I used Memento Desert Sand Ink to ink them up to try a bit of no line Copic coloring, and I really love the results. To color up the pups like my sweet Havanese, I used a Copic Multiliner in 0.3 pt to define the eyes and noses, a White Sakura Gelly Roll gel pen to add white fur texture, and the following Copic colors:
White fur: W0 and W2
Brown fur: E11, E13, E15, and E57

I fussy cut them out with my favorite Fiskars spring loaded reverse scissors. Then to highlight them, I mounted them with foam tape onto scraps of pale pink tone on tone damask patterned paper that I cut into pennant and mounted on dark pink shimmer card stock. The standing and sitting pups were positioned on the upper pennant and the pup ready to play was positioned on the lower.

I used 3 small wooden hearts from my stash and coated them with Hibiscus Pink Stickles for sparkle (I had to let these dry overnight) and glued a heart by each puppy. I cut off the shank of a metal bone button and it fit perfectly glued in with E6000 as an embellishment  in the gap created by the two facing pennants, between the 2nd and 3rd puppies.

I used the left over scraps of the damask paper and the dark pink shimmer card stock to create a simple liner for the card. I hand printed the sentiment, “Happy Mothers Day to the BEST Dog Grandma!” using a hot pink Permanent Fine Point Sharpie.

CLICK on the following picture to watch the crafting process video:

Disclosure: Many of the supplies I’ve used for today’s project are linked. Some may be affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support toward the costs of running this blog!

This puppy themed Mothers’ Day card is being entered into the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday For a Special Lady Challenge
Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge
Creatalicious Anything Goes with Optional Flowers Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday Pet Project Challenge
Penny Black and More All Things Feminine with Anything Goes Challenge
Crafts Galore Encore Anything Goes Challenge
Through the Craft Room Door Anything Goes Challenge
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes Challenge
MFT Stamps Sketch Challenge #436

For the card front background I also dug into my stash and used a pretty pattern paper with hearts, flowers and birds from the “Pastels & Whites” paper stack by Craft Sensations (I took my Copic color cues from this paper). Rather than have the little girl just floating on the sea of pattern, I decided to use a Pretty Pink Posh Scallop Frame die with white card stock to create a frame. I wanted to ground the little girl so I found a scrap of patterned note paper in a shabby chic green with cream colored script that I cut with a Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside die. I was going to just inset that hill into the frame, but I thought it might be nice to soften all of these patterns behind the little girl so she could remain the focal point without a lot of distracting pattern behind her. So I layered a piece of vellum paper behind the frame and over top of the hill and center of the background paper, and this softened the patterns nicely while still keeping them visible.

I stamped the main focal point Gorjuss Girl image with Momento Desert Sand Ink (my favorite ink for no line Copic coloring). Then I colored her up with the following Copic colors:

Skin: E000, E00, E01, E21, E11 and R20
Hair: Y11, E31, E33, E23, E25 and 0.3 pt Copic Multiliner Pen in Warm Gray for fine details (I think this was key to the final look)
Pink of headband, dress and tights: R30 and R32
Cape: YG01, YG13, YG03 and YG25
Underskirt and gray of tights: W0, W1, W3 and White Prismacolor Colored Pencil
I also emphasized the black of her eyes with a 0.03 pt Copic Multiliner Pen in Black and added highlights to her eyes and dot details to her dress with a Uniball Signo White Gel Pen.

Lastly, I decided the little girl could be traipsing through a meadow to deliver a box of Valentines chocolates so I dug up this cute conversation heart stamp from an old Recollections Valentines set that also had never seen ink. I inked it up with Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink in Worn Lipstick for a soft pinky peachy look that I thought matched the colors in the background paper and the colors I’d used to color up the girl’s dress. I tucked the heart into her left hand (notice how her thumb overlaps the front while the rest of her hand is behind) before popping up the entire fussy cut girl on double sided foam adhesive for a little added interest and dimension.

Disclosure: Many of the supplies I’ve used for today’s project are linked. Some may be affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support toward the costs of running this blog!

