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(Edited Version)
Hi Everyone:

Since my last post I have been dealing with a sinus & ear infection and been feeling rather terrible. So that is the reason for my disapearing act. So today I have a few things to share with you and to catch up on my posting for this month, which is going way to fast.

I have been trying to play along with my friend Barb's Challenge and finally felt up to it. I started this card about a week ago and never got to finish it until yesterday. Barb's challenges were based on her photography pictures which are beautiful by the way and her blog button was in my sidebar if you noticed it. I hope that some of you got to play along.

Join In The Fun!

My first card was based on the yellow flower picture, but later I saw that she had a picture of these beautiful yellow-red roses. I knew just what I had to do for this card creation. I feel in love with this picture immediately. Her picture is breath taking to say the least.

I was smiling from cheek to cheek because I had a Hero Arts new stamp that was a rose. So I just had to use it, but I actually stamped it and then increased the size to make this beautiful rose flower below. The sentiment is from their new release as well. The flower was coloured with STAEDTLER products and will be listed at the end of this post.

This card is being submitted to the following challenges:

Anything Goes Challenge.

Incy Wincy Designs: Challenge 131

Party Time Tuesdays#53

Hero Arts Monthly Challenge

My next card was made based on this beautiful picture. Isn't it amazing! 

This card was created using a digital stamp from MyGraphico and I really am happy with how it turned out. I also used STAEDTELR products here as well, but added a rustic feel with Ranger Distress Inks. My go-to products, can't create without them.

Being Submitted to the following challenges:

Simon Says: Anything Goes Challenge

The image was printed on watercolour paper and then distressed with watercolor Marsgraphic markers and distress inks. Moon/sun was added with a punched out circle die and shaded with STAEDTLER watercolor pencils and markers. 

Thank you for dropping bye today. And tomorrow there will be an exciting post! I am having a Fimo give-away, along with a special Valentine's Day project to share. Be sure to check back later tomorrow to read more about this give-away.!

Wishing You Health & Happiness

Dana

HeroArts Pearls-Blue	Etched Flowers	True Friends	BabyStarDesign
Ink Blending Tool & 2 Foams	Bazzill Cardstock	Bazzill Paper	Bazzill Earthtones
Mini Misters 3 Piece Pack	Marsgraphic Markers	STAEDTLER - karat aquarell	Blue Distress Inks
E-Z Runner Combo Permanent Adhesive	Straw Distress Ink	White Opaque Pigment Pen	STAEDTLER Pigment Liner
STAEDTLER Triplus Fineliner	STAEDTLER - ergosoft Pencils

InLinkz.com

Voyage of Discovery!

Have you ever felt like you completely lost your mojo and have wondered where it went? Well, that was the funk that I was dealing with for the past little while it seems. Life throws some curve balls and after dealing with it all, you just seem to lose interest in the things that once brought enjoyment. Well, after playing around with stamps and a new techinque using artist's canvas I am once again excited about creating. It really is funny how something new will really bring you out of that funk that one can sometimes experience. I really had a lot of fun creating this canvas and encourage you to give it a try as well. You will be surprised at how easy it is and you can follow my tutorial from yesterday to create it!

I so love how this turned out because, I am more of a warm colors sort of gal! Now this can have even more layers of color by adding distress inks and by adding embellishments. I so love the Hero Arts Flutterbies Digi Kit and just had to use it in this project. I decided to use various sizes to focus on the depth and nearness of the butterflies and tree. This creates the impression that the tree is further away and the larger butterfly closer. The project was created using STAEDTLER Pastel Chalks, Triplus Markers, and watercolor pencils. These can be created in 4 pieces for the 4 seasons. This is a spring piece and I am working on the others to share later. I am so happy that I thought to give this new technique a try on canvas because the texture was great to work with. Why not give canvas or some other fabric covered surface a try and you will be surprised how fun it can be! I sure was and I am happy to have my mojo back again! Lol.

This is a close up shot of what the butterfly looks like and the colors that were used to bring this it to left. It was colored with Tri-plus markers first and then shaded with watercolor pencils. Highlights were added with the white watercolor pencil, which I did not add water to because I wanted to keep the highlight bright. Also, white gel pen was used to add highligts to the body of the butterfly.

Be sure to check out 2 Peas in a Bucket for all of your digital kits. Hero Arts really does have a great variety of kits there and the possibilities are endless. Remember this card, it is the same butterfly has the one above, just increased in size and colored with STADTLER watercolor crayons.

Why Not Hop Along With The Hostesses For Your Chance To Win!

Thanks so much for popping in for a visit. I greatly appreciate it. Come back tomorrow to see some of the Hero Arts stamps that I won from their previous blog hop. Why not check out their current blog hop for your chance to win some of their just released stamps. I trust that all is well in your part of this crafting world and wishing you lots of scrappy moments.

I like to leave you with the words of the sentiment used in this project." The Real Voyage of Discovery consist not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes!"  Life can give some ups and downs but it is only how you look at it! So true.

