Sweet Greetings with Dreamerland Crafts and Doodlebug

Sending Love Flowers and Mailbox & Wall are two of the latest stamps from Dreamerland Crafts. The latter is from their Mix & Match collection - great for creating backgrounds and scenes. I colored this image with Caran d'Ache Luminance colored pencils and blended it with Zest-It Pencil Blend on Canson Artist Series Drawing paper (250g/153.6lb cotton bright white) - this is the first time I'm using all three of these products. This combination isn't for the faint of heart. It was pretty challenging to get the color to blend and layer. I think this combination would work better on a larger piece, using a brush to apply the Zest-It Pencil Blend. On this small scale, I had to constantly dip the blending stump to keep the color moving to fill the paper texture.

Affiliate links may be included in this post. I participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, Share a Sale, and other affiliate programs; these affiliate advertising programs provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and/or other affiliated sites at no cost to you. This helps offset a small portion of my crafting addiction... uh, hobby. I am truly thankful for your kind support! I also receive free products from my design team companies. Regardless, all opinions are my own. I do not get paid for my posts unless otherwise specified. Cookies may be used on this site. See notice at bottom of blog for a longer description.

Making the Card

1. Cut Blue/Green cardstock 7x10 inches; fold in half to form a 5x7 inch card base. Cut cloud paper (Spring Things) 4 3/4 x 4 3/4 inches and 1 1/4 x 4 3/4 inches. Adhere smaller one at top of card and larger at bottom as shown, leaving a gap for the paper ribbon. Cut a strip of light pink grid paper (Dot-Grid-Daisy-Stripe Rainbow Petite Prints) 1/2 x 5 inches. Adhere where shown. Die cut small bow (Fold Up Bows) in same paper, trim off tails, and assemble (hint: use the end of a paintbrush or other small round item to curve paper before assembly). Set aside bow.

2. Stamp Sending Love Flowers in Jet Black StazOn ink on masking paper. Cut around outside. Cut a piece of Canson Drawing Paper* to about 5x5 inches. I recommend using a Stamp Platform or stamp positioner for the next part. Stamp in the following order using Desert Sand Memento ink (I recommend stamping off first and doing a 2nd generation stamp of this - mine was too dark, making it very difficult to cover with pencil). Stamp Sending Love Flowers main image; mind placement - leaving room for sky and walls. Place mask over image then stamp walls to either side. Use Post-It Tape or other mask over walls (mostly to mask the top of the wall where the bush stamps may overlap). Stamp bushes so they are peeking above walls. Stamp bird where shown.

*Upon coloring (Step 3), I discovered that it is a bit difficult to work with this paper due to its light texture - coloring with pencils over it shows a lot of white, even with a highly sharpened tip and working in small circles. The Zest-It Pencil Blend I used to blend the pencil isn't wet enough on the blending stumps to fill the specks of white easily - some pressure and a lot of patience is needed. For beginners, I would recommend using a smoother cardstock, like 80lb Neenah Classic Crest Solar White.

3. Color image with Caran d'Ache Luminance colored pencils. Blend using Zest-It Pencil Blend and blending stumps as necessary. I left some areas unblended, for example, in the rocks, to give it a rougher look. Hint: color in layers for best results, for example, lightly color an area, use the blending solution and stumps, then add more color; repeat. My favorite pencil sharpener is the KUM Long Point to get a really fine point.

4. Die cut image using largest Nested Square Small Stitch Die. Cut blue/green cardstock 1/4 inch bigger than the die cut image (i.e. leaving 1/8 inch all the way around). Adhere to card where shown then use dimensional/mounting tape to adhere image.

5. Cut out "hello sunshine" (Spring Things) 2x2 inches. Cut blue/green cardstock 2 1/8 x 2 1/8 inches; adhere "hello sunshine" using dimensional/mounting tape. Adhere to card where shown. Adhere bow.