The following is a quick card share video:

This card is being entered into the following challenges:
Art Impressions Sweet Treats Challenge – box of chocolates she’s delivering. 🙂
Penny Black and More Love, Hearts and Flowers Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Monday Take Note Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday It Must Be Love Challenge
Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge
Creatalicious Anything Goes With Optional Love/Anniversary/Thinking of You Challenge
Through the Craft Room Door Anything Goes Challenge
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes Challenge
613 Avenue Create Anything Goes with Optional Love Challenge

For the watery wavy background I used various blues and aquas from the 60 piece set of Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers and free hand colored up the segments. I used a Pentel waterbrush to blend out each section, making sure to color up the segments in alternating order so each segment could dry before the adjacent segment was watercolored so they would not bleed into each other. I also doodled out some zig-zaggy framing around both ATCs using Ultra Fine Point Sharpie Markers in Red, Hot Pink, Medium Pink, Purple and Gray.

For the school of orange fish, I inked up a simple fish stamp with a Ripe Persimmon Tim Holtz Distress Marker and colored the bodies with Wild Honey. For a little shimmer, I also added scales with a Clear Star Gelly Roll Pen. For the purple and yellow striped fish, I stamped out the fish with more Wild Honey and used Tim Holtz Distress Markers in Wilted Violet and more Wild Honey to watercolor them up. For the pink and green fish, I stamped the fish in Abandoned Coral and watercolored using Tim Holtz Distress Markers in Spun Sugar and Twisted Citron. The seaweed are colored up with Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Peacock Feathers and Pine Needles, and the starfish are colored up with Squeezed Lemonade and Spiced Marmalade. I added more shimmer with the Gelly Roll Pen over the fins of the fish and the star fish as well. Except for the big school of orange fish, each of these little scene builders were painstakingly fussy cut out and glued on or popped up with double sided foam tape.

For the mermaids, I wanted a soft look, so I stamped out each with Momento Desert Sand Ink to do some no line coloring. I re-defined the facial features with a 0.3 pt Copic Multi-liner Pen in Cool Gray. Then I used the following Copic colors:
Mermaid with green starfish hair pin:
Skin: E51, E21, R20
Hair: YR21, RV52, RV66, RV69
Bikini top, mermaid tail, and starfish hair pin: YG25, YG17, RV52, RV55, RV66, RV69
Mermaid with purple hair:
Skin: E51, E21, E11, R20
Hair: V12, V15, V06, V09
Bikini top and mermaid tail: YR21, R22, V06 and V09
Mermaid winking:
Skin: E51, E21, R20
Hair: YR20, YR21, RV55 R24, C5
Bikini top and mermaid tail: YR20, YR21, R22, R24

The following is a video share of these ATCs that includes the no line coloring of the purple-haired mermaid:

These ATCs are being entered into the following challenges:
The Greeting Farm Farm Fresh Make a Scene Challenge
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes Challenge
Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge
Creatalicious Anything Goes with Optional Glitter/Bling Challenge
Not Just Cards Anything Goes Challenge
613 Avenue Create Anything Goes with Optional Shabby Chic Challenge
Penny Black and More All Creatures Great and Small Challenge

I crafted a CAS card with lots of details in the design and coloring because I know that is the style Mr. CraftyPaws likes most. The scene is all on one layer, with the critters and cheese (there was a lot of masking to make that pile of cheese) stamped in Momento Desert Sand ink. I stamped the sentiment in an arch with Momento Tuxedo Black ink by bending the sentiment on a stamping block. I thought this arch stretched across and kind of framed the scene nicely.

These are the Copic colors I used:
Pilgrim boy mouse: E41, 43, and 47 with ears in R30 and blush in R20
Pilgrim girl mouse: E21, 23, and 25 with ears in R30 and blush in R20
Pile of cheese and pilgrim hat buckle: Y11, Y21 and YR24
Pilgrim hat: N1, 5, 7, and 9 and E79 for hat band with some texture details with a 0.03 Copic Multiliner Pen
Pilgrim bonnet: N0 and 1
Wood grain tabletop with shadow cast from mice and cheese: N0, N1, C00, E51, E55
I am particularly proud of the faint cast shadow (I didn’t want to make this darker, even though a cast shadow probably would have been, because I didn’t want to detract attention from the cute mice and cheese pile) and the wood grain that I free hand drew/colored (following tips I learned in a Sandy Allnock Copic coloring class).

