Saturday Sketch Challenge 201

Oh my goodness! I tried to post this for last night and messed up the scheduling some how! Can't believe that happened!

Good Evening Friends!

It's time for another wonderful sketch challenge from your 411 operators. This week, I was inspired by a card I saw on Mary Brown's blog... it had a checkerboard background and I didn't have that paper... but I had just received my new set, and I had a wonderful sample to be inspired by in my inbox! :D Thanks Mary!

This sketch is a simple one, but the cards are so beautiful! I love when a simple layout can help my projects look polished!

So how about my measurements:

Base 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored and folded in half at 4 1/4"
Layer 2: 4 x 5 1/4" whisper white
Layer 3: Sunny Garden DSP 119831 3 1/2" x 2"
Layer 4: Pear pizazz cardstock 3 1/8" x 2 1/8"
Layer 5: Whisper White 1 3/4" x 3"

Then lets not forget the GORGEOUS pear Pizazz seam binding to "tie" it all together. I'm home and stamping tonight! I hope you have a wonderful week!

Rubbah hugs,
Selene Kempton

Communications Banner

I don't usually post non stamping related items here.. but I really wanted to share. I designed this cool header for my 2oth reunion committee. When I was in my home town recently, I noticed a hawk with an axe on the side of a fire truck... Well I drew this in the computer program "adobe illustrator". I think it's pretty cool and thought my stamping friends would appreciate it! I've been busy with non stamping design work this week in general. I also designed a form for folks wanting to purchase a brick to benefit our school playground across the street. Bricks will form a walkway to be enjoyed by future generations.. So very cool.

Here's the form... I couldn't help myself.. I had to use trendy trees. I redrew these trees based on the stamp set. :D So I guess this is sort of stamping related, right?

So I know I've been quiet, but I have another mini box template coming, AND a class planner that is designed. It's just the documentation that takes FOREVER!.. Hopefully, it will make life easier for some who want a quick class that's easy to reproduce, while helping raise a few dollars at a time for my little one Alexis to go back to her old school (where she thrived). :D Stay tuned....

Finally, how about some more blog candy!!! Leave me a comment on my hawk or flier, and enter to win a FREE mini box template shown here! :D Good luck!

Selene

Blog candy reveal

Good Morning Friends!

We had such a fun time reading all the comments on who-made who's card... :D
Even I was fooled.. It turns out that Patti made the gorgeous creation that I posted last Friday, and I thought it was Gretchen! Here is the card that I will be mailing to Lee.. :D

We had so much fun celebrating our 100th sketch and really enjoyed having you play along with our celebration!

I used random.org and came up with the number 20! So I'd like to congratulate Barbara V, who won my random blog candy, the level 3 hostess set from the catalog, Occasional Quotes! It seems inconceivable to me that we started to start a small blog to help our customers only 2 short years ago, and now we have so much love coming our way! Thank you so very much for 2 awesome years.. I look forward to what's up and coming!

Barbara V wrote: I am guessing Connie created this one. Will be fun to find out!

Indeed Barbara! Congrats! Please contact me by email at e.selene@verizon.net to pick up your candy!

Rubbah hugs,
Selene Kempton

Recess Swap

I've purchased about 6 or 7 sets from the new mini catalog already.. and THIS is the one that I can't put down! :D

Recess has to be my favorite new set... so I decided to use it for a "rising star" swap that I'm in. I'm in a group for past and present Stampin' Up! rising stars and they do card swaps.. Here's the one I'm using. This time I used watercolor paper to color the slide image.. It's so fun to work with and better than white for sure! Look at that gorgeous color!

Only 4 days left and you can order your own set! :D

They are cutting off the power here to re-do our siding. I guess I need to wrap it up for today! Have a great week!

Selene~

Mojo Monday ~ Recess

Good Morning Friends!

When I saw this morning's sketch from Mojo Monday, I looked at some of the elements still on my table and decided to use those!

I cut a standard card base down to 4 1/4" square. The circle in the middle is a 3" circle cut with the big shot and then stamped with the little girl on the slide from the new set "recess" which is coming out on May 1st. The pacific point layer beneath that is the scalloped circle die #2.

The dsp is lined with the ribbon border punch and a layer of wild wasabi card stock. Next ~ I tied a piece of organza ribbon on.. This ribbon is only $5.95 for 15 yards and it seems to go forever. It's girly enough to use on this card, but is also very appropriate for more formal cards. It's definitely a "go to" ribbon for me.

I used the XL label punch for the happy birthday. I punched twice.. once to punch the larger punch with the happy birthday, then at at a 90 degree angle, I punched again to form the cool shape in the upper left.

I water colored the main image.. For more info on how to watercolor with markers, click here for my free tutorial.

That's all for me this morning... It's club week here in my studio so I need to get ready for my stampin buddies coming through this week! I hope you had a wonderful holiday!

Selene Kempton

Name that Operator! and Blog Candy...

Good Evening Friends! As you may or may not be aware, the operators are celebrating 100 sketches this week! We're only weeks away from a two year anniversary.. Isn't that amazing? So ~ this week we're playing a game... in addition to offering our 100th sketch.. Name that operator!

