SOG April Sketch Challenge

I'm trying to be more participatory *Grins* This week I've been all over Some Odd Girl. Earlier this week I did the Live Color Along with Kristy and we did Mad Hatter Kody. It's actually a stamp I've had for a while and I've been dying to use. Apparently I just needed an excuse.

This weekend I put him on my April Sketch Challenge card. The Challenge is to make a card based in the following template.

I thought my new Mad Hatter would fit in perfectly.

The papers are SEI and a small portion from the Graphics 45 Wonderland collection (Seemed appropriate). The ribbon is from Websters Pages and reminded me of a fabric measuring tape that Kody would run around using to measure people's heads for hats, and the flags are from Studio Calico.

I used Copics to color and used the colors from the Live Color Along (You can read all about it here on Kristy's Blog and see her much better coloring)

I almost didn't do the Epic Pants. I chickened out at first and just made them pinstripes, but Kristy's came out so cute that I had to try it and I must say, I'm very pleased with the results.

Steampunk Fairytale

*Cracks knuckles* Alright, lovies. This is my very first attempt at submitting to be on a Design Team and I figure it's best just to close my eyes and take the leap, yeah? Well, thankfully I kept my eyes open while I was coloring. (Otherwise this would be pretty impressive). March, unfortunately is my craziest month of the year, so I wasn't able to finish this project in time, but I decided to still tackle the first two of a set of cards I've been conceptualizing from Simply Betty's line of Steampunk Fairy Tales & Myths figures. I am so in love with them. (Honestly, I love all the Steampunk images, but I've always had a not-so-secret love affair with twisted fairytale imagery and stories)

Glass Slipper? Try Prada

For my first, I chose Cinderella. I love that she kind of looks like Marie Antoinette. I wanted her to be especially pale, almost like a ghostly version of the traditional storybook character, which I think is fitting since it kind of looks like she's chilling out in a graveyard. (And admiring her awesome shoe)

Copic Colors:
Skin - E0000-E01 & E93
Hair - E30-34 & E37
Dress - B91-B99 & E40-E43

Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair

The next I worked on was Rapunzel.I think her sweetness is a bit more contrasting with Cinderella's darker feel. I thought it was interesting that she was pregnant, and while I suppose you could assume this was part of her happily ever after, I chose to see it as Rapunzel getting naughty with her prince while trapped in that tower of hers. *Brow Waggle* Anyway....

Copic colors:
Skin: E00-E02 & E93
Hair: E31-E34
Dress: RV32-RV34 & RV95-RV99
Castle: BV23-BV29






I wanted these to be a sort of matched set. I've planned, when I've finished them all, to create a sweet little box to put them in to give like a stationary gift set. I can't wait to color and assemble the rest so that I can post up the completed project! Now onto Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood!!

Mixed Media Book

It's finally finished. It only took me a million years. Okay, maybe only since late January...but still....

So, earlier this year I took a Mixed Media class (or several) with the brilliant and funny and very talented Dina Wakley. In that class we started a book, and just a week ago I finally completed it and I'm quite happy with the results.

Birthday Fishes

I made a card this week that I'm super proud of. It's for one of my favorite people in the world, and her birthday is the same as mine (March 16th) and so I thought a mermaid would be the perfect option for our Pisces connection. But which mermaid to choose? I love so many of them. But finally I settled on a stamp I'd never used before from the Under the Sea Mae set. I made the other one in the color along on UStream a couple weeks ago, but that one is very pink, and my friend is not a big fan of pink. *Snickers*

This is the finished card. Isn't she pretty?

And a nice close up. I love the stippling with Copics. It's fun to mix colors that way and you can just layer them on.

Hair: BG09, BG11, BG49 & BG78
For her tail, I used all of the colors above with the addition of:
Y26 & Y28
BG18 & BG32
YG03

I also love the iridescence in the paper I used for the bubbles. It's like bubbles trapped inside of bubbles.

I was so inspired to finish this card, I couldn't even sleep until I did! Is there a Crafters Anonymous?

Some Odd Girl - March Sketch Challenge

Today's inspiration came from a few difference sources. My favorite nephew's birthday is this month, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to enter the Boys Only challenge, over at the Some Odd Girl blog. And since since I'm a woman of very limited free time, I decided to - what? Multitask! And I also used the inspiration from the March Sketch challenge at the same time.

This is Puppy-Tobie from Some Odd Girl. I've been dying to use him and this seemed like the perfect occasion.

Isn't he a cutie. I've found myself having a few little dudes in my life now, and Tobie seems to fit every occasion with them, which is awesome.

Some of you might have noticed my other inspiration, and that is one of my favorite cartoons, Invader Zim. As soon as I thought of this stamp and my little nephew, I immediately thought of Gir, the little robot that dresses like a little green dog to 'blend in'. *Giggles*

The sentiment is from the Make a Statement clear stamp (Also Some Odd Girl) and the paper is from Die Cuts with a View 'Green Stack'

Copics Used:
Skin: EOO, E000, E01, E93 & E57
Hair: E33, E35 & E 37
Top: YG13, YG17 & YG67. R14 & R17. N1-N8
Jeans: B97, B99, B41 & B45

(R29 & YR09 used as accents on shirt and shoes)


OH! And I finally finished my watermark. What do you guys think?

First Color Along

So, if you're familiar with the Some Odd Girl community and blog (And if you're not, you should be. Go here - Some Odd Girl Community. Now. Please) then you know about her Live Color Alongs on UStream. Kristy usually ran them on Wednesday's at 1pm, which was swell, except I had to work and I wasn't able to join in. *Pouts* They frown upon setting aside work to color instead at my office. Lame. Anyhow, she recently started alternating an evening class, so I got to participate for the first time!

We did Under the Sea Mae in a series of lovely pinks. I learned some new texture techniques and had a lot of fun with the skin shading. Kristy offered a combination I'd never used before and it made for a very lovely tanned skin.

This was my result for the night.

I haven't made a card with her yet, but I can't wait to design something fun and flirtatious to go with the final colored piece. If you haven't joined the Live Color Alongs yet, I highly suggest it. You can find the one I took - Here

Some Odd Birthday

For my favorite couple, I made adorable cards using a couple Some Odd Girl images. The first was for my fellow baker buddy, Brenna. I used Baker Mae for the main image (Isn't she cute). Her dress is a combination of Y21-Y28 & BG53-BG57. I made the I Heart Cake banner in Photoshop and cut that, the backers and the continued chevron pattern on my Zing. (Seriously the best thing my husband has ever bought me. I love that he supports my habit...I mean hobby)

 

Her husband, Roman, has a birthday very close to Brenna's, so I thought it would be nice to make him a card too, even though usually the only guys I make cards for are my own husband and my family members, but I figured being the husband of my best friend makes Roman family, right? Totally. 

For Roman's card, I used 1920's Kody from Some Odd Girl.

I used YG91-YG99 to color his outfit and added a few matching brads and buttons. Roman raved over it, which was very touching. It's always nice to know that the cards you make will be kept and cherished.