Magenta Super Saturday with Dianne - Thinking of You

As soon as I saw this great floral background stamp from Ellie Knol, I knew what I would do with it. It's the perfect size for the panels I usually use (about 3.75" x 5").

First I went through my stash of panels on which I had previously made some light colored backgrounds. Some time ago, I played around with floating alcohol ink onto water and putting different cardstock into it. Some of the backgrounds were bright, but some were very subtle and light.  You can see the post from this process here. The light backgrounds were the ones I was looking for to do these cards. The ones I chose were done on Tim Holtz watercolor cardstock, and I cut the panels with a Lawn Fawn LF768 Small Stitched Rectangle Stackables die to make them 3.75" x 5".

For the card above, I stamped the background onto the panel with Versamark ink and embossed it with JudiKins Iridescent Sparkle embossing powder. It's very hard to get a photo of just how sparkly this card is, but here's a shot of it at an angle.

I added some color to the panel by painting with a little Worn Lipstick Distress ink. I stamped the sentiment onto some vellum with Versamark ink and embossed with WOW Metalline Red embossing powder, which is the closest color I could find to the pinks I was using.

I die cut a rectangle frame using the Memory Box 30082 Stitched Rectangle Trimmings die, which cuts thin frames, and mounted it onto the vellum. I got the idea for this from Jennifer McGuire. You can see her post here, where she uses vellum for her sentiments and mounts a thin frame around it. I love the look of this.

This card was so easy and fun to make, that I made a second one in blues. Since I thought it could possibly be a guy card, I embossed the background with clear embossing powder, rather than the sparkle.

On the blue card, I sponged and painted with Nuance, which gave me a more vibrant color than the Distress Ink on the pink card. The sentiment was stamped with Versafine Deep Lagoon ink and embossed with clear embossing powder.

This sentiment is one of Sally Penley's calligraphy stamps. Every single one of these stamps is so amazingly beautiful. I love the large selection of sentiments, and the array of sizes available. You can see the full collection at the Magenta online store here (be sure to look at both pages), or you can click on the individual links in the item lists below.

Both Cards:

Magenta Products used:

48.021.Q Large Floral Background

07.982.E Thinking of You Small

Card #2: Blue Thinking of You

Magenta Products used:

MNU007 Raspberry

MNU020 Aquamarine

Card #1: Pink Thinking of You

Other Products used:

Lawn Fawn LF76f8 Small Stitched Rectangle Stackables

Memory Box 30082 Stitched Rectangle Trimmings

Versamark ink

JudiKins Iridescent Sparkle embossing powder

Worn Lipstick Distress Ink

WOW Metalline Red embossing powder

So Silk Beauty Pink cardstock

Tim Holtz watercolor cardstock

Neenah Solar White 110# cardstock

Card #2 Blue Thinking of You

Other Products used:

Lawn Fawn LF76f8 Small Stitched Rectangle Stackables

Memory Box 30082 Stitched Rectangle Trimmings

Versamark ink

Versafine Deep Lagoon ink

JudiKins Clear Detail embossing powder

So Silk Fair Blue cardstock

Tim Holtz watercolor cardstock

Neenah Solar White 110# cardstock

Magenta Super Saturday with Dianne - Peace on Earth

Hi everyone! This post is on the Magenta blog today. Have I said how much I love this new Magenta collection? The floral images pair so well with the beautiful calligraphy stamps by Sally Penley. I think so many lovely cards can be made with these stamps in combination.

For this card, I used the Poinsettia Border, beautifully drawn by Nathalie, in combination with Sally Penley's gorgeous Peace on Earth sentiment. I stamped both in Versamark ink onto white bristol cardstock, and embossed with JudiKins Detail Gold embossing powder. The panel was cut out with the Lawn Fawn LF76f8 Small Stitched Rectangle Stackables. The largest die of this set cuts a panel to 3.75" x 5" and adds the pretty stitched border.

I colored the flowers using Kuretake Zig Clean Color markers and a damp brush to move the color around. This card colored up SO FAST! The brushes on these markers are impossibly tiny, and so very easy to use. I think you could easily make quite a few of these very quickly.

