Copic Cupcake

The best kind of cupcake when you're trying to lose weight is one done on paper that is just too cute to eat if it were real.

Okay.....I would totally eat this cupcake but that is another story and episode for True Confessions.

The image was drawn by Amy of Vanilla Arts and done in a class held at Remember When? Scrapbooking. If you are near Macomb, MI, check out the store. Whether you are or not, check out both businesses on Facebook. Amy has dome classes available online.

I didn't create the Copic or Prismacolor combinations used so they aren't mine to share. I will say to those of you using Copics and nothing else, don't be afraid to use colored pencils to fine tune your images. Pencils can add and correct details. Their fine points versus the wider tip of a marker can turn  something good into something great.

Happy coloring!!

Dragon with a sparkly tummy

I seem to love whimsy more than realism and that isn't just because this is an election year.

When coloring a dragon, realism is not a concern even though most of us go for green, right? I have a puppet named Smolder from the Melissa and Doug company that is green and we (meaning my grandchildren and I) love him. His voice and speech pattern are a cross between Kermit and Yoda who coincidentally are both green.

Last week's Copic Class by Vanilla Arts and held at Remember When? Scrapbooking (that is a link to the store's Facebook page) used a stamp called Ducky Fun by C.C. Designs.

One day I will get better about taking photos indoors and get the lightly under control so that colors photograph more accurately. Until then, take my word that this guy is seriously cute.

I added Glossy Accents to his eyes. Don't worry about them looking lumpy here, it is the angle of the shot. Guess that is something else that needs work.

The color is more accurate in this photo but this shot didn't really fully show what I was trying to illustrate, that being the Wink of Stella used on his tummy and throat.

I will definitely color this image again and probably vary from the traditional green.

A Sweet Birthday Card

Ideas from here (Dawn Griffith's website) and stamps from here (Avery Elle's The Scoop) led me to create this birthday card. The bowl of ice cream on the belly band are dies from The Stamps of Life (bowl, cherry and greeting) with ice cream cut out by hand.

Coloring was done with Tombow markers. Solid papers were an assortment that I had on hand, the print is from a Doodlebug 6"x6" pack called Sugar Shoppe.  

The card base is 6"x12" with simple folds and four slits. They were easy to do and make for a pretty impressive card. I will definitely make this style again. 

Watercolor tulips, why to frame them

When you comb your hair, perhaps apply mascara and lipstick if you are a woman who looks washed out without those items, stand up straight and adjust your clothing so that you look neat, you look better to the world at large. You don't do this just for the world, you do it for yourself because you feel better when you look in the mirror or in the faces of the public as they acknowledge you.

When it comes to your art or craft projects, finish them and put them in the setting in which they'll be used. Finish the item for a card or at least put it safely away for when you are going to assemble a card later. If you've painted something and perhaps are feeling so-so about, put it in a frame or at least behind a mat. Wow....it suddenly looks more important and presentable, right?

The frames I've been using are the least expensive I could find. The glass pops out from the top side of this plastic frame. If you aren't aware, watercolors need to be matted so that the painted surface does not rest directly on the glass. Normal moisture that affects everything in a room (humidity) could cause the paint to smudge and run if against glass. 

When my family room is repainted, a ledge is going to be placed on one long wall where my art projects will sit. Currently a few pieces from long ago are hanging on that wall but with the number of classes I've been taking lately, the number of holes I'd be placing in that wall would get a little crazy. Besides, I like to rearrange things so shuffling the order of what is on display will please me and encourage me to keep trying to improve my techniques.

I've learned that there is always going to be room for improvement in my work, but it is okay to enjoy things as they are. This coincides with my weight loss journey which hasn't made much progress lately, but I'm definitely enjoying the progress I've made and dare I say...even proud of my accomplishments. Same with this botanical series of watercolor classes. 

Mother Nature will always best me in beauty but this isn't a contest. This is fun. 

Flock of flamingos box card

Oh Stephanie Barnard, you made me happy with these Stamps of Life products!

A good friend is fond of flamingos. I was going to fill the box with flamingos in many prints and shades of pink but this was for her anniversary, not a birthday. Two flamingos would do quite nicely.

These are the exterior embellishments, all Stamps of Life dies.  

I used a Wink of Stella pen in silver to highlight some of the details on the flowers and around the hearts. A rhinestone was added to the centers of the three larger flowers.

I traced one of the larger flamingos and freehanded some pink designs on the envelope. I was tempted to adhere a flamingo to the envelope but wasn't sure it would make it through the postal machines well. I traced rather than stamped the flamingo, both to make it a bit larger and to avoid the lumps of the seams of the envelope on the back side.

 I hope my recipient enjoyed the card as much as I enjoyed creating it.