6. Finish card with crystal sequins where shown (the first photo shows their locations best).

Supplies

• Dreamerland Crafts Stamps: Sending Love Flowers (D18002),  Mail Box & Wall (M18301)
• Cardstock: Blue/Green
• Doodlebug Designs 6x6 Paper Pads: Spring Things (5531), Dot-Grid-Daisy-Stripe Rainbow Petite Prints (5448)
• Canson Drawing Paper Artist Series 250g Bright White or Neenah Classic Crest Solar White
• Masking Paper
• Optional: Post-It Tape
• StazOn Ink: Jet Black
• Memento Ink: Desert Sand
• Stamp Platform or Stamp Positioner
• Colored Pencils: Caran d'Ache Luminance
• Blending Solution: Zest-It Pencil Blend
• Blending Stumps
• KUM Long Point Pencil Sharpener
• Rubbernecker Stamps Dies: Nested Square Small Stitch Die (5011D)
• Dimensional/Mounting Tape
• Sizzix Dies: Fold Up Bows (662415)
• Darice Crystal Sequins

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Winner of the Xyron Mega Runner Giveaway!

Good day everybody! Time to announce the winner of the Xyron Mega Runner. There were 10 comments on last week's blog post with 4 who subscribed to my YouTube channel for an extra entry. I put the 14 entries into an Excel spreadsheet, randomized the names, then used a random number generator to choose the winner.

Wow, I guess 7 really is a lucky number! The winner of the Xyron Mega Runner is Jean!! Congratulations! Please email me with your name and physical address - my email is listed in my Privacy Policy (click tab at top of this post), scroll down to number 5. Xyron will be sending the product to you directly. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do mine!

Disclaimer: Affiliate links and cookies, including those for personalized ads, may be used in this post and on this site. Using this site implies your consent. I participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, Share a Sale, and other affiliate programs; these affiliate advertising programs provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and/or other affiliated sites at no cost to you. This helps offset a small portion of my crafting addiction... uh, hobby. I am truly thankful for your kind support! I also receive free products from my design team companies, possibly monetary compensation, and sometimes free products for review. Regardless, all opinions are my own. Google and Blogger use cookies to provide and improve their services. See Notice at bottom of blog for a longer description or for even more details see the full Privacy Policy.

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Dog Days Summer Greeting Card and Giveaway!

The Xyron Design Team was given a summer theme for this June project. I went through my stamps and found a sweet little dog sniffing a flower, by Whipper Snapper Designs. I thought it would be fun to do a play on words with "The Dog Days of Summer."

I recently colored an image with Arteza watercolor pencils; this time I decided to use my Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer watercolor pencils and Strathmore Series 500 Watercolor Paper to see how they performed in comparison. I still need some practice layering (watercolor pencils seem to reactivate more easily than watercolor even when dry on paper) but these were much easier to work with than the Arteza combo.

Giveaway: Xyron is giving one lucky person a Mega Runner! Yay! To enter, leave a comment below. I will choose a winner randomly and make the announcement here on my blog next week - the person will have a week to respond. Note: I will try to email if the winner has a valid address listed in their profile (please do not put your email address in your comment). If you would like an extra entry, just subscribe to my YouTube channel and tell me in your comment here that you did so.

The Mega Runner comes with a 1/2 inch wide 100 foot roll of strong adhesive. Refills are available in 1/2 inch and 1/4 inch versions.

Affiliate links may be included in this post. I participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, Share a Sale, and other affiliate programs; these affiliate advertising programs provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and/or other affiliated sites at no cost to you. This helps offset a small portion of my crafting addiction... uh, hobby. I am truly thankful for your kind support! I also receive free products from my design team companies. Regardless, all opinions are my own. I do not get paid for my posts unless otherwise specified. Cookies may be used on this site. See notice at bottom of blog for a longer description.

Making the Card

1. Using VersaFine Clair Nocturne ink, stamp Sweet Sniffs of Spring (Whipper Snapper Designs) on Strathmore watercolor paper (I recommend a Stamp Platform or Stamp Positioner due to the texture on the paper). Although it is waterproof, it is a pigment ink, which usually takes a while to completely dry, so you may want to use a heat tool to set the ink.

2. Color image with Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer watercolor pencils, using a waterbrush or watercolor brush and water to blend the colors. You may go over darker areas with pencil while paper is slightly damp to get more pigment lay-down. You may find a list of colors I used below Supplies.

3. Die cut image with Cross-Stitched Oval. Using the next size up oval, die cut the grass background paper (Puppy Love Paper Pad). Note: I highly recommend the Sizzix machines for die cutting. I have been very happy with mine!

4. Cut green cardstock 7x10 inches; fold in half to form a 5x7 inch card base. Cut blue cardstock 4 3/4 x 6 3/4 inches. Adhere to card base using Mega Runner (see photo below). Cut dog scrabble patterned paper (Doodlebug Design Puppy Love) 4 5/8 x 5 1/4 inches. Adhere to bottom part of card as shown above.

5. Cut blue gingham patterned paper (Doodlebug Design Gingham-Linen Rainbow Petite Prints) 1 1/4 x 4 5/8 inches. Use Cricut Maker or other digital cutting machine to cut "The Days of Summer" from green cardstock (I used a system font that I thought would be fun with this card - I also welded some of the letters together). Use a Xyron 1.5" Create-a-Sticker to put adhesive on the backs of the words/letters (see photo above). Arrange words and Mini-Scrabble letters (don't stick down the Scrabble letters yet though) on blue gingham piece, leaving room for bone and paw brads. Note: the brads I used came colored - if you can't find them already colored, you could paint them using Vintage Patina in Onyx and Marble, which is made to stick to metal. Add brads where shown. Hint: I used a soft mallet and cutting mat to lightly tap the prongs flat behind the paper. Use Mega Runner to adhere to top of card base as shown (avoid brads). Adhere Scrabble letters.

6. Adhere die cut grass oval where shown. Adhere watercolored dog oval using dimensional adhesive. Watch the following video to create dimensional adhesive using a Xyron 9" Creative Station with Permanent Adhesive.

Supplies

• Xyron: Mega Runner, 1.5" Create-a-Sticker, 9" Creative Station, Permanent Adhesive
• Cardstock: Grass Green, Ultramarine Blue
• Whipper Snapper Designs, Inc Stamp: Sweet Sniffs of Spring (CY866)
• Doodlebug Design: Puppy Love 6x6 Paper Pad (5299), Gingham-Linen Rainbow Petite Prints (5450)
• Strathmore Series 500 Ready Cut Watercolor Paper 5x7
• VersaFine Clair Ink: Nocturne
• Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Pencils
• Optional: Stamp Platform or Stamp Positioner, Heat Tool
• Waterbrush or Watercolor Brush
• CottageCutz Cross-Stitched Oval Set CCB-016
• Optional: Jolee's Boutique Mini Scrabble Letters (I think these are discontinued but you can find some around - there are also generic options)
• Cricut Maker
• Dog Bone and Paw Brads

Colors of Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Pencils Used

• Grass/Leaf 267, 170, 205
• Collar/Flower 219, 115
• Dog 176, 182, 179, 199
• Sky 120

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Colorful Tropical Birthday Card with Xyron & American Crafts

This is a very easy and fun way to make a colorful tropical themed birthday card. Xyron adhesive plus Bazzill cardstock and American Crafts Confetti Wishes papers, Thickers, and ephemera are the perfect combination for success at any card making level. I just love how the Thickers give the right amount of dimension without adding too much bulk for mailing. The gold foiling adds a touch of elegance.

Affiliate links may be included in this post. I participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, Share a Sale, and other affiliate programs; these affiliate advertising programs provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and/or other affiliated sites at no cost to you. This helps offset a small portion of my crafting addiction... uh, hobby. I am truly thankful for your kind support! I also receive free products from my design team companies. Regardless, all opinions are my own. I do not get paid for my posts unless otherwise specified. Cookies may be used on this site. See notice at bottom of blog for a longer description.

Making the Card

1. Cut pink cardstock (Romance) to 7 x 10 inches; fold in half to form a 5 x 7 inch card base. Cut white cardstock (Bazzill White) to 4 3/4 x 6 3/4 inches. Cut patterned paper (AC Pink Paislee Confetti Wishes 04) to 4 5/8 x 6 5/8 inches.

2. Run the newly trimmed pattern paper and white cardstock through Xyron 9" Creative Station with permanent adhesive, along with the larger ephemera pieces (Pink Paislee Confetti Wishes) to be used on the card: record, frame with bird, two leaves. Run parrots through Xyron 1.5" Create-a-Sticker. See photo.

