Alcohol Ink Swirls

Last month at play day at Art'n Soul, one technique we were trying out was to get a tub of water and float drops of alcohol ink on top of the water.  We then took pieces of watercolor paper (I use 140# Strathmore cold press) and dragged them through the ink.  I love the effect, and I will definitely use all of these pieces for cards.  It was very difficult to predict how any individual piece would turn out, but it was definitely the case that the bright colors work the best.  We used Ranger alcohol inks for this technique.  Some I liked better than others, but I liked them all.  Sorry if the camera work is not up to par - I took these pics with my iPhone.

On the one below, I tried to stamp and emboss an image in white; but it was a failed experiment.  I didn't take into account that alcohol ink will stick to glossy just fine.  You can faintly see a bicycle image in it - this is the Magenta bicycle stamp 42.192.N

This "thanks" that I die cut from a previous project happened to land on one of the marbled pieces on my desk.  This will definitely be a "thank you" card in the future!

I took one of the pieces and Zentangled on it, and then wrote a note on the back to send to my new friends in Iceland.  I hope they like it!  I really liked using the color in this piece.

Magenta May 2014 Challenge!

May 2014 - Magenta Challenge :

ANYTHING GOES!

Create a Card, a Layout or even an altered object if you feel like it,

the only rule to follow is to use at least one Magenta product :

papers, stamps, embellishment, Peel Off's, chipboard and more...

You have until May 29th to enter!

You could win this Magenta Prize :

This prize is from Magenta's newest Spring collection!

You can use ANY Magenta product for your entry.  I used a couple of the newest stamps for my very clean and simple card:

Magenta Stamps used:

42.208.N  Poppies

07.875.F  Always

Other Products used:

Tombow markers:  899; 847; 835; 098; 491

Glossy Accents

Clear Wink of Stella

Hero Arts Blush Mixed Accents

Onyx Black Versafine Ink

Judikins Detail Clear Embossing Powder

Watercolor paper

So Silk Beauty Pink paper

The poppy image was stamped onto watercolor paper (Strathmore cold press 140#) with black Versafine and embossed with Detail Clear embossing powder.  I colored the flower with Tombow markers, and used a wet brush to move the color around until I was happy with the shading and the look.  Glossy Accents was applied to the center of the largest flower for a little shine, and clear Wink of Stella was applied to all of the flower petals for some sparkle.  The sentiment was stamped with black Versafine.  Image was mounted onto So Silk Beauty Pink for matting, and then mounted onto a white base card.  Hero Arts Blush Mixed Accents were applied for a finishing touch.

Please click here to go to the Magenta blog.  You can see all of the projects from the Design Team, and you can enter your project using in linkz.

New Magenta Spring 2014 Supplement

This is one of my favorite supplements ever - you are going to love these new Spring images!

Supplement may take a few seconds to appear.  If you are having trouble opening the supplement, please link to it directly here

Distress Watercolor

I have been experimenting with various watercolor techniques in advance of our watercolor play day at Art 'n Soul (more on that later).  The first technique I played with is one that I have seen several other places, so I thought I would try it out.  I started with 140 lb cold press watercolor paper, and stamped with various background stamps in Versamark ink.  I embossed each with Judikins white embossing powder.  I then applied Distress inks using Distress markers on some, and ink pads with a mini blending tool on others.  I sprayed each liberally with a mini mister containing water mixed with Perfect Pearls.  The dye-based Distress inks really move around on the watercolor paper.  I let some dry naturally and some I dried using a heat tool.  Both methods worked well.

I have a mini mister that I keep filled with water and small scoops of Perfect Pearls in the plain pearl color.  You really need to just add small scoops of the powder to the water in the spritzer.  If you add too much, it may clog your sprayer.  I just use the back end of a watercolor brush to scoop it out and add 2 scoops to the water and shake it well.  I learned a tip from Jennifer McGuire to add an embellishment pearl to the top of the spritzer that I keep the pearly water in, so that I always know which one it is.

I chose all Magenta sentiments and added them to the front of each card.  This first one is my favorite.  I just love how the colors turned out.

