Inspiration Spring

The Inspiration Challenge on Splitcoaststampers today has a beautiful blue and white bedroom in an Bed & Breakfast.  It just screamed spring to me. I loved the gingham spread and the little picket fence headboard.  The gingham and flowers and greenery on the fence inspired me to create a fun gingham background but to create an outdoor scene. I chose Rubbernecker Garden Collection images to work with.

I picked a pale blue Copic Marker and used a ruler to create my own hand drawn plaid background.  I didn’t want to create gingham as it would have needed to be more accurately drawn than I had the energy for.  I stamped the images on white cardstock with Black Brilliance and then colored with Copic markers.  I cut everything out to pop up over the plaid.  I loved the fun look of this. I used wooden sticks that I brought home from work (hemoccult sticks) a while back for a Dirty Dozen theme.  And no…..the theme was not hemoccults. I embossed the sticks with white embossing powder and then cut to create the picket fence.  I didn’t want the fence to look perfectly white so I heated it while it was face down on paper and pushed it in to the paper.  I knew some of the heated embossing would stick and pull off the wood.  I got the exact look I was after.  Weathered wood. I created a little grassy ground area to cover the fence and added the striped ribbon for one more touch of embellishment. I may have over done it a bit. I love the little "Think Spring" sentiment on the sign and the birdies in the scene.  This was lots of cutting and work but I really enjoyed myself.

Stamps:  Rubbernecker Garden Collection

Paper:  White

Ink:  Brilliance Black Graphite

Accessories:  Copic Markers, SU Markers (Sentiment) Gingham, Grosgrain, Embossing Powder, Sticks, Snips, Glue Dots, Heat Gun

Hand Sketching

I did a second card for this challenge.  This time I used my new set of Copic black multiliners to sketch with so I could color with my Copic Markers.  My Faber-Castell artist pens don’t work well with the Copic’s as the alcohol makes them run some. I sketched out my little fence line and trees with the finest pens .01 and .03.  I love the tiny little lines they create.  I sketched the tulip (if that is what you can call them) heads and greenery right over the sketched lines of the trees and fence and colored with the pink and and green markers.  My flower color was pulled from the flowers woven through the fence headboard in the bedroom. Then I used a very light grey marker to color the fence and a couple colors of brown for the trees.  I filled in the ground area with my green markers and then added texture with my little fern stamp.  I added leaves to the trees with the fern stamp as well. I sponged blue on for the sky area and wanted it to be pretty dark to match the blue paper and to pull blue into my scene from the inspiration piece.  I created my little eyelet layers by punching scallops with my corner rounder with the guide taken off of it.  I then punched the larger and smaller circles with hand held circle punches.  I wanted to pull the eyelet from the bedroom pillows and dust ruffle.  I popped the eyelet pieces up on the top and bottom for interest and to create a sort of a window scene. I loved the little touch of soft blue and white gingham for this as well. This card has a bright and spring feel to me.  Are you people that live in the cold climates wishing for spring soon?

Stamps:  Watercolor Minis Fern

Paper:  Blue, White

Ink:  Adirondack Meadow, Black Brilliance, SU Bashful Blue

Accessories:  Copic Markers and Multiliners, Hand Circle Punches, Corner Rounder, Sponge, Mounting Tape , Gingham