A card coloured with Copic Markers

I recently joined the Kit and Clowder fan-base, when I enrolled in the "Skin and Hair" colouring class. (Not that I've had time to start it yet), but I've been having lots of fun "hanging out with Alyce and the gang". I even won a game of Bingo during their last fun weekend. Yay!!! As part of the fun weekend, Alyce organised a discount on a beautiful image by Kuik Ching Chou entitled Floating Pearls. This is my take on it.

I put the red coral across the bottom of the card to tie in with her jewellery, but I'm not sure if it would have been better just to leave it off. Too late now, though!  :)

I coloured her hair in various shades of purples as well as a cream and a light brown. IRL it looks like a rich auburn (the photo doesn't do it justice). Also she looks like she has a rash on her chest, but I was trying to give her some cleavage.  hahahaha!

The background sort of turned out okay. I coloured it with shades of green and blue and then spotted the colourless blender all over it many times. I like the mottled look. I also love the pale green gauze I layered on the matt. It is such a delicate colour and looks a little like fishing net.

Anyway, that's all for now.

Love,

Janelle

Simply Create Too Challenge #113

Back again with a new challenge from Simply Create Too #113, featuring the theme of "Red, Blue or White". I don't think there's any confusion over which colour I chose, is there?

I was creating a baby card but scrapped it in favour of an old fave style of mine which is the Shabby Chic flower cluster. I haven't made a card like this in such a long time and still have many gorgeous flowers in my stash (plus it's a niece's birthday on Sunday and I can give it to her).

I started the card with a woven background made from offcut strips of cardstock. (You can't really see it in the photo though.) To make it easier to attach to the card base, I covered the card front with Elizabeth Crafts 64mm wide double-sided tape and then stuck the mat to it. I then only needed to stick down the little ends on top. (Nice and neat!) I then added some cheesecloth/gauze, before adding the pale blue lace, flowers, leaves and the die cut sentiment (which is cut from white cardstock multiple times and glued together, coloured with a Tombow marker and then coloured with a blue Wink of Stella pen. I used the two blues for greater depth of colour.)

Hope you like my card. Join us at Simply Create Too Challenge Blog and see what our other artisans have created.

Bye for now.

Love,

Janelle 

Get Creative Challenges #42

Welcome back. I'm here again with another challenge from Get Creative Challenges #42.

This challenge was challenging for me because it was "Black and White Only", but the image I had was too pretty to only colour in black and white (and besides I've never coloured skin in black and white - too much effort!) Therefore I added a little pale blue and lemon to add just a little more interest.

Our sponsor this challenge was The East Wind. Check out the lovely digistamps here.

I even had to go to Craft Giraffe to buy some extra Copics because I didn't have enough of the right markers to colour it properly. (Life's hard, isn't it, but I'm not complaining. :) ) But I am saying goodbye to the "bricks and mortar" store of Craft Giraffe (my favorite all-time craft shop). As from 1st July, 2016 they will only have an on-line presence. They have been my inspiration and enablers to my craft addiction on more occasions than I can count. It also didn't help that they were sited just a little way from my son's school and I had to pass them every afternoon for the past 18 months. I think my husband will be joyously happy! (You all know what I mean.) Anyway, thanks for the laughs, work for Alex* and many wonderful memories, Craft Giraffe. I'll see you on your Facebook page.

Anyway, that's all for now.

Love,

Janelle

* Every time I took Alex (my 13 yo son) into the store (since he was about 10), he'd always ask, "Have you got any jobs for me?" and Teena or Stevie would find a job for him to do, whether it was sorting out and tidying their trinkets, restocking their ink pads or Copic markers, etc and he LOVED it. He even wanted to do his first work experience with them when he was in Year 10 (2 years time). He will especially miss them as they made him feel grown-up and valued. Thanks so much for that.  XXX

Change of blog address

Just a quick note to let you know that my blog address has changed. It no longer contains the .au at the end of it, thus it is https://adashofflash.blogspot.com  . You will be redirected if you use the previous addresss, but the new one apparently using an encrypted network, thus more secure. To ensure you still receive my scintillating words of wisdom and world-class works of art, you should change my address in your bookmarks etc.

