Peacock Passion

I colored this peacock with regular style markers, using mainly the brush end with the fine tip in the smaller areas. You really can't do much shading using markers but I think it still turned out nicely. The shading that I did do was using a darker marker and a lighter one, like the Always Artichoke and the Wild Wasabi markers.
Materials needed:
Perfect Peacock stamp (#133830)
Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set
Melon Mambo Striped Organdy ribbon (#129293)
Wild Wasabi card stock 3 1/2 x 5 5/8"
Always Artichoke card stock 3 3/4 x 6"
Patterned paper 2 3/4 x5 3/4
White card stock
Very Vanilla card stock 6 x 6"
Subtles Candy Dots (#130933)
Corner rounder
Word Window punch
Modern Label punch
Markers:
Marina Mist
tempting Turquoise
Melon Mambo
Wild Wasabi
Pink Pirouette
Pretty in Pink
Strawberry Slush
Daffodil Delight

Multiple Colors on a Single Stamp

If you've been playing around with rubber stamps for several years, you probably already know how to do this, especially if you used to watch Sandy Genovese when she would have Dee Gruening on the show. That's where I learned this technique. For those of you who are still new to stamping, you may be wondering how people are getting more than one color on a single stamp. That's what our tutorial today is about.

To begin, you need your rubber stamps, markers and white cardstock. You can use both wood mounted stamps or clear mount stamps with clear blocks. For this part, I am using an image from the Just Believe(#120453) stamp set. The stamps I'm using today are all the clear mount style.

The markers I'm using for this image is Old Olive and Daffodil Delight Stampin' Write Markers.

You must use the markers that have a brush tip for this technique. All of SU! markers have both the brush tip and the 0.5mm point tip that is usually used for writing.

It is helpful if you can look at the picture of your image as you are coloring but not required.

Using the brush tip of the Old Olive marker, color the leaves and stems of the image.

In this picture you can see that all the stems and leaves are colored now.

Now you are ready for the next color, the Daffodil Delight, to color your flowers. Being able to color look at the picture or your image will help you see where each part is easier than just looking directly at the rubber stamp. Also, remember, when you are coloring the stamp, this will be in reverse of what your stamped image will look like.

By now, your Old Olive color is probably looking a bit dry. To refreshen the color, you will have to "huff" on to your stamp. If you are using a large stamp, be sure to huff over the entire image. You may need to huff several time. (Huffing is the same as breathing on it with a bit of force. Remember the big, bad wolf who "huffed and puffed" to blow down the little pigs house? That's what you are doing. lol)

Now stamp firmly on your cardstock and you will have an image with 2 colors.











After you have tried this a few times, you might want to start doing a bit more shading and using other colors. You can use as many colors as you dare. The most that I've tried at one time is 4. So here we go with 4 colors.

This time I'm using a little more complicated stamp. This is the floral image from Elements of Style (#120045). The markers I'm using are Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette, Old Olive and Certainly Celery. The Pink and the Celery are lighter colors.

The way that I do it, is to do go from dark to light but it really doesn't matter which order you use as long as you can remember which parts you've colored.

I colored my roses in Melon Mambo, then the smaller flowers in the Pink Pirouette. Then I did the stems in Old Olive and most of the leaves in Certainly Celery. Again, being able to look at the picture while you color the image is very helpful.

After you have the entire image inked up, then huff again to refreshen the color. Then stamp on your cardstock.

Now you are ready to cut out the images and use them in your cardmaking or scrapbooking. You can do this directly onto your project but I really don't recomend it. If you mess up on this, then the whole project is ruined. If you mess up on a different sheet of cardstock, you can always try it again without ruining the parts you've already finished.

Pyramid Pen/Marker Holder

This is the marker holder that I made for me to use. I've read that markers are supposed to be stored flat so this will do that job quite well. I've organized my markers by color groups. Here's how you do it.

Empty Pringles cans will work well for this but that's not what I used. My husband is custodian at our church so I had him collect the core of the paper towel rolls that go in the machines. They are very heavy duty and have a plastic end to go on the back side. You need 10 cans or end rolls to make this.

1. I cut my patterned paper to measure 7 1/2 x 9." For Pringles cans or other items, you will need to measure the length of your can and the distance around the can to find what size to cut your paper.

2. I put Sticky Strip (#104294) on three sides of the paper. This is a strong heavy duty tape that hold well.

I put one strip of Sticky Strip on the can that I plan to cover.

Do NOT take the red off of any of the strips yet.

3. Pull the red off the strip on the can. Line up your patterned paper so that it goes over this strip but is also straight with both ends. Be sure this is the side that does NOT have sticky tape on it.

Carefully, pull the beginning off of one strip of Sticky Strip tape. As you slowly pull the red tape cover off, press the paper to the can. Then do the same with the other end of the can/paper. Now, pull off the last red cover and overlap the paper and press to stick.

Repeat to cover all of your cans.

4. With your hot glue gun, run a bead of hot glue down the seam of the paper that you've wrapped around the can. Press this to the seam on the next can.

Continue hot gluing 4 cans together for your bottom row.

5. Now put hot glue on top, to the sides of your next cans and place three cans on the second row of your pyramid.

6. Build the third row with two cans and the top row with one can. Hot glue each of the cans on top of the others.

7. You can add a wide ribbon and tie a bow at the top if you wish like in the first picture. You don't have to hot glue the bow on but I would recommend it. Now just organize your pens and markers in your pyramid!

Rosemary

I wanted a fairly simple card for my class I'm doing tomorrow at an event. This is for some ladies who have no experience in card making or very limited experience. I've also included in this a short tutorial on stamping different colors on the same stamp. You may or may not already know how to do this.

I used Old Olive DSP from the Brights paper collection(#117155). I cut it to 4 1/4 x 5 1/2."
Whisper White cardstock is 2 1/2 x 3"
Certainly Celery is 2 3/4 x 3 1/4"
Marina Mist is 3 x 3 1/2"
Herb Expressions stamp set(113224)

1. I used the Old Olive Stampin Write marker(#100079) and the Island Indigo Stampin Write marker.

Use the brush tip to color the leaves and stems Old Olive. Use the brush tip of the Island Indigo to color the flowers. I used the Island Indigo on the words on this stamp. Right before I'm ready to stamp this, I huff or breath on the colored ink to freshen it. The breathing helps to put moisture back into your color. Stamp on your white cardstock.

2. I sponged the edges with Old Olive classic ink. Mount each of these, stamped image, Certainly Celery and Marina Mist. Then adhere to the center top of the patterned paper.

3. I cut a strip of Marina Mist 1/2" Scallop Dots ribbon (#122986) to about 6 1/2." Apply adhesive to the back and place about an inch from the bottom of the card, wrapping the ends around the back.

Like I said this is a fairly simple card that I hope will show these ladies how much fun card making can be. I also hope that if you haven't used your markers on your rubber stamps before that you will give it a try.

If you are not familiar with the blooms on the herbs in the Herb Expressions set, the thyme blossom is a pale pink, rosemary has a blue blossom and basil has a pinkish-purple flower. Of course, lavender has a lavender color flower. I don't know if the color was named for the flower or the flower named for the color but it is one that I love.