Pre-order Opportunity for a Customizable Marker

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I've been keeping an exciting secret! I had a chance to try out a new, completely customizable alcohol marker and it is to die for. It has a patented technology that lets the ink flow MUCH more like a Karin marker does - and the brush nib and ink are sooooo velvety.

It holds more ink than a typical alcohol marker, and the barrel comes apart in the middle so you can customize it - you can have two different colors on each end, the same color with different nibs, and EACH SIDE holds more ink than a standard marker, and virtually NONE is lost to the material inside the marker, unlike a traditional alcohol markers - if you have ever taken one apart, you know what I'm talking about. If you wanted to travel with just the one half to save space, you can do that too! What I'm excited about is being able to put two colors together - so for my go-to combos for skin tones, florals + shading, etc. I will not have to have so many markers sitting on my tiny desk.

I was so excited to see this and so grateful to get a sneak peek - this was a very well kept secret until today. There's a special pre-order launch today, and some set opportunities and pricing just for launch! Watch the video on these here.

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VIDEO: Easy Woodgrain Technique - MIX-Ability Challenge

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Happy Monday! I had SO much fun with a recent MIX-ability challenge at Splitcoast, I had to try the technique on a card. The video Janelle posted for the challenge was this woman creating a woodgrain canvas for a child's room, and it was magical. So Janelle wanted to have us try it on a card.

The original technique was much more precise than what you are going to see in my video. When I gave it a try, I started the way I normally start doing woodgrain - with scoring and ink. It turns out with this technique, you don't really need any of that, as you will see.

I figured it would be the perfect backdrop for this gorgeous guitar image, so I'll tell you how I created that first.

I started by stamping the guitar in Amalgam ink and heat setting it. Then I stamped it again (FYI I never reink when I do this - there's usually plenty of ink left on the stamp to get a good image) on masking paper, and carefully cut out around the body of the guitar, making sure to cut around where the flowers and leaves overlaid the guitar body. Then I masked all of that off, leaving just the guitar body open. I masked the opening and the strings as well.

Next, I ink blended Wild Dandelion and Warm Cocoa inks on the guitar body with a blending brush, and then stamped the small music image in the guitar set in Warm Cocoa on top of that. Then I removed the mask, colored the neck of the guitar and colored the opening to match my background, and colored the flowers and leaves with Graphit markers. I die cut the guitar with the coordinating dies, and stamped and punched out the sentiment to tuck behind it. 

I thought about popping the guitar up, but sometimes foam adhesive won't stick to acrylic paint, and this is thick paint, so I opted for the safer glue option.

I love the way this turned out.

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Ready for the video on this super fun and easy woodgrain technique? I have two brown versions and of course the one on my card in the video.

Here are the paints and supplies I used.

Music to My Soul [ GNK ] Music to my Soul Die [ GNK ] GKD Color Companions Ink Pad- Wild... [ GNK ] GKD Color Companions Ink Pad- Warm... [ GNK ] GKD Amalgam Ink Pad- Jet Black [ GNK ] MI003 Ink Blending Brushes | Hero Arts [ HA ] Graphit — Marker Universe [ MRK ] Blick Studio Acrylics - Payne's Gray,... [ BLIC ] Blick Studio Acrylics - Light Blue... [ BLIC ] Blick Studio Acrylics - Light Blue... [ BLIC ] The Ink Stand White RECTANGLE... [ SSS ] Pre-cut and scored top fold cards [ CTC ] Stamp pocket inserts [ CTC ] MISTI Stamping Tool [ MSP | SSS | ELH ] Rotatrim Professional Series Cutter -... [ BLIC ] Teflon Bone Folder - Ellen Hutson LLC [ ELH | SSS ] Crafter's Companion GEMINI... [ SSS ] Scor-Pal MINI SCOR-BUDDY Scoring... [ SSS ] Storage Envelopes, Medium 25pk,... [ ELH ] CheckOutStore Stamp & Die Clear... [ CHC ] Extra Large -50 pk, Avery Elle Stamp... [ ELH ] Lawn Fawn STAMP SHAMMY Cleaner LF1045 [ SSS | CST ] Airtable: Organize your stamps & dies [ ART ]

Loveyameanitbye.

VIDEO: Yarn Tree Technique (Kid-friendly craft)

*Compensated affiliate links used where possible at zero cost to you. No posts are ever sponsored or paid.*

I was talking to a friend the other day about places with tall trees. The heat and rare rain here keeps our trees pretty stubby and short, so I'm drawn to places with tall trees, especially aspens, which I think are the prettiest trees of all.

