Happy Halloween with Ching Chou Kuik's Pumpkin Light

Wishing all those who Celebrate it a Happy Halloween!  I thought I'd get into the spirit of the season and colour this gorgeous stamp from Ching Chou Kuik - Pumpkin Light with Watercolour pencils for something a little different.  This super cute image is available in red rubber or as a digi stamp (which is what I;ve used here).

In this clip I will show you some helpful tips for getting the best out of your watercolour pencils and some hints for layering colours.


Hoping you all have a wonderful week,
Kate

Sapphire from Norma J Burnell

Hi All,
today I have a card I created using the stunning Sapphire designed by Norma J Burnell, this is part of the Fairy Tangles collection and is available in red rubber or digi.  Initially all the amazingly intricate details were a little scary, but once I began colouring it was an utter pleasure to work with, plus I absolutely loved the end result!

In this clip I walk you through the basics of colouring with sparkly watercolor paints and give you a few tips and tricks for getting the best results.

I hope you enjoy watching, and don't forget to pop over and join the Sweet Pea Stamps Group on Facebook!

Kate Palmer

Simple Brown Hair using Teeny Tiny from Elizabeth Bell

Hi All - today I am here to share the second clip from my fairy card, using a truly beautiful image drawn by Elizabeth Bell - Teeny Tiny from the Twinkle Toes series.

Lots of people have trouble colouring hair when they start using Copic markers - they look at images coloured by others where the hair is truly stunning (just take a look at the colouring by the Sweet Pea Stamps DT members and you'll see what I mean) and think that this amazing hair is what they should be doing.  Needless to say hair like that takes practice, so where do you start as a beginner?  In the following clip I will show you one way to colour brown hair, which is especially suited to smaller images and beginning Copic users.  I hope you enjoy watching this.

What I used:

• Teeny Tiny stamp from the Elizabeth Bell Collection available from Sweet Pea Stamps
• Copic Markers:  E25, E29, E41, E53
• Memento Tuxedo Black ink pad

May your day sparkle,
Kate

Kate has a new YouTube video

Kate has a new YouTube video showing you how to create a soft and simple dotted background using Copic markers and Distress ink.  This soft and slightly shabby chic background is perfect for cards and is easy to create.  

Kate has used this technique to create a background on her card designed to focus attention on the gorgeous main image, which is Teenie Tiny by Elizabeth Bell, available only from Sweet Pea Stamps as as a rubber stamp.

©Elisabeth Bell's Twinkle Toes Series 'Teeny Tiny'

Kate has used co-ordinating colours across the whole card, main image, background and embellishments to create a slightly shabby spring feel. 

Check out the video below to see how Kate created this soft spotty background.

Have a magical day,
Kate

Kate is on YouTube!

This week I'm showing you another use for your new Digi images from Sweet Pea Stamps - don't you just love these, I got so enthusiastic I bought rather a few.  The Sweet Pea Stamps Digis are wonderful quality and the range is growing every week - so check back to see if your favourite stamps are available yet.  Don't think of them as 'just' digital stamps though, but as the beginning of something really exciting.  Watch as I show you how to transfer your laser printed digi image into a book, the same technique can be used to transfer your image onto canvas, or even fabric (as long as you don't wash it afterwards)!  For my journal I chose to transfer the beautiful Black Hellebore image from Rebecca Sinz - what image will you use for this technique?


Back with more next month,  but in the meantime you can check out the projects from our brand new DIGI Team (Ali, Gry and Nataliya) for more fabulous ideas.
Kate

Kate Creates a Sparkly Grunge Background on YouTube

This week Kate creates a sparkly grunge background to match the beautiful stamp from Anna Marine, Priceless Treasure, available from Sweet Pea Stamps.  The background created could easily be used for tags, card making or scrapping and produces a unique sparkly base to show off your images.  Kate has used her background to create a Halloween themed tag.

You can view the clip in HD on the Sweet Pea Stamps YouTube channel, or watch below. 

Variations Week: Kate's View

Hi I'm Kate (aka Sparkle Tart) and I'm very excited to be participating in Variations Week for the first time, though I'm a bit nervous as the regular DT gals all create such stunning cards! For this variations week we are using the tropical image designed by Ching Chou Kuik, 'Toucan' available as a single image or as part of a fabulous plate - ©ching chou kuik's sheet 44, Plate 211.

I've chosen to colour my image with Copic markers and enhance the colours with spica pens, these are wonderful for adding more than just shimmer.  If you look at the close up image below, you get a sneak preview of the technique I used to apply the Spica - can you spot the technique? 

Don't worry if you can't figure it out from the image, because I've created a special clip to show you what I did. You can watch the clip below, or a larger version on our YouTube Channel.
Hope your day sparkles,
Kate P.

Kate is on YouTube!

Today's clip shows how to use Letraset AquaMarkers like paint and apply to a stamped image using a water brush. There are a few tips and ideas for layering and details for colouring the skin and hair of this beautiful image from artist Connie Fong available from Sweet Pea Stamps.