You are Fabulous - Mo Manning Digital Diva

Be your own kind of beautiful. 

Mo Manning digi stamp, Copic markers, Spellbinders frame,
alphabet stamps, Impression Obsession mini flower dies,
hot pink gems, rainbow water color digi paper, Nuvo Drops

 Hey there,

I've just returned from a marvelous reunion with my two daughters in Monterey, California after being separated for a year and a half due to the pandemic.  It's a treat to get my crafting mojo back again in my restorative craft room paradise.  One of my daughters has been visiting from Copenhagen, Denmark for five blissful weeks and has managed to get fully vaccinated here, so we'll be sending her off tomorrow much safer  than  when she arrived. 

THIS adorable Mo Manning digi diva with her fantastically snazzy attire was a delight to color and accessorize.  She's a reminder to all of us that the most beautiful thing we can  wear is confidence.  The background is a rainbow water color digi print and the Deco style frame is from Spellbinders.  I embellished the frame and fancied  up  her colorful glasses with hot pink gems.  A few little mini die cut daisies with Nuvo Drop centers adorn her perky pony tails.  The "fabulous" sentiment came with the digi so I just stamped the "you are" and mounted it on foam tape to complete the thought.  

This card goes to my sweet childhood friend who has experienced some hard times lately, to put a smile on her face and remind her she's wonderful no matter what challenges come her way.

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and be fabulous.

Nancy 

Playing along with:

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #406

Creative Moments Challenge #215

CD Sundaya Plus Challenge #61

Lil Patch of Crafy Friends Challenge #158

The Crafter's Cafe Challenge #266

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge #87

Createful Heart Challenge #32

Stinkin' Inkers Challenge - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Allsorts Challenge #625

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #146

Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge #303

You Are So Lovely - Zan Von Zed Ladies of Leisure Digi

Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you.  Live life with gusto.
Dale Carnegie

Zan Von Zed Ladies of Leisure digital stamp, Tim Holtz background die,
Heartfelt Creations stamps, dies, and mold, Cricut cutting and writing features,
 glossy gold card stock, Xpressit blending paper, Copic markers, iridescent sequins

Hey there,

Grayscale coloring can be both amazing and challenging at the same time.  Zan Von Zed, the incredibly talented artist of THIS coloring book where I found this gorgeous digital image, uses light shading in her designs but also leaves open areas,  like the eyes here, for the colorist to use her own skills and imagination. There is occasionally some controversy in the digital art community as to whether this additional shading might be "cheating" since it shows through as light shading in the finished product.  For me, there are definite pros and cons to grayscale.  I enjoy shading so much on unshaded images and the light gray is a little harder to blend with Copics.  And since light source and shading are some of the most important skills a colorist can learn, I don't think it's helpful for beginners to rely on these shadows in their work.  But I like the result I get, even though it can be darker and more intense than my usual coloring.  And since many of my favorite artists use grayscale to differing degrees, some even offering dark, medium or none in their digi shops, I'm all in for the challenges and advantages of grayscale coloring! 

What do you think?  If you haven't tried grayscale, you should give it a go.  Some of the best artists use it to varying degrees in their artwork and many colorists create stunning artwork with it.  Just be aware when you see an unbelievably shaded image colored to perfection,  the colorist might have had some help from the artist. 

Thanks for visiting,

Go forth and experiment with some grayscale artistry.

Nancy

Playing along with:

The Card Concept Challenge #155

The Paper Funday Challenge #29

Digi Choosday Challenge Wk 19

Try it on Tuesday Challenge - Make it Feminine

A Place to Start Challenge #5

Get Creative Challenge #101

Just Us Girls #583

A Bit More Time to Craft #139

Classic Design Challenge #5

Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge #5

QKR Stampede Challenge #419

 

Penny Black Isabelle Stamp - Wistful Thanks

My mission in life is not merely to survive,  but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor and some style.  Maya Angelou

Penny Black "Isabelle" stamp, Heartfelt Creation die cut and molded flowers,
 Copic markers. thanks sentiment die, corner die, Tattered Lace frame dies

 Hey there,

 If  I had enough time and steam, I would send handmade thank you cards endlessly to all my incredibly supportive tribe. We card makers know that a personalized, hand crafted card with a heartfelt tribute inside is a very upllifting way to express our affection and gratitude to those we adore.  

This pretty cling stamp image from Penny Black Stamps, which I purchased from Joann's a few years ago, is called Isabelle.  She's a little hard to find now, but an internet search shows she's still available online.  Amazingly, she's large enough to  fit a 5 x 7 card perfectly.  After coloring her with Copics and fussy cutting her, I  attached her to a water colored digital background and framed her with layered die cut Tattered Lace frames.  I die cut the sentiment and corners with  gold foil card stock and added handmade Heartfelt Creations flowers for color and dimension.  She looks quite wistful, but it's obvious she's counting her myriad of wondrous blessings.

Thanks for visiting,

Go forth and express your thanks to those you love!

Nancy

Playing along with:

Craft Rocket Challenge #81

Krafty Chicks Challenge #558

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #404

Crafty Creations Challenge #421

Little Red Wagon Challenge #600

Watercooler Wednesday Challenge #315

Dream Valley Challenge #247

Pammie's Inky Pinkies