Biker Birthday - Unity Style

If you haven't guessed, January is a big birthday month and I've been busy trying to keep up with it all.



This stamp is from Unity stamps and I was lucky to have gotten it as a Christmas present from my Sissy. I have seen it in cyberland before and thought it would be great for the DH or his biker friends. It came just in time for the DH, Tom and John's b-days. I made this kinda quickly and didn't stew. I did some simple coloring with my Copics in light greys to highlight the pipes and then added Stampin Up! Crystal Effects on the black tanks and wheel wells to make them pop. I colored the lights in a soft yellow and then again added the Crystal Effects to make them shine. The circles were made using Nestabilites classic large and small circles. The sentiment was again computer generated. A Harley sticker embellishes the right corner and that makes this a wrap. Nothing fancy but then, men like simple right?

Hope you are enjoying your week.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cathy

Classic Birthday

I'm back again today with another Birthday card. This one came to me in a vision.



I had bought the truck stamp for my favorite brother-in-law's birthday card and just haven't gotten aroung to making it (his birthday was in November, I'm just a little late!) Then the DH asked me to make a joint birthday card for a husband/wife couple he knows. That was a challenge; a birthday card that was masculine and yet ok for a girl...I guess ribbons were out and bling. Then, I got to thinking about this truck, it's an American Classic. So what if I add the sentiment "Hope you age as gracefully as an American Classic". I was so proud of myself. It wasn't mushy and yet I would be ok with receiving this card.

I took a deep breath and brought out my prismacolor pencils and put Paula's coaching in my mind. Then I started to color and blend. I think it came out pretty good but what do you think? Can you keep this a secret though, because now I have a card to duplicate for the dear brother-in-law. Actually, I think it would make an excellant birthday stash card. Woo Hoo.

The sentiment was computer generated and the star was made using a Paper Shapers punch. I again used my Neenah Columbia Crest Solar White cardstock and AC cardstock for the barn red. The DP was a scrap in my stash, so I'm sorry to say I'm at a loss for the manufacturer.

Well that's all for today.

Thnaks for stopping by and have a great week.

Cath

Bella Birthday

Hello Everyone! Hope you all had an awesome week. I am very thankful that today is Saturday and that I get to play. I started my day making this card for my 18 year old niece Katie.



We did this in my advanced coloring class last week but I was taken with Allboxedup Bella that I just had to buy her and try her again. I'll confess that this is my second time at coloring the image and I think it's much better than my first. You'll notice that one of the differences from the beginner images I showed you last week to the advanced Bella is that there is alot more shading. The colors are built with 3 - 4 different shades and then you top it all off with shades of grey. I love it! The images become so much more real. Then we top it off with some glitter and she just glimmers with happiness. I added a Bella birthday sentiment on a Nestabilities tag. Of course not much has changed in the way I ink - I use my Neenah Columbia Crest Solar White and Memento Tuxedo Black ink. Then you color using Prismacolor pencils, gamsol, and coloring stubs. Once you get the hang of the blending and how much pencil to use this is quite fun.

Since I've seen many posts using paper scraps (and since my stash is growing) I pulled out a random piece of blue that would compliment Bella's shirt. I then used a scrap of Bazzil brown cardstock and paired it with some yummy Wild Asparagus polka dot paper to compliment the circles on Bella's package. The sheer ribbon has been in my stash for years...I just knew it would come in handy some day.

That's it for today folks. I've got more to share and another day to create. Woo Hoo!

Stop by again soon.

Cath

A New Kitchen at last!

We finally have cabinets and painted walls so I thought I would share what's been keeping us busy since Thanksgiving.

Here's the new microwave placed over the stove so I can gain some counter space. You can also see that we are still lacking our granite counters. One more week though and then this can been finished up.



This is a better look of the upper cabinets on the right side of the room.



These are the cabinets on the left.



Here's a look at the back wall of cabinets that surround the refrigerator. It sits in the area that used to be the small bathroom.



and lastly look, we have a pantry that doesn't have a refrigerator in it. I love this. When Shaun put the shelves in I immediately filled it and just stood there admiring it. I love this!



Once I get the counters in I'll show you the completed project. Can't wait.

Have a great week!

Cathy

Color my world with pencils...

Hello everyone! I know it's been more than a while since you last saw anything new from me. But, I just couldn't wait to show you some cards and tags I made using the techniques I learned in Paula Tracy's Beginner and Advanced pencil classes yesterday. I have told a lot of you about Paula's (Paula Bella) work on my blog before. My son Justin gave me a super Christmas gift - the chance to take both of Paula's classes at Scrappin and Stampin in Livonia, MI. The trip was only about an hour and 20 minutes away. Blue skies and 38 degree weather made for a smooth sailing trip. I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't recognize Paula at first but her artwork gave her away. She's as fun and bubbly as she appears on her blog. The beginner class was a breeze but the advanced class was hard. I learned the most from this class though. Coloring and shading take many layers of color to achieve Paula's fabulous style. We were supposed to color 4 images in each class but we only finished three in the beginner and two in the advanced. That left us with homework.

The store had lots of Bella's on hand for us to purchase, especially the images from class. I couldn't resist the splurge and bought a few to try out at home. My first project was Pookie Lollipop.



She was fun. I really liked the glitter accents and the shading. Once you get the basics down you can build. Faces are always shades of Peach. Cheeks are always Carmine Red. Hair is Chocolate. Flowers are pink and Carmine Red and the flower pot is aptly Terra Cotta. Amazingly, some colors only need a small line of pencil that you pull out and across your image. I made this into a tag to top a baby girl present I have to send out. Here's a closeup so you can see the glitter accents.



I still used my Neenah Columbia Crest Solar White paper with my Memento Black Tuxedo ink. My new set of Prismacolor pencils were a necessity for the depth of color that Paula achieves. I have always used odorless mineral spirits I obtained using my company discount from LumberJack but I did purchase a small bottle of the real stuff called Gamsol. The most notable difference was the lack of odor even though the ACE brand says it's odorless. The DP is Small Wonder Girl by K&Company. The solid green paper that highlights my image is Martha Stewart and the pink is AC cardstock. The ribbon is from my Mary Maxim stash. I purchased a really great micro glue drop pen to attach the SU! Dazzling Diamonds glitter.

Here's the baby boy tag...



This uses the Birthday Boy, an image designed by Cristy Croll. I'll confess that this was much harder. Paula did not get to this image in class so we were left to do this on our own using the techniques she taught us in class. I'll tell ya that my hair is a little shaggy compared to hers so I'll have to practice some more but I'm sure that the recepient of thi tag won't notice at all. I loved the shades of green, blue and aqua. I paired this with green Martha Stewart paper, DP from Cosmo Cricket's Mr. Campy, and Bazzil cardstock. A doublesided satin ribbon finishes it off.

Here's a closeup for you...



Check back later for some pictures of our new kitchen.

Thanks for stopping by,

Cathy