Posted on February 27, 2015February 27, 2015 by Michelle

Copic: Second quarter is opening up and classes are filling up!

Look out, Copic Certifications and Workshops are popping up all over the nation! Check out the latest updated list!

Workshops:

Detroit, MI – February 27th – More Faces & Hair // Vintage Values & Monotones with Debbie Olsen
Detroit, MI – February 28th – Dress for Success: Clothing & Accessories with Debbie Olsen
Calgary, Alberta – March 6th – More Faces & Hair // Vintage Values & Monotones with Sherrie Siemens
Calgary, Alberta – March 7th – Dress for Success: Clothing & Accessories: with Sherrie Siemens
St. Louis, MO March 13th – More Faces and Hair//Vintage Values & Monotones with Michelle Houghton ME!
St. Louis, MO March 14th – Dress for Success: Clothing & Accessories with Michelle Houghton ME!
New Orleans, LA March 29th – Coloring Flowers with Copics with Marianne Walker
New Orleans, LA March 29th – Line Art with Marianne Walker
Phoenix, AZ April 10th – More Faces and Hair//Vintage Values & Monotones with Cindy Lawrence
Phoenix, AZ April 11th – Dress for Success: Clothing & Accessories with Cindy Lawrence
Charlotte, NC April 17th -More Faces and Hair//Vintage Values & Monotones with Debbie Olsen
Charlotte, NC April 18th -Dress for Success: Clothing & Accessories with Debbie Olsen
Orlando, FL April 17th – More Faces and Hair//Vintage Values & Monotones with Lori Craig
Orlando, FL April 18th -Dress for Success: Clothing & Accessories with Lori Craig
Harrison, NJ April 17th -More Faces and Hair//Vintage Values & Monotones with Cindy Lawrence
Harrison, NJ April 18th -Dress for Success: Clothing & Accessories with Cindy Lawrence
Indianapolis, IN April 24th – More Faces and Hair//Vintage Values & Monotones with Michelle Houghton ME!
Indianapolis, IN April 25th – Dress for Success: Clothing & Accessories with Michelle Houghton ME!

I could just squeel with excitement, that is an awful lot of colorful goodness all stacked up if you want more of the details make sure to check the new Imagination International Inc. website with all the details and for goodness sake get yourself signed up! HERE The full list of classes is there just remember that some are not quite ready for registration. Sign up for e-mail notifications, check back here or even at our wonderful Facebook Page Copic in the Craft Room! So much colorful goodness happening there.

You will note one special addition above. The FABULOUS Marianne Walker has added two classes to her business trip to New Orleans. These two classes are very limited and Marianne is the only one teaching them so catch her if you can!

Certifications:

Dallas, TX March 6th and 7th – Standard and Intermediate Certification with Debbie Olson
Chicago, IL March 13th and 14th – Standard and Intermediate Certification with Lori Craig
Hanover, MD March 20th and 21st – Standard and Intermediate Certification with Cindy Lawrence
Portland, OR March 20th and 21st – Standard and Intermediate Certification with Sherrie Siemens

There are not as many of these classes being offered this year so snatch the up if they in a town near you, or one that you can travel towpath some ease. There is a full listing and description at the Imagination International Inc. Website on these as well. Check them out HERE

Happy coloring! Hope to see you at one of the workshops!

Posted on February 24, 2015 by Michelle

Kitsch Layout

What is Kitsch you ask? Well the design team at Get It Scrapped is adding it onto our layouts today over at the blog so you must check it out. You will get the feel not only from the layouts created, but the, always wonderful, information written to support the work by Debbie Hodge. Another place to gather inspiration of course is on-line. Pinterest and Google will shed much light on the topic. Here is the layout I created for the article:

My Love by Michelle Houghton | Supplies: cardstock; Bazzil and Core’dination, patterned paper; Crate Paper, washi tape; Little B and Lawn Fawn, letters; October Afternoon and American Crafts, ink; Sharpie.

Here is a close up of some of my Kitsch. I used some Valentine postcards from an old Houghton family collection. My Mother-in-law set them aside just for me and hoped I would find something to do with them. I am thrilled to say that I did and that I love the results.

A couple notes the cards are BUSY so I tried to keep the other elements and colors calming and right in sink. The papers and title work matches colors already found int he cards. The Washi tape is used in very small amounts to pull the viewers eye, and also ended up becoming a background in the case of the woven tape behind the photo and cupid. It softened the space between the elements that as the plane Kraft paper had been quite harsh and created a heavy dead space.

The inspiration over at Get It Scrapped is really lovely and so creative. Definitely worth a click and read!

Happy creating!

Posted on February 15, 2015February 8, 2015 by Michelle

Copic and Inchie Art Day 3

As this posts I am hopefully on a flight from Minneapolis back home from my first class in Seattle, Washington. I am sure it will go GREAT! I have nervous butterflies even now as I prepare this post. Later today I will be poolside cheering my little fish on in her sectionals swim meet. This meet is vital to get into the State meet so big deal and worth the red eye flight back home to be a part of.

I also have one last group of Inchie Art Squares to share with you today. The cards are created with 3″ Kraft colored squares, the heart and bird are both Dina Wakley stamps by Ranger and the parade of Pooh characters is from my old foam mounted set.