I added score lines just above and below the sentiment to set it off. You could also easily use other coloring mediums, such as pencils, watercolor, painting with inks, or other markers such as Tombow or even Copic. Although I would probably emboss after using any alcohol based markers rather than before.

When I first made this card design, I made another version using colored pencils. I think the end result is almost indistinguishable from the card above.

Aside from the slight difference in colors, I think the biggest difference is that I didn't score above and below the sentiment on this one. The other difference is that this one took about 4 hours, while the one using Clean Color markers took about 20 minutes at the most.

The card on the left is while I was coloring with pencils. The one on the right is stamped and ready for the Clean Color markers. I stamped and embossed the colored pencil card after I finished coloring it (which I wasn't quite at the time of this photo)

Here is what it looked like when I was getting ready to stamp and emboss after coloring with pencils. (Sorry about my less than stellar photography. My hubby does the final card shots, and he is much better at that than I am).

I really like both cards, actually; and I very much enjoyed coloring this with my pencils. Honestly though, if I was going to make several of them, I would definitely emboss first and use the markers. I haven't decided about the scoring. What do you think?

Magenta Products used:

02.317.O Poinsettia Border

07.992.I Peace on Earth

Other Products used:

Both Cards:

Versamark ink

JudiKins Detail Gold embossing powder

Lawn Farn LF768 Small Stitched Rectangle Stackables die

Koh-I-Noor White Bristol cardstock

Stardream Jupiter cardstock

Neenah Solar White 110# cardstock

Card #1:

Kuretake Zig Clean Color markers: 029 Geranium Red;

022 Carmine Red; 047 May Green; 041 Light Green; 

053 Yellow Green

Card #2

Prismacolor Pencils: PC924 Crimson Red; PC926 Carmine Red;

PC928 Blush Pink; PC909 Grass Green, PC912 Apple Green

PC1004 Yellow Chartreuse

Coloring to Podcasts

I have said before that I really enjoy coloring and listening to podcasts. You can find numerous streaming podcasts online on most any subject. My first and all time favorite is "This American Life".  You can find 23 years of archived podcasts at their site here, and they are all good. I am also a Science Fiction fan, and have been really enjoying "Lightspeed Magazine." You can find it here, and they have 37 pages of archived podcasts. I am working my way backwards through all of them. Another good Sci Fi one is "Clarke's World" that you can find here. I love when the host says "Sit back and let me tell you a story." Audiobooks are also fun, and some of these can be found at the Public Library. Even before I was retired, I enjoyed podcasts, and coloring while listening really helps me wind down in the evenings.

I stamped the sentiment on this one twice to give it a drop shadow

My favorite technique that I use to produce lots of panels to color is the one I have shown you before here and here, where I prepare several panels to stamp on. My favorite cardstocks to use are Neenah Solar White 80#, Kraft, Dark Blue, Black, and a newish favorite - Strathmore Gray Tone in Mixed Media.

I cut these out using the stitched rectangle die in the MFT Blueprints 13 die set, which cuts out a 4" x 5.25" stitched rectangle. I put a stamp (usually floral) into a stamp positioner and stamp with a light ink on each panel, and flip the panel around and stamp again, with the stamp in the same place in the positioner. With these cards, my placement gives me stamping in the top right and bottom left of the panel. After stamping, I choose colored pencil combinations and then spend blissful hours coloring away. You don't have to use colored pencils, of course. If you prefer to color with markers, then this technique still works very well.

After coloring, I stamp again with Versamark (after using a powder tool - this is an important step since the powder does like to cling to the color penciling) I emboss each one with whatever embossing powder I think will go well with the color combination.

I end up with lots of colored panels that I can turn into cards then, very easily. These cards can be for almost anything. Even though they are usually floral, I think they can still be a nice guy card, depending on the colors used.

Now that I have Sally Penley's beautiful calligraphy stamps, I have enjoyed using them to make these panels into cards.

But you could certainly easily add a die cut sentiment instead

Here's the first card before I embossed it with white. I also used white Pico Embellisher on the stamens in the center, and it brightened the whole thing up a lot.

I used gold embossing on this one, and when I added the sentiment, I matched the embossing powder. I used white pico embellisher on the stamens.