Life is a Gift

Stamps used:  

"Life is a gift untie the ribbons"  Magenta  07.640.G

Impression Obsession Flourishes CAC  CC027

Distress Ink:

Peacock Feathers

Picked Raspberry

Squeezed Lemonade

Paper:  So Silk Beauty Pink

1/4" white silk ribbon

Life is Art

Stamps used:

"life is Art live yours in Color"  Magenta  07.700.G

Impression Obsession Tapestry CAC  CC025

Distress Ink:

Dusty Concord

Worn Lipstick

Spun Sugar

Peeled Paint

Paper:  Stardream Fairway

My Minds Eye Enamel Dots from Unforgettable Firsts and Up, Up, and Away

Hero Arts Mixed Accents in Blush, Floral & Foliage

Sizzix 4 dies 659072 (for sentiment)

Today I Choose Happiness

Stamps used:

"Today I choose Happiness"  Magenta  07.845.G

Hero Arts Asian Flower Pattern  CG243

Distress Ink:

Crushed Olive

Seedless Preserves

Faded Jeans

Paper:  Mohawk Feltweave Eggplant

Hero Arts Mixed Accents - Floral

On the last three cards, I chose to alter the sentiments.  I wanted them to be more stacked, to fit on the card, or to fit onto a die cut.  To accomplish this, I used a stamp positioner and applied tape over the part of the stamp I didn't want inked in the first stamping.  I inked up the stamp and removed the tape, and stamped.  The part of the sentiment not inked did not stamp.  I then went back and taped over the part of the stamp I had already stamped; inked the stamp up again, removed the tape and positioned the rest of the sentiment where I wanted it.

Live the Life You've Imagined

Stamps used:

"Live the Life You've Imagined"  Magenta  07.836.I

Impression Obsession Floral Lines CAC  CC089

Distress Ink:

Spiced Marmalade

Rusty Hinge

Peeled Paint

Mustard Seed

Wild Honey

Paper:  Glossy Black

Spellbinders Labels 11 (for sentiment)

Hero Arts Mixed Accents - Sunshine

You line up the first part of the sentiment with the positioner; ink and stamp.  Then line up the second part where you want it, and ink and stamp.

Give Wings to Your Passion

Stamps used:

"Give Wings to your Passion"  Magenta  07.835.G

Hero Arts Antique Background  CG120

Distress Ink:

Rusty Hinge

Orange Marmalade

Wild Honey

Broken China

Faded Jeans

Paper:  Stardream Copper

Hero Arts Orange Metallic Decor

This is how I altered the sentiment on this card.  I love the original, but I just needed it to be more stacked for this card so it wouldn't cover any butterflies.

Creative Minds

Stamps used:

"Creative Minds are rarely tidy"  Magenta  07.819.G

Impression Obsession Medallion CAC  CC032

Distress Ink:  Faded Jeans

Chipped Sapphire

Aged Mahogany

Stormy Sky

Paper:  So Silk Fair Blue

Tag die for sentiment from Spellbinders for Just Rite Stamps JB08950 Nested Frame Dies

Hero Arts Mixed Accents Floral & Sea

This one was the hardest to alter, because I wanted it to look a little wonky (that's my story and I'm stickin' to it)

This technique would work well to make a set of cards as a gift, or just to quickly make a lot of pretty cards to add to your stash.  They were easy, quick and fun to make, and I love how they turned out.  This is just one technique that I will demo on Friday, April 18, at the watercolor play day at Art 'n Soul.  If you are local, please come and see me!  I will also try to do at least one other post with more watercolor.

I miss our Iceland relatives and friends so much!  They tell me that Spring is also coming there and it's been rainy.  Here is a picture sent to us from Jon Eldon Logason.  They kayak there too!

Photo by Jon Eldon Logason

Magenta April Challenge

April 2014 - Magenta Challenge :

Easter

Create a Card, a Layout or even an alterned object if you feel like it

and use at least one Magenta product :

papers, stamps, embellishment, Peel Off's, chipboard and more...

You have until April 29th to enter!

