Twine Halloween Basket Tutorial

Hi there! Happy Monday!

I have something to share with you today on The Twinery blog --- a tutorial on how to make cute little twine Halloween baskets.

You can check it out HERE!

Thanks for stopping by!

Apple Box Tutorial

Hello! As promised, I am back with a quick picture tutorial on how to create the little apple treat box. It's easy! Let's go--

What you will need (what I used in parenthesis):
Patterned paper of your choice (Little Yellow Bicycle "Head of the Class")
Scoring device (Scor-Pal)
Double sided tape (Scor-Tape)
foam tape (Scotch)
scissors (Tim Holtz)
Optional--
Accessories to decorate it. (SRM stickers, Cricut cartridge-Plantin Schoolbook, Twinery ribbon-Cappuccino)
Step 1: Start with a piece of patterned paper that is 6" by 6" and score at the 2" and 4" marks. Turn paper once and score again at same measurements:

Your paper should look like this:

Step 2: Cut the flaps on opposite sides like shown. Note- You should be making four cuts, that's it!

Step 3: Apply double sided tape to the flaps as shown:

Step 4: Remove adhesive liner and fold up one side to adhere over the middle section and press:

Step 5: Do the same with the other side:

Step 6: Repeat on the other side so that you end up with this:

Step 7: Cut a strip for the handle whatever thickness you would like. I made mine .5":

Step 8: Apply double stick tape to the ends of the handle and adhere to the inside of box:

The box is finished. Decorate as you wish! I am including the directions to decorate it with the same design I posted on Monday for those who asked for it.

Using the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge (Cricut), I cut two apple designs (3") and one shadow for the apple. I used the red for the top part on this example, stitching it over the blue base. I used a chipboard pencil (Little Yellow Bicycle) and added an SRM sticker "thanks" over it.

I tied the pencil to the apple using some Twinery ribbon (Cappuccino).

I used some foam mounting tape to attach the apple to the front of the box and then I used some dimensional stickers (Little Yellow Bicycle) to place over the handle edges:

Here is the finished product:

Hope this explained it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Anyone Can Color: A Copic Marker and Prismacolor tutorial

Hi everyone! At last....another coloring tutorial. I KNOW a lot of you have been patiently waiting for me to tackle another tutorial. I apologize that it took so long to get it done but I made sure to fill this one with lots of information. So many people have been asking what I mean when I say I colored an image with Copic markers and prismacolor pencils. So today's tutorial is focusing on that. I also used one of my favorite stamping techniques--paper piecing.

(I apologize for some of the wonky shadows that are in some of the pictures. I colored and photographed these early this morning and the sun was not cooperating. The pictures do show the colored steps just fine though. Just disregard the shadows!!!)

Let's get started:

First...I had to select an image to color. To me..the answer to this was pretty easy as I had several requests to show exactly how I colored these kittens after posting some cards with them.

I stamped my image three separate times in Memento ink. The cardstock colors I used are white, ivory and ocean mist. (Since I knew I was going to use the blue to paper piece the cup, I only re-inked that part of the image before stamping on the cardstock.)
Then, I got my colors together to color the kitten on the white cardstock. The Copic markers I used are: E50 Egg Shell, R20 Blush, E31 Brick Beige, E37 Sepia, B 95 Light Grayish Cobalt.

The Prismacolor pencil I used is raw umber.


First, I took my Egg Shell marker and colored the kitten. I colored most of the kitten but left a few white spaces around his nose/mouth area. There will be a lot of blending of colors and I just wanted to make sure these areas remain the lightest so I didn't bother to add ink there yet.

Next, I took my beige marker and added that around the edges of the kitten's face and body. You can see the contrast of the colors because I didn't blend the color yet.

Then, I used my Sepia (I think my "favorite" Copic marker of all) to add some darker, shaded areas. Note: I still didn't blend the colors at all yet. Just adding color at this point.

After I put down enough darker brown color, I went back to my beige and blended the Sepia using small circular motion. Do not blend it all across the image. After you blend the Sepia in...then you can go back to the Egg Shell and blend some more.


The key to lots of dimension is different shades of the same color. You want the shades you select to be in sharp enough contrast to each other so that when you blend you can create the hues in between. I chose to color the kitten using Egg Shell (as my lightest color); Brick Beige (as the midline color) and Sepia (as the darkest color.) Because they are definitely a few shades away from each other...the colors look strange when you first apply them but after you BLEND...they create wonderful dimension.

I always blend using the next lightest colors I used. For example, If I used sepia...I blended it in with the Beige...If I use the Beige...I blend with the Egg Shell.

Next, I used some Blush to add some pink to his nose, ears and cheeks.

I blended some more using Beige and Egg Shell. (Keep playing and blending until you are happy with the results!) Then, I used Light Grayish Cobalt for his eyes.

When I am content with how the copic coloring looks....I can then use my Prismacolor pencils to add more dramatic shading. For this example, I am only using my brown pencil to add some more shadows to the kitten.

After I lay down the color, I blend it with odorless mineral spirits by dipping the blending stump in the mineral spirits and moving it over the colored pencil in a circular motion. (Remember: only do this step after you are finished coloring with Copic markers. You can damage the tips of your markers if you get the residue from the pencil or mineral spirits on them.)