Here are some of them getting put together. choosing a good color of cardstock to mat them with is also important.

I hope you'll take the time to try this. I absolutely love this Magenta stamp for this technique. It's called Apple Blossom Bouquet (by Nathalie). It's not in the newest release with these sentiments, but it's available at Magenta, and it's one I will continue to use again and again. It's so beautiful and fun to color.

All Cards:

Magenta Products used:

14.655.P Apple Blossom Bouquet

Card #1: Sending you warm thoughts

Additional Magenta Products used

07.973.G Warm Thoughts - Speedy Recovery

Other Products used:

Prismacolor Pencils: PC 906 Copenhagen Blue,

PC 903 True Blue, PC 919 Non-Photo Blue, 

PC1004 Yellow Chartreuse, PC1005 Limepeel,

PC 911 Olive Green

Versamark ink

Versafine Deep Lagoon ink

JudiKins Detail Silver embossing powder

Imagine Crafts Wedding Dress Pico Embellisher

Die-namics MFT-463 Blueprints 13 die set

Strathmore Gray Tone Mixed Media cardstock

So Silk Fair Blue cardstock

Neenah Solar White 110# cardstock

Card #2: Happy Birthday

Additional Magenta Products used

07.975.I Happy Birthday Large

Other Products used:

Prismacolor pencils: PC 926 Carmine Red,

PC 929 Pink, PC 927 Light Peach, 

PC1004 Yellow Chartreuse, PC1005 Limepeel,

PC 911 Olive Green

Versamark ink

JudiKins Detail Gold embossing powder

Imagine Crafts Wedding Dress Pico Embellisher

Die-namics MFT-463 Blueprints 13 die set

Papertrey Ink True Black cardstock

Curious Metallics Super Gold cardstock

Neenah Solar White 110# cardstock

Card #3: With Sympathy

Additional Magenta Products used

07.984.E With Sympathy

Other Products used:

Prismacolor pencils: PC 992 Light Aqua,

PC 905 Aquamarine, PC 103 Cobalt Turquoise

PC1004 Yellow Chartreuse, PC1005 Limepeel,

PC 911 Olive Green

Versamark ink

JudiKins White Opaque embossing powder

Imagine Crafts Wedding Dress Pico Embellisher

Die-namics MFT-463 Blueprints 13 die set

Deep Blue cardstock from The Paper Cut

Light blue cardstock from Impress

Neenah Solar White 110# cardstock

Card #4: Thank You

Additional Magenta Products used

07.979.G Thank You Medium

Other Products used:

Prismacolor pencils: PC 1003 Spanish Orange,

PC 1002 yellowed Orange, PC1032 Pumpkin Orange,

PC 922 Poppy Red, PC1004 Yellow Chartreuse,

PC1005 Limepeel, PC 911 Olive Green

Versamark ink

JudiKins Detail Gold embossing powder

Die-namics MFT-463 Blueprints 13 die set

Paper Accents Natural Kraft Cardstock

Stampin Up Cajun cardstock

Neenah Solar White 110# cardstock

Card #5: Thinking of You

Other Products used:

Prismacolor pencils: PC 932 Violet,

PC1008 Parma Violet, PC 956 Lilac,

PC 1026 Greyed Lavender, PC1004 Yellow Chartreuse,

PC1005 Limepeel, PC 911 Olive Green

JudiKins Detail Gold embossing powder

Die-namics MFT-463 Blueprints 13 die set

Papertrey PTD 1068 Big Basics: Thinking of You die

Neenah Solar White 80# & 110# cardstock

So Silk Passion Purple cardstock

Hellebore Christmas Tags

I was kind of waiting for the new Magenta Christmas stamps to do the tags I was supposed to do in June. It was my plan to start the year with making 17 Christmas cards every other month, and 20 Christmas tags every other month. That way, I can stop in October and have all I need for the Holidays. I stay "mostly" caught up...ok I stay a little behind, but not too bad. These tags were for June, but I actually did them in July. For those who are keeping count, the July cards were finished in July; that post is here, and yes I got to use new Magenta Christmas stamps for those also.

These are super simple tags, but I love them. The flowers are a new Magenta stamp, and they are a beautiful drawing of Hellebore flowers by Nathalie. Hellebores are a winter flower; but this stamp could certainly be used all year round.

