Mans Best Friend

Whoopee, we made it to the weekend everyone :) I don't know about you but my week was too long!
This fabulous Saturday I get to show you one of PriscillaStyles new images called "Terrier Dog Set". Doesn't Charlie just look like he as a big ol' diva attitude? And don't you just love it :)
I decided that Charlie needed lots of texture so I printed him out on this fabulous textured paper that I had in my stash...it is so old that I can't even tell you where I got it! (sorry ladies!) The paper is so fabulous that I did NOTHING to it to make it look furry. For Charlies coat I added flower soft for a lovely woolly look and then edged it in Gunmetal Stickles. The DP I used is from Cosmo Cricket and the ribbon is from Really Reasonable Ribbons September monthly set.

Card Recipe:
Stamps: PriscillaStyles- Terrier Dog Set
Paper: Cosmo Cricket DP, Bazzill CS
Ink: Distress Ink: Antique photo
Accessories: Sewing Machine, Glue Dots, Sponges, ribbon, stickles, embroidery floss, dewdrops, spellbinders, cuttlebug embossing folder, flower soft

Water color with Distress Inks - Tutorial

Welcome to the Pixie Cottage Saturday Tutorial! Today I am going to go over the basics of water coloring with Distress inks. I hope you have fun! It is absolutely one of my favorite ways to color a stamped image and with practice, can create stunning images.

Supplies Needed:
Water color paper (I prefer canson or Strathmore 140lb)
Stamped image-heat embossed (I used the wonderful "Hannah at the Pond")
Distress inks (Stampin' UP! waterbased inks work well too)
Aquapainter or small paint brush and water
Towel

Step 1. Stamp and emboss your image. Embossing the image helps to keep the color from bleeding.
Step 2. Squeeze the lid of the ink pad until beads of ink appear on the inside of the lid

Step 3. When using ink to color your image it is best to have at least two shades to create a dimensional effect. For Hannahs dress I used Milled Lavender for my light shade and dusty concord for my darker shade.
Swirl your moistened brush in the lighter color and completely color the area of your image with the shade.

Step 4. Clean your brush and dip it into the darker shade. Pulling the brush in one direction lay down a small amount of the darker shade in areas that should have shadow.

Step 5. Clean your brush but keep it moist. Using small circular strokes, blend the edges of the two colors until you can't see the edge of the darker color.
Let dry a few minutes and repeat in areas that you wish to appear darker.

(In this image I used Vintage photo and Walnut stain to create the hair and I have used broken china as the first shade in my water)

Helpful Tips
Don't be afraid to play with different shades of color. If an area becomes too dark, let it partially dry and use plain water to remove some of the color by using circular motions. Sometimes I find it helpful to blot with a towel and then re-blend.

By letting an image dry for a few minutes between colors it keeps the color from pooling against the embossed edges.

I find it faster to color a different area while another is drying.

Here is my finished image

(The darker shade in the water is Faded Jeans and the grass/leaves is a mixture of Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint and Pine Needles.)

Have fun playing! I can't wait to see what you create!

Spooktacular Delights

Happy Thursday everyone, you have almost made it through the week! :)
Today I get to showcase another fun image from Digital Delights by Louby Loo! I am having a blast with her Halloween images, there are so many cute ones to choose from I am sure you will find something you love.
Today's image is "Sitting Mummy". I printed out the digi on Neenah Solar White paper and then shaded him with Prismacolor Pencils and Gamsol. My background was created using Bazzil cardstock and my new Die and embossing set by Cuttlebug. Isn't it fun and spooky all at the same time!?

Have a great week everyone!

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Digital Delights By Louby Loo- Sitting Mummy
Paper: Bazzil Cardstock
Coloring: Prismacolor pencils, OMS
Accessories: Sewing Machine, Pop Dots, Sponges, stickles, Cuttlebug dies and embossing folders

Challenges:
Fairy Fun - Embossing
Sew Many Challenges - Embossing
Crafty Pad - Embossing
Secret Crafter - Anything Goes
Sweet Stampin - Stitching
A Spoon Full of Sugar - Anything Goes
Tuesday Taggers - It Takes All Sorts (open challenge)
Glitterbabe - Anything Goes with Sparkle
Ann's Creative Nook - Halloween
Gingerloft - Happy Haunting
Clearly iStamp - Owl

It's all Fun and Games!

Welcome to this weeks Pixie Cottage Challenge! This week we have another wonderful sketch by Pam Limric. Our theme this week is Fun and Games. As always, you can use the sketch or the theme or both!
I used this fun image by Sandra Hammer called "Spooky Tree Background Stamp". Rather than use this as a background I decided to use it as the focal image of my card. I added a fun Halloween poem (author unknown) and finished it off with these adorable Cuttlebug die bats.
I used some amazing papers for my card. I have never worked with anything like them so I have to share. The black paper has a velvet feel but is smooth. It is really heavy cardstock with a matte finish that changes when stroked....just like velvet!
I also used a beautiful iridescent paper that inks beautifully and still shines like crazy. It gave my image a moonlit glow :)

Card Recipe:
Stamps: The Pixie Cottage- Spooky Tree
Paper: Cryogen White Iridescent paper, Velvet touch black, Bazzill CS
Ink: Distress Ink, Versafine Onyx, Tombow markers
Accessories: Sewing Machine, water brush, Sponges, Cuttlebug embossing flolders and dies, stickles, jewels

Challenges:
Fairy Fun - Embossing
Sew Many Challenges - Embossing
Crafty Pad - Embossing
Secret Crafter - Anything Goes
Sweet Stampin - Stitching
A Spoon Full of Sugar - Anything Goes
Tuesday Taggers - It Takes All Sorts (open challenge)
Glitterbabe - Anything Goes with Sparkle
Ann's Creative Nook - Halloween
Gingerloft - Happy Haunting