A Blog Called Wanda

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge...Be Mine Lovebirds!

Today's card is my entry for the latest Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge! Go on over and check out Claire's blog and enter your own card! The sketch for this week is super clean and simple and leaves a lot of room for creativity. Since I'm on a roll with Valentines...I made another one today! I am still loving that paper collection from We R Memory Keepers!

Here is my card:

 

This is the sketch challenge image:
 

I used lots of little pearls to accent the card - I just thought it needed some bling! The Be Mine stamp is from Paper Source. Stamped in Watermelon Adirondack Ink.

 

This is a new technique Jilli Bling taught me Friday night with the ribbon...kinda cool! Put down a layer of adhesive and then just bunch the ribbon up as you go along. Makes a nice texture and visual interest. 
 
 
 Have a great week everyone!
 
 
 

Vintage Valentine Boy

Hey! How was your week? Mine went by in a flash and it was a good one. Hope yours was too. I have been working on an audit in a part of town where a lot of my friends work, so I have been able to catch up with peeps and have lunch and it's been great.  I have some stuff to share today...little of this and a little of that...

One thing I really like to do is to scout around the interwebs and find cool sketch challenges. I knew I wanted to make a Valentine card but I needed some help with a layout. I found a great one over at The Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge Blog! (Say that three times fast!) Go on over and check it out. I think I will save this one as a favorite. Maybe you'll make a card too?

 

 

Here is the sketch image:
 

 

First step was to get out all the supplies I thought I might want to use. I didn't use it all, but a girl has to have options, right? The boy image is from a package of old postcards I got at Paper Source. I liked the two balloons in the picture that were blue, so I thought I would pick up that color somewhere in the card. 

 

I started with my layout, but the top looked two plain...I got out one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE Stampin' Up backgrounds and put some light distress ink to make my own background pattern. I thought the birdies would show, but in the end they got all covered up!

 
  

Some little ticket stickers, ribbon and a pretty key brad...

 

 

 

 

 

The other thing I thought I would share is my organization project from Monday...RIBBON! My ribbon drawer was not working for me and it's been bugging me for a long time. I knew there was cute stuff in there but it was buried and all tangled up...so I always ended up using only the ribbon on the top of the pile. Against my better judgement, I dumped the entire thing out on my desk... Then I thought to myself...self, why did you do that?

 

It took me about two hours to sort it all by color...Then I thought to myself...self, whatcha gonna do with it now? Hahaha. I ended up putting each color in it's own big ziploc bag and then put all the bags back in the same drawer. Voila! Definitely a workable solution. Don't you love it when crafty girls have those pretty glass jars in their stamp rooms all lined up for their ribbons and buttons? I love that! Maybe some day...
 

 

You know I had to include a picture of my trusty sidekick and ribbon sorter-helper! Okay, that's all for now. I hope you have a great weekend!  

 
 
  

Umbrella revisited...

Hi everyone! Today I'm revisiting a card I posted about a year ago here on the bloggy blog. Now that I am on the Design Team for iCopic, we are talking Copics all the time! I thought it would be good to share this card again. It is a classic example of coloring something shiny and using a light source for your shading. I hope you enjoy this tutorial today! This was such a fun card to color.

 

 

 

Here is a close up of the finished coloring of the umbrellas...You can see that my light source is coming from the right and hitting all the umbrellas on the top right side of each image. This is a great way to make your coloring eye appealing and realistic - by using your light source uniformly. Also, this extreme use of shading makes the items appear shiny and and like they are reflecting the light.

 

I used three colors for each umbrella, keeping in the same color family. Here you can see that I've left the white space on the yellow one and am getting ready to fill it in with a very light yellow.

 

 

 

 

I used ALLL those colors!
 

 

 

Here's a peek at the back of my image. You can see how much color there is on the paper...it's soaked. That is why the image is so dense and yummy. Keep coloring...don't be afraid to do too much. 
 

 

 

 

If you look at this super close up, you can almost see exactly where I laid down each of my three colors for each umbrella. I started with my middle color, then put on the darkest color and then finished with the lightest color to blend it all together.
 