Thanks for following me. It means a lot to me and I appreciate your being along for our exploration of arts and crafts.

Lots of love,
Janelle

Midpost of Ch. #111- Use Buttons or Bows

Once again I'm back for Simply Create Too Challenge. Challenge #111 saw me using buttons, Color Bursts, a stencil, cutting machine and cutting dies, white Uniball pen, gold embroidery floss and Wink of Stella. Did I mention Nuvo Mother of Pearl Embellishment Mousse? I used it on the cardstock that the sentiment was cut from. Does this card qualify for the term "mixed media"? Is there enough media in it?  :)

I love the intensity of the colours obtained with the Color Bursts. I used Ultramarine Blue, Lemon Yellow and Pthalo Green. Yum!

I loved how this turned out because the card was inspired by Sarah Moerman's card (shown below). While Sarah's card used sprays over a stencil, I thought it would be just as cool to draw the circles through the stencil instead, using my white gel pen.

                                 

Join us at Simply Create Too Challenge and see what our fellow crafters have created. Bye for now.

Love,

Janelle

My very first own drawn digistamp

Hi again. I'm posting a card today that uses my very first attempt of a digistamp. 

I've been wanting, for a long time, to do something different with my crafting. When I saw 3 books in Big W last week, I knew I had found it. These are the books here. (And they were only something like $12 each. Bargain!)

They have step-by-step drawings showing how you can draw various things. I drew this budgie and liked it so much I turned it into a digistamp so I could print it out to be coloured and used on a card. (I don't know if there are actually budgies that really look like this - let's call it poetic licence!)

I think my drawing is sufficiently different to the original that I'm not infringing on copyright, so I feel free to offer my drawing to anyone who wants to use it. If you're interested, drop my an email and I'll send it on to you. (adashofflash@gmail.com)

I've always been drawing, even as a child, but felt I wasn't good enough (esp. when compared to my mum and my younger sister, who is really good.) So I've not done any for a long time. When I started drawing again last week, I felt energised, yet relaxed at the same time. Strange, huh? But I'm pleased to say, I like what I've done, and wanted to show off a little.

To make the background for the card, I glued strips of blue cardstock onto another piece of paper (these I had left over from when I was sorting and storing some of my cutting dies). I then used a Kaisercraft embossing folder on it, before inking the highlights with two types of green ink. I then used some clear Wink of Stella over the tops of the leaves. I wanted this to look like a tree canopy for the bird to hide in.

I foiled the sentiment and matting using my mini Minc machine and some teal DecoFoil.
The card was finished after I added a few clear sequins.

So this card has a purpose, I'm linking it to the Lawnscaping Challenges where the theme is "off kilter!".

Both the stripes in the background and the sentiment triangle are on an angle. It also works well with the budgie's tail.

Anyway, That's all for me now. I'm off for the weekend to Brisbane's Scrapbook and Papercraft Expo. I'm doing four classes and looking around at what's new. I'll let you know how I go. I'm also hoping to catch up with my online crafting buddies Therese Calvird and Linda Langes. Should be fun!

Bye for now.

Love,

Janelle

Get Creative Challenges #40 Bingo Challenge

Hi to all. I'm back with another challenge for Get Creative Challenges. 

Challenge #40 used a bingo table to inspire and I chose a diagonal of glitter, patterned paper and blue. I also used a pretty gypsy image from our sponsor The Fantasy Art of Nikki Burnette .

I coloured the image using Copic markers before fussy cutting it. (I can't do hair - it always looks flat.) I glued clear glitter along the ruffles and layered the image onto some flocked paper. While technically it's not printed paper, the colours matched so perfectly that I had to use it. (Plus, I've had it for so long, it was time it was used. I had to cut off the edges where it had worn and discoloured.)

                                    

When I'm colouring images for use on cards, I think it's better for the background to be simple and let the image "speak for itself". Although, when compared to some of the other designer cards at Get Creative, mine seems plain and a bit boring. Time for a rethink of my style, perhaps???

Anyway, join us at Get Creative Challenges blog and have some fun creating from a selection of 8 possibilities. Winners get free images from Nikki for hours of more fun.

See you soon.

Love,

Janelle