The card base is actually just a piece of kraft card stock, and I used some kraft corrugated card stock across the entire card front. Then I cut off about 1/2″ from the right side of the image panel so that the corrugated card stock would finish off one side of the card. Lastly I added a double layer of gold card stock strips topped with a heavy coating of Clear Wink of Stella to define the edge of where the image panel meets the corrugated card stock. It’s amazing what a little strip of color and shine add to a card!

The following is a video share of this card and yesterday’s card that I made for my brother:

This card is being entered into the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Monday Thanks/Thanksgiving Challenge
MarkerPOP Give Thanks Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Thanks/Thanksgiving Challenge
Lawnscaping CAS Challenge #141 – WINNER

I did some simple no line coloring (stamped with Momento Desert Sand) with the Lawn Fawn Thankful Mice stamp set and the following Copic colors:
Dark Grey Mouse: N3, 5, 7 with a little R30 for inside the ears
Light Grey Mouse: W1, 3, 5 with a little R30 for inside the ears
Pilgrim Hat: N7 and 9 with R37 and YG17 for shading on the hat band
Pilgrim Bonnet: R35, 37, 39 with YG17 for shading
Shadows under the mice: N0 and 2

I stamped the accompanying sentiment, “give thanks,” just underneath. I used a burgundy shimmerz scrap of card stock and ran it through the wood grain embossing folder from The Paper Studio and die cut it with an MFT Die-Namics Stitched Rectangles STAX Die. Although at first I fretted about the shim I added causing a lot of cracking, ultimately I liked that rustic look even more than I think I would have if it hadn’t cracked so much.

Then for the background, I used a shimmery silver/grey Core’Dinations card base that I picked up on clearance at Walmart ($2 for a box of 40 cards and envelopes!). I used the large stitched rectangle from the MFT Die-namics Blueprints 15 Die Set and embossed and cut a panel from one half of the card base. Then I did some faux embossing (no cracks with this method) by die cutting out several leaves with the Diemond Dies Skeleton Leaf Die from the other half of the card base and gluing them all helter skelter on the panel. For a little extra interest, I die cut a few more skeleton leaves and hand cut some to be a bit smaller and attached them to the image panel with the ends left loose to add to the dimension. Lastly, I added some burgundy sequins in different sizes and dots of Cranberry Stickles to add sparkle and shine.

This card is being entered into the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Monday Thanks/Thanksgiving Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Thanks/Thanksgiving Challenge
MarkerPOP Give Thanks Challenge
Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge
Addicted to Stamps and More CAS Challenge
Crafty Gals Corner Use a Sentiment Challenge
Just Keep on Creating Anything Goes Challenge
613 Avenue Create Anything Goes Challenge
MFT Card Sketch #306 Challenge

MFT Color Challenge #57

I decided to try no line coloring to give a softer warm look to the Cuddles Anya and practice the dot Copic coloring technique to give the impression of fuzzy texture for the hat and teddy bear. I stamped the image with Momento Desert Sand ink, and these are the Copic colors I used:

Skin: E50, 51, 53, 11 and R20
Hair: E55, 57 and 59
Hat: E21, 11, 13, and 15 with 0 for highlight texture
Teddy: E53, 30, 31, and 33 with 0 for highlight texture”
Bubble skirt, jacket, tights and scarf: YR31, 61, 12, 04 and 07 with E13, R24 and R27 for shadow and depth

I used a Copic multiliner pen in 0.03 pt to draw back in the eyes, eye brows, noses and mouths of the hat, Anya and teddy bear since the pale Desert Sand ink would become invisible after the Copic coloring. 🙂

For the background, I rummaged through my paper scrap box and found some scraps in dark brown, a mustard stripe, and plain white card stock (onto which I blended on Delicata Golden Glitz ink) that I layered all off-kilter for some interest. The leaves, cut out with Alterations Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves dies, are sprayed, dry embossed and burnished with burgundy, red-orange, orange, brown and a hint of gold shimmers and inks. I love all the shine and sparkle of these leaves, and I even have a few clear Glossy Accents drops on a few leaves to mimic shiny dew drops. However, to mute the bold colors of the leaves where Cuddles Anya would be, I die cut a piece of vellum with an MFT Cross Stitched Rectangles die and layered that over the center area. This still revealed the beauty and detail of those leaves all along the edges beyond the vellum without detracting from the main focal point Anya with her teddy.

All of this was put on a simple kraft card stock card base to keep with the earthy theme. For the inside, I inked the edges of a white card stock liner with more Delicata Golden Glitz ink and used a tiny remnant scrap of a textured and inked die cut leave for a little accent.  The simple “thinking of you” sentiment is die cut out from another dark brown scrap with the Tim Holtz Sizzix Celebration Words die set.

This card is being entered into the following challenges:
The Greeting Farm Farm Fresh Autumn Colors Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Monday Shine Bright Like a Diamond Challenge
CAS-ual Friday Orange, Brown and Kraft Color Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Thinking of You Challenge
Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge
613 Avenue Create Anything Goes Challenge
Crafts Galore Encore Anything Goes Challenge
Creatalicious Anything Goes Challenge
Just Keep on Creating Anything Goes Challenge

The patterned paper scrap that I used for the background had a soft painterly look so I wanted the image to have a softer look too. I used Momento Desert Sand ink to stamp the image and used the following Copic colors (practicing things I’ve learned from the Kit and Clowder skin and hair classes I’ve taken so far):
Skin: E01, E11, BV01, and R20
Hair: E31, 33, 37 and 29
Red Turtleneck Sweater Dress and Hearts: R20, 14, and 17
Yellow Tights and Sweater: Y21 and 26
Brown Ugg Boots: E33 and 37
Envelope: C0, 1, and 3
Grass: YG95
I also used a black Copic multiliner pen in 0.03 point to draw back in the details of her face and boots (which were looking a little clunky without the detailed lines), and a white Gelly Roll pen to put back in the whites of her eyes.

For the layering, I simply matted each layer with a little green card stock and for the central white area, I used the largest of rectangles from the MFT Die-Namics Stitched Rectangle STAX die set.  For the banner and floral accents, I cut apart and layered fabric stickers from the American Crafts “Everyday” collection.  As a finishing touch, I fussy cut out a flower from the patterned background paper and used my embossing tool to give it some dimension before adhering it over top of the flower in the stamped image of Amelia.  I love that this flower now perfectly matches the background paper. To highlight this even more, I added tiny gold and yellow rhinestone bling to the flower center and coated the petals with clear Wink of Stella. A girl can’t have too much sparkle, right?!

The following is a video share of this card:

This card is being entered into the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Have a Heart Challenge
MarkerPOP St. Patricks Day or Green Challenge
Card Mania Add Some Red Challenge
Penny Black and More Anything Goes with Stamps and Dies Challenge
February Farm Fresh A Touch of Red Challenge
Craft Your Passion Anything Goes Challenge
Crafty Gals Love Is In The Air Challenge
Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge
The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge
MFT Sketch 266 Challenge

The first card I made in the traditional way, stamping the forward bear on the left with Tsukineko Momento Tuxedo Black Ink, masking it off with another stamped and fussy cut bear on a post-it note, and then stamping the second bear.  The second card I made using Tsukineko Momento Desert Sand and just stamping the bear twice.

I used the following 3 Copic colors to color up each bear (they are the same on both cards):
Lighter bear on left: E21, 23 and 25
Darker bear on right: E55, 57 and 59

The “i love you BEAR-Y much” pun was not included in the stamp set. I used free fonts that I found online (“Anjelika Rose” and “You Make Me Smile“) that I thought looked very similar to the fonts used in the stamp set sentiments and had such a sweet hand written quality (well, sweeter than my handwriting, but you know what I mean). I simply positioned the sentiment in the lower right of the card when I printed it so that the bears could kind of sit above the words. I used a VersaMarker to trace the words and used clear Recollections embossing powder to add a little shine and subtle texture to the sentiment.

Since I wanted to keep the cards monochromatic in earth tones, I used a peachy card stock for the card base onto which I layered the card front with double sided foam adhesive. I also added some more shine and texture with peachy colored enamel heart stickers from Cloud 9 Designs (I have had these in my stash for over a year so I was so happy I could finally use them!).  🙂

The following is a process video of making both cards:

These cards are being entered into the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Monday Trio Of Colors Challenge
AAA Cards Spectacular Embossing Challenge
Time Out Challenge Make Your Mark with a Twist of Monochromatic Color Challenge
613 Avenue Create Anything Goes Challenge
CASology Write Challenge

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful day! WOOF