 
 
 

iCopic Color Challenge #14 and a Happy Monday to you!

Hellllooooo there! I have been a bit absent for a few days just trying to regroup and feel better and generally take a rest. I was sick with a chest cold for almost two straight weeks and it wore me down. Unfortunately...now the DH has it. Ugh. I am feeling much better and hope to be back in the stamping groove. Saturday I got out and about and did some crafty shopping and had dinner with a friend. Good to be back! Today's card was made using the iCopic blog Color Challenge #14. Love these manly shades of moss and blue and teal...so I decided to make a more masculine card.

Some of the ways that I like to make a card more masculine are: Use squares and rectangles instead of circles and ovals, Incorporate brown or kraft into the layout, No bows! (this one is hard), Use buttons and twine to add texture, and use greens and blues for your color scheme. I hardly ever make a guy card so it's good every once in a whle to just do it!  

  

Maybe this image will inspire you to hop over to the iCopic blog and enter your own card? There are prizes each week...and it's fun! Our color scheme this week is Teal, Blue and Moss...yum.
 

 

 

This is a cute little digital Image from the Pure Innocence Line of stamps over at My Favorite Things! I colored him and his doggie with my Copics and cut them out. The background square was stamped with a Stampin' Up large background stamp and brown ink - to give some texture. The saying is from Hero Arts - one of the clear sets.  

 

 

 This is generally my color scheme for faces:

 

 

Here is a "formula" for making denim with Copics...Use B21, B23 and B24 to color in the clothing piece. Then take your colorless blender pen and use it to "fade" out the knees! You can also use light, fast strokes over the entire piece to give a "washed" effect. Just try it until you get it the way you want it. If you get it too light, just go back and put some more color on and try again...

 
 
  

 

 

  

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

Everything IS better when shared with a friend...I would agree with that! Just like this blog...totally better because it's shared with friends like you! Have a great week!

 
  

Get Sketchy Card Challenge #70!

Hi! I'm finally bustin' out some Valentine cards this week! Guess I better get busy and get with the program...since Cupid's holiday will be here before we know it! I scouted around to find a cool sketch image for today and found a great one over at GET SKETCHY!  I have had the uber ultra totally cute paper collection from We R Memory Keepers out on my desk just waiting to be used! LOVE it!

Here is my funny valentine:

 
 

Here's the sketch image:

  

 

The ribbon is from Martha Stewart and the felt flower is from Pebbles...although don't you think it would be fun to make some of those? I need to remember that! Could be very creative! The Be My Valentine stamp is from Penny Black. The paper and the owl are from We R Memory Keepers 2011 collection for Valentine's Day.

 

 

 

 

 Owl always love you....

 
 

It's Blog Hop Day! The theme is L-O-V-E!

Today I'm participating in my first Blog Hop! It is sponsored by Taylored Expressions ! I had so much fun creating a card to throw in the mix today. You had to use a stamp set from one of the past releases of Taylored Expressions stamps. I chose the set called In The Park. It has a pretty tree and then all kinds of add-ons to go with it. I liked the park bench for my love card. Please take some time to check out all the other awesome entries. There is a link at the bottom of my post so you can click around! Have a wonderful day everybody! Thanks for stopping by.

 

 

I stamped and colored the tree twice and then cut out the leaves and layered them on top of the other leaves with some foam tape. I stamped tiny hearts in the tree! Added some soft blue clouds...
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 
Here's the link to check out everyone elses' gorgeous blog hop creations!

 

 
 

It's my turn for Tuesday Tips and Tricks!

 
Hi! Today it's my turn for Tuesday Tips and Tricks over at the iCopic Blog! Make sure you click on over there and check out the past tips so you don't miss any! Today I'm sharing my favorite trick - Copics and ribbon. have you ever searched high and low for that PERFECT color of ribbon? Search no more...make your own! Did you know that you can have 350 different colors of ribbon?? Yes - by coloring white ribbon with Copic Markers!

I started today with my three favorite colors for Spring...Pink, Blue and Chartreuse...and some plain white grosgrain and some black and white gingham ribbons...

