Julia Spiri Happy Fairy Journal Page - A Joyful Heart is Good Medicine

“Laughter is like taking a good medicine.” Every day you need to take your medicine. Find something that makes you laugh. 

Hey there from Nannyland,

If you need a warm smile to cheer you up, Julia Spiri's beautiful images are sure to make that happen.  I've discovered the more I laugh and grin, the better I feel, no matter what challenges life sends my way.  This darling girl is called Happy Fairy and you can find her in Julia's shop here. Just look at her adorable dimpled smile and those twinkling eyes.   Could she be any more adorable?  

I love making journal pages that immediately give me a lift as I flip through them.  I challenge you to try and keep from smiling when you look at Julia's magical artwork.  I have a dear friend who is going through a difficult health challenge and I plan to make a card with this image and use the same bible quote from Proverbs: 17:22.

I used a Ranger Dylusion Journal page for this entry and mounted my Copic-colored image to a white Spellbinders die cut frame. I used the same frame layers to create the label for the opposite page.  I created the scripture quote in Cricut Design Space using the writing feature.  I try to keep everything as flat as I can on my pages for obvious reasons, so my pretty Spellbinders flowers are perfect for her luscious locks and as low profile frame embellishments.   Her sparkly jewelry is studded with small gems. 

This little "fae" has cheered me up many times as I flip through my journal, reminding me that healing comes from a happy, blythe spirit. In fact, I think she said her name was Blythe.

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

I'll just be here blissfully creating until your next visit.

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

                                                                          Playing along with:

Creative Artiste Challenge #108

Moving Along With the Times Challenge #170

Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #259

Word Art Wednesday Weeks #667-668

613 Avenue Create September Challenge

Classic Design Challenge #09-2024

Path of Positivity Challenge #122

A Place to Start September Challenge

A Gem of a Challenge Wk19

Heart's Quest Fantasy Challenge #9

Art Journaling With Copics - Reyda Prints Digi

We tire of those pleasures we take, but never of those we give. 

John Petit-Senn

. 

Hey there from Nannyland,

As this year comes to an end, I have been reflecting on its challenges and triumphs and vowing to change the things that I need to let go of to make space for the good things that lie ahead. I always promise to simplify my life, but this time I really feel motivated to go for it.  In the past, my two cancer battles have opened my eyes to what is really important in life, and the third one this year has been no different.  I feel so blessed to have come through my challenges with flying colors. (I will keep reminding  myself that my hormone therapy pill is there to save my life, not to ruin it.)   

So, as I look around Nannyland, I see so many handmade cards displayed on shelves and in bins, waiting to be sent.  Some are Design Team creations, some are from Kit and Clowder classes and some are favorites I can't let go of.  I have made a decision to do more coloring in journals so that I can preserve my artwork in a way that I can flip through it when I want to see my progress and also look for inspiration.

I've also been enjoying the awesome detailed die cuts I've been receiving from the Spellbinders Large Die of the Month club.  It has reminded me of how delightful it is layering dies to create some really amazing cards.  I plan to make it a regular practice to create more cards with the millions of dies I have accumulated over the years. I find them easier to give away to friends and family because they are more easily duplicated.   

After losing a little of my mojo over the past few months, I'm feeling my energy coming back and I think my new found focus will be fun to incorporate in my artwork going forward.  I'm also going to save more time for my other love, quilting, which is another one of my favorite forms of art.

                              

I'm not quite sure how I will approach my art journaling,  but I think it would be fun to create separate journals for different types of images. I have several of this Tim Holtz weekly calendar with thick pages that include beautiful ready made backgrounds.  I colored this absolutely adorable image by Reyda Prints, fussy cut her, and mounted her on a white lacy frame, similar to my usual card designs.  I created some layered Spellbinder flowers which work beautifully because they are relatively flat.  I added assorted gems to the flowers and accessories. It's hard to see in the pictures, but I also added small pearl gems to the scallops on the frame.  They added a little dimension to the page but not enough to make it too bulky.

