I’m experimenting more with Blendabilities, the awesome new alcohol markers soon to be available to customers (and available NOW to demonstrators!) I wanted to explore how they function purely as coloring tools. I put them to the test with one of my favorite line art stamp sets:
Just as I did with my flower from a few days ago, I stamped my image a few times and then played with the Blendabilities. I love to color! I just wanted to see what would happen with different colors and approaches.
The short answer is that these markers are a coloring delight. I didn’t attempt to shade “within the lines” but used a single color for each defined space. I did use the light, middle and dark tones of the markers to create contrast, in this case between wing and body. No streaking, beautiful, even coverage, and gorgeous color. I’m hooked.
First the deals:
It’s not necessarily obvious at first glance, but the Large Scallop Edgelits die coordinates with the scalloped Delicate Designs Embossing folder – they are gorgeous together!
I’m happy to be home after 8 days in Boston mixing work and pleasure. Sorry, but I have to share a Mama-brag:
My handsome son and his handsome dad attended the American Water Works Association conference this year as members. Nearly every year since 2000, my family has tagged along with my husband to this conference, enjoying the city while Dad worked. This year my son was a registered student member – and I was VERY proud!
We also had the opportunity to see the Sox play in Fenway. My husband absolutely loves baseball, and Fenway is an amazing place to watch a game. Thanks to a wonderful friend with family tickets, we had incredible seats – right behind home plate – which made the experience all the better. It was a little drizzly at the start of the game, but the rain quit and the Redsox won!
I’m happy to be back on Maui and in my craft room again. There are great memories from a great week, but truly, there’s no place like home.
Don’t forget – the DEALS are good for one week only! Shop HERE!
There are a lot of wonderful men in my life, and I like to send cards to them. But oh, do I struggle to come up with Manly Ideas! This one is very loosely based on page 109 of the new catalog:
This is for my dad for Father’s Day: a no-nonsense kind of card for a no-nonsense man. He doesn’t say a lot, but he ends every phone call with “Love ya, kid” and I know he means it. I’m looking forward to seeing him and my Mom for a few days before convention. That’s coming soon!
I’m pretty sure Blackberry Bliss is going to be my favorite 2014-2016 In Color, although when I first saw the colors I would have bet on Lost Lagoon (blue, you know.)Â I’m working on ideas for an In Color swap at convention, and this was my first take:
You know, I should have used this design with Very Vanilla – it would have been good enough to eat!
The Gold Bakers Twine has a stinky little habit: the metallic threads untwist rapidly from the twine when it’s cut. I’ve solved the problem for the most part by tying a pair of quick overhand knots and cutting between them. It takes just a moment and it saves a lot of frustration.
Do you add a little extra on the inside? It’s one of the things that sets a hand-made card apart:
You’re likely to see more Blackberry Bliss before we get to convention. I have more ideas to work out. It’s just a month away!!!
for a RemARKable HAMBURGER BOX today! Ah yes, Welcome to the RemARKable Pinworthy Blog Tour, where anything can happen!
Is this the cutest thing EVER? (Sorry, I know I’m shouting.) I am enchanted, delighted, smitten with the Hamburger Box! My initial thought was to create a 3-D birthday cake on the top of the box, but that idea refused to leave the confines of my head. So I cheerfully stacked up a heap of 1 1/4″ circles, put a shredded ribbon across the top and topped it with what else – a flower:
When the outside is this cute, you’ve got to step it up inside, don’t you think?
You were wondering where that Oh Goodie part came in, weren’t you? When a little goodie goes into this box, it’s going to be wrapped in cello so those banners don’t get all gooey.
Hope you’ve enjoyed – be sure to continue the tour to see what the other RemARKables are sharing with you for the first tour of the new catalog!
Your next stop is The Crafty Yogi, and I’m sure Audra will inspire you!
Do you select between Whisper White and Very Vanilla intentionally or randomly? Sometimes I really think about it, and other times I just grab the one that’s closest at hand. I started this card with Very Vanilla, but as soon as I stamped the first tone I wanted to see what it would look like on Whisper White. At that point it was just as easy to make both cards, and so I did:
Here’s the Vanilla Version:
I see a substantial difference between the two. In my eyes, the colors are much crisper and cleaner on Whisper White. I guess I should know that, but it was something I hadn’t really thought about. Very Vanilla changes the color of the ink.
Have some fun experimenting on your own. I don’t think you would see the same dramatic result if you were working with warm colors – Tangerine Tango, Tangelo Twist and Pumpkin Pie, for example. I’ll think more purposefully about my neutrals now.
One of the most exciting products in the new Stampin’ Up! catalog is only available to demonstrators at this time. The Blendabilities product line has been delayed for release to customers for production reasons, and should be available in late June or early July – stay tuned! In the meantime, I’ve been dutifully playing with mine so that you will have the opportunity to enjoy them vicariously 🙂 
I stamped the same image multiple times and colored it with each color family of Blendabilities markers. I’m sorry it’s a retired image, but my options were limited and I liked this flower because it only had a few petals 🙂
I learned that I prefer to work with dark first and move into the lighter colors. I also learned that I favor an overall darker tone than most people. And unsurprisingly, I learned that I don’t really understand lighting and shadows.
I also learned that I LOVE to color with Blendabilities!! No streaking, no uneven color, just rich, beautiful, saturated tones. The process of going back and forth over your image does create some bleed through on the back of the image, and I recommend that you plan on layering your image to disguise that.
If you’re really anxious to try these out, you can take advantage of the June Sign-and-Save promotion: for $50 you can become a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator and select Blendabilities in your initial order. It’s a no risk, no obligation decision and right now it’s the only way to get your hands on these markers. Let me know how I can help you get started!
The chevrons in the Work of Art stamp set are super easy to line up. I generally have serious issues with that sort of alignment, but this as a happy surprise. I also broke all the color-coordinating rules in this one – sort of. I used Coastal Cabana Ink and Pool Party card stock. I chose So Saffron ink and a Candy Dot but I used the Daffodil Delight Seam Binding. Walkin’ on the wild side, I guess. Speaking of…
We spent the first week that we were in England in the Cotswolds, exploring a different town each day. We’d seen a photo of this door, and when we were in Stow-on-the-Wold my son said he thought it was nearby. We walked around the perimeter of St. Edward’s Church and there it was – how could we not take a photo?
It wasn’t as cold as we make it look, but remember, we’re from Maui. I put on a sweater when it gets to 76°. The weather was lovely, although I’m pretty sure it drizzled off and on this day. There were some glorious views through the clouds, though:
Even through the windshield you can appreciate the glorious blues, greens and yellows!! Enjoy!
Oooh, have you gotten your hands on the new 2014-2016 In Colors yet? I mean for reals, not just looking at them on a printed page or a computer screen. Up close and personal. Oh yeah… 
Every year when the new crop of In Colors are released, my first impression is “meh”. I don’t mean to be cynical, but I just can’t seem to drum up a lot of enthusiasm for colors on a screen. I faithfully place my order and wait to see what comes, and when I get my hands on them I ALWAYS fall in love. This batch is no different; they are rich, saturated colors that combine beautifully with our existing colors.
This simple concept can be re-interpreted so many ways – a geometric base, a label, and a few accents. Break out something new or maybe dig out something neglected and give it a shot!
The Maui Stamper 