Just for Fun!

It's been WAY too long since I colored just for fun.  Today, I found some time and decided to get a start on a Christmas card.  I had seen the Make It Crafty challenge on Facebook and found a bunch of MIC images that I think I printed LAST Christmas.  
Here's my just for fun Christmas card.  I've been working on blending after finishing the Kit and Clowder clothing class.  I'm really happy with the way the "white" turned out, especially on the scroll.

Supplies Charlie Elf Digi Stamp from Make It Crafty
Happy Crafting!

MIC Blog Hop - surprise for a friend

Hi all!  Welcome to the Make It Crafty blog hop.  You should have hopped here from Stephanie's blog.  If you've just found the blog hop, hop over to Kasey's blog to get started.
This is my last post for Make It Crafty.  I'm stepping down from the team because things are going to be hectic for me for the next month or so.  I want to thank Zoe and all the lovely MIC teamies past and present.  You've all taught me so much.
Today, we're supposed to make a surprise present for a friend.  I ended up with a card.  I'm working on some thank you cards for friends at work, so I hope this qualifies.  I think this sweet fairy was part of the Christmas release, but she's just perfect for all kinds of occasions.  I'm playing around with a new/different style for me.

Supplies Fairy Star Digi Stamp by Make It Crafty Make It Colour blending card Copics Core'dinations card blank
Happy Crafting!

Hi all!  I'm posting a tutorial today on the Make It Crafty Blog on using digital stamps with your digital scrapbook pages.  There are several ways to do this.  You can print out the image you want to use, color it, scan it and then use it like an element on your digital page.  You can color the image digitally and then use it on your page.  Today, I'm going to use the image with a digital paper and create a sticker effect.  If you want to use multiple papers, check out my tutorial on digital paper piecing.

I'm using Photoshop Elements 8 for this tutorial.  It should work with other photo editing software.  The first step is to import your image into PSE.  I'm using Fair Carousel by Make It Crafty.  Be sure to use a .png image or remove the background before starting this tutorial.

The next step is to place the paper you want to use.  In PSE, you do this by selecting File > Place.  You'll need to resize your paper so it covers your image.  Be sure to click constrain proportions on the top before you resize.  I'm using a piece of digital kraft paper by Meredith Cardall (check out the supplies at the bottom for links to all the products I used).

Hide the kraft paper layer by clicking the little eyeball to the left of the layer in the layer menu (lower right).  Use your magic wand tool and click anywhere in the checkerbox area to select all of the background.  If you find that you are selecting more than you intended, then all of the lines aren't closed on the image.  On this image I had to go in with the pen tool and connect the lines in the lower right.  You can remove them later.

With the background selected, unhide the kraft paper layer.  Then select the kraft paper layer and press delete.

You'll have a cut out of the paper in the shape of your image.

Move the kraft paper layer underneath the image layer in your layer menu.

Select all of the white areas with your magic wand tool.  Turn off "continuous" on the top before you select to get all the areas.  Press delete.  Now you have your image outline with your paper filling in.

Create a scrapbook layout using your favorite software.  You can use your digital image like a sticker with your digiscrap supplies.  You can see how I made it a feature on my layout.

Credits
Fair Carousel Digi Stamp by Make It Crafty
Under the Big Top by Meredith Cardall Designs
Kraft Paper from Adventures in Yardwork by Meredith Cardall Designs
Gimme Layers v.49 by Cluster Queen Creations

Happy Scrapping!

A New Friend

Hi all!  Today is my day to post on the Make it Crafty Blog.  Our theme this week is friends and our coloring challenge was brown hair.  I took on both with my card.  

Here's my coloring cheat sheet. The first set is her hair, up to E29.  E00 - E11 is her skin.  R35-R38 are all the red bits.  Y12 - Y17 are all the purple bits and the rest is the grey puppy. 

Supplies Melissa's Surprise Puppy Digital Stamp Happy Crafting!

MIC Australia Day Blog Hop

Welcome to the Make It Crafty Australia Day Blog Hop!  You should have arrived here from Asa's blog.  Your next stop is Ruby's blog.   If you'd like to start at the beginning, hop over to Aeryn's blog.

I'm trying to get a head start on my Christmas cards this year.  I love this Red Nose Roo digi from Make It Crafty.  She was super easy to color, too.

Here's my color cheat sheet:

Credits Red Nose Roo by Make It Crafty
Be sure to hop over to Ruby's blog!
Happy Crafting!

The Hybrid Chick Card Caravan - Holiday Card

We're getting ready for the holidays at The Hybrid Chick Card Caravan.  I love the Waiting for Santa bundle from Wishing Well Creations for the fun colors.  The addition of pink to the traditional colors warms my girly heart.  I paired the papers with cute little Elise from Make It Crafty for a holiday card for a little girl.

Supplies Waiting for Santa Bundle by Wishing Well Creations Elise Gift Digi Stamp by Make It Crafty Make It Colour Blending Card
I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges: 1. Card Crafter's Circle #52 - December holidays 2. Fussy and Fancy #77 - I Love Christmas 3. C.R.A.F.T. #184 - Christmas Happy Crafting!

MIC Advent Calendar - Coloring Hair and Blog Candy

There's only 24 days til Christmas!

The MiC gang and our Special Guests thought it would be fun to have a 'grown up' advent calendar as we count down the days til Christmas full of inspiration just for us creative minds!

Each day a sneak peek will be revealed on the MiC store blog with a link for you to follow "to open the door".

All you have to do is stop by the store blog each day to open the next door!

PLUS Zoe has Christmas Candy full of lots of crafty goodies that you don't want to miss out on!

AND THERE'S MORE GIFTS

But what's even more exciting is that you will have a chance to win the Make it Crafty goodies that I have played with today!!