So I decided to try a childhood craft again - I believe I learned this at vacation Bible school - a VERY craft centered summer camp at our church. It was such a fun week - I can actually smell grape Kool-Aid every time I remember VBS. We also had those grossly sweet not-Oreo vanilla sandwich cookies - remember those? We probably went home very hyperactive and covered with paint, but at least our moms got a few hours of silence every day for a week!

It's a very kid-friendly way to make trees - it requires very little dexterity and the trees come out different each time. For my experiment, I used Dina Wakley paint (leftmost) and Distress Oxide reinkers (right two) and in the center, I splattered it with white acrylic ink for a snowy look. I added details with a fineliner - and then I couldn't bring myself to cover them up with a sentiment.

Here's a closeup of the detail - I did stippling and line drawing to finish the trees.

It's so easy and fun, and just change the colors to change the season. Here's the video!

Copic Multiliner SP Pen - Set of 10 [ BLIC ] Daler-Rowney FW Acrylic... [ BLIC ] Dina Wakley Media Acrylic Paint 1oz... [ JGG | SSS ] Dina Wakley Media Acrylic Paint 1oz... [ JGG | SSS ] Dina Wakley Ranger MAGENTA 1OZ Media... [ SSS | ACH | JGG ] Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Reinker... [ SSS | ACH ] Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Reinker 2021... [ SSS | ACH | CST | JGG ] Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Reinker... [ SSS | ACH | JGG ] Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Reinker... [ SSS | ACH | ELH | JGG ] Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Reinker... [ SSS | ACH ] Mustard Seed, Ranger Distress Oxide... [ ELH | SSS | ACH ]

Loveyameanitbye.

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10% off at Sweet Sentiment with code UNDERSTANDBLUE
10% off the whole store at A Colorful Life Designs - LydiaFan10
5% off at LBC here with code LYDIA5
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VIDEO: Watercolor Fairy Forest - Crafty Rewind

*Compensated affiliate links used where possible at zero cost to you. No posts are ever sponsored or paid.*

It's crafty rewind time, and today I'm bringing you one of my FAVORITE projects of 2021, using a release from July of last year, with this set of magical forest dies and my Daniel Smith watercolor. The sentiment is from this set. 

I wanted to give my forest a magical, misty feel, so you'll see how I did that in the video. This sort of imagery just speaks to my fairytale heart!

At the time that I made this project, I really had wanted to do a little fairy garden in my yard, and editing the video today I realized I didn't! What the fluffy? I need to put that on the list for this year!

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Here's the video!

And here is the supply list:

CM560 Magical Forest | Hero Arts [ HA ] DI931 Mushroom and Ferns Fancy Dies... [ HA ] Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolor -... [ BLIC ] Fabriano Artistico Extra White... [ BLIC ] Escoda Versatil Brush - Pointed... [ BLIC ] Wet Cement Mid-Tone Shadow Ink | Hero... [ HA ] The Ink Stand White RECTANGLE... [ SSS ] Understand Blue Card Making Bundle #3... [ CTC ] Understand Blue Card Making Bundle #1... [ CTC ] MISTI Stamping Tool [ MSP | SSS | ELH ] Rotatrim Professional Series Cutter -... [ BLIC ] Teflon Bone Folder - Ellen Hutson LLC [ ELH | SSS ] Crafter's Companion GEMINI... [ SSS ] Scor-Pal MINI SCOR-BUDDY Scoring... [ SSS ] Storage Envelopes, Medium 25pk,... [ ELH ] CheckOutStore Stamp & Die Clear... [ CHC ] Extra Large -50 pk, Avery Elle Stamp... [ ELH ] Lawn Fawn STAMP SHAMMY Cleaner LF1045 [ SSS | CST ] Airtable: Organize your stamps & dies [ ART ]

Loveyameanitbye.

CURRENT COUPON CODES
20% off anything at Glassboard Studio  - UNDERSTANDBLUE.
15% off anything at Marker Universe or any of their other sites - Understandblue15.
10% off at Sweet Sentiment with code UNDERSTANDBLUE
10% off the whole store at A Colorful Life Designs - LydiaFan10
5% off at LBC here with code LYDIA5
Arkon Mounts - 20% off sitewide with code UNDERSTANDBLUE