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Hand painted tree for Christmas

December 2, 2022 Jentimko 4 Comments

My crafting lately has been a bit hit and miss. In order to preserve some of my days off needed, I have been on reserve (on call) for flying. It makes for a chaotic pattern and I have a hard time creating without a good schedule. Some days, I just watch videos of my talented friends and learn. Recently, the incredible Dawn Woleslagle (WPlus9) showed how to paint trees. And I don’t just mean color, but actually paint. Now I like to pretend I’m a painter sometimes but this is next level. I like to color OTHER people’s art! But she made this look easy so I gave it a go.

Using my Daniel Smith watercolors, I followed along with Dawn basically mimicking her every move. And you know what, I got a tree! I’m pretty excited about this tree, not going to lie. Enough that I’m going to try some more. We’ll see how that goes. I cut down the panel, in retrospect I wish I had left it longer for the sentiment, to create a card. In keeping with Dawn’s unique and truly special style, I even pulled out my sewing machine. I stitched around the edges of the colored panel and a paper print panel (from Honey Bee Stamps). My sewing is intentionally a bit wonky but if I tried to make it perfect, it would be wonky anyway.

I thought it needed a bit more so I added gold splatters to the back panel and a layer of vellum underneath. The sentiment is gold embossed (Honey Bee Stamps) and I pulled a gold button and thread from my stash.

So the lesson here is never say never. It takes a bit of courage to make art. A little of yourself is in every piece and you have to face “messing up”. I hope this encourages you to take a chance and try something new. And please go follow Dawn on all her social platforms. She is generous with her talents and a skilled instructor! Thanks so much for stopping in today. Wishing you a wonderful rest of your week.

Freshly Made Sketches #407

October 16, 2019 Jentimko 6 Comments

Hi everyone! Sorry for the quiet on the blog lately. I’ll explain a bit more at the end of my post. But for today, I get to share with you the latest from Freshly Made Sketches! Our sketch designer is the talented Lee Ann Barrett and she has a winner of a sketch for us this week.

I’m all in on Christmas cards now and I thought it was perfect to pull out an old favorite for this sketch. The Be Merry stamps and dies from WPlus9 are always a winner in my book. I stamped the sentiment onto Ivory card stock and then cut it out with the dies. I stamped some of the accessory images too for layering. I thought the sentiment needed a bit more oomph so I added a bit of the olive ombré on the Merry. The flowers and leaves were quick Copic coloring but they really add so much.

I seem to be drawn to plaid this year and I found this old Stampin’ Up patterned paper in my stash. Perfect! I added a couple of little pearls for flower centers and popped up all the elements with foam squares.

Now for the rest of the story. I never really share too much about my “day job” here but in this case, I wanted to explain my sporadic posting. This picture is from the last day of flying on my beloved Airbus 319/320. I have been in the right seat of that fleet for a long time and I needed to make a change for scheduling. Last week I started training on the Boeing 757/767 fleet. There is a lot that goes into training. Studying, of course, but we also come to our training center in Denver for over a month. Needless to say, I had lots to do to make that happen at home. So I did get a few cards made ahead of time (not as many as I had hoped) and will be posting those over the next couple of weeks. And then you probably won’t hear too much from me until I can get back home and in the craft room. Once I’m back home, I should be able to settle back into the routine quickly and get back to creating.

So with that, back to the Freshly Made Sketches challenge! Make sure you hop over and check out all the inspiration from the team. Thanks so much for stopping in today!

Freshly Made Sketches #397

July 17, 2019 Jentimko 8 Comments

I’m so happy to share the latest sketch from Freshly Made Sketches today! It is really fun and you are sure going to love how many options you have when creating with it. The amazing Kim Singdahlsen is the sketch designer and she really outdid herself.