 

Color directly onto your ribbon and voila! It's magic!  

 

 

With the plain white ribbon you can get a little wild and crazy...stripes, dots, blending colors together. The only thing stopping ya is your imagination!  Have fun and play with it! Make that gorgeous dark teal blue ribbon for your card...or blend all the colors of the rainbow in a tie dye effect! Couldn't be more fun! 
 

 
 

Blue Butterfly Shabby Chic...

Hi everyone! Sitting here watching the Golden Globe Awards show and stamping and hanging out with Mr. Buddy. Nice Sunday night at our house. Thank you very much everyone for the kind get well wishes and comments on my last blog post. I'm still sick and keep hoping each day I'll wake up and that will be the day I am better! Ugh... Today we got out of the house and went for a nice drive up the hill to see my friend's new house and then for a nice lunch with butternut squash soup (mmmmm). All in all a good weekend. Hope yours was good too.

Tonight I went a little shabby chic on ya! I got out some pretty vintage-y papers and some new K & Company doo dads. Also, threw in a paper flower I made some time ago (click here for the post on making the flowers). I am loving the whole shabby chic thing lately! Hope you enjoy my card.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have a picture to share today too! On Friday the DH went to Yosemite with his friend on a photo trip. He took this picture below and I fell in love with it! Thought you guys might like it too. Brrrrr.

 

 
  

Some Eat Cake Graphics Cuties!

Dang...I am g-l-a-d it's Friday! I caught a cold bug on Monday and it's stuck around all week. Combine that with the fact that I started a new, big project for work this week and I'm pooped. It feels good to be home in my jammies relaxin'. I hope you had a good week and are ready for a nice weekend! Today I'm sharing two cards I made for Eat Cake Graphics. Holly's images are so innocent and sweet and I just love them! I'm really enjoying being a part of her design team. I hope you will hop on over and check out her store...CLICK HERE!

The first card is a bearthday card! Isn't he so adorable? Love his little striped tee! The background white circle is stamped with a Hero Arts background stamp in a matching shade of blue. You really can't go wrong with red, white and blue. I distressed the blue paper a bit around the edges to make it look like denim.

 

After I colored him in with a light tan Copic, I went over his "fur" with my Colorless blender pen to make it look rough and more furry. Does that make any sense? Don't answer that! I gave him some little pink cheeks and ears too. I cut him out and mounted him on some foam tape so he would stand out.
 

 

 

 

 

The second card is a sweet girl with her kitty and some flutterbies...so cheery and happy! I can't believe that Holly draws all these images. I wish I could draw like this...don't you? She is also a children's book illustrator and I can totally see that. The butterfly border in yellow is a giant Martha Stewart punch.

 

 

Lots and lots of markers for this one...

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much for stopping on by to see me! I hope to get some crafty time in this weekend and be back with some new stuff to share. Next week on Tuesday I'll be doing Tips n Tricks on the iCopic blog and on Wednesday I'll be taking part in the Taylored Expressions Blog Hop.  Have a great weekend!  
 
 
 

Mermaid Anya - iCopic DT card!

Helloooooo there! I'm secretly singing "Under the Sea" from Little Mermaid as I'm typing this post today. Such a happy song from a great movie. I'm getting into the theme of it all! The card for today features the lovely Miss Mermaid Anya! So frickin' adorable...really... I had a lot of fun with this one and kept adding stuff to her and enjoying using a very vivid and bright color scheme. Hope you like her too!

 

 

Here is a close up of the shading and coloring. I added lots of pearls to her, and created a little scene for her to float in...some coral, shells and a starfish. I kinda feel like mermaids should be all glittery and pretty, so I added stickles to her eyeshadow and her fins. 
 

 

 

 Links: iCopic Blog and if you want to buy Mermaid Anya!

 

 

Here are the steps I used to color her hair. Again...remember dark colors are hard...so take your time and work with it and practice. Also, be sure to leave some white space for shiny locks. I used E57 first to lay down the foundation color.

