The past couple of days I’ve been working late at the pharmacy, and I’m not good with late nights. I’m an early bird and definitely in the ‘early to bed early to rise’ camp. So when my routine is disrupted and I finally have time for a crafting session I often start simple. Today I just wanted to practice a few techniques for adding colour to my stamped creations. So I decided to create a bookmark, it’s not too overwhelming but gives me an opportunity to create something pretty. This morning my stamp set of choice was Garden Birdhouses and it was all about colour techniques.

BOOKMARK PREPARATION

Today I wanted my ink colours to be bright and true so that meant Thick Basic White Card for the base. I cut a 2 ” x 5-1/2″ strip and shaped the top using the Fancy Tag Topper Punch.

Then I needed to think about the layout of the various images I’d chosen from the Garden Birdhouses Stamp Set.

First, using Cinnamon Cider ink I stamped the pole, and on top of that I added the birdhouse with the domed roof. This was a quick job as the stamp set is made of see-through photopolymer so the parts and pieces can be easily aligned.

Before going any further I now needed to create a ‘sky’. So I stamped the birdhouse onto a Full-Adhesive Post-It Note® and cut it out with Paper Snips. Then I placed the Post-It Note mask over the image stamped on the bookmark. This would keep the image clean during the next stage.

For the sky I used a Blending Brush in a circular motion to add Pool Party ink over the bookmark, creating lighter and darker areas. Then once that was done I removed the mask. Now I could continue with the rest of the scene.

MORE THAN BIRDHOUSES

Going back to the Garden Birdhouses Stamp Set I needed a couple more images to turn the solitary birdhouse into a summer scene.

First I added one of the three cute birds to the top of the birdhouse using Basic Gray ink.

Then my scene needed something on the ‘ground’ and this would require a different technique. For that I needed a couple of Stampin’ Write Markers from the Brights collection, Pumpkin Pie and Garden Green.

First I took the narrow flower image and using the brush tip of the Pumpkin Pie marker, coloured the flower heads on the stamp surface. Then I coloured the stems with the Garden Green brush tip. Finally I breathed onto the stamp surface to moisten the ink, before stamping the coloured image to the right of the pole. I repeated the same process with the larger flower image and stamped that to the left of the pole. Finally I used the Garden Green marker on the small grass image and filled in the gaps either side of the flowers.

Turning to the birdhouse I wanted the colours to really stand out so switched to Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers for that. I used light Cinnamon Cider for the pole, roof and birdhouse base, with light and dark Daffodil Delight for the walls. Last but not least was the little bird, coloured with a dark Balmy Blue Stampin’ Blends.

Finally I cut three 6″ pieces of white twine from the Baker’s Twine Essentials pack. I folded them in half and threaded the loops through the slot at the top of the bookmark, then passed the ends through the loops. Once I’d pulled the ends to secure the twine my project was complete.

It’s been a long time since I’ve used the marker to stamp technique. It’s really simple and a quick way to add colours to a stamped image whether they’re outline or solid. Just remember to breathe on the stamp to re-moisten the ink before stamping onto the card. Oh, and be aware that you need to use water-based Stampin’ Write Markers, Stampin’ Blends won’t work with this technique.

Now I’m off to get another coffee and a bit of breakfast. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for a new card project.

If you missed my earlier project using the Garden Birdhouses Stamp Set check out my blog post Welcome back to another simple Sunday.

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