Hugs

Dana

 

Ink Blending Tool & 2 Foams	Glossy Accents	Uni Ball Signo Gel Pen	STAEDTLER Triplus Fineliner
STAEDTLER Pigment Liner	Staedtler Pastel Chalks	Cloud Stamp/Imaginisce	STAEDTLER - karat aquarell
HA Flutterbies	Cloud 9 Sentiment

InLinkz.com

Using STAEDTLER Pastel Chalks

Hi Everyone:

You thought that I was MIA right! Well, no I have been right here working on design work and some work for publications that I am trying out for. So yes, I have been busy. Also, we are back to Home Schooling, so life is busy again. A good busy though!

I wanted to share a Tutorial to show how to use STAEDTLER Pastel Chalks to make backgrounds for your card or canvas projects. I was so impressed with how easy they were to use and how well they blended together. Amazing really how it all came together. Why not give these Pastel chalks a try yourself and see what you think!

So here is the canvas that I was working on using these Pastel Chalks. Now I kept it simple but distress inks can be added over top of the chalks and apples or cherries could be added to the tree. This can even be used has a Autumn canvas project. I am thinking that I will be adding some pumpkins and maybe some more fall embellishments later. Not sure yet though!

Supply List:

Ink: Black StazOn

One 5x7 artist canvas

White Gel Pen: Marvey

Tree DieCut: Unknown

Tools: Mop Brush, Blending Tool

Coloring Mediums: STAEDTLER Soft-Pastel Chalks

                                                             

Cut a piece of cardstock the same size has your canvas or card base. This is to be used to make a mask to cover various areas of your project while adding chalk colors. Take this piece of cardstock and draw lines to create the shape of rolling hills/grassy mounds. Cut along the lines to separate the grass mounds from the sky and ground areas.

Take the bottom half of this mask and cover what will be your grass area on your canvas. This is to prevent the spreading of any sky colors on to the grass area. With the lower portion of canvas covered, lay the cloud die cuts randomly on the upper part of canvas with repositionable adhesive. Next, using the blue chalk colors, add color to sky by gently adding strokes of chalk across the canvas. Be sure to leave some white spaces has you blend chalk closer to the hills/grass area. Next take a blending tool or Mop Brush and rub the chalk in a sweeping or circular motion.

Once sky has been added and shading completed, remove cloud die cuts from upper portion of canvas. Use a Mop Brush to soften any areas that may look to dark. Take the lower portion of the cardstock mask that was made in the first step and cut along the line that separates the two hills. This will be the 3^rd mask has seen in Step One.

To begin adding color to the grass/ground area, first cover the upper portion again, then take half of the grass mask that was just separated and cover the left side. The other side is what will be colored with green chalk. Once this is completed repeat the step again for the other side.

This is a Progress Shot of what things look like so far. Remembering to leave some of the sky white is a good idea because it gives the idea of a graduation in color.

Now you will need to finish the hill/grass on the other  side.  So just cover these areas you see here and remove the other mask on the left/bottom and start coloring and shading.

                                                                                                                                  To add highlights rub white chalk randomly and soften with the blending tool. With the background complete, the project is ready for stamped images of choice. This project included a tree die cut. The canvas is now ready for more stamping and more embellishments.

I would like to thank Kathy from the "Daily Marker" for sharing her tutorial with us all on how she creates her backgrounds using makers. She was my inspiration here with this project. Thanks so much sweetie. So appreciate all that you do!

Please come back for another canvas project using this tutorial that I shared with you today. I trust that your New Year is off to a good start and that each day is a blessing to you. Until tomorrow, take care of yourselves and each other.

Hugs & Blessings

Dana

Happy New Year!

Hi Everyone:

Just wanted to pop in and wish you all a very Happy New Year! Things are looking up and my son is feeling much better. Yay! I am feeling a lot better too. I still can't seem to get rid of this fever and the headaches though. I am sure that I will be back to 100% real soon. I am just praying that the beginning of this year starts off with us all bug free!

I trust that you are all feeling well and have had a great holiday season. For us folks from Newfoundland we celebrate Christmas a little differently in that we celebrate Twelfth Night or Old Christmas Day and this festive season ends on January 06th. I am so happy that the 2 weeks in between Christmas Day and Old Christmas day really give us longer to visit family and friends. I especially appreciate it this year, due to us not feeling well. So I look forward to visiting family tomorrow and friends later in the week.

I want to share with you a " Year In Review" of sorts of my favorite cards that I created this year. I have been blessed with many wonderful blogging friendships, reconnected with some old friends, and have been given the opportunity to have my work featured. The biggest and most exciting event of my creative journey, was being chosen for the STAEDTLER Design Team. I feel so bless to work with such a wonderful line up of designers and to work for a very generous company.  So without further ado here is my 2011 Line-Up.

JANAURAY

 FEBUARY

 MARCH

APRIL

Flower Close-Up

MAY

Flower Close-up

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER
(Toss Up Between This One.......)

(And this one!)

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

There you have it! My favorites of 2011! Thanks for visiting and hope you come back again real soon.

Hugs & Blessings

Dana