Stampin' Up! Watercolor Pencils

This post falls under the heading of "These are a few of my favorite things."

I love Stampin' Up! Watercolor Pencils. There. That's it.

Ok. There is more. Much more.

Each of these 24 richly pigmented pencils is amazingly versatile. Use them dry or use them with a dampened brush. Use them dry and then add a little water such as with a blender pen and you'll achieve a watercolor effect. They are easy to use, soft and are easy to handle. I love them! They last forever.

I'll be sure to post some images of cards I make using these watercolor pencils so you can see just how wonderful they are. I'm sorry I don't have one handy. I promise. I'll get on it! ;)

Blessings!

My Dining Room Crafting Workspace

My humble workspace at the moment is our dining room table. Even though the table surface seems to be able to weather just about anything, I still like to use my Stampin' Up! grid paper to protect the surface - and help me keep my projects "square" or "level". I was always one of those kids who wrote up hill on the chalkboard in school - because I needed a guide.

So, I set out the items I'm going to be using - or at least think I'm going to be using - and then start thinking about who I'm going to be making my project for (or what I'm going to be making my project about).

In this picture, I have already started on a card. I selected a Stampin' Up! stamp set, but I couldn't decide if I wanted to use it or not. I hadn't even put the set together yet! I like letting an idea take shape. Sometimes I have to walk away from a project for awhile. When I come back to it, an answer to "What's next?" always seems to be waiting for me. I hope you are enjoying your crafting. Blessings!

Creative Elements Stamps

One of the Stampin' Up! Stamp sets that was used in making the previous cards is shown here:

It is called "Creative Elements". One of the reasons I bought this particular set is because of the very detailed flower. I am obsessed with flowers. Another reason is the lovely scroll work and flourishes. Interestingly, I wasn't all that attracted to the butterfly, yet when I used it to make the card shown in the previous blog post, it became one of my favorite cards. Go figure. Never limit your own imagination, I suppose. Enjoy your crafting experiences! Blessings.

A Couple of Other Cards

In line with my last post, here are a couple of other cards I made for my mom that same day. Very rarely do I ever make a card similar to one I have made before, but I always take a photograph of each card in case I ever do want to duplicate one. I love being able to make something unique each time I create a card, but I long for the time when I can satisfy my need to make something by simply duplicating (or nearly so) a design I have used in the past. I wonder if I will ever reach that point.

Do you design from scratch each time you create something?

Making Cards for My Mom

When I make a card, I don't usually have a design in mind. I look at my stash and think about the person for whom I want to make a card. I sift through a handful of papers until something grabs my attention and then an idea starts to take shape.

Sometimes, something really wonderful happens. Other times, I have to work at the idea for awhile until everything comes together. The way creativity happens for each of us is different - and it may be different for each of us at varying points of the day, week, or even periods in our lives. I think it is always valuable to inject a piece of ourselves into what we are making.

This particular card was made when I wasn't feeling especially creative - at first. I picked up a few pieces of Stampin' Up! papers and thought about my mom. I wanted to make a couple of cards for my mom - not to send to her, but to give to her for her to send to others. It is something I have been doing for her for several years.

This "Thank you card" is the first card I made from those few pieces of paper I picked up. It isn't especially difficult technically, but it does have a number of layers, which I really like. The embossing around the tag and on the lettering is also another touch that I think adds a nice "pop" to the design. It isn't easy to see in this photo. I'll try to get better with my images in future photos.

I'll start detailing exactly how I make my cards and what products I use.

Creating in Photoshop

I'm playing in Adobe Photoshop. Anyone is free to download any of these rose images. I love playing in Photoshop. If I didn't require sleep, I think I could toy with filters all day long. I have version CS5. This particular rose isn't even real. I'm sorry to have to say that.

This is the original image, cropped, and "smaller", after I played with the "background" a bit. You can see that it isn't anything special. It is part of a floral arrangement on my antique china buffet. I worked on darkening the "non-flower" areas, then I started working on the flower.

The next image I saved looked like this: It still doesn't look like much, but once you get an image cleaned up, you can take it in a lot of different directions.

I save my images along the way because I may want to back-track and go down a new path at some point. Or, I might look at an image after 20 minutes of adjusting filters and scrap the whole thing. Saving my work has saved me a lot of time. I may only want to back up a few steps - or I may want to back up to the beginning - so if I have a number of variations saved along the way, I have a chance to save myself a lot of work.

This is what the image looks like after applying the filter "Glowing Edges"

Depending upon what you like, you can create some amazing images/designs. I have been working in Photoshop for many years, but I am self-taught, which means I have learned by trial and error. I have found that it is a wonderful, albeit sometimes frustrating, way to learn.

Growth often comes through challenges. So, I keep challenging myself with new Photoshop techniques.

The rose to the right has a lovely lighting effect to it.

Here are some other, smaller images I also created with this rose. One image - many possibilities.

Now, think of how you could use these images creatively. And, imagine what you could do with ordinary photographs that you take yourself?

How can you use them? Print them? Craft with them? Images can be put to use (work) in many ways. What hasn't been done yet? What do you wish you could do with an image?

What if I took the Glowing Edge rose image and made rough edge tile coasters with them? That would look neat. I'm sure they'd sell in a trendy shop downtown.

Maybe I print the ethereal rose image on textured greeting cards and give them as a gift to a teacher. Or, have it printed on canvas and hang it on your bathroom wall - or do it yourself if you know how. There are plenty of tutorials on line.

Images aren't just memories. They are ideas. They are emotions. They are inspirations.

Getting Started

How do you get started?

Almost anytime you start something new, you have a bit of trepidation. Will I be successful? Am I going to enjoy this? I have found that most of the time, the answers depend on how much you put into your new venture. It isn't a matter of whether the timing is perfect or if you are too busy. Success is a matter of taking one step after another. Passion helps. Knowledge helps. Determination and expectation are the keys, though.

I am embarking on something new. Recently, I purchased the Starter Kit from Stampin' Up! to become one of their esteemed demonstrators. I had a friend in Oklahoma City who was a demonstrator for Stampin' Up! years ago and I was always encouraged by her creativity and giving spirit. Now, it's my turn to share my love of stamping and my desire to create with others.

Much time has passed since I last looked at Stampin' Up! and their product line has grown considerably. In addition to rubber stamps, they also offer a significantly larger assortment of embellishments and tools. Moreover, they offer home decor items that will "WOW" any visitor in your home.

In the next few weeks and months, I will be posting ideas and templates for cards, scrapbook layouts and craft items that you can easily make yourself. I will provide a list of the Stampin' Up! products that I use for each project as well in case you want to create the same project yourself. I remember when I worked in a scrapbooking store a few years ago, many of our customers would bring a layout up to the counter and say, "I want everything it takes to make this page." I would like to offer a similar opportunity to all of my visitors here.

Another part of this blog will be devoted to tutorials. I hope to offer recorded examples of projects step-by-step so that they can be provided to others on their blogs and websites. This may take a few weeks to get set up, but I believe it will be very helpful to others.

Enjoy your visit and please return often. You never know what you'll find. God bless you.

CJ