Monochromatic Challenge with All That Scraps

Every wednesday, All That Scraps has a new challenge for it's fans

(and i must admit, it's been too long since i've played along, shame on me!)

Today's challenge is a Monochromatic challenge and I felt so honored when my friend, Lesa, asked if she could use my video tutorials and if i'd like to play along with the challenge!

Well, DUH! I love the CC Designs images that All Thats Scraps has AND you KNOW that i just love love love to color in monochromatics so I was definitely up to play!

Here is my card for you using a stamp from the Swiss Pixies collection. This particular sweetie is named Gretel and you can get her in both rubber and digi form!

Now coloring in Monochrome or Monotone does not mean that it has to be "black and white".

In fact, you can really have some stunning outcomes by sticking to all one COLOR.

And if you happen to follow my blog, you may have seen my last bought of monochromatic fun-ness using various colors on THIS post)

For this challenge, i decided to stick with that made me fall in love with monochromatics, black and white! I love seeing stamped images in black and white, it makes me think of black and white photos, which i also love!

For this card, i chose the neutral gray family. Now, any of the grey families work great for a

b & w card, but you do want to make sure that all of your grays are from the SAME categories. using a c1 with a w3 just wouldnt look right at all!

For those who might not know copics, or are new to copics, the letter in a grey copic determines the "temperature" of the gray. A C is a cool grey, a W is a warm grey. Those 2 seem pretty self explanatory, but what about the other 2?! Well, the N stands for Neutral (which i've used on my card today and are a very safe grey color family because it's well... NEUTRAL. The last of the 4 is the T category which stands for Toner grey. What the heck is "toner" grey? Well, before my love affair with copic markers... if you had said "toner" to me, i would have thought of 2 things... washing my face, and dying my hair! Yeah i know, beauty on the brain. But hey, it's what i do. In both instances however... it boils down to the same thing. Toner neutralizes. For you face, toner helps to neutralize the pH levels and cleanse the skin. For your hair, particular for someone with light hair whether it's grey or bleached, a toner is added to help neutralize brassy tones, etc. So, toner... is to neutralize.

Well what the heck, isnt the N for neutral?! Haha, yes. If you were to line up the copic greys from coolest to warmest it would go Cool, Neutral, Toner, Warm. Both neutral and toner are in the middle ground, not too cool not too warm. But toner still has more warmth to it than neutral. Does that make any sense? I hope so, because now i've babbled on entirely too long about the hues of grey!

Back to my card!

So i used the neutral grey family. The thing you'll want to remember with any monochromatic coloring is that 2 parts that touch that would be different colors, need be be different in light or dark, as to not look flat. Example, her shirt (which has a base color of n2 needs to be different frm her romper which i colored a basic of n6. If they were both too similar, the colors would all run together and the overall image wouldn't "pop" as much. I apply this rule to each section that touches. Shirt to romber, shirt to skin, hair to skin, etc. I just think it helps the overall look.

Here's the breakdown... Hair N8, N6, N4, little bit of N2

Skin... N1, N0

Shirt... N3, N2

Romper, Boots... N8, N6, N5

I did use a white gel pen to put the white back in her eyes (easier than trying to color around!)

And i also added some white dots to her cheeks. This helps break up the flatter color since typically i'd add more pink there.

So thats my postie for you today! Be sure to check out the All That Scraps Wednesday Challenge for more FANTASTIC samples by the design team and to play along yourself!

If you have any interest in checking out the monochromatic videos i've done, here are some quick links...

Warm Greys 1, Warm Greys 2, Cool Greys

And if you'd like to check out any of my other Monochromatic posts you can click HERE.

Thank you SOOOOO very much to checking into my blog and have a wonderful day!!!!

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Guest Designer for Copic Creations Challenge blog

Holy crap, it's Saturday?! Where did my week go!?

Sadly, it has definitely been one of THOSE weeks! Teething toddlers, puppies entering the "chewing" phase, a normal 4 year old (which translates into crazy), copic class, Local scrapbook store announcing they will be closing (very very sad about that) not to mention follow up from the Paper Makeup Stamps May release that went live last friday!

Needless to say.... I.... am.... POOPED!

Ok, enough of that mumbo jumbo... I have a fun announcement!

I'm joining the design team over at Copic Creations for their next challenge!

When asked if I would be a guest I was very very honored! Of course i wasnt going to not sponsor as well as Mary always has a stellar sponsor lined up for each challenge.

So I will be giving away a $35 voucher towards stamps at Paper Makeup Stamps!

It's one of the bigger prizes i've given away, but i REALLY want people to try out this technique using their copics! What technique is it, you ask?

Well, really? Do you have to ask?

MONOCHROMATICS!

It's no subtle thing that I love to color in a monochromatic or monotone theme.

I think that coloring in such a fashion can truly evoke a feeling. Color theory plays such an important role in how we perceive things!

I have made 2 videos on youtube using different sets of the grey copics. You can view these tutorials as well as some other copics (and makeup, haha) tutorials HERE.