I did try, at first, to make this in the vertical. In fact I had all the elements colored and ready when I realized it was WAY better to go landscape. Now these little Happy Birds from WPlus9. What can I say?! I saw circles and I just knew these birds were perfect. I mean seriously, you just have to love them. I had not pulled out my Copics for a bit so out they came. I admit that I really needed some time just coloring and these were such fun. The little stitched lines were a great way to stick with the sketch and I added some leaves from the set as accents. The sentiment is great with these little guys and I hope this really will bring a smile.

I’m going to share a little bit of a secret with you. Actually kind of a sneak “peek”, if you will. You can see from the number above that we are closing in on a big number sketch at FMS. And we have some fun things planned. Can’t quite let you in on that yet but you need to be ready for some August fun! Keep your eyes out for more details in a few weeks. In the mean time, thanks so much for stopping in today. See you soon!

Freshly Made Sketches #368

December 19, 2018 Jentimko 8 Comments

So….how is your holiday prep going?! I’m going to say that things at my house seem to be a little crazy. Truthfully, it has been a bit difficult getting things moving for us with all the loss we have had over the last few months. But I keep telling myself that we have to focus on the real meaning of Christmas. We have so many blessings, the biggest of which is an amazing family. How lucky I am!

Today I have the last Freshly Made Sketches challenge for the year. The team always takes the holidays off but we leave our sketch open during the whole time so that people can play along. Hopefully you will have some time to join us! Our sketch is courtesy of the lovely Narelle Farrugia. She is one of the newest Artisan Design Team members for Stampin’ Up and I’m so thrilled for her! She has mad skills so it is no surprise that she gave us a great sketch with lovely layers!

With the layers on the sketch, I thought that this great patterned paper from Stampin’ Up would be perfect (Festive Farmhouse). I just chose a plaid that I liked (there are a few) and then two prints that went with it. Because the base of the plaid is vanilla and not white, I used some Thick Very Vanilla card stock (also SU) to stamp my sentiment and images.

I colored the little leaves and berries using Copic Markers to add a little bit of detail. But let’s face it, the sentiment is the star of the show! At first I had it without coloring but when I mocked up the card, it seemed a little too plain. So I added additional coloring to the letters to help it pop. And you know what else??? I think this is the last Christmas card of the year for me. I’ll admit that I didn’t make nearly what I normally do and I didn’t send out handmade cards to my entire list. But sometimes you just have to accept limitations and move along.

I hope to have some other cards to share with you over the upcoming weeks. I’m still playing with the new release from Picket Fence Studios and I have some unused stamps that have been calling my name to be used. Wishing for you that your last days before Christmas are merry and bright! See you soon!

Freshly Made Sketches #347

July 25, 2018 Jentimko 7 Comments

The summer fun continues around my house and we have been busy, busy! Hope you are having a great week too. Our sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches is courtesy of the lovely Kim Singdahlsen. I love her style…always something really special about her work!

I saw a circle and at first I thought flower (of course). But I thought maybe I should stretch a bit so I flipped through my stamp sets and came upon Happy Birds by WPlus9. It was PERFECT! So I colored up this little cardinal and pulled out a previously inked and cut out panel. I knew I was right to keep this stack of unused extras! I thought the sentiment was funny because the little bird has a slightly grumpy look to me (although my 15yo swears he looks happy). To add a little more interest, I embossed the base of my card with a circles folder from SU.

I hope you will enjoy playing along with us this week. Please stop by and say and extra thank you to Caly Person for all her inspiration this month. It has been such a joy to have her along! Thanks for stopping in today. See you soon!

Supplies (affiliate links included):

Stamp: Happy Birds (WPlus9); Paper: Thick Whisper White (SU), Extra White Watercolor (Fabriano); Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Squeezed Lemonade (Tim Holtz); Accessories: Big Shot, Happy Birds Dies (WPlus9), Misti, Dimensionals (SU), Stitched Shape Dies (SU), Daniel Smith Watercolors – Yana’s Palette (SSS)

Freshly Made Sketches #315

November 29, 2017 Jentimko 9 Comments

Happy middle of the week to you!! I hope you are having a great one so far. Today’s Freshly Made Sketches sketch is one that is sure to inspire. The lovely Amy O’Neill has given us one that can be used in so many ways! Love it!

