Vertical Greetings 2 Card and Blog Hop

 Hello! Today is release day at Gina K Designs. There will be a party at StampTV to celebrate, chat, see design team samples and play in the new release challenges. Here is a look at my new set, Vertical Greetings 2. This is a follow-up to my previous set, Vertical Greetings. I've included more vertical sentiments along with a few fun, whimsical images.

The illustrators have put together a blog hop featuring their new sets. To see their amazing projects and more information about the release, start hopping here:

Gina K
Beth Silaika
Debbie Corbari
Melanie Muenchinger

Here is a video of how I made my card. You can watch here, or head over to my Youtube channel to watch it there.

 To make the background, begin with a piece of white cardstock trimmed to 2 1/4 by 4 inches and sponge in the center using Gina K Sweet Corn ink.

 Sponge around the edges using Gina K Warm Cocoa.

 Sponge around the bottom edge using Gina K Rich Cocoa.

 Stamp the largest Fern branch using Gina K Warm Cocoa ink, stamped off on scratch paper first to make the image lighter. Repeat a few more times.

 Switch to the next largest size and stamp a few more times.

 Using Gina K Rich Cocoa ink, stamp a few times with large and small fern branches, stamping off on scratch paper each time.

 Stamp a large fern leaf using Warm Cocoa at full strength.

 Stamp a small fern branch again using Warm Cocoa,  at full strength.

 Stamp the bird using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.

 Begin coloring by filling in with Spectrum Noir TB2.

 Add TB3 into the the darker areas.

 Add TB5 to increase the shading in the dark areas.

 Use GB5 to add dots to the chest.

 Use IG3 to color the beak and legs.

Use EB3 to add some brown to the wings, then using TB2 to soften the the edges of the brown into the highlighted areas.

Layer with Pure Luxury Chocolate Brown and Honey Mustard. Stamp the sentiment on the Honey Mustard layer and adhere all layers to the 4 ¼ by 5 ½ inch card base.

Thanks for visiting. I hope your have a wonderful day!

Supplies

Vertical Greetings 2 - Gina K Designs

Spectrum Noir Markers - Gina K Designs (TN2, TN3, TN5, GB5, IG3, EB3)

Pure Luxury Cardstock - Gina K Designs (White, Dark Chocolate, Honey Mustard)

Gina K Ink (Black Onyx, Sweet Corn, Warm Cocoa, Dark Chocolate)

Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

Jumbo Sponge Daubers

Self Adhesive Foam Squares

Brown Burlap String

Scissors

Paper Trimmer

Purple Hot Air Balloon Card Video Tutorial

Hello! Here is a card featuring images from Up and Away. I used my Spectrum Noir markers again on this one, but I listed some Copic substitutes you can use. Just a reminder, the alternative colors are not necessarily matches, but instead are the Copic colors I would reach for, from my collection, to create a similar look. 

Here is the video. If you would rather see it on Youtube, just click here.

Start by stamping the hot air balloon, from Up and Away, using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.

Begin coloring with Spectrum Noir marker (SN), PL5.

Add SN PL4.

Fill in most of the segments using SN PL2, leaving just a few white areas in the largest segments.

Use a Copic colorless blender to smooth out the color into the highlighted areas.

Use SN LV1 to fill in the horizontal bands and basket. After coloring, cut out the image.

Cut and emboss white cardstock using Spellbinders® Floral Ovals #3 die template (with #1 being the smallest die template). Then sponge around the edges using Gina K Sweet Corn ink, with the die cut  still in the die template. (Memento alternative - Cantaloupe)

Then sponge around the edges again, this time with Gina K Innocent Pink ink. (Memento alternative - Angel Pink).

Cut and emboss Sandy Beach cardstock using Spellbinders Sprigs Die D-lite die template, twice. Adhere the die cut branches, in opposite corners, to a 4 ¼ by 5 ½ inch white card base. Stamp the sentiment on a ¾ inch strip of white cardstock, using Gina K Wild Lilac ink. (Memento alternative - Grape Jelly) Trim the ends of the strip of cardstock using scissors, then cut a slightly larger piece from Pure Luxury Wild Lilac cardstock.