I covered the weekly calendar page with a piece of water color dp and added a sentiment from the same paper pack.  My largest flower was too large for my image so I tucked it behind my sentiment and I think it looks great there.

I know I'm going to like this art journal thing.  It feels really good to know I can color my images for myself and not worry about perfection (or giving them away, never to be seen again) when I'm creating my pages.  I like the way this new year is shaping up in Nannyland. 

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

I'll just be here blissfully creating until your next visit. 

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

Playing along with:

Digi Choosday Challenge Wk 50

A Place to Start December Challenge

Crafting From the Heart Challenge #8

Dream Valley Challenge #306

Path of Positivity Challenge #118 

Gem of a Challenge Wk 26

Creative Inspirations Challenge #9

Classic Design Challenge December

Worldwide Crafters and Colorists Challenge #12

The Crafty Addicts Challenge #8

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

 

Creating Handmade Flowers - Tim Holtz and Heartfelt Creations

Surround yourself with people who allow you to blossom. 

Hey there,

I have to admit...I'm a little obsessed with YouTube crafting and quilting videos and spend hours exploring the new products and techniques people so generously share there.  Another passionate obsession of mine is creating handmade flowers.  I just love coloring them, arranging their petals, and adding bling accents like gems and glitter.  So when I happened upon THIS Tim Holtz video and realized I already had the inks and Sizzix dies he was demonstrating, I got busy last weekend creating some pretty embellishments to have on hand for my cards.  I'm not much for messy techniques, but I actually took out my Distress Oxides and water color paper, and created the background paper I used with Tim's dies to make these layered blooms.

I have several Tim Holtz wildflower die sets and I don't use them enough because I can never decide how to color them.  I usually cut them out of white card stock and color them with  Copics.  This time I used water colors and I really like how easy it was to get this pretty painterly look.  I plan to add details with colored pencils when I attach them to my cards.

My favorite Heartfelt Creations flowers are shown in THIS video from my tutorial menu.  They are a delight to create and they turn out beautifully.  So much fabulous texture for so little effort. They are created by sponging ink on the stamped images, die cutting them, adding them to a mold and running them through a high profile die cutting machine like the Big Shot.

I added micro beads and glitter to the centers of these flowers and stickles to the edges of the petals. So subtle and elegant. 

These flowers were created using vellum instead of card stock for a more delicate look.  I used white holographic embossing powder to stamp and emboss the flowers and then colored them with Copics on the back.  I die cut them and molded them the same as the regular flowers, but they need to be handled with a little more care because they are easier to tear when they're wet.  They add a frilly,  classy elegance to my cards.. 

These are a little too large for most of my cards, but I know I'll find a use for them on other projects. I played with adding complimentary colored gems to their centers so they really are quite eye-catching in person.  

I also enjoy creating textured leaves with Heartfelt Creations "Leafy Accents".  They add beautiful texture to all my flowers and can be torn apart to fit my arrangements. 

I die cut tiny flowers, leaves and insect accents to add personality to my flower creations.  Small gems and Nuvo drops give them a little interest and dimension.   I keep them in bead trays I find at Walmart so I always have them close at hand.

I don't have any affiliation with Tim Holtz or Heartfelt Creations...I just really love the layered flowers I can create with their products.  There are a million ways to make lovely flowers just waiting for me to discover out there on the www.  So many blossoms...so little time.

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and produce a patch of  pulchritudinous paper posies. 

Nancy

Bloom Where You are Planted - Penny Black Meets Tim Holtz

Life, even in the hardest times, is full of moments to savor.  

They will not come this way again, not in this way.  

Paula Rinehart

Penny Black Angelette stamp, Tim Holtz flower dies, butterfly punch, copic markers,
Cricut cutting and writing feature, silver leafing pen

Hey there,

"Bloom where you are planted."  This phrase takes on new meaning  today when we're "planted" in our homes like potted tulips.  I'm finding I don't actually hate having time to catch up on some things I've been longing to do.  My husband and I are fortunate to be able to work in our tax business from home at a more leisurely pace, with people dropping off their information and having their taxes  filed electronically.  Yay for technology!  I don't know how the young moms are keeping it together entertaining their confined kids with the added responsibility of  home schooling. I'm pretty sure I would have died...or someone would have. 😄  It's much easier for my husband and I.   We are truly blessed.

So how do I  go about blooming where I'm planted?  I have made myself a promise that I will be a better person when things get back to "normal."  I'm walking most days in our beautiful wetlands and enjoying Spring as I have never done before.   I'm spending time organizing and simplifying my home.  I'm listening to less news and more podcasts and books. I'm quilting and sewing masks for my friends and family.  I'm texting, calling, emailing and checking in on those I love.  I'm creating some handmade "just because" cards and actually mailing them.  I'm feeling peaceful and optimistic because I'm not allowing myself to worry about things I can't control.

How are you blooming where you're planted?  I hope you are looking forward to emerging from this challenge with a whole panoply of lessons, skills and memories to add to your amazing book of life.

Thank you for visiting.
Go forth and bloom where you're planted.
Nancy

Playing along with:

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #386

Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #206

Creative Moments Challenge #189

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday April Challenge

Colour Crazy Challenge - Week 16

Cut it Up Challenge #198

Retro Rubber Challenge #133 - Penny Black Stamp 2017

Through the Craft Room Door Challenge - April 21

Classic Design Challenge #4
Penny Black Saturday Challenge - April

Pearly Locks - Grazia Salvo Woman of Flowers 16 in Copics

               True beauty is measured by the number of pearls within you and not around your neck. 

Grazia Salvo digital image from Etsy, copic markers, white glitter paper, green heavy weight cardstock, Elizabeth Crafts border die, craft pearls, white gel pen, gold leafing pen, Tim Holtz background die

Hey friends, 

My copics and these lovely digi stunners keep calling to me and I just have to acquiesce. It was absolutely heavenly coloring this gorgeous digital lady by Grazia Salvo from her Woman of Flowers collection. Now I've created birthday cards for all my crafty kindred spirits using similar images and I'm itching to change it up a bit.  I'm sure I'll be returning to these muses of mine soon and often because, well, they make me so happy!

I chose my favorite colors for this one because I think aqua looks so striking with the  red roses.  Her thick luscious locks provided me with an excellent chance to practice fine hair strokes with my copics.  I cut a curvy Elizabeth Crafts border die in gold,  accented it with pearls and cascaded it down her hair because even fabulous digi diva's need to accessorize.   

I used a Tim Holtz background die on my white glitter card stock background and edged the panel with a gold leafing pen.  The image is fussy cut and raised on the background with mounting tape to add some depth.  I used a white gel pen to highlight the flowers.

Goodbye for now, elegant digi ladies. I've got my eye on some pretty floral images,  Kit and Clowder coloring classes and  cute Mo Manning artwork to tweak my imagination.  No worries, I'm sure I won't be gone long. 

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and create something fabulous.

Nancy 

Playing along with:

        Addicted to Stamps Challenge #174 

        Angie's Digital Stamps Challenge #31

        Dare 2B Artzy May Challenge: Flowers

        International Art & Soul Challenge #59

        Coloring In Scrapland Challenge - May

        Get Creative Challenge #80

        Creative Moments Challenge #169

        The Paper Shelter Challenge #385

        The Crafty Addicts Challenge #60

        Through the Craft Room Door Challenge - Week of May 28

Christmas In July - Richele Christensen Class in Dixon, CA

Hi everyone,

A group of my besties and I had the privilege of attending Richele Christensen's "Christmas in July" class recently in Dixon, CA.  She is an absolutely brilliant designer for Sizzix and Tim Holtz. But best of all, she is a dear friend who started her impressive career teaching classes at the Stamp Art Shoppe near where I live.  Her loyal groupies, of which I am a proud member, love it when her busy teaching schedule includes a class  in our neck of the woods.  This gorgeous snowy  woodland scene is my favorite of the cards we made. We used the Sizzix Paper Snowflakes Thinlets, Stitched Oval Thinlets and Woodlands Thinlets for this card.

My plan is always to get my Christmas cards done way before the holidays to relieve my holiday crafting stress but, thus far, that dream has never materialized.  This year, Richele's class has put me in the mood to get my creative juices flowing with Christmas spirit early and, after this inspiring class,  I think I'm already hearing some distant jingle bells. A Stacked Baroque Thinlit and Retro Merry Christmas was used here.

                             

We made these two cards using Tim Holtz Lift Ink on a alcohol ink and Yupo  background.  Jennifer Mcguire shows how it's done in this video.  You really have to try this fascinating twofer process.  Stampers Anonymous Mini Swirl Snowflakes were used for the stamping.

I've made several shaker cards in the past with mixed results, so I tend to avoid them since the tiny bits seem to stick to places where they don't belong.  Somehow this card seemed easier to accomplish with Richele holding our hands.  However, fifty of them might be a little daunting, so I'll save this one for someone special. The winter scene stamp is from Stampers Anonymous.

Festive gift card holders were fast and easy using the Sizzix Gift Card Bag Thinlets.   

I learned some interesting new techniques in this enjoyable class and I love every card we made. You'll find Richele to be one of your favorite instructors if you are ever lucky enough to take one of her amazing classes.

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and create something fabulous.

Nancy

Home Sweet Home - Richele Christensen Collage Kit

👉 “Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try.”– Dr. Seuss

My dear friend and incredible designer, Richele Christensen, has just opened  an Etsy Store and I was privileged to be one of the first to purchase one of her fabulous collage kits. (My finished project is the one on the left, her sample is top right.)  She is a very popular designer and all her items sold out almost immediately.  Richele has been a Tim Holtz designer for many years and is now designing for Sizzix.  She travels the globe teaching classes and making "artists" out of her adoring fans. Years ago, she was my favorite instructor at the Stamp Art Shoppe with  her talented eye for design, always making projects simple and fun.  We  felt like proper artists when we left with our new skills and beautiful handmade card creations. 

I am far from being a collage artist and my creation is a lot "stiffer" than Richele's sample but I'm proud of myself for attempting something out of my comfort zone.  My brain likes balance, order and preciseness, even when I'm trying to be free and flowing.  So a kit with detailed instructions and materials is the perfect way for me to safely wander out of my box. The design was cute and simple, ala Richele, and a pefect addition to my sewing room wall.  All I had to do was follow the instructions, cut out the pieces from a pattern, do a little fun sewing and painting,  and glue the pieces in place on the wooden vignette tray included in the kit.  I used my own fabric scraps to  match the quilts on my wall perfectly.

If you love collage art or just want to try something new and you want to create your own little masterpiece designed by an artist extraordinaire, hop on over to Richele's Etsy Store and purchase one of her wonderful kits.  

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and create something fabulous.

Nancy

Playing along with:

        Creative Artiste - Mixed Media Challenge #40

        Unicorn Challenge #34 - Stitching

        Mix it Up Challenge # 15 - Mixed Media

  

Peaceful Bird - Lori Whitlock Snow Globe Card

👉Learn the rules like a pro.  Break them like an artist.  Pablo Picasso

Hello there,

I chose my favorite colors to make this super fun  Lori Whitlock  snow globe card. With a few simple adjustments  this adorable shaker card was  easy to assemble.   I had a great time putting several of these together for my darling friends in my craft group.  My Cricut is my best "Buddy" (the Elf, get it?) 😊 during the holidays when I'm pressed for time and need to make multiples.

