gina k and brutus monroe

Hello everyone! I hope you all had an amazing weekend and are excited to get going with a new week. One of my favorite things is when two companies get together and decide to do a collaboration release of super fun products. That's what's going on today and we have an awesome collaboration release from Gina K. Designs and Brutus Monroe to share with you.

For my card I've used the gorgeous new floral design called, Seeds of Joy Stamp Set. Now, I chose to use the main floral image but it's also got a really fun seed packet image that I can't wait to use as well. I heat embossed the flowers using the new Wisteria Land Embossing Powder (hello, gorgeous purple!). Then I masked the image off using Masking Magic Sheets. I inkblended over the top of the masking paper in tones of yellow using a darker tone closer to the flowers. Then, I peeled off the masking paper revealing a crisp, clean floral image.

Next, I pulled out my copic markers I added some drop shadows in yellows and oranges before adding a little shading to the flowers (Purples and pinks). After I was done with my markers I stamped the sentiment in Onyx Black ink. I added a black mat behind my image piece and I think the black really helps the colors pop.

Ok, that's it for today you guys! Have an amazing day. Normally I say I'll see you back here soon but I probably won't be back on the blog this week as I'll be at Creativation in Florida! Take care!

Maria

PRODUCT SUPPLY LIST:

VIDEO: Gina K. Designs Release: Poppy Garden Watercoloring!

Hello everybody! Exciting news- it's Gina K. Designs release day! I've made a one-layer card using the new Poppy Garden stamp set (it has coordinating dies!) by Hannah Drapinski. This set is stunning and made me want to sit down and watercolor it straight away. I've made a VIDEO to share some easy watercoloring techniques so be sure to scroll on down and check out that video on my YouTube Channel.

I started out by heat embossing the largest image from the set onto Strathmore watercolor cardstock. To do this I used Onyx Pigment ink from Hero Arts and clear embossing powder.

You can check out the entire watercoloring process here...

 

If you are having trouble watching this video you can view it HERE on YouTube .

My video shares my process for layering ink colors and easy application of color using Karin Brush Markers and a paint brush. I used four colors of ink for the poppies and three colors of ink for the leaves. I started by applying my lightest color of ink (yellow for poppies, lime green for leaves) as a light layer of color over my entire image. I used very little water and allowed my paint to almost entirely dry before adding the next layer of color. I added the darker colors into the areas where I wanted to have shadows and kept the other areas light as highlights.

After I finished watercoloring I stamped a sentiment in Gina K. Design Black Onyx ink and added a few white highlights with a gel pen.

It was a huge struggle not to splatter the heck out of this card but I managed to leave it as a clean and simple card. I hope you've enjoyed learning a little bit about my process today. For all of the details you can head over to YouTube and watch my VIDEO. You can also head on over to Gina K. Designs to check out the full release!

Have an awesome day!

Maria

PRODUCT SUPPLY LIST (Affiliate links may be used at no extra cost to you):

Hero Arts Countdown to Creativity: You're One of a Kind!

Hey everybody! It's almost time for the July Hero Arts My Monthly Hero release and this month's kit is like gnome other... Sorry, that was awful but I couldn't help it!

But first, if you aren't familiar with the My Monthly Hero kit, it's a kit that is released by Hero Arts on the first Monday of every month. It always has a fun, themed collection of stamps, dies and other goodies. The cost is just $34.99/month and the value is always much greater! 

NOTE: This month's kit will go live on Tuesday, July 6th because of the Fourth of July holiday here in the US.

You have the option to subscribe (subscribing now means your first kit will be the July release), or, to buy your favorite kits as one-off purchases. Be aware that once these kits sell out they are gone for good. If you see a kit you like make sure to snatch it up quickly!

Today is Day One of the Countdown to Creativity and I've got a sneak peek of this month's kit to share with you. I picked a few different stamps from the kit and did a little bit of masking, coloring and inkblending to build a fun little scene.

The tree stump and flowers are stamped onto the card face and the little house and gnome climbing the ladder were colored separately, die cut and and then adhered onto the card face. 

The trickiest part was the gnome on the ladder. After I die cut him and added him to the card there was a lot of white space between the ladder rungs that blocked the tree stump. Since I had masked the first images onto the background and there was no white space I thought the ladder's white space looked off stylistically. I got out my fine tip sharpie and went to work drawing in the lines of the tree stump onto my ladder die cut. When I was done I colored the hand-drawn scene between the ladder rungs in with matching copic markers. It was easier than I thought it would be and I was happy that it pulled the card together for a more cohesive look.

To catch more sneak peeks of this month's kit head on over to the Hero Arts blog where you can find the rest of the Day One sneaks as well as enter the giveaway to win a kit before you can buy it!

We will catch you on Tuesday, July 6th for the full release!

Have an amazing day!

Maria

PRODUCT SUPPLY LIST: