Video Tutorial Monday #10 - Clean and Simple with Jenni Bowlin Inks

Hello and welcome back for another fun week of a Monday Video Tutorial! I'm super excited about this weeks card that features my absolute favorite new Ranger product: Jenni Bowlin Studios Inks. I bought mine from the Studio Calcio store last month during release, and I have full intentions of picking up a few more colors this upcoming release. Right now I have Spice Tin, Chicken Feed, Stick Candy, and (my favorite!) Malted Milk. I wanted to show off these inks, so I came up with a super clean and simple design. Here's today's card:

Here's the close up of my beloved Malted Milk ink stamped with this fabulous star border stamp from Studio Calico.

Here's the video for today. It features some tips and tricks that I use as well- how I score my cardstock, how I align border stamps, and other fun things. You can watch it on YouTube here (and make sure to subscribe to my channel while you're over there).

Supplies: Cardstock- Papertrey Ink (Simply Chartreuse and Vintage Cream), Stamps- Studio Calico (Stars Border) and Hero Arts (CL343 Holiday Sayings), Gems- Making Memories (Paper Reverie Sienne Collection), White Pen- Signo Uniball, Ink- Ranger (Jenni Bowlin Studios Spice Tin and Malted Milk).

Hope you enjoyed the card for today! Little update- I totally didn't resist the Papertrey Ink Release last night. I placed an order. A big order. Oops! At least I'll have lots of pretty scrappy goodies to make new things with. :) I need to get back to studying for a big midterm tonight and working on three design projects (gasp!). Big day today! I'll have to reward myself with some crafty therapy later. :)

Have a fantastic day! Thank you for stopping by for another Monday. I'm hoping to have another video tutorial sometime this week just for the heck of it, so watch for that. I have some cool things in the works!

Love.

Brit

Feeling All Warm and Cozy.

It could be the tons of snow on the ground (the official count is 8 inches!), the space heater at my feet, or the amazing chili that I made for lunch today (my dad's recipe... tastes just like home), but something has got me feeling warm, fuzzy, and ready for the holidays. This is my favorite time of the year, and I'm sooo feeling the love. Here's a card I made to spread the love:

 I stamped my sentiment using words from Lawn Fawn's Cozy Christmas set and went a little crazy with the I (Heart) Hearts set from SU!

 The sentiment was punched out with the Real Estate punch from EK Success. Love! When I had adhered everything, I went back with the smallest heart stamp and some versamark ink and filled up the empty spaces. :)

Supplies: Cardstock- Papertrey Ink (Vintage Cream, Kraft, Simply Chartreuse), Ink- Hero Arts (Hero Hues Chalk Ink in Punch), Tsukineko (Versamark), Colorbox (Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink) and Ranger (Antique Linen Distress Ink), Thread- DMC, Punches- EK Success ( Real Estate Label) and Stampin' Up! (Three Hearts), Stamps- Lawn Fawn (Cozy Christmas) and Stampin' Up! (I (Heart) Hearts), Circle Cutter- Making Memories, Corner Rounder- WRMK.

I have a ton of studying to do tonight for a midterm and some big projects this week, so I need to go get some things done. I also need to record my video tutorial Monday. The card this week is super cute in my head... let's hope it turns out that way. Hehe. Before I go, I wanted to share my Papertrey Ink release favorites. Everything goes on sale at midnight EDT tonight, so it's going to be sooo hard to resist this cuteness for three more days until I get paid. I must wait, though! Here are my top picks:

The entire new Signature Series Line from Dawn McVey. You get one big image and four sentiments in each miniset for 5 dollars. There is a coordinating die for each one for $5, too! I'm definitely going to pick up the Flower and Cupcake Stamp set and the Flower and Butterfly die. Gorgeous!

The entire new banner lineup is a really cool concept, but my little budget won't let me buy it all. Therefore, I'm going to get the most bang for my buck by going with this die for $15. These border strips are 3.75" wide, so they're perfect for cardmaking. It's like getting 5 border punches, only it takes a lot of the work out of it for me. Woot! The tiny banner set that matches also looks really cool, but I'll wait a little bit to see what others do with it first. :)

Fillable Frames #10 by Heather Nichols is a no-brainer. This shape is lovely! Warm Happiness Too is adorable, too. I especially love the color scheme here!

This is what I'm probably the most excited about: the Mat Stack 1 Stamp set. This patterns are stunning, and the way they created this set is genius. You need to see this post by Nichole Heady about it. Woah! The Year of Flowers: Mums is going on my Christmas List. :)

Did I mention how excited for this stamp set I am? Oh boy oh boy! I'm pretty sure I'll pass out from excitedness if they ever announce a Mat Stack 4 stamp set (which it sounds like is in the works). Literally pass out. Haha.

I'm also going to be picking up a couple small packages of cardstock to work on filling in the holes in my collection. I've found myself wanting Lavendar Moon and Ripe Avacado, but I'm fresh out! It's a PTI paper emergency... hehe.

On one last not of enabling... You need to check out the SC sneaks here. The main kit is going to have two SC exclusive papers AND two papers made exclusively for SC by Sassafras. They're all in my favorite colors. Lordy, help me. Such gorgeousness going on here!

I'm off to get some studying and filming done. What do you have your eye on from PTI this month? What's going on your Christmas list?

Love.
Brit

Snow and Storage Solutions.

Hello from snowy Minnesota! I woke up this morning to a blanket of snow across my driveway and a very, very cold house. Our heater isn't working! A few repairment came today to see what was wrong, but it comes down to that they need to get a new motor for the system and install it on Monday. Let's just hope the quick fix that the last repairman did lasts through the weekend. Anyways, here was the look outside my window this morning:

And here's my house this morning :)

Isn't it pretty? Sigh. I love the first snow. I made a card to celebrate the occasion justing this adorable Winter Bunny stamp from Lawn Fawn and using some Papertrey Ink Dies (Mat Stack 4 and Victorian Lace Border).

I colored the cute little bunny with copics and some colored pencils (for the sled) and then masked him and the hills off with paper and inked the sky with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink. After I peeled up the masks, I accented the hills with silver Stickles and added some glitter "snow." Isn't he adorable?

 Here were the colors of Copics I used:

Supplies: Cardstock- Papertrey Ink (Vintage Cream, Kraft, and Pure Poppy), Dies- Papertrey Ink (Mat Stack 4 and Victorian Lace Border), Ink- Tsukineko (Memento Black) and Ranger (Distress Ink in Antique Linen and Tumbled Glass), Stamps- Lawn Fawn (Winter Bunny, Frosties), Glitter Glue- Ranger (Silver Stickles), Markers- Copics.

Next, I wanted to share with you a few storage solutions I've come up with lately. I always love seeing how people organize their supplies; it gives me ideas for scrappy and non-scrappy organization. I did a post and video a while back about my studio space overall, but this is a little update. :) Note: Click on any of the photos to see them bigger.

My ink labeling system. I simply printed the labels off of Ranger's site for my Distress Inks (I've accumulated quite a few now- I think I'm up to twenty oh my favorites now). When I bought my most recent ink loves, Jenni Bowlin Studios inks by Ranger, I decided to do a similar system but with the colors on the outside. I'll go back and do this for my distress inks someday, but for now, this works for me.

I keep my inks on the corner of my desk. This way, they're in reach and I can see all of the sides to choose the one I want quickly.

This is a closer look at my JBS inks. Aren't they pretty? I love seeing the colors on the side like this!

Stepping back from my desk, you can see the usual set up that I work with. I keep my craft spinner in front of my inks (which can easily move out of the way when I need to reach an ink pad), my little craft tools caddy, and a plastic cup full of other pens and tools  next to my crafting surface.

Next to me, I have my stamping and glitter drawer. (I bought this desk off of Craigslist, and then my wonderful mother refinished it for me.) The inside of it looks like this:

Toward the front of the drawer (the lefthand side in this picture), I have my paint daubers, my stickles, glitter, and smaller ink pads in a small square organizer I bought from Target (in the Itso storage area). Then I have my ink pads stacked up by brand along the side and middle of the drawer. Standing on end are my big acrylic blocks, and behind the glitter box is a small metal container for my tiny blocks so I don't lose them in my drawer.

 This beauty is next to my desk on my wall and is made using this rail from Ikea and these clips, also from Ikea. I love it, and the whole thing cost me under 20 dollars for the ability to hand 75 packages of stamps. I'm also thinking about hanging my thin dies up there, but I might just get another rail to go above this one. We'll see. :)

 These storage bins are also from Target (the Itso storage section, once again) and hold my stamps from Papertrey Ink in their CD cases, Stampin' Up! sets in their DVD cases, and other SU! cases that hold my smaller Hero Arts cling sets.

I labeled my PTI sets with some Vintage Cream cardstock and a pen. It's so simple, but it makes finding the set I want to use so much easier. Love it. :)

 Here are my clings stored with the label in the sleeve and the stamps showing on the back.

 The other basket on top of my Sterillite rolling cart holds all of my wood block stamps.

 Next to my desk are two more (also Itso) bins that hold my adhesive and ribbon.

Here's a closer look into my ribbon box. I have my PTI ribbon toward the front (the right) on the bottom, my neutral colors of ribbon in the middle, and my favorite specialty ribbons in the next row. On top of that, I have my twine, silk ribbon, and a row of Washi Tape (ordered from PrettyTape).

I hope you liked this little look into my organization system. Leave a comment if you have any questions about any of the things in the pictures! I have to go do a couple of laps around the house to warm up and put on some makeup for the first time this weekend. Ha. Maybe I'll even get a but of scrapping done tonight. Woohoo! I'm itching to play with Napa Valley soooo badly.

Love.

Brit

P.S.- *GIVEAWAY* Don't forget to comment on this post from Wednesday to be entered to win a fabulous necklace! I'm drawing the winner tomorrow :)

Copic Beautifulness.

I just turned in my paper that was due later today and I can honestly say that I've never been so happy to have a paper done. I still have a bit of homework to do over the weekend, but at least I can relax for tonight! Happy weekend, everybody! :)

A couple weeks ago, I posted this Monday Video Tutorial about working with clear cards. I got a lot of questions about how I colored the flower, so I wanted to do a video to show how I use Copics and how they work for me. This isn't the only way to use them; this is the way they work for me. Feel free to share any tips and tricks you might have int he comments, and I'll even come back and add them to this post. I wanted this post to be a resource for you to come back to if you have a quick question about Copics.

The Video

(Watch on youtube; subscribe to my channel.)

The Card

I cut out the colored flower and leaves and then made this cute vintage-y card with the pieces:

 Here's a close-up of the coloring:

Supplies: Cardstock- Papertrey Ink (Kraft, Vintage Cream, and Fine Linen), Patterned Paper- Cosmo Cricket (Wander Collection 6 by 6 pad), Stamps- Papertrey Ink (Year of Flowers: Roses) and Hero Arts (CL140 Thinking of You Messages), Markers- Copic (R20, R22, R35, YG25, YG17, YG67), Ink- Tsukineko (Black Memento) and Ranger (Vintage Photo), Corner Rounder- WRMK. 

My Copics

I've been buying Copics since earlier this year and have accrued quite the collection. I think I have all of the colors pretty well covered in the most minimalist way possible, so I wanted to share with you what I have hoping to inspire you. You don't need to own all the Copics to be able to have something for every project (although that would be awesome!)... Now, I say this with a grain of salt. Of course, I'll be buying more over time as I need them for different projects. This is what's working for me right now, and I'm happy. :) 

By the way, I buy all of my Copics from Blick Art Supply in the store. Since I'm a student, I get their preferred customer card for free (along with a 10% discount on everything), so this is the most cost-effective way to buy them for me.

My neutrals- a wide range of the Toner Greys, a colorless blender, a black marker, and the .3 and .7 Micro liners. On my list to add to my collection: a set of browns and some skin tones.

My Pinks and Reds. The left ones are the my fuchsia tones, and the ones on the right are more peachy and red.

My Oranges, Yellows, and Greens. I only have one orange because it blends with the yellows. This is probably where I'll add to my collection next, but I'm okay with it this way.

My Blues and Purples.

The Storage

Okay, this isn't so much a solution as a problem. I have a couple methods in mind as to how to store them, but my desk space is limited. We'll see what I come up with, but this is what a currently use to store my markers:

As of my recent shopping trip, I have outgrown this method, so I have all of my neutrals outside of the oh-so-fancy plastic cup:

I'll update you as soon as I figure out a way that actually works for me in this area. Ha.

The Best Sources

There are a couple of posts that really have served as an inpiration to me when learning out to use my copics. I'll list them here:

Jennifer McGuire's Copic Post

Nichol Magouirk's Skin Tones with Copics post

Nichol Magouirk's recent My Favorite Copics post

Nichol Magouirk's Original Copics Info post (her blog in general is great for picking up tips and tricks about how to incorporate Copics in scrapbooking and cardmaking)

Hope this helps you out a little in navigating the crazy world of Copics. I love them; they're a great tool and super fun to use. Let me know if you have any questions!

I've had a total blast featuring some of my favorite Etsy sellers, and I've saved of my favorites for last. Today's featured seller is PrettyTape. This shop sells one of my newest obsessions: washi tape. She also sells wonderful things to go along with them like tape dispensers and some super cute stamps. Here's one of my favorite projects using her tape:

(I blogged this project here.) I have about 15 rolls of tape now from PrettyTape, and they come in the most gorgeous colors. I seriously spend so long surfing there when I get in my Washi Tape moods. Hehe. Here are some other great things for sale:

Japanese Masking Tape Pretty PINK Polka Dots Stripes Pattern 15mm - Set of 4

Pretty Pastel Pattern - Masking Sticker Set - 27 Sheets (w/ Tin Case)

Pretty Floral Lace Pattern Foam Rubber Stamp Set of 3

Aren't her store items lovely? Shipping is super affordable, too. Go check out PrettyTape and spread the happy office supply love. :)

Thank you for stopping by today. I'm going to go de-stress by cleaning up my room and getting it ready for some pictures I'm going to take for my blog post tomorrow. We're talking storage. I'm so excited to share what I've done lately with organizing my stamps and ink, so make sure to stop back for a look at that. Have a happy evening!

Love.

Brit

Running Quickly.

Hey all. Life is crazy around here; I have two papers and a midterm between tomorrow and Monday, so I have to spend wayyy too much time on school work over the next couple days. :/ I wanted to stop through though and share a quick tag + a haul video from yesterday + today's Etsy feature.

 Supplies: Tag- Ranger (Size 8 Shipping Tag), Cardstock- Papertrey Ink (Kraft), Stamp- Hero Arts (CL457 Real Leaves), Twine- May Arts (Brown), Embossing Powder- Ranger, Embossing Ink- Tsukineko (Versamark), Ink- Ranger (Distress ink in Wild Honey, Yellow Mustard, Dried Marigold, Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door, Fired Brick, Vintage Photo), Marker- Stampin' Up (Chocolate Chip).

Last night I got a chance to take the car and pick up some new (and refill) art supplies. I'm hoping to use some of them to de-stress tonight after I get done writing my papers! Here's a quick video I did showing what I bought. (Watch it on youtube & subscribe to my channel.)

Today's featured seller is Knitty Bitties. Even though she's on a little break right now from shipping, you can still buy pretty things from her store. I originally ordered just the little Oh Snap mini wallet from her, but then I asked her to make a matching key fob so that I could replace my ratty old Maroon and Gold (Minnesota) colored one. She went out of her way to match the pretty colors to my original purchase and had my key fob to my in no time. I love it! Her customer service is awesome, and next time I need to order a little clutch or purse, she's definitely getting my order.

Here are some more pretty things for sale up at Knitty Bitties:

Happy Little Camera Strap Slip Cover Hot August Nights

 Happy Little Camera Strap Slip Cover Winter Gray Skies

Happy Little Camera Strap Slip Cover Hello Sunshine

So make sure you go check out Knitty Bitties on Etsy, especially after she gets back from her break to travel. She's sure to have some amazing new things in store for us up at the end of the month! Stop over there and leave her some pretty, crafty love. :)

I have to run off to get some more schoolwork done, but make sure to check back tomorrow for a post about Copics with a video tutorial and a card along with another fab Etsy feature. Thank you for stopping by!

Love.

Brit

Busy, Busy Day.

I'm in design classes for eight hours today, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel- I get to go art supply  shopping tonight. It's my favorite. I'm going to hit up Michael's, Blick Art Supply, and Archiver's and spend time with some pretty projects. Hellooooo retail therapy! There's nothing like a long, hard day rewarded by some art supplies. (And picking up things to giveaway here on my blog. Yay!)

Even though I'm super swamped today with design work, I wanted to pop in and share today's card and Etsy feature. Here's today's card:

 I showed this background really briefly on this watercolor video tutorial. It's just my favorite Prang watercolors on Vintage Cream PTI cardstock. I just embossed the floating blossoms background stamp with silver embossing powder and then watercolored it in. It's such an easy, elegant look.

Supplies: Cardstock- Papertrey Ink (Vintage Cream, Fine Linen, Pure Poppy), Stamps- Hero Arts (CG147 Floating Blossoms) and Studio Calico (Natalee Alpha), Ink- Tsukineko (Versamark Embossing Ink) and Ranger (Antique Linen Distress Ink), Embossing Powder- Ranger (Silver), Corner Rounder- WRMK.

If you have any questions about how I colored the flowers, check out the video I did a couple weeks ago about watercolor. :)

Today's featured Etsy seller is my sweet friend, Latrice. At her store, Any Occasion, she sells gorgeous necklaces (flower bibs, button and ribbon) and headbands as well as other projects from time to time. I bought a bead and ribbon necklace from her a couple weeks ago, and I literally have to force myself not to wear it every day. It's so gorgeous! Here's a pic of me wearing it:

It's lovely. It can be dressed down (like here) for a long day at class or dressed up for a night out. i get compliments on it all the time. Here's some more of her fab products:

 Trinity Feather and Silk Headband in Cream

 Button Cascade Necklace in Pink

Knotted Ribbon and Bead Necklace

Latrice is one of my first real-life scrapbooking buddies, so I would love if you would send her some Etsy love and buy a necklace or other pretty thing from her in her store. Because's she's soooo sweet, she has offered to giveaway one of her pretty pink ribbon necklaces! To enter, just comment on this blog post, and as long as you fill out all the boxes (with your url or e-mail address so I have a place to find you), you'll be entered to win. I'll draw a winner on Sunday, November 14th at about 11 pm CST. Good luck and a huge thanks to Latrice for offering a necklace to give away!

Thank you for stopping by and don't forget to leave a comment to be entered to win!

Love.
Brit