Here's my Panoply Pattern:

TECHNIQUES:

1. I purchased and downloaded this Lori Whitlock SVG into Cricut Design Studio.
2. I resized my card from A2 to A6.
3. I cut out all layers except the ring, the chipboard base, the small snow flakes and the sentiment.  On this card I used a circle frame die from my stash to cut the red ring so I could cut a matching layer from a foam sheet to add dimension to my shaker. I found this easier than cutting and gluing several chipboard layers.
4. I used a circle die to cut a circle of acetate the size of the globe.
5.  I glued the light blue background piece (with the holes) to the white snow globe base.  I then embossed  the snow “mound” piece with swirls and added it to the globe.
6. I glued the white foam layer to the snow globe and  let the pieces dry completely to prevent the confetti  from sticking to any leftover wet glue. 
7. While this was drying, I assembled my bird and glued his cuteness to the snow mound.
8. Once the base was dry, I added the sequin confetti to the center of the globe.   After my confetti was added, I glued the piece of acetate over the globe.  I carefully lined up the red frame over the transparency piece and glued it. That's it!  So simple and so cute.
9. I added a silver paint pen border to the background layer and attached it to the card base and then added the snow globe to the background.
10. I glued a rhinestone to the snowflake and added it to the  globe with a glue dot.
11. I glued a die cut "peace"  to the snow globe base. 

TOOLS:

• Lori Whitlock Bird Snow Globe Shaker Card
• Bazzill aqua dotted card stock
• Bazzill red card stock.
• Blue glitter card stock
• Silver glitter card stock
• White Bristol Vellum card stock for card base and globe base
• Acetate sheet from office supply store
• Opalescent sequin and star confetti
• Silver and blue sequin confetti
• Swirl embossing folder
• Blue rhinestone
• Tim Holtz Christmas Sentiments "PEACE" die cut
• Krylon Silver Leafing pen
• Tombow Mono Liquid Adhesive
• Sookwang double sided tape

TIPS:

Go easy on the glue.  It needs to be completely dry when adding the sequins and the acetate to keep the sequins from sticking where they shouldn't.  (Ask me how I know.😏)  Also, don't overfill your card with the confetti.  You want your shaker to "shake."

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and create something beautiful.

Nancy

Playing along with:
        Cute Card Thursday
        Creative Knockouts
        Crafty Gals Corner
        Fantabulous Cricut
        Cupcake Inspirations
        Craftyhazelnuts Christmas Challenge

More Sizzix Bell Jar Cards - Christmas

In a recent post, Tim Holtz Halloween Bell Jar cards, I showed you some super fun Halloween cards I created in a Sandy Brien class at the Stamp Art Shoppe last fall.  Here are some more amazing holiday cards created in the same class. Sandy's card designs are always so beautiful and having her as an instructor is such a treat.

I remember being delighted with how these cards turned out and thinking I would make some for other occasions during the year.  Well, it's a year later and let's just say I'm glad I saved the directions. 

Want to create some of these darling holiday scenes for yourself?  Here's some of the things we used.

        Card Base: 10" x 7"

        Large Layer (Patterned Paper) 4 3/4 x 6 3/4

        Small Layer (Solid) 4 1/4 " x 6  1/4"

        Design Layer: 4" x 6"

        Cardstock for scene die cuts

        Transparency scrap for Bell Jar

        Sentiment stamps

        Sizzix Bell Jar die 658244

        Christmas dies from Impression Obsession and Memory Box

        White embossing powder

        Versamark pen

        Distress Inks

        Gems, stickers

The snow on the pine trees is made by inking the die cut tree with Versamark and then embossing with white embossing powder.

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and create something fabulous.

Nancy

        

Sizzix Tim Holtz Bell Jar Halloween Cards - 2016 Stamp Art Shoppe Class Flashback

While searching through my "Big Box O' Halloween Stuff" for some inspiration and supplies, I was excited to find these fun cards that I made in a class at the Stamp Art Shoppe last year.  Our amazingly talented teacher, Sandy Brien, showed us how to use the Sizzix Bell Jar die with acetate to give a realistic-ish glass jar look.  She instructed us to temporarily center the bell jar transparency on our paper and carefully sponge around the edge with distress ink to make the jar look lighter. We then cleaned and dried the transparency and adhered it to the pedestal after creating our scene.  I had forgotten how cute these cards turned out.  

The ghosts, pumpkins, bats, grass and scene dies are all from Impression Obsession. The leaves were made with punches.  The fabulous bell jar die is Sizzix Bell Jar 658244, which I've seen on Amazon recently.  I have a similar Sizzix Snow Globe die with a Christmas scene that I can't wait to use with this same process. 