3. Adhere white cardstock to pink card base, then adhere patterned paper to white. Adhere record to back of frame with bird then adhere where shown. Adhere two leaves overlapping in bottom right hand corner. I wanted the parrot to look like it is holding the balloon strings so I cut away the bow on either side then hid the rest under the bird's beak. Adhere birds and balloons as shown. Note: if you have any extra adhesive around the edges, I highly recommend the Xyron Adhesive Eraser - it works like a charm!

4. To add dimension, I used Thickers Confetti Wishes. There are a lot of pieces in the set! Adhere "Happy Birthday" banner angled across the top as shown. Adhere the bird over the printed bird (the printed version is larger so line it up on the left so the right looks like a shadow). Adhere musical notes as shown. Adhere gold, pink, and green balloons where shown (the gold covers the printed gold one). Adhere labels "Presents," "Blow out the Candles," "happy birthday," and "balloons" on the bottom left where shown.

Supplies

• Xyron: 9" Creative Station, Permanent Adhesive, 1.5" Create-a-Sticker, Adhesive Eraser
• American Crafts Paper: Pink Paislee Confetti Wishes 04
• American Crafts Thickers Confetti Wishes and Pink Paislee Confetti Wishes Ephemera 40pc
• Bazzill Cardstock: Romance (Pink), Bazzill White

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Hybrid Waterbrush - Kuretake Sable Hair with Niji Base

I have a number of waterbrushes - all are nylon tipped. They function to various degrees - although none are great. I do love the amount of water they hold though, making them very convenient for travel. The Kuretake sable hair brush pen is a fine writing and inking instrument, although normally it is rather pricey. Its main drawback is that the ink chamber (which theoretically could be filled with water) is quite small. This modification will allow you to attach the sable hair Kuretake brush pen replacement (a less expensive option to buying the whole pen) to a waterbrush base to get the best of both worlds!

Affiliate links may be included in this post. I participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, Share a Sale, and other affiliate programs; these affiliate advertising programs provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and/or other affiliated sites at no cost to you. This helps offset a small portion of my crafting addiction... uh, hobby. I am truly thankful for your kind support! I also receive free products from my design team companies. Regardless, all opinions are my own. I do not get paid for my posts unless otherwise specified. Cookies may be used on this site. See notice at bottom of blog for a longer description.

Making the Hybrid Waterbrush

I got this idea from another YouTuber, whose assembly video is below. My version's assembly is basically the same as the one he shows, with a couple modifications. First let's go over the items you will need in order to create this hybrid waterbrush. You only need to get the Kuretake brush pen tip replacement rather than the entire pen but I will link the full pens at the bottom of this post.

• Kuretake Brush Pen Replacement for No. 40 and No. 50
• Niji Waterbrush Mini, Niji Waterbrush Medium, or Niji Waterbrush Small
• Luxury Brands Platinum Fountain Pen Converter

I made the following video, which briefly goes over the parts (also pictured in this post) and shows the waterbrush in action.

The photo below shows the supplies I used (note, you only need one waterbrush - I showed two for size comparison; I used the mini version).

Below are all the parts spread out before I began assembly. You may want to keep the pieces, especially for the waterbrush; you can use it on another waterbrush when it wears out (assuming you have others).

Watch the video below for assembly, with the following notes and modifications:

• Keep the plastic cap from the pen replacement - it will be the cap to your new pen.
• If you want a smaller base (like mine) order the Niji Waterbrush Mini. The regular brush base is larger - it holds more water but is longer and may be too large for travel (not a problem for studio use of course).
• Cut the plastic piece from the top of the Niji waterbrush measuring 22 to 24mm from the bottom part (the part that was closer to the base, not the tip).
• Inserting the replacement into the trimmed plastic piece is difficult but it will eventually go in.
• Remove the gold ring from the converter before inserting to pen. It was really difficult but it eventually went in. It should go all the way up to where the plastic meets the gold bottom.

Below shows the assembled hybrid brush as well as the pieces left over.

The supplies for my version are listed above, near the beginning of the post. Below are the full brush pens (the cap is nicer but the cost is quite a bit higher). I also listed other waterbrushes (not tested but may work).

Full brush pens:
Kuretake Sable Hair Brush Pen No. 40
Kuretake Sable Hair Brush Pen No. 50
Other waterbrush options:
Kuretake Detailer Tip Watercolor Brush - Smaller Barrel
Kuretake Large Tip Watercolor Brush - Larger Barrel

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