The red and green rectangles came from a previous Christmas card, where they were cut out of the center of a frame. That post from May is here, and I knew then that these leftover pieces would be used as tags.

The flowers and sentiment, both designed by Nathalie, were simply stamped with Versamark ink and embossed with JuidKins White Detail embossing powder. I rounded the corners with a corner rounder. There is no need for a to/from on our tags, since we put a photo of the recipient on each tag. How we do that is shown here. However, it would be easy to write on the backs of these also.

Magenta Products Used:

14.669.L Flower Corner

07.993.F Merry Christmas

Other Products Used:

Versamark ink

JudiKins Detail White embossing powder

Hopsack Red cardstock from The Paper Cut

Emerald Green Linen cardstock from The Paper Cut

Crop A Dile Corner Chomper 1/4" round

Quick and Easy Birthday Card

In my last post, I showed you a super quick and easy Thank You card, using the beautiful new Sally Penley extra large Thank You stamp by Magenta. If you missed it, you can see that post here. Today I'm using the new extra large Happy Birthday stamp, also by Sally Penley for Magenta. I'm certain that I will get a lot of use out of having these two basics in my stash.

One of the things I love about these stamps is that you can pull a background out of your stash, stamp the sentiment and you are good to go.

This background is one from a master sheet I made in a class by Sally Penley, "Foam Brush Painting." All of the swipes and lines on it were made with a foam brush and metallic watercolors from Artquest. When I cut this piece out of the master, I knew immediately it would be for a Birthday card. What a great coincidence that it would be done with Sally's fabulous calligraphy stamp!

Magenta Products used:

07.999.N Happy Birthday Extra Large

Other Products Used:

US Artquest Watercolor Palette

Small foam brush

Versafine Onyx Black ink

Tim Holtz watercolor paper

Neenah Solar White 110# cardstock

Lawn Fawn LF768 Small Stitched Rectangle Stackables die

Magenta Super Saturday with Dianne

After a hiatus from posting on the Magenta blog, I am back, and very excited about the new Magenta Autumn-Christmas 2018 collection. This collection is not just seasonal, but includes beautiful year round designs from Sally Penley's calligraphy, Ellie Knol, Nathalie and Helene. I have already been posting a few things using the new designs, and I really do love them all.

This latest card is a very quick and easy one. If you need a 5 minute card, this is it! I die-cut a panel of Tim Holtz watercolor cardstock (I like it because it's really white), using the Lawn Fawn LF768 Small Stitched Rectangle Stackables (the largest die cuts a panel 3.75" x 5")

For the background, I took out one of the Tim Holtz acrylic blocks from his pack of 9 different sizes of blocks. These blocks all have a grid etched into them, and one of them is the perfect size for a card. I smooshed Distress ink onto the block (Wilted Violet, Picked Raspberry, Spiced Marmalade) and spritzed it with pearly water (mixture of water and perfect pearls powder). I then stamped the block onto the watercolor cardstock, taking care to place it in the middle of the panel.

You can check out this technique in previous posts on my blog here, here, here, and a number of other places also. Just search for "Acrylic Block Stamping" on my blog if you are interested in additional examples.

After the background had dried completely, I stamped the Magenta "Extra Large Thank You" sentiment with Versafine Onyx Black ink. This stamp, designed by Sally Penley is just the right size to cover the card. You really don't need to do anything else! Be sure to check out the "Extra Large Happy Birthday" stamp by Sally as well. You can find it right here. Another great stamp for an instant card.

This post appears on the Magenta blog today, and I will be posting there about every third Saturday. Be sure to check it out! And if you have not already, subscribe to the Magenta blog by email. I think you will love their fresh new look. You can find them here.

Magenta Products used:

07.978.N Thank You Extra Large

Other Products used:

Tim Holtz acrylic block set with grid lines

Distress inks: Wilted Violet, Picked Raspberry, Spiced Marmalade

Tim Holtz watercolor cardstock

Lawn Fawn die LF768 Small Stitched Rectangle Stackables

Versafine Onyx Black ink

So Silk Beauty Pink cardstock

Neenah Solar White 110# cardstock