 

Next, I added some darker brown to her roots and ends to give some depth of color. I finished off with a lighter beige color to blend it all together. I even went over the white part with the E42. You can do that part either way depending on the effect you like.

 

Here she is pre-pearls and glitter!
 

 

 

She is a California mermaid...of course! Sending a little love your way from my corner of the world! I used a seashell border punch from Martha Stewart and lots of scallops to look like waves. Then I added some Making Memories shell brads and more pearls...I see it didn't take me long to move back to my "more is more" philosophy after posting that clean and simple card on Monday! haha.  

 

 

"Up on the shore they work all day, Out in the sun they slave away, While we devotin' full time to floatin'
Under the sea...."  

 



 

Sweetest Wishes...

How can it be Monday again already (well, practically...late Sunday night)?! Hope your weekend was a good one! In quite the contrast from my last posted card...today's card is simple and clean with few elements on it! I like this style too, and was definitely inspired by this week's inspiration image at the iCopic Blog.  The first thing that caught my eye was the amount of white space. This gives you the feeling of calm. There is very little color in the image and so it  pops off the page at you. I used a Copic Marker for my sentiment...colored directly onto the stamp (R85)!

Here is my card:

 

 

This is the inspiration image and the color for the challenge...pink, yellow and white. I used the "cake" theme for my card too, but instead did cupcakes.

 

 
Lots of yummy layers and lots of white. I think by now you've been alerted to my passion for polka dots! One little cherry bling I found in my stash finishes off the card. I distressed the edges of the top white layer to give the card some texture. Clean and simple.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Sending you sweetest wishes for a great week ahead!

 

Welcome to 2011 - Shabby Tea Room Challenge!

I was truly inspired to enter the latest Shabby Tea Room Challenge this week! I popped over to my sweet bloggy pal Audrey's blog on Monday and saw her gorgeous card...which led me back over to the Shabby Tea Room where I saw everyone else's cards! Then, mass chaos ensued as I got out a whole lotta stampin' supplies! The challenge this week is to welcome 2011 by making a card using ELEVEN different elements! I was psyched...now you're talkin' my language! I had just bought these pretty silk roses and was dying to use them! That started the pink theme rolling and there was no stopping me!

Here is my card:

  

 

 

This is how it started...

 

 

I'm quite sure there are at least eleven elements... 3 types of patterned paper, distress ink, kraft paper, twine, buttons, felt, pearl heart hat pin, 3 types of ribbon, silk roses, die cut bird cages, die cut banners, rhinestones, stamps, and glitter! Whew...I think I'm forgetting something...

 

 

LOVE this banner die set from Papertrey Ink. It makes tiny banners and tiny little top pieces for the banners. ACK. I cut the banners from the pink paper and the tops from cream color felt. I stamped the word LOVE in brown ink using a Hero Arts letter set. The birdcages were stamped on cream paper and I used pink and brown inks. That stamp set is also from PTI.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pink Petunia Versamagic ink is a favorite!  
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Um, yes, I caused quite a hurricane...

 

 

 

This is my favorite part of the whole card.

 

 

 

Or maybe this is...

 

 

BUSTED!!!!

 

Have a great weekend everyone!  

 
 

Hula Time!

Hey! My craft room has been in Winter mode for a long time, and it's been raining cats and dogs here in Northern California... So today I'm sending you a little bit of sunshine in the form of Miss Hula Anya! Don't you wish you could get on a plane straight to Hawaii right now? Me too! Let's go! Oh, yeah, there's that...work. It was a good idea though!  I hope my card cheers you and warms you.

Today's card is my first official iCopic DT card. I hope you like it. Please make sure to visit the iCopic blog to see what is going on with the other designers too! I am putting the card pictures first and then I am posting A LOT of pictures of the coloring process if you want to check that part out too. Thank you for coming by to see me. Have a great day! Aloha!

