking!

Authentique Supplies Used:
Voyage Collection - 12x12 paper
Love Notes Collection - stickers

Additional Supplies Used:  
Cardstock: Bazzill dark blue, WorldWin Natural
Enamel dots: American Crafts, Simple Stories
Paper flowers: Wild Orchid Crafts
Lace heart die cut: Spellbinders
Lace trim: Really Reasonable Ribbon
Adhesive: ATG tape, Scor-tape, hot glue, white glue, foam tape