By leaving a comment on this post you could win

The comments will stay open until the 31st of December and the winners will be announced in the New Year on the MiC store blog. You can join us for all 24 days - giving you 24 chances to win some MiC goodies! If you join us late, simply go back to the start and catch up!

I have been eyeing Zoe's coloring tutorial for long hair for a while now.  I've had the fantastic Saturated Canary image - Zoe - that comes with the book printed out for months.  I haven't gotten up the guts to give it a try.  The MIC Advent Calendar has given me the motivation.

After much studying of the tutorial and a false start, here's what I came up with.

I used different colors than in the tutorial, mainly because I didn't have all of the colors.  Here are the colors I used.  

Here's my finished card.  I don't know if you're like me, but I'm desperately making Christmas cards, so  I turn every image into something for Christmas.  The addition of snowflake chippies and Christmas paper turn this girl into a sweet Christmas wish.  

Supplies Coloring Long Hair in Fine Detail Make It Colour Blending Card Snowflake Stars Chipboard by Make It Crafty Copics

Don't forget to leave a comment below before December 31st and stop by the Make it Crafty Store blog to 'open the door' to 24 other inspirational projects!

Thank you so much for joining us and we wish you and your loved ones a wonderful loving Christmas.

Happy Crafting!

Sparkly Holiday at Make It Crafty Blog

Hi all!  It's my day to post on the Make It Crafty Blog.  I have been eyeing Fairy Tinsel for a while now, I love a fairy with glasses!  But I wasn't sure what to do about that tinsel.  It looked really hard to color.  Then, I had a thought - glitter.  I sometimes feel like I'm cheating on the MIC team when I resort to glitter.  I think if tinsel doesn't call for glitter, nothing does.

Here are the colors I used along with my image.  I liked Zoe's angel background from the other day, so I colored a background using W3, which looked good with the papers I'd chosen.  You can see I only did one layer of color on the tinsel, since I'm going to use glitter.

Here's a close-up of my colored image.

And, here's my finished card.  I added the glitter to her tinsel and the fur trim on her coat.

Supplies

Fairy Tinsel by Make It Crafty

Make It Colour Blending Card

Copics

Happy Crafting!

 

The Hybrid Chick Card Caravan Photo Inspirations

We're dreaming of snow at The Hybrid Chick Card Caravan.  Our challenge this fortnight is to make a card with this photo inspiration.

Here's my card.  You can see my supplies used below.  I printed a single layer card using digital papers and a digital stamp.  I added some embellies when I was done coloring.

Here's my color chart:

Supplies Winter Berries Digichick Collab  Lisa Snowman Digistamp by Make It Crafty Copics Make It Colour Blending Card Marigold Baker's Twine from The Twinery
I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges: 1. 2 Sisters #119 - winter wonderland 2. Crafty Calendar - Wrap up warm for winter - optional string Happy Crafting!

Slightly Steampunk Christmas Card

It's my day to post on the Make It Crafty blog.  Do you struggle with backgrounds?  I admit that most of my images are just on a white background.  Of course, you can always add a MIC background and color it, which turn out fantastic.  When I saw this Steampunk Santa, I knew that I wanted to have him on a dark blue background.  I also didn't want to use tons of ink to get a really smooth background.  I started by coloring the background with B29.  I only laid down one layer of color and you can see that it's darker in some areas.



 Next, I took colorless blender and put it on a small piece of terry cloth cut from an old towel.  I dabbed the towel all over the background to create even more light and dark areas.  This way, I think the background doesn't have to be colored evenly and still gives a great effect.  I think it looks like the night sky with snow falling in the background.

 Here's my finished card.  I used Y28 to color most of the sleigh.  I really like this marker as it gives a really gold color.  I added a flower with a gear center for my slightly Steampunk Christmas card.

Supplies

Dashing Santa Claus Digi Stamp

Gears Galore Chipboard

Make It Colour Blending Card

Copics

Happy Crafting!

Busy Weekend

I went to a craft show today hoping that some of the over 300 cards in my closet would find a new home.  I didn't sell very much, though.  Here's my booth.

So, when I got home, I boxed up a bunch of cards and sent them to Send a Smile for Kids.  I see a lot more card donating in my future!

I have a cute little spook to share with you today.  I combined mini Frankenstein from Make It Crafty with Halloween Sentiments from Arty Pants to make this clean and simple card.

Here's my color cheat sheet in case you feel like making someone green this weekend.

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:

1. Digital Tuesday #183 - Halloween/spooky

2. Tuesday Throwdown #121 - Halloween

3. Top Tip #88 - Halloween

4. The Paper Shelter #87 - Halloween

5. Cute Card Thursday #240 - something scary

6. Crafts 4 Eternity #95 - ghouls, ghosts and, goblins

7. One Stop #202 - Halloween

Happy Crafting!

Coloring White

Hi all!  It's my day to post on the Make It Crafty blog.  Do you struggle with coloring white?  I know I do.  Sometimes I just want to leave it uncolored, but then it doesn't have any depth.  Christmas is coming, and you know what that means - snow, Santa's beard and fur trim....you're right, more coloring white!  I thought the Jolly Santa would be perfect for practice.  The coloring areas are nice and large, so you can get a running jump at coloring white. Here's my image colored with my cheat sheet.  I like the creamy color for his hair and the blue-ish tones for the fur trim.  I used tiny flicks for the fur trim to try to keep the texture. 

You know I had to finish off the big guy with some flowers and glitter so here's my finished card:

Supplies

Jolly Santa Digi Stamp

MIC Blending Card

Copics

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:

1. ABC Christmas - U is for Up to You

2. Willow Sketchie - Christmas in October
3. Stampin' for the Weekend #20 - anything goes
4. Fussy and Fancy #74 - anything goes

Happy Crafting!