The kitten is DONE!

You may notice that I stamped the kitten a few times. I wanted to use ivory as my base for this image (because it will go better with the paper I am using on the rest of the card.) So....I take my stamped kitten on the ivory and go over the outline with G00 Jade Green and BG0000 Snow Green. I only used Jade where I wanted darker shadow (like under the saucer and by the handle.)

Next, I took the blue kitten image and added some shadows to the teacup using the same markers. (I tested these colors first on the blue to make sure they looked ok.)

I cut out the teacup from my blue cardstock and the kitten body from the white cardstock that I colored in the steps above and assembled them on the ivory cardstock. (Note: I did lay some beige color on the kitten on the ivory cardstock so that when I popped the kitten on top, you would not see white underneath.)

And here is what my assembled kitten looks like.

I didn't color the flowers because they will be hidden once I create a card from this.

Stop back tomorrow to see how I use this image on a card! HERE it is!

Materials used: stamp image-Purrr-fectly Delightful (Gina K Designs); cardstock-Pure luxury white, ivory, ocean mist (Gina K Designs); Memento tuxedo black ink; Copic markers; Prismacolor pencil.

I hope you like this tutorial and if you have any questions feel free to post them or email me and I will get back to you as soon as I am able to.

Thanks for stopping by!

Tutorial: Two Easy to Be True Treat Holder!

Hello ya'll! Hope you had a great "long" weekend.

Today, I am sharing a super easy way to package a few little treats for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, a birthday or just because! I posted THIS treat holder last week and someone at the Gina K release party asked if I could post a tutorial on it....so this is it.

I changed it a bit just to give another variation: What you will need:
6" by 6" square of cardstock (which will be the base of your treat holder)
ribbon (for handle and for embellishing if you wish)
Scor-Pal
Scissors
Stamps and scrap of cardstock to embellish front (my supplies are listed at the end of tutorial)
Cropadile


Step 1: Take 6" by 6" cardstock sheet and score it at 2" and 4". Turn cardstock one rotation and score again at 2" and 4". (See next step if you need a visual of scored squares.)

Step 2: Cut two slits on either side of cardstock as shown below. I folded up the center squares on each side to show you where it was cut. Fold at all score lines.

Step 3: (Optional) I decorated my first box with ribbons and this one with a ribbon band. This is an optional step if you would like to embellish your box this way. Before you have assembled the box, measure the spot you would like to punch holes with your Cropadile. In the first box I created, I measured five holes on the front and back center panels using my Stampin' Up Mat pack to create evenly spaced holes for ribbons. For this example, I measured two holes on either side of the front panel so I could thread ribbon through. After marking the spots where you want holes, punch with Cropadile. (You will see the punched holes in Step 6.)

Tip: The front and back panels are on the sides that you have not cut.

Step 4: Apply Scor-Tape or adhesive to cut center panels on both sides.

Step 5: Adhere back flaps over adhesive. Line that flap with adhesive and adhere front flap over it.

Step 6: Here is the assembled base. You can see here the two holes I punched with my Cropadile (from Step 3.) At this point, I took my Cropadile again and punched two holes on either side of the box to insert a ribbon handle.

Step 7: I added a ribbon tie through the front holes and inserted the ribbon handle through the holes on either side of the box.

Step 8: Stamp a design and mat before adhering to front of box.

Step 9: Here is my finished box. I added a little tag on the top and candies inside.

Materials used: Cardstock-white, lipstick red, innocent pink (Gina K Designs); Stamps- Dream Birds, Warm and Fuzzy (Gina K Designs); ribbon (Offray, Gina K Designs); Scor-Pal, Cropadile; Copic Markers.

Easy! I would love to see what you create if you use this tutorial! If you leave me a comment, I will be sure to check it out.

Thanks for stopping by!

A Purrr-fectly Delightful Hop and Butterfly Tutorial

Hello! Hope you are having a wonderful week. I am getting all set to travel to California on Friday for CHA, so my blog will be on auto pilot for the next few days. If you have a question, please email me. I will check in on my blog while I am away but I am not sure when. *Hopefully* I will have lots of fun things to share next week when I return!


Tonight the amazing Theresa is hosting a blog hop with her newest release from Gina K Designs called Purrr-fectly Delightful. Here is the birthday card I created with the set:

I stamped the kitten on white pure luxury cardstock and colored her with Copic markers. I cut her out and popped her on top of the stamped kitten on the card base for some dimension. I used some October Afternoon-Farm Fresh designer paper throughout the card and created some little butterflies out of ocean mist cardstock (see below) and a flower punch.

The happy birthday greeting is from Eclectic Summer Sayings set. I used a few Prima pearl swirls to create the butterfly paths. Hope you like it!

Simple butterfly shape using flower punch:

<---Punch flower shape from cardstock. I used the Five petal flower punch from Stampin' Up! (For the smaller butterfly, I used the three flower punch from Stampin' Up!)

<---Fold flower in half. (You may get a little wrinkling in the cardstock...that is ok.)

