Merry Christmas one and all !

Thanks for supporting me and the Funky Hand team over 2013.  I hope you all have a wonderful, magical Christmas.

Anice xx

Layering a Funky Hand digital stamp

Welcome to you all! 

Today I thought that I would share a bit more information about my idea for layering one of the Georgie digital stamps 'Georgie Angel' that I posted about over on the Funky Hand Design Team Blog. Get Funky & Craft.  For this creation I messed around with the stamp and created a GSD to cut out the image with my cutting machine.  You don't have to have a cutting machine.  You could just print out the digital stamp image four times and just cut the parts that you want to layer out.

Please remember: Not all digital stamp designers would be happy with you doing this sort of thing so you must remember to check all terms and conditions linked with each stamp.  If it is not mentioned there, it doesn't mean it's OK to do.  Always ask.

OK, here is what I started out with for this project,

As you can see I decided that I wanted to layer her face, the upper part of her body and her hands holding the heart.

I coloured the images in with Promarkers before I cut them out.  Colouring small parts of images when they are already cut out is really hard in my opinion but if you prefer to cut out first please go ahead.

Sorry, that was the perfect opportunity to show off my Promarker collection to you. To say I'm a bit obsessed with them is a little bit of an understatement! I have to admit Ian was a little shocked when he saw them all out on the table.  He says he didn't know I had so many.  I told him I'd had them all ages (wink)

Before I go on, if you have some Promarkers you might like to grab this really helpful free download from Sarah Hurley.

It's a  layout of all the names of the currently available Promarkers (including Limited Editions) with circles to add the pen colour to. Print the download onto the same paper/card that you use for colouring your digital stamps and colour in each of your markers. It will then give you a true coloured effect.  Sarah has laid them out in a really helpful order.  Grab the free download from her website  http://www.sarahhurleydesigns.co.uk/oldshop/prod_2834920-Promarker-Colour-Charts-Updated-for-Winter-2013.html  Please don't just share this freebie with your friends send them over to Sarahs website to grab their own copy. 

OK, lets get colouring in Georgie.  I started with her skin and then her hair..

For her skin I used these Promarker colours: Almond, Blush and Dusky Pink.  It actually looks very pale on this picture but it doesn't look so pale in reality.  For her hair I went for a deep brown/auburn. The colours I used were: Tan, Cinnamon and Coco.  I also added a tiny bit of Henna at the darkest places.

Next up is her Angel outfit.  I saw this collection of Promarkers being used for Blonde hair and I thought it would be a good combination as I wanted it light but not just leave it white.  The colours used are: Ivory, Satin and Almond.  For extra shading I used Vanilla.

Here is Georgie all finished.  I wanted a warmer colour for her wings and ballet shoes so decided on pinks.  The colours used are: Antique Pink, Dusky Rose and Budding Rose.  Finally the heart, I wanted a nice vibrant red colour so I used Red Sweater and Ruby.

I decided to colour in each layer of the image as I wanted no white bits showing under the layered stamp, but also, because it was an opportunity to practice the colouring, as the lower levels of the face, upper body and heart wouldn't be in clear view!



 Finally here's the finished card I made and a closer look at the layering..

I used 1mm foam pads to layer the head and upper body and 3mm foam pads for the heart.  I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.

If you have purchased the (or are thinking about it) Georgie Angel digital stamp and would like the GSD I used in this post, send me a message through the Funky Hand website Contact Us page and I will email it to you for free.

All there is left to say is, I hope you all have a very merry Christmas. Just incase I don't get back to post here before the big day.  I'm crossing my fingers that Santa has more Promarkers in his sack for me.  I hope you get all the crafty stash you have asked for.

Speak again very soon.
Anice xx

A tale of two Christmas cards..

If you read my last blog post, you will know I'm behind with my Christmas card making.  Though to tell you the truth I have the same problem every year!  So, when Ian announced that we needed to send two cards to America 'today' I was reasonably under pressure as he was not aware I hadn't made 'one' yet never mind 'two' to be posted! (I said I was behind..maybe I should have said..hadn't made any!)

So, I decided to make simple, quick cards. Take a look and see what you think.. (Forgive the photographs they really did have to be made and in the post with the glue still wet!)

They are the same, but different!  I used the Doodleword Merry Christmas Digital Stamp, a white textured base card and some wired ribbon.  Due to the time constraints I only used two Promarkers to colour them.  Poppy and Forest Green and left spaces for white.  Even though I was under pressure I couldn't colour them both the same. So, I coloured them the opposite way.

It's actually impressive how different they look just with different ribbon, one being mounted and one unmounted.  I also drew around the letters on the second card with a Promarker (Cool Grey 2) which also gives a different look to the digital stamp.

So, there you are.  My CAS Christmas cards in a hurry.  Are you all ready with your Christmas cards?  Have they been in the post or handed out weeks ago? Or, are you like me, wishing you had kept the promise to yourself after last year that you would make cards all year long so you weren't in this position again?

Good luck with your last minute card making or enjoy your cuppa as you sit back smugly knowing you are all done. Pah!

Speak again very soon,
Anice xx 

Monster Pets are going to get ya!

Here I am again about to apologise for my lack of blogging..I'm so bad that I'm probably speaking to myself right now as everyone has stopped reading!  If you are out there, say hello.  Otherwise I will just chat on to myself!

There was a new set of releases on my website recently that I haven't told you anything about!  I'll start with the digital stamps I think.  These ones are a bit of fun, great for putting on kids cards or adults who are like kids!  They are called Monster Pets.  There's Monster Dog, Monster Rabbit and Monster Cat.  Here's a look at them..

The Monster Cat isn't on a card yet, as you probably guessed by the picture!  I'm still working on that one.  They are so much fun to colour but if you pop over to the website and take a look at the galleries attached to the digital stamps you will see some amazing cards from the design team that have been paper pieced.  Completely amazing.

The other download that is now available is a backing paper collection called Hairy and Scary.  I designed it with these monster images in mind, but you could use it for anything really on its own.  Well, anything where you needed some strong colours and a few 'hairy' papers. Hehe!

Now for a bit of chat I think.  How are you all getting on with making the dreaded Christmas cards?  I imagine you are all organised and have them already written and ready to go..or even gone.  I on the other hand, as usual, haven't even started mine.  Oh the shame!  I am going to make a few hasty ones today as we are meeting up with extended family this evening and I will hand them over as if I'm all organised.  But the rest will need to be fitted in when I can.  It's the same every year, I plan to make them in November and it's gets to December and I haven't even planned what they will look like never mind made any.

Well, I had best get on with the cards I need to make today.  There will be a couple more releases on the website this coming weekend.  I promise that you wont wait weeks to see all about them.

Speak again soon.
Anice xx