Sadly, the Stamp Art Shoppe closed earlier this year, but Sandy still comes to town to teach classes about once a month.  I always look forward to being enlightened by her mad skills and talent.

Thanks for visiting. 

Go forth and be fabulous.

Nancy

Brushless Watercolor Class - Tim Holtz Distress Markers

A while ago I took an amazing class from Susan Porter, one of my favorite artists, and I'm just getting around to posting the four lovely cards we created.  The brushless watercolor technique has been around for a while and is relatively easy with beautiful results.  The background in each of these cards uses a little different technique. For this card, I used Milled Lavender and Dusty Concord distress markers to color the flowers directly onto the stamp and Peeled Paint and Forest Moss to color the leaves and stems.  After coloring the stamp, I spritzed it with water using a fine mist spray bottle and used gentle pressure to stamp the image onto watercolor paper.  I added Distress Stickles in Dusty Concord to the centers of the flowers and Peeled Paint Distress Stickles to the leaves.

The second card was stamped on Mattekote stamping paper. I colored the flowers with Picked Raspberry and Seedless Preserves distress markers, the flower centers with Scattered Straw and Wild Honey, and the leaves and stems with Peeled Paint and Forest Moss. I spritzed with a fine mist before stamping. The result was a little less textured than the watercolor paper, but just as pretty, I think. 

The third flower has a pallet painted background. I scribbled Scattered Straw onto an acrylic block and spritzed with a fine mist.  On watercolor paper, I used a large flat wet paint brush to paint the rectangular area I wanted for my flower background.  Using the same brush, I picked up the diluted Scattered Straw distress ink from my acrylic block palette and painted in my defined rectangle.  I dried this area with a heat gun and then stamped my image using the brushless watercolor technique.

My final (and favorite) card has a  resist block stamped background.  I embossed the image of the tall foliage on watercolor paper with white embossing powder.   I colored the surface of a 3" x 5" acrylic block with Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint distress markers.  With the block facing up on my table, I spritzed with water and let the colors run together.  I carefully flipped the block over  and pressed it onto my watercolor paper. I dried it with a heat gun and then stamped my image using the brushless watercolor technique.  

I always forget how fun and easy this technique is.  Have you tried it? You absolutely should!

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and be fabulous.

Nancy

Tom Holtz Crazy Birds- Richele Christensen Class

An Easter message from a wacky little bird in an Easter hat and bunny ears says it all. I couldn't resist posting this cute bunny from a Richele Christensen class a while ago because he is just so adorable. Richele posted some of these darling Easter birds on Facebook this week and I wanted to make sure you hop on over to her californiaartgirl blog to check out all her gorgeous work.  

I have known Richele since I took classes from her many years ago at the Stamp Art Shoppe and I am one of her biggest fans. She became a designer for Hero Arts during that time and we used to beg her to sign her artwork in their catalog.  What a bunch of shameless groupies!

She now travels all over the country as a Tim Holtz designer/instructor and creates stunning artwork in mixed media and fabric.  Even though she is so accomplished and "famous" she is still a sweet and supportive friend.  To know her is to love her. 

Class-y Tuesday - Water Colored Spring Flowers with Distress Markers

On my walks in the beautiful wetlands near my home, I can finally see gorgeous blossoming trees everywhere. The California drought is over and Spring is in the air.  Time to get out my embarrassingly vast array of flower stamps and make some pretty cards to match my mood.

I made these cards in a class taught by talented designer and teacher, Susan Porter. I had forgotten how fun and easy this distress marker water color technique is.  

These cards were all colored using Tim Holtz distress markers blended with a water brush on water color paper.  With a little practice, it's a fairly simple blending technique that gives amazing results. Here's a You Tube video that shows how it's done.  This technique works great with any water based markers like Tombow and Marvy, but I prefer distress markers  because they blend so easily.  If you haven't tried this technique, give it a try.  I think you'll love it!

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and be fabulous.

Nancy