<---Using craft scissors, cut off the top of the flower (this is the petal that is folded in half) at a slant.


<---Open up flower....it is now a butterfly shape! TIP: To add some dimension to the butterfly, use a sponge to ink along the edges.




Materials used: Stamps-Purrr-fectly Delightful, Eclectic Summer Sayings (Gina K Designs); Memento tuxedo black ink, bashful blue ink (Stampin' Up!), SU! markers-black, red; Copic Markers; Designer paper-Farm Fresh (October Afternoon); cardstock-pure luxury white, ivory, ocean mist (Gina K Designs); ribbon (SU!); Say It In Crystals Pearls White (Prima); Flower punches (Stampin' Up!); tag punches (Stampin' Up!); corner rounder punch (Creative Memories).

Check out these blogs for even more inspiration:

Theresa Momber {Illustrator}
Jessica Fick
Melanie Muenchinger
Nina Brackett
Carolyn King
Lee Murphy
Erika Martin
Joan Ervin
Jen Charboneau
Tina Gilliland

Brenda Turner Geri Utterback Linda Funk Betty Neville
StampTV Idea Center

Now, it's your turn! Please hop over to Gina's blog to add the direct link to your blog post showcasing Theresa's Purrr-fectly Delightful Stamp set in the Mister Linkey Box. Gina will have a special prize for the one link that she chooses out of all the participating bloggers - check out her blog for the details.

Thanks for stopping by!

Gina K Preview Day #1

Welcome to the Gina K Blog Hop! Today I am previewing the newest set by Rupa Shevde for Gina K Designs called My Cuppa Joe!

I created a little SWEET box (tutorial HERE) and filled it with coffee candies and chocolate. This would be the perfect presentation for a Starbucks Gift Card for a teacher or a friend.

I created the box and then stamped the sentiment along the top and bottom. Then I crimped some caramel cardstock. The images were stamped (masked) and colored and then cut using the labels Nestability dies (Spellbinders). I crimped the handle to match the other accents on the box. This is an adorable set!

Materials used: Stamps-My Cuppa Joe (Gina K Designs); Memento tuxedo black; cardstock- very vanilla, black, caramel, kraft (SU!), Copic Markers; Spellbinders Labels Dies; Cuttlebug (Provocraft); Crimper (Fiskars); dimensionals (SU!); ribbon (Offray).

**There is one more thing I want to show you before you hop along. Aside from all the awesome new sets being released on Thursday, I am sooo excited for this release for another reason---Gina is releasing her very own PURE LUXURY cardstock. This was a long time in coming and I am so excited to be part of this. Because it is so hard to describe how wonderful this cardstock is...I thought I would show you a little demonstration.

I use Stampin' Up! Whisper White cardstock a lot. I love how the Prismacolor pencils move across this paper and I also love using Copics on it. The one thing I do not like is that when I do use it, I am limited to layering my cards because the Copics will bleed through.

Gina is releasing two weights of Pure Luxury cardstock--80 lb. and 120 lb. I used both of them and SU! Whisper White cardstock to show you a comparison of them.

I stamped two separate images on each 3" by 3" square. To color the leaf (from Whimsical Autumn), I used Copics...three shades and I liberally layered the colors always going back to the Sand color to blend the darker colors. To color the acorn (from So Grateful) I used Prismacolor pencils and odorless mineral spirits.

NOTE: I photographed all images together so I could not in any way alter the results (well, not with my limited computer knowledge anyway! )

The results:

As far as the stamped image--I noticed no difference. I used Memento ink and experienced no bleeding.

When coloring with Copics, I noticed that the colors were more vivid on the Pure Luxury. I followed all the same steps to color each image and you can see the finished product below.

When coloring with Prismacolor pencils, I experienced similar results with SU and the 80 lb Pure Luxury. The colors blended well. However, I did experience more dramatic color (again) on the Pure Luxury cs, esp the 120 lb weight. This cardstock seems to have a bit more texture to it (but is still soooo smooth) so that may be the reason why color sticks to it so well.

SU! Whisper White, Pure Luxury 80 lb., Pure Luxury 120 lb.

Then, I flipped the cardstock over.

You can see the results below. The Copics bleed through the SU cardstock quite a bit. There was just a bit of bleeding through with the 80 lb Pure Luxury (top right corner), and not a trace of bleeding with the 120 lb. Pure Luxury cardstock.

SU! Whisper White, Pure Luxury 80 lb., Pure Luxury 120 lb.

I am so impressed with this cardstock and am thrilled that I can create simple one layer cards with the heavy weight and not have to compromise the smooth feel and texture I love. On Thursday morning, I will be posting a one layer card I created with the 120 lb. Pure Luxury cardstock. You will be amazed at how much I could color and still not have any show on back. (JOY!)

Ok...now you can go check out all the amazing creations by the other design team members:

Jessica Fick

Joanne Basile

Donna Baker

Asela Hopkins

Erika Martin

Kurtis Admundson

Melanie Muenchinger

Courtney Fowler *In the Spotlight Designer

and, of course, Gina K!

See you tomorrow for another peek!

Thanks for stopping by!