More Inktense and Crafty Secrets

I normally post early on Fridays, but today I had to head out of the house early.  Our family had an interview for a possible placement for Cortney. It is a great place, but something that is a bit difficult to wrap my head around. I want this for her, but it is hard to imagine my everyday life without her.  For 18 years, my life has been so entwined with hers, and now there is a possibility that she may be taken care of by someone else. It was a decision that was difficult to make, but honestly, I know it is the right one.  

I tend to go in spurts with my crafting, I find a new toy and go crazy for a bit.  Right now, I am definitely on an Inktense kick! I have been enjoying sitting outside on my deck with images like this one from Crafty Secrets,(Vegetable Garden Stamps) and just coloring like a little kid. The card shape was cut using my Silhouette.  I added some ribbon, rhinestones, pearls, and a bit of twine. 

I again "painted" on some gold Stickles to give my carrots a bit of sparkle.  Yes, even my carrots need to be glittery! ;)

I have been spending a bit more time practicing my photography skills.  For no reason in particular, just because I enjoy it I guess.  I captured this a few nights ago, while my son was playing on his I-Pad.  I loved how the light illuminated part of his face.  He was a good sport, and allowed me to take a few pics of him. 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

:)

Inktense and Crafty Secrets

Good morning to you my crafty friends!  

The other day I mentioned that I had purchased a new toy......and here it is! In all of its 36 pencils glory!

They are Inktense pencils and I LOVE them!  One might assume they are a typical watercolor pencil, but alas, they are not. I've watched many You Tube videos gathering information about these little numbers.  They contain pigment (ink) which is extremely vibrant.  They do move with water, but only once. If you don't move quickly the "ink" becomes permanent.  You can dump an entire glass of water, and the "ink" won't move.  The other tip I learned is that when applying multiple colors, you want it to dry first before applying your next color.  I highly recommend watching a few videos to get yourself acquainted with this very cool product.  My friend and fellow "Dirty Girl," Dina Kowal has a great one! ;)

So here is my very first attempt at using my Inktense pencils.  I used a daisy from the Flower Garden Digital pack from Crafty Secrets.  Once the Sunflower was to my liking, I cut it out.  I added glossy accents to the center and sprinkled it with black Flower Soft. The cute vegetable paper behind the flower is a also from Crafty Secrets.  It is part of the Digital Garden Papers line. 

I wanted my sunflower to have a bit of sparkle, so I "painted" some gold Stickles from the center out. I used a couple Spellbinder's dies to matte the image.

I have been practicing with my camera and decided to take a tour through my backyard. I used my 70-300mm lens on macro to take these. 

When taking close ups of flowers I use the timer on my camera and placed a black piece of paper behind the flower.  If you use the timer setting, it eliminates camera shake! ;)  And the black paper makes the flower pop a bit more.  

It is supposed to be a beautiful day here in Chicago, so Cortney, Kyle, and I are planning on spending the day in the pool.  I love watching my girl become free in the water.  Her only real chance at getting those legs to move. 

Enjoy your day and thank you so much for popping by for a visit!

Lifesaver

I hope you all had a lovely weekend! My hubby was off yesterday, so it was like having a 3 day weekend! Which explains my lack of posting yesterday. I have a lil summery project to share with you that I had created for Northridge Publishing's Cricut Magazine. It was in their July 2012 issue. I used my Cricut and the Wild Card 2 cartridge to create the anchor and life preserver. The treat tubes are from SRM Stickers.

I added a bit of designer paper around the tube and filled 'em up with lifesavers.  Get it?  Man, I know I am so stinking clever! ;)  I added a bit of twine, glitter, glossy accents, and large brad for the center. 

I will have some brand new projects to share with you this week that I've been working on!  I got a new toy recently.....Inktense pencils!  I've been having so much fun playing!

Have a great day my friends!