Are you starting to feel the cool breeze that the “ber” months bring ? Temperature is indeed dipping, albeit oh-so-slowly... which could only mean one thing – Christmas is fast coming up which heralds the exciting start of the card making season!
And to kick things off to a great beginning, our venerable designer Lani Bin Haider has been truly hard at work in creating some absolutely delightful pieces of Art , i.e cards and bookmarks :) to showcase some of Paper Lane's finest range of cardmaking essentials , as follows :
Sugar Nellie Stamps – originating from Scotland, Sugar Nellie stamps just started in 2007 but has already enjoyed immense growth and popularity among paper-crafters worldwide as they have captured hearts aplenty with their whimsical , feminine and irresistibly charming designs. Prepare to be enchanted with our Sugar Nellie Gorjuss range by Suzanne Woolcott, as well as designs by Leanne Ellis and Elisabeth Bell .
Copic Markers – ah, the wonders of Copic! Known for being a must-have item for true artists and graphic designers worldwide , Copic Markers are one of Paper lane’s bestsellers since we’ve started stocking them on our shelves last year. And with the arrival of multitudes of new colors – you’ll never be too far off from creating masterpieces of your own! Of course it would greatly help if you already have the flair and an eye for colors, because using Copics for colouring is quite far from being child's play - you would need an adequate time to learn how to blend and match colors together so you could come up with an artwork that is such a sight to behold that you will be proud to call it your own !
Need not look far for example , as our truly creative designer, Lani, will show us how its done ...
SUPPLIES: Stamps: Sugar Nellie; Patterned Papers &Flowers : Prima Marketing; Paper Lane Lace; Martha Stewart Border Punch;
Sentiments: Hero Arts; Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Cardstock: Neenah Classic Crest and Distress Ink
Shown here are the Copic markers that I used to color the image with.
SUPPLIES:Stamps: Sugar Nellie; Papers: K&Company; Martha Stewart Border Punch; Nestabilities Circle Scallop; Cuttlebug Embossing Folder; Sizzix Holly Leaf; Sentiments: Penny Black; Cardstcok: Neenah Classic crest; Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black ; Medium: Copic Markers; Glitter: Atyou Spica pens
SUPPLIES:
Stamp: Gorjuss by Sugar Nellie; Papers: Cosmo Cricket; Paper Lane Pebbles; Stampin Up Border Punch; Sizzix Leaf Die; Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Cardstock: Neenah Classic Crest; Medium: Copic Markers
** Flowers were colored with Copic to coordinate perfectly with the background paper.
SUPPLIES:Stamps: Sugar Nellie; Patterned Paper: Crate Papers; Prima Flowers; Nestabilities Die; Sentiment: Hero Arts; Cardstock: Neenah Solar White; EK Succes Border Punch; Kaisercraft Pearl; Ink: Memento Black; Medium : Copic Markers
And here's what Lani has to say :
" I really had so much fun playing with Sugar Nellie Stamps. The images are just adorable! My favorite is the Gorjuss range as they are very versatile and truly gorgeous! These stamps from Sugar Nellie are easy and fun to color using everyone's favorite marker, the Copic Markers.
These alcohol based markers are very popular among card makers all over the world, they are all the rage since 2009. I was so intrigued with the array of colors available so I took the plunge, got addicted and never looked back. I used a lot of markers from Stampin Up dye pens to Prisma colors but nothing compares to the eye-popping colors you will get with Copics. Although the initial cost is quite expensive, it's well worth it in the long run. If you are an avid card maker, this is one medium you should have on your stash. If you color with Copic, you will never use any other markers again... layering and blending of colors is very easy and it creates a real smooth line-free effect on your images. Copic markers really make an image come to life.
I've been using Copic Markers for over a year. I'm no expert at this by any means but I have played quite a bit, learned through trial and error and have learned so much from reading blogs and watching Youtube tutorials like THIS and this. And here is the LINK of my favorite site where I learned all about Copic and the different coloring/blending techniques you can do with these wonderful markers. Try it and you will be amazed at how many things Copic can do.
Here's a list of a few reasons why I love Copic:
- They are acid-free
- It creates different texture and effects on paper
- TONS of colors available
- Airbrushing (lovin' it!)
- It works on different surfaces not only on paper (porous) but non-porous surfaces as well.(fabric, glass, metal, plastic, clay and so much more)
- Loads of helpful information online to make you more addicted to it :)
- I stamp my images with Tsukineko's Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. This ink is a dye-based ink and will dry quicky and will not smear when you color with Copic.
- I use Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Cardstock 110lb. I prefer the thicker Neenah cardstock especially when I combine Distress Inks with Copic for background blending and also when I use digital stamps. I only use 80lb Neenah when I want to cut out and layer my images.
If you would love to play with inks and markers and recreate these "cuties" , come and join me for this fun but full-of-stamping-technique class at Paper Lane. "
Aren’t they the sweetest ever? So be sure to stock up on your colors and stamps , as we are so looking forward to share a merry (card-making) season with you soon ! See ya!