You could win a surprise Magenta Prize,

containing stamps from the upcoming supplement

Please use In linkz to submit your page

Click here to go to the Magenta blog to submit your entry

Here is my card:

Magenta Stamps Used:  07.807.I  There is Magic All Around Us

86.007.G  Bird Nest

Magenta Template:  TM43 Birds

Other Products Used:  

Tsukineko Neon Inks:  Electric Pink; Electric Green; Electric Blue

Brilliance Coffee Bean Ink

Hero Arts Mixed Accents:  Sea and Blush

Paper:  So Silk Fair Blue and So Silk Beauty Pink

I wanted to try out the new Tsukineko Neon inks, and I absolutely love them.  When I looked at the colors I thought they would be perfect for Easter and Spring; they're so bright and happy.  I applied the color with stencil brushes over the Magenta template, and colored the egg in the nest blue also.  Easy and quick to do!

Iceland Partur Tveir (Part Two)

We have been out into the countryside on several trips now, and I am so in love with this beautiful country of Iceland (Island), and its people.  We went on a bus tour to Geysir (Geyser), Gullfoss (where there is a stunning waterfall), and to see where the North American and the European plates meet (mid Atlantic Ridge).  My pictures don't adequately capture the amazing colors and sweeping vistas.  This will be the most photo-intensive blog post I've done, so hang in there with me.

Geysir 2014

 Some of the images remind me of the area near Yellowstone, but with fewer trees

Geysir 2014

Gullfoss 2014

Gullfoss is a stunning waterfall that is multilayered, and is frozen for part of the year.

Gullfoss 2014

Note the professional photographer near the edge.  The lengths some people will go for a photo!

Our new son-in-law's grandfather, Jon Eldon, and his wife Inga Olsen invited us to their home for "coffee", which turned out to be more like a very high tea.  There was an amazing spread of sandwiches, wraps, including traditional things such as smoked salmon and smoked lamb; plus beautiful cakes and a wide variety of things to drink.  Jon has a business building the most incredible custom fireplaces in Iceland.  Inga has a hobby working with the beautiful stones you can find at the seashore.  These are some of the people she has made and painted.  She just sets these out front and they sell themselves.

by Inga Olsen

By Inga Olsen

By Inga Olsen

By Inga Olsen

 I really loved this piece, and she also has some beautiful stacked stone pieces in her yard.  Below is just one of them

by Inga Olsen

Jon and Inga invited us to go on a tour to some lesser know places and backroads.  We had so much fun that it made us wish that we had another week here to travel around with our gracious new friends.

Geothermal area Southwest of Reykjavik

The water in the pools was HOT!  Most of the homes in Iceland use geothermal energy for everything, including the unlimited hot water that they get directly from areas such as this.

Where the lava flows met the sea, Southwest of Reykjavik

I could have spent all day here by the ocean just looking at all of the beautiful rocks, seaweed and other interesting things that the sea has swept in

Since this is not really a travel blog, I'm going to leave you with some Zentangled images that I did right before I came to Iceland.  Upon learning that our son-in-law's little sister loves to draw, I sent her a "Joy of Zentangle" book.  She liked it quite well, so I brought her some more pens, markers, and some tags that I cut out of different papers.  I did small samples to show her what can be done with the different paper types.

By Dianne Johnson

 Using Classic Crest card stock and colored Micron 01 pens

by Dianne Johnson

Using Watercolor paper, Tombow markers for watercolor, and Micron black 01 pen.  I also used the Magenta Swirl Lines stamp on this one (42.126.L).  I love using that stamp to create strings in which to Zentangle.

by Dianne Johnson

Using Kraft paper and a brown (not Sepia) 01 Micron pen

by Dianne Johnson

Using black paper, and a white Pentel Sunburst pen

by Dianne Johnson

 A larger tag that I tangled with a Pentel Sunburst pen.  I also stamped the sentiments with Memento Luxe Wedding Dress ink.

by Dianne Johnson

One last tag:  this was completely out of my comfort zone, since I prefer to work in black and white, but this was for a friend who loves explosions of color.  I used Sakura glaze pens, and stamped with Memento ink in a complementary color.

If you hung in with me all the way to the end of this, you're a real trooper.  Thanks for sharing some of my favorite memories of our incredible trip to Iceland with me.  We have had a wonderful time, and our primary reason for coming, which was our daughter's wedding went beautifully.  Thanks to everyone for all of the good wishes!

Iceland!