Now black and white DOES look stunning! I use this technique quite often.

Here are some samples of previous posts of all black and whites.

Warm Grey's Cool Grey's Neutral Grey's old fashioned pencil!

However, just because your coloring in a monotone, doesnt mean there can't be any color!

As mentioned before, colors plays a strong role in our emotions and how we feel about something we see. It's why many fast food restaurants use the color scheme red and yellow.

For some odd reason, it triggers our brain to feel hunger.

Well on the simpler side... here are the basics....

Cool Colors such as blues give a sense of peace and tranquility.

They also move away from focus and recede in a picture. So be sure that if you are not using monochromatics, that you dont color something you want to be the main focus point in a cool color, and something you'd want to recede to the background a warm color!

Warm colors such as red or orange have an energy about them. They provoke excitement.

Warm colors also move forward in our vision. Something colored with a warm color will definitely grab your attention!

So, without much further ado, here are my product samples!

I love how Moody for Dragonflies turned out in a more red color scheme!

I used copic colors R30, R32, R35, R37 and R39 with E000 for her skin.

I thought that E00 was too peach and took away from the pink tones. I used R30 to shade on her skin. However, R000 would probably have worked very well as well and then i wouldnt have been cheating!!! hahahaha!

I think with all the warm pinks and reds that there is something passionate about the card!

And you might notice how the image grabs you a bit... which is because of the intensity of warm colors.

The sentiment used is also by PMS and can be found, HERE.

Now let's go to the other end of the spectrum with some very cool colors.

Now clearly lily's are not blue and the most definitely do not have blue stems!

This is where using monochromatics to step outside of what you might normally do not only helps you to possibly use a stamp in a new way, but also get a new FEEL out of the stamp.

Blue is very subdued and peaceful, so this card should evoke a feeling of tranquility.

Here i used copic colors B91, B93, B95, B97 and B99 and also the colorless blender to flick back into the flower to help create the white at the tips.

The stamp image is by Stampendous, but the sentiment is from the Everyday Thanks set by PMS.

Ok, you've hung with me this long... I have one more for you!

This card isnt necessarily warm or cool (more warm than cool, but thats not the point).

This one uses browns to create a fun old photo sepia look!

I thought this image of Wayne was PERFECT for this sepia toned look. maybe that's because he was named after my grandpa and my grandpa always had a ton of OLD stuff around (he was an antique collector on top of being well... my grandpa!)

I used copics E30, E31 (though it is s little grey looking in this color family, so use caution), E33, E35, E37 and E000 (skin). I airbrushed inside a nestie with E41 and E42.

When working with browns in particular and with an image with more details, i think it's more beneficial for you to work from dark to light. Just an fyi. it's very easy to lose your "lines the artist gave you" so i feel like for a monochromatic brown look, it will help you to work with your dark colors first.

And finally... here are a few more tips on coloring in monochromatics!

* Dont be afraid to try it! I think you'll be very pleased with your results!

* Remember the feeling you are trying to evoke before chosing your monochromatic color.

* When chosing your hue, pick one that you have many colors within that "family".

Follow the first number (which determines the intensity of the marker color).

B21 would not pair well with the B93, B95, B97 combo because the B21 color would be too bright in comparison.

Make sure that you have a good range of color. Most importanly you must have a very light and a dark. In order for all the different colors you would see in an image to not get muddled together, you'll need to be sure to color them each a different value (degree of light to dark).

Example, in the sepia toned image, i wanted to be sure that his overalls were darker than the bale of straw so that they wouldnt get lost in each other.

It is vital to have a range of values in order to get the contrast you need for a popping image.

Phew, that was a lot of information. And i was tired before! hahaha!

If you are local, and are interested in taking a class on these techniques, this class will be my last class at Funkie Munkie Scraps as they are closing their doors on June 12th :(

Our wednesday night meeting is May 26th from 6:30-8:30. The cost of the class is a mere $5 buckaroos some come and chat and color with us!

But wait.... there is MORE! The Copic Creations design team has made some absolutely STELLAR samples! You really have to check them out HERE!

Card Details (links to stamps provided under cards)

Card 1

Stamps: Moody for Dragonflies, Birthday Wishes from Paper Makeup

Markers: E000, R30, R32, R35, R37, R39

Paper: My Mind's Eye (For the Home collection), Stampin Up and Paper Studio for cardstock

Accessories & Tools: Circle Nesties, red pearls from kaisercraft, sheer ribbon from ribbonFX

Card 2

Stamps: Flower by Stampendous, Sentiment from Everyday Thanks from Paper Makeup Stamps

Markers: B91, B93, B95, B97, B99, Colorless Blender

Paper: Scrapbook Etc patterened paper, bazzill for cardstock

Accessories & Tools: organza ribbon from stash, Faded Jeans Distress Ink, Curved Rectangles Nesties

Card 3

Stamps: Wayne Fairy, to plant a garden sentiment from Paper Makeup Stamps

Markers: E000, E30, E31, E33, E35, E37 (E41 and E42 for airbrushing)

Paper: Daisy Bucket patterned paper, Creative Memories cardstock

Accesories & Tools: Paper ribbon by Daisy Bucket, baubles by stamping bella, classic and long rectangles nesties

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trying to not fall over

Ok, so it was a ROUGH night last night in my house.