 

 

 

She is so dang cute! I put some pink rhinestones in the center of the flowers in her hair. I used some punches to add a flower and leaves to the sentiment. It seemed kind of plain without it. The paper is from the AC Cardstock "tropical" collection - which I use often.  
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am new to these Anya images and I have three so far. They are really fun to color and there is one for every occasion. The other two I have are a Geisha and a Mermaid. I'm enjoying trying some new images!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are the coloring process pictures. I hope this will help out! If you have questions, or if there's something you want me to demo in the future, please leave a comment or send me an email! Start by coloring in with your first color. I chose the medium shade of what I was coloring.

 

Add some darker low lights in the center...

 

 

The go back and blend over the entire image with your lightest color. This will melt all the colors together. You can also go back and add more dark if you want - adjusting to your taste and style.

 

For faces, I like E000, E00 and RV 10. Again...blend with your lightest color...

 

 

For her grass skirt, I started by making strokes to mimic what I thought a grass skirt would "feel" like. Then I went back and blended in the lighter colors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The hair is the most difficult part! I'm still practicing this and trying to get better every time I color. I started with a nice medium golden yellow. The reason the hair looks shiny at the end is because I left white space to show the light hitting her head.

 
 
Here's the end result!

 

 
 

May your day be just a bit sweeter! iCopic Color Challenge #11!

Hello! Life is starting to get back to normal, what with the holidays officially being over and all. I took today off from work to regroup, clean house and get caught up on blogging! Tomorrow...solidly back to reality. Uh Oh.

This week marks the start of my time as part of the iCopic Blog Design Team! WOO WOO! We are starting off with a GREAT color challenge: Red, Cream and Brown. Love that. Click here to go to the Color Challenge Page for the iCopic Blog! Later in the week (Wednesday) I will have my first post to share with you. Wednesday will be "my" day over at iCopic, and I hope you will follow along with me!

 

Today's card using the color challenge combo:

 

Here is the color challenge inspiration image. I was immediately drawn to using the strawberries and the basket. I love this color combination. I know I will use it more often. I used a pretty cherry red color and brown ink.
 

 

I used an old PSX stamp that I love and my trusty Copic Markers. The colors I used are: R27, R24 and R20, G17, G14 and G12, and Y11 and Y15. Red and black are the two hardest colors to blend and shade. Try blending in some pink with your reds to lighten them up a bit.

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone! Time for some reflection, and then, a look ahead. It was one year ago exactly that I started this blog. I had no idea what I was doing or where it was going. I only knew that I wanted to blog and share and be part of the online crafty community. I could not have imagined what has happened in the last year here. The experience has been so rewarding and fun, and most of all, positive!

In the past year, I have written 195 blog posts, received 889 comments from readers, and had 30,324 "hits" here at A Blog Called Wanda!

I have met the most wonderful, creative, and kind women in the past year. Perfect strangers who took the time to say something nice. Some of you have ended up being friends who are now part of my day to day life. We share so much in common even though we are all around the country and the world. That is the most meaningful experience of all. I feel really lucky to have met you.

I think that putting my creations out there for all to see has made me become a better stamper. A more intentional stamper...trying to get out of my comfort zone. It's a risk to put your creations out to be judged! But, nothing risked, nothing gained...and I have gained a lot by doing so! Some fantastic opportunities have come my way to be a guest designer or a Design Team Member...and I've won a few contests along the way too. More fun than I could have dreamt.

I could go on and on, but I will spare you! I feel very fortunate that you all take some time out of your day to visit me and see what I'm up to. It makes a huge difference in my life. Thank you! I love blog comments, so please say hi if you're here!

Three weeks ago was the DH's birthday and his wish was to get up early and go on a photo shoot up and around the pretty Gold Country of Northern California near our home. I have to tell ya, I didn't want to get up at 5am on my day off, but the payoff was well worth it! The light that day was spectacular. It had rained the day before and there was a thick layer of gloomy fog burning off. Made for the best pictures I feel I've taken in a long time.

I decided to save them for New Year's because as a group they gave me a "fresh start" sort of feeling. A feeling of quiet and peace and new beginnings. It's hard to explain, but maybe after you look at them you will feel that too. They just seemed right to start the new year. I hope that 2011 brings many blessings to you and your families this year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHEERS TO MAKING 2011 OUR BEST YEAR YET!