Assemble the layers and adhere to the card base using adhesive foam squares. Then adhere the hot air balloon. Add self adhesive gems to embellish.

Thanks for visiting. I hope you have a wonderful day!



Finished card size - 4 ¼ by 5 ½ inches

Supplies

Up and Away stamp Set - Gina K Designs

Spectrum Noir Markers - Gina K Designs (PL5, PL4, PL2, LV1) - alternate Copic colors (V06, V04, V1, BV11)

Spellbinders® Sprigs, Floral Ovals Die Templates

Pure Luxury Cardstock - Gina K Designs (white, Sandy Beach, Wild Lilac)

Gina K Ink (Wild Lilac, Sweet Corn, Innocent Pink)

Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

Jumbo Sponge Daubers

Self Adhesive Gems

Scissors

Scor-pal

Scotch Quick Dry Craft Glue

Paper Trimmer

Sweet Butterfly Card Making Video and Tutorial

Hello! I hope you are all doing well.  I used Signs of Spring for my card again this week and once again Spectrum Noir markers.

Here is a video for you and if you prefer to watch directly at Youtube, just click here.

Tip - When stamping on vellum, it is important to remember that it isn't porous like most cardstock, and you will need give it extra drying time. You can speed the process along if you use a heat gun or blow dryer, but be careful not to over-heat the vellum or you may damage it and have to start over. You can test it to be sure it is dry by carefully turning it onto a clean piece of white paper and pressing down. If you don't see any ink left behind on the white paper, it is most likely dry enough to work with. But I would still be careful not to smudge until the ink has had considerable time to dry. 

So the first thing I did on this card (not pictured) was to stamp the sentiment on a 1 inch strip of vellum. Then I set that aside while I worked on the rest of the card.

Stamp the butterfly, from Signs of Spring, onto white cardstock, using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.

Begin coloring with Spectrum Noir OR3 marker, starting at the base of the wings and outward. 

Blend out from the previous color using Spectrum OR2.

Switch to CT4 and blend out from the last color.

Side note -I mentioned in the video that I would have skipped this color if I had it to do over again. What happened is, I set out my colors and grabbed this marker by mistake, when I had intended it to be after the next color because it is lighter. When I switched to the last marker, it was darker than this one, rendering this marker somewhat irrelevant. 

Then fill in with GB5.

Since I had messed up and used a darker than intended color on the outside edges of the wings, I used my Copic blender pen in those areas to push some highlights back in. If you have a Colorless Blender pen, be sure to try it with your Spectrum Noir markers, too. It works just as well with Spectrum markers.

After coloring, use scissors to cut out the image.

These are not exact matches for the Spectrum Noir markers I used, but if I were coloring this butterfly with Copic markers, these are the colors I would most likely use to get similar results - YR07, YR04, Y17, Y21.

 Cut and emboss white cardstock using Spellbinders® A2 Matting Basics A #3 die template (with #1 being the smallest die template in the set). With the die cut still in the die template, sponge around the edges using Gina K Warm Cocoa ink.

 Remove the die cut from the die template and place sticky notes on the side and bottom to mask. Then stamp the branch, twice, using Gina K Fresh Asparagus ink. Remove the mask after stamping.

 Before adhering the butterfly to the background, I used Spectrum FS3 to color over all the little bits of white left from fussy cutting around the antennae and legs. I also used it on the edge of the paper, where I cut around the wings, to cover the white edge left from cutting.

After touching up with the FS3 marker, I used craft glue to adhere the butterfly in place.

If I were using Copics, I would probably reach for E02 or YR12 for this step.

 Trim Kraft cardstock to 3 ¾ by 5 inches and stamp the branch, on opposite corners, using Gina K Fresh Asparagus ink.

Add decorative score lines to the other two corners. I created four score lines on the upper right and two on the lower left.

Adhere the butterfly/die cut layers to the Kraft. Position the vellum with the sentiment centered over the front of the Kraft layer. Fold the sides around and adhere to the back. Add a layer of black cardstock behind the Kraft and used adhesive foam squares to secure to the Fresh Asparagus card base. Finished card size - 4 ¼ by 5 ½ inches.

Thanks for visiting. I hope you have a wonderful day!