I was sent a card (by the only operator that know's who's card is who ~ Kerin). Tonight I present to you a mystery operators project and some BLOG CANDY... Now... part of the fun is that I'm supposed to guess who made this card... It's so hard! But I think this is the very talented, Gretchen Barron's artwork.. The big reveal will be coming for all of us on Wednesday.

Now for the candy.. Leave me a comment and make your guess as to who's (out of the operators) awesome creation this is! If you want to see all the cards, check out this post over on 411, and don't forget to leave me a comment! You could win my candy, which is a clear mount Hostess LEVEL 3 set, Occasional Quotes! Will you be the winner?

Measurements... Here are some potential measurements you could use with this sketch challenge.

Layer 1: 5-1/2 x 8-1/2", scored at 4-1/4"
Layer 2: 4 x 5-1/4"
Layer 3: 1 x 5-1/4" strip
Layer 4: 2 x 5-1/4" strip layered on top of Layer 3
Layer 5: ribbon/bow across front of card
Layer 6: Shape of your choice

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Rubbah hugs,
Selene Kempton

Mojo Monday ~ Recess & Watercolor With Markers Tutorial

Good Morning Friends!

What a cute sketch from Mojo Monday this morning! My little one is home on school vacation this week, and I'm still working on the class planner I promised! I'm hoping to have it done and up by the end of the week. I'm on it for sure!

I made a cute card yesterday for the sweet Sunday sketch challenge (and to help out the playground committee with some cards to send as thank yous), and I got an email last night from my buddy Glenda T. Her down line sent her my card.. (how excited am I that they like me??), so I decided to do a quick tutorial this morning on coloring with Stampin' Up! markers. A shout out to Patti T! Thanks so much for liking my work! There are sneak peeks all over this card... I'll tell you what those are in a moment, but before we get started, here are the measurements for my layers.

Base: 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored and folded at 4 1/4"
Layer 2: 5 1/4" x 4, rose red
Layer 3: 5 1/8" x 3 7/8", daffodil (dont worry too much about seeing a crazy measurment, this layer is only 1/8" smaller than layer 2.. So you would just make it smaller by moving it over two lines on your paper cutter.
Layer 3a: There's a scalloped sticker under there, that I got from the simply scrappin kit.. Almost forgot to put that in the directions!
Layer 4: 4 1/8" x 3 1/8" rose red
Layer 5: Designer paper from a new simply scrappin kit coming out next month! 3x4 (note** you get 12 of these from one piece of designer paper, so with 3 sheets, you could make 36 cards).
Layer 6: 2 1/2" x 3", whisper white.
Layer 7: A self adhesive die cut from the same simply scrappin kit.. I used dimensionals to attach that on the card
Layer 8: Water colored piece, cut with a 1 3/4" circle punch. 119850

That gorgeous bow is tied with Rose Red seam binding, which I'm told will be available for purchase after the mini catalog is gone at the end of the month.. Yea!!! That bow was tied by hand using the "bunny ears" method. It's the same method I'm trying with Alexis to help her learn to tie her shoes.

The stamp set is called Recess and will be available for purchase on May 1st.

Now down to the tutorial...

1. You'll need some aqua painters, and markers to match the project you're working on. I don't like to add too many colors and try and stick to the colors that match my designer paper. The aqua painters are on page 195 (item 103954) and you get two sizes. For watercolor with markers I prefer the smaller brush size.

2. Fill your brush with water, then find something plastic to draw on with your markers. A sandwich bag, a stamp case.. anything plastic will do. Here I used a clear block.
3. Stamp your image in stazon ink. (101406 Jet Black Stazon, page 195). It's important to use an ink that's not going to move when you add water. Stazon.....stays-on.. :D

4. Draw a line with your sky color. This will be your horizon line. Pick up and "GENTLY" water down your blue color and wash it on your background, leaving your focal point white.
5. Repeat the process with the ground.. It's perfectly okay if the line isnt perfect.. Maybe she's standing on a hill! :D

If you look just to the left of her foot, I just added a patch of old olive ink there in a watery stroke. Then, the most important part is... STOP!!! :D A good artist knows when to stop, it's so important to do it sort of quickly and not over do it. If you do, the paper will only absorb so much water, unless you use watercolor paper.. Even then, quick is better. Get it on there and stop... :D
6. I colored her face with blush blossom, and her hair with daffodil, full strength. I could add some brown or black, or change the skin color if necessary.. Alexis says, "oh look mom, you are coloring ME!"

7. Add some color to one section of the focal point.. choose a corner.. in this case I did bottom left and added some color straight with my marker. Then I blended it with the aqua painter. If the line is still too defined, just go pick up a little marker color from the plastic palette you made.
8. I colored the hula hoop with a straight marker in pumpkin pie and photographed it without a flash so you could really see the colors. See how the color was just washed on for the background. I used circles with my brush when adding the color.
9. Here's the 1 3/4" circle punch. I just punched her out and stuck her down as my focal point. :D

Let me know what you think!! :D Rubbah hugs,
Selene Kempton