The baby was wanting to eat every hour or 2. He's SLIGHTLY feverish. So i think it was just a comfort thing for him and helped him to go back to sleep which bonus, keeps his fluids up so i let him. But it meant i had to be very tired. Then at 4 all "you know what" hit the fan... literally. I mean just as i finished nursing him he pooped and it went up the the back of his neck! And all over me and my pillow since thats what i lay him on when i'm nursing in the middle of the night. So i get him, then me, then my bed all cleaned up. by now it was 5. I went upstairs to get a new pillow case and i hear a thud. My 2 year old JUMPED out of bed. He told me he almost fell ot of bed because it was wet, so he had to jump. Sure enough, he was soaked and his sheets were a little wet. So i strip him, get him cleaned up, then his bed. By this time, the baby wanted to eat again because it was about 6. And the 2 year old was up and ready to play by 7:30 because he had gone to bed early the night before. So yes... needless to say i'm tired today! Pray for me that they both take a nap (and at the same time) so i can too!

Ok, onto my card that i actually worked on mostly yesterday and just added my final touches today.

The challenge on Stamp Challenges this week was to make something for a friend. How convenient... i already wanted to make something for a friend of mine. But working on little sleep and little mojo, i decided to use a sketch challenge from I{heart}2stamp.com. I'm a big fan of sketches. Especially when the mojo is low. I still had a hard time with this one and i had a sketch to go off of! Irgh. For some reason i just couldnt get it to look right. But i've given in. I think it's still a decently cute card. I'm including some stamped images for my friend as well. I will leave her nameless, just in case she happens to read my blog. But she deserves some time to relax and color some. :)

Ok, onto the card already!



I used my new CC Designs stamp set that i ordered to teach a class with at The Scrapbook Company. Too bad they gave us a week to tell us they are closing down. I know i know, i already posted about that. But i'm still bitter.
The set was released last month and is called Rubber Ducky. You can get the stamps at All That Scraps
The paper is some that i picked up at Hobby Lobby so i think the maker is probably The Paper Studio but i cant be positive on that as i just used some scraps for this card. I love the colors though. I used my copic markers to color my little monkey friend. And liquid pearls to add in my little accents on the sides of my card.

Thats pretty much it. Now of course i wanted to get the card out in the mail today along with some other things, but it's a holiday. I totally forgot about that. So they'll all go in the mail tomorrow.

I have a couple of craft projects i'd like to get done before my sister gets into town on Thursday (i'm SO excited). So we'll see if any of them get accomplished. Of course if a nap from the kiddos happens today, craft projects will not be worked on then. I'll be sleeping!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Kraftin' Kimmie's Challenge - WeightWatchaBella

Kim Reid of Kraftin' Kimmie's Korner posted a challenge last week that could win you some fabulous Magnolia Stamps as well as some other goodies! There is still time if you want to enter! Check out this blog entry of her's for all the details.

Let me just say that Kim's blog is one of my new found favorite blogs. She is who introduced me to Whiff of Joy stamps and blog. And has given me countless ways of inspiration since i found her blog. I could go on and on. But i'll spare you and let you want to go on and on yourself. Just go check out her blog!

I love the Magnolia images she has used. I however only own 1 magnolia stamp and since i JUST used her for another challenge, i figured i'd ink up a different lonely stamp that has yet to see ink. (i own too many of those right now after my "it's my birthday month and i want it buy spree!). So i chose to use the new WeightWatchaBella from stampingbella.com. And made myself a book to keep track of my weight loss goals. For those of you who know me, know i'm pregnant and due in September. I havent (yet) gained as much as i did with my first child, but let me tell you, i've still gained a lot and i'm desperate to have my body back! So i'm really going to work hard after baby (provided i dont break my tailbone like i did with the first, even though the doc says i probably will) to get my possibly broken booty back into shape! And not only did i use my lonely bella, my Mom bought me a bind it all for my birthday and i hadnt gotten to use it yet either!

So here is my entry for Kim's challenge! Now i just need to put it to good use!!!!!

The center of my oval has been popped up and then the edges were lined with ribbon. My 2 year old saw it and immediately said "FOOTBALL". I didnt even know he knew what a football was!

It adds some nice dimension to the cover of the book bit it not extremely noticeable. Still, i think it adds a nice little touch. I'm very into using pop dots these days.


here are some extra details...

Stamps: WeightWatchaBella - stamping bella
Patterened Paper: Die Cuts With a View
Cardstock: Stampin UP
Accessories: Larger flower by Heidi Swapp, smaller flowers by Prima
Misc ribbons and brads from my "stash"


Wish me luck everyone!

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