This first card uses very loose coloring and colors from the RV60’s and BG50’s. I love how easily a card comes together when you have such a great art piece to start with!

The bird is flicked in color and a water colored background. The bird is colored with B60’s, V60’s and E10’s the background is RV66, V04 and V17

Lastley here is another card with my old Pooh bear set. I colored these with Copics in the traditional sense adding blending groups from light to dark. Blending colors together as needed.

Woosh! OK I think that is all of them. I had a blast creating all this art and I hope it inspires a few of you to bust out your stamps, Copics and play. If you have not tried Inchie Art Squares you really should. these mini canvases really lend themselves to Copic ink in a whole range of techniques, I have shared just the tip of the ice berg!

Happy Coloring!

Posted on February 14, 2015February 8, 2015 by Michelle

Copic and Inchie Art Part 2

Happy Valentines Day! I am back today to share more Inchie Art Squares colored with Copic markers. If you can’t tell I had a blast playing with these little squares and just kept coloring. This group are all 2″ white squares the hearts are a Dina Wakley collection from Ranger and the Winnie the Pooh is an old set backed with foam that I have no idea who to credit for I apologize! the hearts are stamped with Tuxedo Black, Momento ink and the Pooh bear are stamped with Rich Cocoa.

The hearts are very loosely colored with a scribbly style of coloring. I used B63, RV32, RV34, RV55, RV66, RV69 on the hearts and used BG53, BG57 and 0 on the backgrounds.

The cards are both very simple with cardstock, a die cut doily and hand punched trim.

Then I created these two cards (there are actually 4, 2 of each with very small differences) I am not going to list all the colors, but if someone is interested PLEASE ask I will list them all if there is an interest. I kept things simple with beautiful Graphic 45 patterned paper, flowers from American Crafts and wood touches from Studio Calico.

Believe it or not I have one more set of cards if you want to come back for more art tomorrow there will be more!

Happy coloring and Happy Valentines Day to you all!

Posted on February 13, 2015February 8, 2015 by Michelle — 4 Comments

Colorful Copic & Art Squares Blog Hop

Welcome to the Colorful Copic & ART SQUARES blog hop!

You are in for treat today as Copic pairs up with the ever popular Art Squares by Inchie Arts. There are so many things to love about this pairing!

Did you know:
Art Squares are the perfect canvas for creating small-format art!
They come in 6 sizes (1 inch, 1.5 inch, 2 inch, 3 inch, 4 inch, and ATC).
Art Squares come in 7 colors (black, dark gray, light gray, kraft, dark cream, light cream and white).
They are perfect for wet or dry mediums.
Copic markers and inks look amazingly vibrant and deliciously rich on Art Squares!
Copic multiliners glide smoothly across the surface.
Work on the “top” or toothy side for the best results.
You can mix and match your mediums! No warping, bending or curling.

You can find more information about both Copic products and Inchie Art Squares at the links below.

Copic Website

All In An Inch – Inchie Arts Blog

Our teaching and design teams have been challenged to put marker (or ink) to these precision-cut matboard surfaces and see what happens! (You are not going to BELIEVE these samples… trust me – they rock!)

I have 3 cards to share with you today. I had way too much fun with my squares and can’t pick just one to highlight. In addition to the 3 below I am going to post my other creations with my Inchie Art Squares and Copic over the next few days. I am starting with 3″ Kraft colored squares. Tomorrow I will be sharing 2″ white squares and Sunday will highlight 3″ white squares and a few more Kraft squares as well!

This fist card uses very traditional color techniques with Copics. I stamped the image with a Memento, Rich Cocoa stamp pad and then used the following colors; Y35, Y38, Y28, B91, B95, G20, G24, G28, E43, E43, E47, Y21, Y28, YR00. E93, YG63, YG66, B00, BG000, 0. Notice in the color selection a lot of my lighter colors are not present, the Kraft be did effect my color choices here. Blending was extremely easy and happened mostly as I was coloring making it un-necessary to go back and blend layers.

Other supplies: cardstock; Core’dinations, patterned paper; Prima, twine; American Crafts, tiny attacher; Ranger, button; Unknown. Here is a close up of the image.

This next card is using stamps by Dina Wakley and Ranger. I used a much looser coloring technique,after stamping with Memento Tuxedo Black, lots of scribbling, overlapping and no back blending. I used B60, B63, B66, B69, Y38, YR04, YR07.

Other supplies used: cardstock; American Crafts, patterned paper; Basic Grey, journal card; Maya Road, Washi tape; Freckled Fawn, Target office supplies and unknown, dots; My Minds Eye. Here is the close up:

The last card I am sharing today is again featuring a Dina Wakley stamp (The extra black on the bird’s belly is poor stamping on my part, not part of the stamp, sorry Dina!). The colors used on the bird are Y17, E02, E04, E09, E29. On the bird I used the marker loosely to show the texture of the bird. For the background I used my Various Ink Refills in RV66, V04, V17, And used them with a brush and colorless blender like watercolor paints. It created the beautiful mottled background for my birdie.

Here is the close up of my coloring. I also Copic died the silk that is tied into the pink flower. Other supplies: cardstock, twine and flower trim; American Crafts, patterned paper, Basic Grey, burlap; Canvas Home Basics.
Hop along with these talented designers as they show you some more interesting and exciting ways to pair up two great products!