I have been absent from the blog for a bit because we have been in Iceland attending our daughter's wedding.  She has married a wonderful young man from Reykjavik, and we couldn't be happier.  A big plus is that we get two weeks in one of the most beautiful countries in the world.  The people are SO nice, and big plus for us, they all speak excellent English.  The food is fabulous, and I will miss the Skyr when we go back.  (Skyr is a yogurt-like product that is actually a non fat cheese, and it's delicious).  Don't want to bore anyone with an extensive slide show, but here are a couple of pictures I snapped.

Everyone walks everywhere, and there is a definite European feel to the city

Reykjavik 2014

Down every cross street at the city center, you can see views like this that take your breath away

Reykjavik 2014

There are fabulous shops along the main street downtown, and lots of wonderful coffee shops.  Here is the seat of a chair in one of our favorite coffee shops ("C is for Cookie").  I loved it...very Zen!

Chair Cover at "C is for Cookie"

Iceland is not mostly ice like some people think; in fact, it's very beautiful here.  It HAS snowed a couple of times since we've been here - beautiful big fat flakes of snow that didn't really stick, but just softly fell on us.  One day it hailed on us - tiny rice-sized hail.  We just ducked into a nearby coffee shop and enjoyed the show.

Tiny Swirling Hail

We are going to do some forays into the countryside this week.  We love it here, and will definitely be back!

Thanks for All You Do!

 Since my baby girl is being married on Wednesday, I'm thinking we will need lots of "Thank You" cards.  I love this new "Thanks for everything you do" stamp from Magenta.  I also used the "To From Bird" stamp designed by Geninne D. Zlatkis for Magenta.  This is such a beautiful stamp!  I didn't need the "To From" part this time, so I simply colored the parts I wanted with Memento markers and stamped.  This is a good way to get more use from your stamps.  I also used Memento markers on another beautiful Magenta spring stamp (Small Flower Branch), and stamped all around an area I masked off for the Thanks stamp.  I added some Stickles at the flower centers, a little clear Wink of Stella on the other flowers, and some bling at the corner.  This is a very simple and mailable card.  Enjoy!

Magenta Stamps used:

  86.006.J  To From Bird

 0679.G  Small Flower Branch

07.837.H  Thanks For All You Do

Other Materials used:

  Memento Ink: Tuxedo Black

Memento Markers:  Bamboo Leaves; Rose Bud; Potters Clay; Rich Cocoa

Magenta Patterned Paper

Hero Arts Mixed Accents - Blush

Stardust Stickles

Clear Wink of Stella

Magenta March Challenge!

March 2014 - Magenta Challenge :

Spring is coming!

Create a Card, a Layout or even an alterned object if you feel like it

and use at least one Magenta product :

papers, stamps, embellishment, Peel Off's, chipboard and more...

You have until March 30th to enter!

You could win this Magenta Prize :

Click here to see what the Design Team has created, and use in linkz to submit your page.  Here's my card:

I took a piece of watercolor paper (140# cold press) and sprayed it with 4 different colors of Radiant Rain mists.  This is very pretty and sparkly in real life.  I let it dry, and put the Magenta Stencil Template TM-43 over the top.  The bird and branch image was lined out with a Micron pen, and leaving the template in place I added additional color to the image using Pan Pastels.  

To get the right color ribbon, a white ribbon was colored using a Copic marker.  The sentiment was added onto a piece of white card stock that was punched out with an EK Success Photo Label punch.  I added some flowers to the sentiment with another Magenta stamp, Small Flower Branch.  

This was actually a very easy card to make, and really fun.  I love how the Radiant Rain mists look, and I will definitely be using them more in the future.  They create a beautiful background, and placing the stencil over the colors and just adding more color is super simple.  Following are details on all the stamps and materials I used.

Magenta Stamps:  07.834.F    Find Your Song

                              0679.G       Small Flower Branch

Magenta Template:  TM-43     Birds Template

Radiant Rain Mists:  Ocean Wave; Ginger Peach; Spanish Moss; Copper

Pan Pastels:  520.3 Ultramarine Blue Shade; 660.3 Chromium Oxide Green Shade; 430.5 Magenta;    911.5 Rich Gold; 931.5 Copper

Memento Markers:  Rose Bud; Olive Grove

Copic Marker:  B14 Light Blue

Watercolor Paper:  Strathmore 140# Cold Press

Matted with blue paper of unknown provenance

EK Success Photo Label punch