Thursday, April 24, 2008

No Umbrella Rule in the 'Shoe


Buckeye Shower
Originally uploaded by Buckeye
This is a card I made for a co-workers Bridal Shower. Not very traditional I know, but she's a huge Buckeye fan (like me) so I went with it. The inspiration from this card came from sitting in the rain on Saturday at the Spring Game in Ohio Stadium (there's a no umbrella rule).

The front of the card reads, "No Umbrellas Allowed at a Buckeye Shower". The inside says, "so that we can drench you with wishes of happiness always." The people at work seemed to love it.

The image is from Whipper Snapper. Stamped in Marvy Dye black on Georgia Pacific cardstock, colored with Copic markers and shaded with Prismacolor pencils. The sentiment was stamped using Karen Foster SnapStamps (oh how I wish they still made these!). The umbrella was paper pieced with patterned paper and the boots have Diamond Glaze on them. Various Ohio State patterned paper and brads were used.


This card was fueled by the second lesson in the Julie Ebersole class that I'm taking on card design. Heavy consideration was given to audience (the Buckeye fanatic), with the image and sentiment being very tied together and related (the play on words with "shower" and "drench").

Monday, April 21, 2008

Like The Flower Needs The Rain


Like The Flower Needs The Rain
Originally uploaded by Buckeye
I'm taking Julie Ebersole's course on card design...since I'm such the layout challenged stamper that I am. Here's a card for my first assignment, which was to look for inspiration around you...even in song lyrics.

Well, America's "I Need You" is a song I listen to almost daily because it very much touches my heart and communicates how I feel about a love lost so long ago. I took the line, "Like the flower needs the rain" with the inside sentiment being "You know, I need you". Not that I'll ever, ever send this card...but, I must say, I like it.

I focused on the message and the mood the lyrics convey, which is why I chose to use darker, "rainier" colors for the images and patterned paper. The flower is a very much neglected Hero Arts stamp. I used Zig Markers to color directly onto the stamp and then misted with water. I stamped the image onto watercolor paper. I masked the flower, and then used a solid palette stamp from Rubber Stampede and then applied Sea Shells Cloudy blue dye ink onto the stamp. Again misted and stamped over the flower. I somehow came up with a layout choosing blue papers over some green papers which looed way better....because I was trying to convey a sad, somber mood. I wrote the sentiment with my own handwriting...I think because of space issues, and well, to truly make the sentiment personal.

Fun assignment. I've got some more ideas in my brain that I hope to see to final product this week. Stay tuned.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Umbrella Girl


Umbrella Girl
Originally uploaded by Buckeye
It is Tax Day at about 11:00 and I'm not stressing. I had my taxes done yesterday. Very well a new record for me. It was a very stress free day, unlike years past.

Also, another deadline was looming, and I got it off in the mail yesterday....I signed up to participate in another Whipper Snapper swap on SCS. This is my creation. It is an image by the talented Anna Wight. I stamped it with Marvy Dye black ink on Georgia Pacific markers and colored the image with Copic markers and Prismacolor pencils. I layered the umbrella to give it some dimension...and then the really cool thing...I made little rain drops. I learned how to do this from the very talentedStampingMathilda. Aren't those rain drops just the coolest???
Close Up




Should have some news on Friday about my job on Friday. Stay tuned.

Sunday, April 06, 2008

Inked One!


With Style And Attitude
Originally uploaded by Buckeye
Brace yourselves....I did finally ink this stamp by Terry Medaris and colored the image with Prismacolor pencils. I was inspired by a the Runway Inspiration Challenge on SCS for Virtual Stamp night, APR08VSNA. The way I figured it, this woman would probably join the lady in the inspiration piece on the runway.

The paper I stamped on is Bristol smooth, using Black Stazon.

Saturday, April 05, 2008

Prismacolor Pencil Coloring Practice

I haven't posted in a while. I'm kinda in a creative funk, which is truly just a mental thing.

In my mind are outrageous but very real thoughts about flying to New Mexico in August to retake Terry Medaris' colored pencil classes. Yes, I'm thinking about flying across America to do this. Count it as my much deserved vacation.

So, since I'm actually considering doing this, I thought I'd better start practicing his coloring technique. I will share with you that I colored the first two images in the fall, and just colored the lady in yellow last night. Months to complete this one page from Terry's coloring book. And that's what's so bizarre about me. When I admire something so much....such as Terry's drawings, other favorite stamps, etc, I feel as though I'm not good enough yet to touch them and give them a try. Isn't that crazy? I mean, rubberstamps can be used again, and again, and again...yet, I'm not worthy of inking up a stamp for the first time.

I need to get over this crazy notion. My guess is the real underlying reason for this nonsense is very simply fear of failure. Not being good enough.

Hope to do some more coloring this weekend, maybe ink up one of Terry's stamps (gasp!) and get creating to help get over this mental block I have that stops me from truly being creative.