Hello Fellow Stampers :-)
Good morning and a very happy Monday to one and all! Tomorrow is Halloween - can you believe that one?? I was thinking about how much I need to get done for Christmas, and like November starts on Wednesday!! Oh My! LOL It's going to be an interesting season for sure! Did you notice that the Hallmark channel started their Christmas movies this weekend?!? Nuts!!!!
It's cold and a little snow-like today. Not supposed to last long; but I like the crispness. Makes it feel more like Halloween. The last several years it was way too warm for the Halloween time of year and it just didn't feel right to me. Now, I think the full moon is missing . . . LOL Can't have Halloween without the full moon to howl at, right?
I had a short and very busy weekend; but I did get that wonderful pot of chili made on Saturday; and finally some studioing time on Sunday. I certainly am not bored lately!! LOL I hope you all had a wonderful weekend with family, and some time for your own crafting as well.
It's time for Mix-It Up Mondays and I just had to reach for those wonderful Pizza Boxes again this week!! I think they're are adorable. I am showcasing a stamp set that I've been wanting to play with since September 1st -- and just have not had just the right moment to do so - Count My Blessings. What a beautiful stamp set! Be sure to check it out!
I am also showcasing our new Stampin' Blends today. On Wednesday, you too are going to get a chance to snap up this wonderful alcohol markers. So let's check out today's project and talk a little bit about blending markers.
Like last week, I sponged (brayered) the outside of the box; this time in Old Olive ink.
Because this is a regular matte finish cardboard, the ink soaks in quickly and dries quickly, so have at it and have fun!!
I then stamped the curved ivy leaf image in Crumb Cake (stamped off once) all over the box before folding it into shape. It's a lovely background.
This week I created the belly band I avoided last week. I thought it just looked right for today's project.
The belly band is cut from the Merry Little Christmas Designer Series Paper - 2" x 11". Then I just gently folded it around the box, overlapping in the back, and gently creasing at each of the edges - this is so much easier than trying to figure out where to score. When you add SNAIL to attach the overlap in the back, loosen up the band just a smidge so it will slide on and off the box easily. I added a wrap around the belly band of Crumb Cake 3/8" Classic Weave ribbon and Olive Olive 1/8" Sheer Ribbon - so pretty!
This really is all about the stamped and colored image though - I stamped this lovely leaf and acorn image from the stamp set in Crumb Cake ink on Shimmery White cardstock. I chose such a light color purposely, so that when I did my blending and coloring the outside lines would fade and blend in and make for a lovely finished image. Another note: I chose Shimmer White cardstock purposely, as it holds up better to watercoloring, and also handles heavy ink bleed through better. You'll like the blending and color movement on this cardstock, as well as the shimmer!
You'll notice I used the lightest Smoky Slate marker to create shadowing around the image. A tip: even the "light" Smoky Slate is pretty dark . . . so use the Color Lifter to lighten the color and make it look a little more realistic.
I added careful shading and blending with the Old Olive shades, Crumb Cake shades (and the lightest Pumpkin Pie layered underneath on the acorns for extra dimension and shading/blending in the darker regions).
Folks, these are not Copics - and no marker will ever live up to the true artistic quality of a Copic. There just isn't anything like it.
But, if you are looking for a nice basic alcohol blending marker that coordinates with our color families, these really are lovely; and I'm very excited that they are here!!
I created a little set of four 3" x 3" notecards with the coordinating 3" x 3" envelopes to fit inside this adorable box!
What a perfect little gift for someone!
I kept this notecard set simple.
The Whisper White cardbase is cut 3" x 6", and scored at 3".
The inset panel is cut with the largest Stitched Shapes square framelit; and matted with an Old Olive scallop square from the Layering Squares framelits. It fits perfectly on the front of the card.
The background of the center piece is stamped with the same leaf image as the box in Crumb Cake (stamped off once first); and then overlaid with the wonderful sentiment stamped in Old Olive. The card fronts are finished off with a few pearls.
Cute, Simply, Easy!
And I stamped the front of each little envelope with one of the images from the stamp set, again in Crumb Cake.
Do you want to know ore about Stampin' Blends before Wednesday? Start exploring today by clicking on the image below. And get those fingers ready to punch those keys on Wednesday morning - you don't want to miss out on these beautiful markers. We've been waiting for them for a long time!!
Until Next Time . . .