Guest Designer at 12 Kits of Occasions

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I was asked to be a guest designer this month at the 12 Kits of Occasions Blog.  My task was to receive the monthly kit, which included die cut/stamped images, cardstock, patterned paper, bling, washi tape and twine.

I didn't really need my arm twisted, especially when I saw all the fun goodies that I had to play with.  There wasn't a map in my head of which direction I wanted to go, so I decided to begin by pairing a sentiment with an appropriate stamped image and began coloring.

For my first card, I wanted to created a woodsy scene around the mouse, pumpkins and leaves.  I did some water coloring and direct coloring with my Tombow Dual brush pens, which is the medium that I've used for all my projects today, except where otherwise noted.

I usually choose 3 or 4 colors and try to stick with those colors, then I may add other colors later, but for coloring stamped images, I begin with just a few pens in hand.   All of my ribbons that I'm using today are from The Ribbon Resource/May Arts Ribbon.  As I'm a designer for May Arts Ribbon, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that all orders through Christmas receive a free roll of ribbon!

I used some additional dies of my own for the banner flag and oval frame, from Lil Inker Designs, along with a woodgrain and birch tree embossing folder.  The bubble embellishments on all my projects are from DoubleClick Skittles.  By the way, I inked my embossing folders with distress ink, then fussy cut the birch trees and popped a few out with foam squares.

For my 2nd card, I've done a little paper layering, including using the washi tape as a border on the left.  I love to add little extras to my colored images, such as the lines on the baskets and the dots on the mouses sweater, using a white gel pen.

I embossed the sentiment using the Spellbinders Celebra'tions rectangle die, sponged distress ink and added some ink spray splatters.  I rarely use the mister of a spray bottle, but prefer to unscrew the bottle and tap droplets onto my paper.

I really had fun with my 3rd card.  I love to watercolor and especially, I love to do skies, in particular, night skies.  It's calming for me and I really enjoy the process.  The easiest and most effective watercoloring technique that I use is, take your watercolor markers or pens and swipe liberally across an acrylic block, then spritz with water.  Use a wet paintbrush or water brush to distribute the water.  I have a Tim Holtz water brush that I love.  Just fill it with water.  It's self cleaning as well, just wipe it onto a paper towel.

With that in mind, I chose to do some smooshing on this project so I actually swiped several colors on a very large acrylic block, being careful to not mix the colors, and spread them out.   Then I spritzed water and took my paper and "smooshed" it into the color.  If I missed any spots, I smooshed again with the remaining colors or swiped more colors and repeated until I was satisfied with the intensity and variation of color.  I did this with the sentiment as well, from Whimsy Stamps.  I actually cut the words apart and only used part of the sentiment.  I smooshed them in the same mix of watercolors.

Next, I added snow.  This is easy, peasy.  I used my Tim Holtz White Picket Fence dabber and dabbed onto my acrylic block, spritzed just a bit of water, then dipped my wet toothbrush into the mix.  Next, I ran my thumb across the wet, inked toothbrush to "spray" snow across my sky.  It doesn't take much so only dab your ink once or twice onto your acrylic block.  The clouds were created with a sponge and Powder Puff chalk ink.

For the die cut clouds, I used a Spellbinders Celebration die on Core'dinations cardstock, then distressed it with a sand paper nail file.  The sentiment was actually part of an entire stamped image but I only used a few of the words, water coloring them in the same ink as the sky, and tearing the ends of the paper.

Again, I added some little extras to my mouse, including some glitter glue on his scarf.  That snowy, stitched border that the mouse is standing on?  I don't go out and buy border dies.  I just run my oval frame dies that I already have, halfway through my Cuttlebug embossing machine, then trim the other half off.  This is a way of using your dies in other ways and saving on cost.

Are you sick of me yet?  Because, I could talk all day, haha.  My 4th card features the stamped polar bear and accompanying stamped images that I received.  I added some glitter glue and Flower Soft Polar White to give my bear some fur.  There's more washi tape (grey snowflakes), Curling Ribbon, glitter ribbon and faux burlap in silver.  Oh, and those fuzzy wired pom poms.  Love them!

That's Ranger Stickles Frosted Lace glitter glue on the ice burg, and signage and Mr. Bears cap.

"Bear" with me, we're almost finished!  Lastly, here's another bear, this one holding a little mug.  I sponged polka dots with a stencil on the kraft cardstock, then layered with a doily, patterned paper and a frame cut with a Spellbinders die.  I also used another die from MFT, the chat bubble die and adhered one of the sentiments that came with the kit.  The doily was white and I sponged Ranger Fossilized Amber distress ink on it, to blend in.

This big guy was water colored, then I added some gel pen swirls and gold glitter glue.  All my adhesives today are from my Xyron runner, with the exception of the clear glue for the sequins and Skittles and I use Tombow Mono Aqua glue for that.

Ta-da!  You made it to the end.  I'm so proud that you hung in there.  Maybe you learned a little something along the way?  Regardless, I had fun and thank you ladies for having me!

Also linking to these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes Challenge

MFT Color Challenge 34

Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday Nov Challenge/Holiday Cards

Supplies provided by 12 Kits of Occasions:

Solid Card Stock: SU and PTI - Pure Poppy, Michael's - white

Patterned paper: Echo Park Stripes and Dots

Stamps and Dies: My Favorite Things Harvest Mouse and BB Cool Day

Stamps: Whimsy - Christmas Chalkboards 1

Sequins: PPP

Washi Tape- personal stash

Ink Memento on dies, VersaFine on Sentiments

Kit Photo:

Additional supplies:

May Arts Ribbon Burlap String Natural and Ivory, Copper wired ribbon, Open Weave Burlap, White wired Fuzzy Pom Pom Ribbon, Red sparkly Curling Ribbon, Faux Silver Burlap, Sheer Silver Glitter Dot Ribbon

Spellbinders Celebra'tions Pierced Rectangle Die

Spellbinders Celebra'tions Sunny Days Cloud Die

Lil Inker Designs Oval Frame Die and Banner Flag Die

My Favorite Things Bubble Chat die

Ranger Stickles Glitter Glue Gold, Fruit Punch, Diamond, Frosty Lace, Firefly

Marvy Le Pen black ultra fine point

White Gelly Roll pen

Tombow Dual Brush Markers

DoubleClickSkittles Bubble Embellishments

Cricut Explore 

Spellbinders Fancy Frames Square Die

The Crafter's Workshop Sea Bubbles stencil

Ranger Fossilized Amber distress ink

Ranger Brushed Corduroy distress ink

We R Memory Keepers Woodgrain Embossing Folder

Darice Birch Tree embossing folder

Bazzill Kraft cardstock

Coredinations Purple Carstock

White doilies

Tim Holtz Picket Fence Distress Ink Dabber

Quick Quotes Powder Puff Chalk White chalk ink

October Afternoon Sprinkles Witches Brew misting spray

Cuttlebug Embossing machine

Tim Holtz Waterbrush

Xyron Adhesive Runner

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