Supplies

Signs of Spring Stamp Set - Gina K Designs

Spectrum Noir Markers - Gina K Designs (OR3, OR2, CT4, GB5, FS3)

Spellbinders® A2 Matting Basics A #3 Die Template

Pure Luxury Cardstock - Gina K Designs (Fresh Asparagus, White, Black, Kraft)

Gina K Ink Pads (Black, Warm Cocoa)

Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

Copic Colorless Blender Pen

Vellum

Scor-Pal - Scor-Buddy

Tsukineko/ImagineCrafts Jumbo Sponge Dauber

Adhesive 3D Foam Squares

Tape Runner

Scotch Quick Dry Craft Glue

Paper Trimmer

Scissors

Blue Crocus Card Video and Tutorial

 Hello there! I'm back this week with a video featuring Signs of Spring stamps from Gina K Designs and Spectrum Noir Markers. I am so pleased to have received the entire collection of alcohol markers from  Spectrum Noir and plan to feature them regularly. I still love and will use my Copic Sketch markers, but I've wondered, for some time, how Spectrum Noir compare because they are such an affordable alternative.

So far I find them to be wonderful. They remind me very much of Copic Ciao markers. They are hex shaped, and large like Copic Ciao, and also have the bullet and chisel tips. You can replace the bullet tip on the Spectrum Noir markers to a brush tip if that is what you prefer, but I don't plan to do that, except possibly to experiment down the road some time. For now, I prefer to use them "as is" to show everyone just how well you can color and blend with the bullet tips.

Even though I have the entire collection, I want my first few projects to draw from just a few of the Spectrum sets, so you can see that you really can color beautifully with a limited number of markers and build your sets up as choose or can afford. On today's card, I used the 6 Piece Blues set and the 6 Piece Greens set.

Here is the video, but if you prefer to watch on Youtube, you can find it here.

 Start by cutting and embossing white cardstock with Spellbinders® Standard Circles SM largest die template and stamp the crocus image, from Signs of Spring, using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.

 Begin coloring in the darker areas with Spectrum Noir markers, TB5.

 Blend out from there with TB3.

 Fill in most of the way using TB1, leaving just a few tiny highlighted areas uncolored.

 For the foliage, color in the darker parts with CG2.

 Then fill in with CG1.

 I don't have a color comparison chart to share with you, although I am certain they can be found online if you search. I do plan to list what I consider to be nice alternatives from my own Copic Sketch collection that I would have used if I had made this card using Copics. I hope to do the same for Spectrum colors when I do Copic posts.

For my card today, these are the markers I would have used to achieve similar results. There are probably better matches to the Spectrum colors, but these seem like the closest ones in my collection.

 After coloring, I placed the circle back in the die cut and sponged around the edges using Memento Cantaloupe ink. (PL alternative - Sweet Corn)

 Then sponged around the bottom using Memento Bamboo Leaves. (PL alternative - Fresh Asparagus)

Next, cut and emboss white cardstock using Spellbinders Adorning Squares die templates. Use the two largest die templates, nested together. When cutting with nested die templates, you can secure them in place using low tack tape, or hold them just right using Spellbinders Magnetic Placement Mat.

With the die templates still in place, sponge around the edges using Memento Bamboo Leaves.

Stamp the sentiment using Memento Danube Blue (PL alternative - Powder Blue) onto a 1/2 inch strip of white cardstock and trim the ends. Cut a piece of green cardstock with the largest Adorning Squares die template and adhere to the back of the white die cut. Secure the circle and sentiment layers using self adhesive foam squares and use more to secure the entire assembly to a 4 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch white card base.

Thank you for visiting. I hope your day is wonderful!


Supplies

Signs of Spring Stamp Set - Gina K Designs

Spectrum Noir Markers - 6 Piece Blues (TB5, TB3, TB1), 6 Piece Greens (CG2, CG1)

Pure Luxury Cardstock (White, Jelly Bean) - Gina K Designs

Memento Ink (Tuxedo Black, Cantaloupe, Bamboo Leaves, Danube Blue)

Spellbinders® Die Templates (Adorning Squares, Standard Circles SM)

Jumbo Sponge Daubers

Paper Trimmer

Scissors

3D Adhesive Foam Squares

Tape Runner