When I saw the oval in the sketch, my brain immediately went to this sentiment from WPlus9. I love it as a focal point and it gets to be the star of the show. I stamped it in Versamark ink and embossed with Wow Bright White Embossing Powder. The coordinating dies make quick work of cutting it out. The little flower and foliage images are super fun to use as accents. I stamped them in Momento Tuxedo Black ink and the colored using Chameleon Pens. I thought the black sentiment would be great against a wood grain background so I turned to this Wood Textures DSP by Stampin’ Up. I cut it using the Lawn Fawn Cross Stitched Rectangles Dies. Finally I added some Basic Pearls to the flower centers after coloring them with a Sharpie marker.

I hope you have a great time with the sketch this week. I’m working hard to finish up my holiday cards. Christmas card-a-palooza, if you will. I’ll share some of those in the next few weeks. Thank you so much for dropping in today. See you again soon!

Supplies (affiliate links included):

Stamp: Be Merry (WPlus9); Paper: Thick Whisper White (SU), Wood Textures DSP (SU), Basic Black (SU); Ink: Versamark, Momento Tuxedo Black, Chameleon Color Tones Pens; Accessories: Misti, Big Shot, Large Cross-Stitched Rectangles Dies (Lawn Fawn), Be Merry Dies (WPlus9), Basic Pearls (SU), Heat Tool, Wow Bright White Embossing Powder

Freshly Made Sketches #310

October 25, 2017 Jentimko 6 Comments

Happy Wednesday!! We have a fabulous new sketch for you at Freshly Made Sketches. The incredible Kim Singdahlsen is our sketch hostess this week and you are just going to fall in love!

It seems that traditional colors are the way I’m leaning this year on my Christmas cards. I remain obsessed with this Be Merry DSP from Stampin’ Up and I added on this speckled woodgrain print from Coffee Break DSP (also SU). I think the prints work really well together! I kept this pretty simple and used one of my go-to Christmas sentiments from the Be Merry Stamp Set by WPlus9. The little flower and holly leaves are from the same set and I did some quick Copic coloring. The sentiment is from the Be Merry Stamp Set from WPlus9 and it is one of my favorites again this year. It is stamped in Early Espresso ink to match the woodgrain paper. To create all the rectangles, I used the Stitched Rectangles Dies by Simon Says Stamp.

I’m trying to get a little more serious about my holiday cards so I think you can expect to see more of those in the upcoming weeks. Make sure you stop over to say hi to the team at Freshly Made Sketches. They have created wonderful projects this week! Thanks for stopping in today. See you soon.

Supplies (affiliate links included):

Stamp: Be Merry (WPlus9); Paper: Thick Whisper White (SU), Be Merry DSP (SU), Coffee Break DSP (SU); Ink: Early Espresso (SU); Accessories: Misti, Big Shot, Stitched Rectangles Dies (Simon Says Stamp), Basic Pearls (SU)

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Freshly Made Sketches #308

October 11, 2017 Jentimko 13 Comments

I am so happy to be able to share another great sketch with you today! The amazing Rita Wright is our sketch hostess at Freshly Made Sketches and she has one that will be fun for lots of interpretations. Rita always has the most incredible coloring and that inspired me to pull out my Copics for today.

I love this Poinsettia stamp from Simon Says Stamp and I wanted to try to make it a white version. (Red would have been pretty for this card too.) Coloring white is always hard so I played around to see if I could do it. On the flower I started with my light Toner Gray markers (T0, T2). While I liked the look, I decided that I needed a little more color to make the flower look realistic. So I added in a little bit of G20. I think over all it turned out pretty. The leaves from the set set were colored with a combination of green markers (G20, G24, YG61, YG17, YG67). To add just a little more color to the card, I used this pretty Be Merry DSP from Stampin’ Up. Love those speckles on the paper! The sentiment and banner are from the Be Merry Stamp Set and Dies from WPlus9. Finally, I thought I needed a little “something”, so I added some pearls to mimic the patten on the paper.

