Skipping Stones Design

Happy Friday!

As I am sure a you all know by now, our Featured Set of the Month Grunge.  Check out my blog today to see how I featured Grunge with this week’s sketch!!!

Sometimes #1 just so happens to be pretty darned lucky! This week’s winner is….

Congratulations! Please email Heather at madebyme33 at hotmail dot com to claim your prize! Thank you ALL for playing and please remember to link up for this week’s challenge! It’s another good one!

Welcome to sketch challenge #112!  We are SO happy to have you all here with us to jump start this challenge!  If you are new to our challenges, it’s pretty simple…just create a card based on the sketch you see below and post it to your blog.  Come back here and post a direct link in the linky and you could win a FREE set of Skipping Stones Design stamps!  You don’t have to use our stamps to participate, but we LOVE when you do!  We ask that you combine a total of five challenges or less (no more than that), but other than that…just have fun!!!!!  Here is the sketch that the amazing Pamela created for us this week!

And here is the inspiration based on the sketch provided by our Guest Designers for January!

Pamela

Candice

Emily

Julie

Aren’t they amazing?  I’m sad that we only have one more week with these girls!  And now here is what our fabulous Design Team has created with this week’s sketch!

Wendy Jordan

Wendy Price

Jingle

Katie

Karen

JoAnn

Taylor

Now I KNOW you want to jump right into this sketch so go DO IT!!!  Don’t forget to link up your card here for your chance to win free stamps!  (Please remember – no more than five combined challenges.  Thanks!)  Have a Happy Sketch Challenge Tuesday!

Karen here, and I want to know if you are like me and strive to get the most out of your stamps as possible? Skipping Stones Designs offer a variety of beautiful silhouette images in their stamp sets and today I’ll show you a quick way to give silhouettes a bit of personality!

Gather together your silhouttte image (I’m using the bird stamp from the Garden Stamp Kiss set), a light pigment or watermark ink, colored pencils (alcohol markers would work too), ink blending tool and light colored cardstock. For a bit more interest and definition I first stamped a trimmed piece of cardstock with the text background stamp from Garden Stamp Kiss in the light pigment ink. On top of that I used the same ink to stamp the bird silhouette. The trick is to be able to see the image but not have it too dark that it will muddle the colors that you put on top of it while bringing the image to life.

The next step is to start lightly coloring in the image. Another tip: have handy a photograph for reference that resembles the silhouette you are working with. (Google Images is a great tool for this!) Build your colors up gently with light strokes of the colored pencils instead of dark, heavy strokes because you’ll be able to add texture, highlight and shadows much easier. After you’ve colored the majority of the image, use the lightest color in each color family to blend the strokes together by coloring over that particular entire area. I really like using the PrismaColor brand of colored pencils for this because their lead is soft and waxy, perfect for blending.

The final step is to ground your image. Simply color a light line with pencils or use the edge of an ink blending tool and pull the ink downward. Assemble your card to showcase your now realistic looking bird!

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope that you’ll want to give this technique a try. You’ll be amazed at how your much personality your silhouette images can have!

It’s time to announce the winner for Sketch #111!  And the winner is….

Shar!!!

Thank you all for participating and don’t forget to check out the FABULOUS PMS sale we have going on right now AND this week’s Fantastic sketch challenge for your chance to win FREE stamps!

Shar, to claim your prize, please email Heather at madebyme33 at hotmail dot com.  Congratulations!

It’s Tuesday and we have  a new Sketch Challenge for you!!!

Pamela Young has provided another fun sketch that will challenge you as well as get the crafty mojo going!!!!

Check out what our fabulous designers have created for you this week with Pamela’s sketch…

Pamela Young

Candice Fields

Emily Leiphart

Julie Day

Jingle

Taylor Usry

Kandi Phillips

Katie Gehring

Stephanie Mino

Wendy Price

Karen Baker

Shannon Teubner

JoAnn Valderama

Wendy Jordan

WOW, WOW, WOW!!!  How is that for some MOJO!!!

Don’t for get about our AMAZING PMS sale!!  Here are the deets….

Buy 1 set and save 5% Enter PMS1 at checkout

Buy 2 sets and save 10% Enter PMS2 at checkout

Buy 3 sets and save 15% Enter PMS3 at checkout

Buy 4 sets and save 20% Enter PMS4 at checkout

Buy 5 sets and save 25% Enter PMS5 at checkout

Buy 6 sets OR MORE and SAVE 30% on every set you buy-no limit!!!

Enter PMS6 at checkout

If you have ANY troubles getting the coupon codes to work just email me  (madebyme33@hotmail.com) your order and I will turn around and send you a pay pal invoice that reflects your savings.

  Would you like to win a *FREE* Skipping Stones Design stamp set this week?  All you have to do is link up your creation which follows our sketch challenge!!  Please post a direct link to your entry.   Remember, you don’t have to use SSD stamps for your card, but we do love to see them when you do! Also, please limit the number of challenges you combine to five including this one. Thanks and have fun!

PMS(Purchase More Stamps) sale starting Sunday the 15th…..going through Sunday the 22nd at midnight.

I am running low on the inserts that I package my stamps with…so I am having a big sale to help raise money for the new ones.  My bill is your gain, and you can save some big time money!!!!
The more you buy the more you save.

Here is how it works

Buy 1 set and save 5% Enter PMS1 at checkout

Buy 2 sets and save 10% Enter PMS2 at checkout

Buy 3 sets and save 15% Enter PMS3 at checkout

Buy 4 sets and save 20% Enter PMS4 at checkout

Buy 5 sets and save 25% Enter PMS5 at checkout

Buy 6 sets OR MORE and SAVE 30% on every set you buy-no limit!!!

Enter PMS6 at checkout

That way if your husband asks how much you spent you can turn around and tell him HOW MUCH YOU SAVED!!!  And if you want a set to make him a card I have the perfect one.  Here is our newest release Gunge #2:

***If you have ANY troubles getting the coupon codes to work just email me your order and I will turn around and send you a pay pal invoice that reflects your savings.

1. Paint soup cans with spray paint. Allow to dry.
2. Using Versamark and white embossing powder create pattern paper with the zig zag image.

It’s Winner Wednesday and that means that someone is getting a FREE Skipping Stones Design stamp set! The winner from our last challenge is….

Leslie!!!!

Leslie created this very pretty card based on the sketch!  To claim your prize, please email Heather at madebyme33 at hotmail dot com!

Thanks to EVERYONE for playing!  We had a great week with 33 entries!  Spread the word and let’s beat that number this week!!!  There are FREE stamps to be had!!!