I have been busily stamping this week and getting ready to a new release from Newton’s Nook Designs. You can expect lots of fun next week! Until then, I hope you have a good week. See you soon!

Supplies (affiliate links included):

Stamp: Poinsettia (Simon Says Stamp), Be Merry (WPlus9); Paper: Thick Whisper White (SU), Be Merry DSP (SU); Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black; Accessories: Misti, Big Shot, Be Merry Dies (WPlus9), Stitched Rectangles Dies (Simon Says Stamp), Basic Pearls (SU)

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Freshly Made Sketches #303

August 30, 2017 Jentimko 8 Comments

Hi everyone! Sorry it has been a bit since I posted. I needed a crafty break and had lots going on with my boys and work. But I’m getting back to the craft room this week and will have lots for you in the upcoming weeks. Today, I’m excited to join back in with the latest from Freshly Made Sketches. Our host this week is the extraordinary Karren Johnson, queen of coloring. And she has such a fun sketch this week. One that allows for elements to be combined and all kinds of creativity.

After puttering around in my stamp room like I had no clue for a while, I finally settled on this set. Something about these birds always make me happy! Well, they are Happy Birds. I stamped with Versafine Onyx Black on Bristol Smooth paper and then colored with my Winsor and Newton Watercolors. Instead of a “real” panel, I painted on some stripes for the vertical elements. Hopefully Karren forgives my loose interpretation of this part of the sketch. I love the stitched dies with the stitched details of the stamps so that was my final touch. I used the new Mini Dimensionals for attaching the bird and other little things. I have to say that this new size from Stampin’ Up is a must have for your glue arsenal (and I know we are all collectors of just the right adhesives).

I think that like many in the US, I have been a little overwhelmed by what I am seeing in Texas. Watercoloring yesterday was good for my soul. Later today, I’ll be working on what I can do to help. There are many good references on what is needed and reliable organizations who will have boots on the ground to help. If you are not sure where to go, start here: United Airlines Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund. They have links to donate to vetted charities and you can even get a few frequent flyer miles for your donation.

Back to the stamp room for me and I’ll see you soon. Thanks so much for stopping in today. I hope you have a happy Wednesday.

Supplies:

Stamp: Happy Birds (WPlus9); Paper: Strathmore Bristol Smooth, Basic Black (SU); Ink: Versafine Onyx Black; Accessories: Winsor and Newton Watercolors, Misti, Big Shot, Stitched Rectangle Dies (SSS)

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Freshly Made Sketches #298

July 26, 2017 Jentimko 6 Comments

Hello friends!! Sorry about the long break. Pesky work and fun summer activities have gotten in the way over the last couple of weeks and I haven’t had any real time in the stamp room. GASP!!! So what to do when presented with a great sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches? When it is a million degrees outside in July? Create the first Christmas card of the year, of course! I love this sketch by the witty and fabulous Linda Callahan.

As soon as I saw this one, I started pondering a meandering group of images on the diagonal. Somehow, these pretty little leaves and flowers practically jumped out of the stamp collection and a Christmas card was born. I stamped the images from WPlus9’s Be Merry in Momento Tuxedo Black and colored with Copic Markers using traditional colors. Something about the pops of red and green against the white base really made me happy. I confess that the sentiments in this stamp set are what drew me in and I LOVE this one.

Well, I’m back to my previously scheduled chaos. On the agenda today….back to school clothes shopping. For a rising high schooler and a rising middle schooler. Pray for me. *smile* Make sure you check out the inspiration from the team and I can’t wait to see how you interpret this sketch! Have a great day!

Supplies:

Stamp: Be Merry (WPlus9); Paper: Thick Whisper White (SU); Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black, Copic Markers; Accessories: Big Shot, Be Merry Dies (WPlus9)), Mini Dimensionals, Misti

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