To Copic or not to copic???....which medium to use?

For anyone who is interested, i thought i would do a post about different colouring mediums.
At the moment wherever i look it seems to be copics everywhere! (BTW all you copic lovers..lol..this post isn't to diss copics,as i happen to love them too:)
.....However *Lol* when i was running ff i had plenty of cash to be able to buy whatever craft products that i wanted.If i saw something that i wanted...i simply bought it...the cost didn't matter.
I did buy myself a load of copics...which aren't exactly cheap *If my OH knew how much those things cost he would have a fit..lol* As much as i love my copics...there is always a down side :( and the downside to copics is the cost.I'm now no longer in a position to buy whatever craft products that i want...so iam trying out things from my stash...haha  Staring with different colouring mediums.A couple of years ago i was quite happy using my marvy le plume pens,i used to scribble the colour onto an acrylic block then use a water brush to pick up the colour.I then switched to water colour pencils.I have tried since to go back to watercolour pencils,but for me the colours just aren't bright enough..if ya know what i mean...not since using copics anyways...lol
The 3 images above are all coloured with different mediums *The cute image is two tash from mo's digital pencil btw*

Iam NO expert at colouring, this is just to show the results that you get with the different mediums.
The image above is coloured with copics. Buying yourself copics won't suddenly make you fantastic at colouring images...as with everything it takes practice. Amazing copic colouring can be seen here by Maddy Hill  The problem i have with copics is that they don't last all that long, i definately don't have the cash to buy refils for every colour that i have,which means that as each colour runs out i have to replace the pen:( The only refil that i have is the blender (as my first blender pen ran out within the first 2 weeks of having it)
The copics have a brush nib and i sometimes find it very hard to get into tiny areas with them.
So if you have the cash for copics...plus refils or replacements then go with them...if you don't have the cash then look for other alternatives.
I used to have pro markers...which are great too...they last longer than copics and they have a hard small nib *better for getting into smaller areas*

This image above is coloured with prisma pencils.I've had these for a while now,and haven't really tried them enough to do them justice...until now.
I love these things :) You can use the pencils on their own, or you can use a blender oil such as sansador or zest it...*I use zest it as it has a citrus smell* you use paper stumps to blend the oil over your coloured image.
I love the result that you get using these pencils...so they are most definately worth considering.
The colours are lovely and bright.The pencils are very soft..so you just start off very lightly..then pressing harder where you want the darker areas. I have used only 1 pink shade on the above image *as i only have 1 pink...lol* but by varying the amount of pressure i applied i managed to achieve light and dark shades with the one colour.
You can buy yourself a set of these for about £20 or maybe less..then they will last you a looooong time as they are pencils,plus its easy to get into smaller areas.I think that these are gonna be my main medium that i will be using from now on.

This is a tin of prismacolor pencils and a bottle of zest it.

The image above was coloured using peerless watercolors.

This is how the peerless watercolors come. Its a book with pull out sheets of colour. You can use these 2 ways (that i know of) you can either cut a pice of your chosen colour off the page and then place it in a dish ect and add a drop of water to dilute the colour off of the paper..or the other way *which is the way that i do it* is to just take the colour directly off the page.
The colours are very bright...wich i love.When painting the image above i couldnt really experiment with using more water to obtain lighter shades as the paper i was using doesnt like water...lol  so i just had to do the best that i could.
Again i love these as you can achieve lovely bright colours.They aren't expensive either. I only have the one book which is the complete edition book witch contains 15 sheets of different colours.You can also buy different books and shades to this.....So there you have my rundown on these 3 different colouring mediums.
..I have always likes the result acheived with the distress inks...however to buy all the colour range right now is way out of what i can afford so instead i have purchased the all the colours from the range of inkidinks *1/3 of the cost of distress inks* am still waiting for them to arrive though...so i shall update this post with the results of those when ive given them a try :)
I hope some of you found this post useful.
TFL
Shaz xx

Stamp and smiles and Our creative corner

Here is my card for this weeks Stamps & smiles challenge
Iam 'thrilled' to be December guest dt for stamps and smiles :) Thanks Jennifer x
I have used the very cute Cuppy with tree image from stamps & smiles for my card. It is such a cute image :)

I made the card base from acetate and inked the edges with white stazon...for once i managed to do it without smearing the ink all over the acetate...lol

Be sure to pop over to the stamps and smiles blog as they are previewing some new digi releases, and you can also download the digi stamp used in todays preview for free:)

Here is my entry for this weeks challenge over at Our creative corner
The challenge this week was the song 'Twelve days of christmas'

Seen as how the song contains lots of 'birds', i decided to make that my theme...lol

I made a very quick & simple card for ir too.

Papers : Mme

Embellishments - K & co

Ribbon from stash

The card below is what i created for last weeks Occ challenge! I didn't realise that i hadn't blogged it :(

Thanks for looking

Shaz xxx

stamps and smiles and Project tuesday

This weeks challenge over on Project tuesday was to create an Easel card!
I think that these cards are fab.I have made quite a simple card for this.

Supplies used

CS: Co-ordinations

Papers - MME

Sentiment- Cats Life press (I think)

Image stamp - Magnolia

Chipboard snowflake- ???

Cosmic glitter shimmer jewels -iced crystal

Brad-Papermania

Some 3d clear liquid stuff..lol

Colouring medium - Copics

Her is my card for this weeks sketch over at Stamps and smiles

As you can probaly tell, this card was very simple and quick to make. I do like the simplicity of this card.

Supplies used:

CS- SU

Cuttlebug embossing folder

Ribbon from stash

snowflake stamp - ???

gems - Prima

TFL

Shaz xxx

Our Creative Corner and Project Tuesday

The challenge this week over on 'Our Creative Corner' is a colour challenge!
The colours were 'Chocolate chip'....'Pumpkin pie'......White....and Close to cocoa!
This colour combination had me 'baffled' as i don't really use orange at all!!
I do however have some SU cs, so that sorted the 'Pumpkin pie' bit....I also have 'Choc chip su ink pad'...i have white cs...lol, so then i was on the 'hunt' for something 'close to cocoa' lol
I eventually came across some k & co paper that seemed to fit the bill.
My sizzix 'pillow box die' arrived this week, so i decided to use that.This die makes the cutest little pillow boxes, i know that i have templates ect to make them myself, but this die is soooo much quicker,and they are so 'dinky'

I cut the pillow boxes from the su cs.
I then stamped a newly aquired prima damask stamp in 'choc chip ink' (This stamp is sooooo fab, Love it)
I cut the scallop ovals from the 'Close to cocoa paper' and stamped the sentiments with 'choc chip ink'
I also decided to make quick little cards to go with my boxes.

Supplie used.
White cs - stash
CB- craftwork cards
Orange cs -SU
Damask stamp - prima
Ink - SU
Sizzix die
SU punches
Ribbon from stash



This week the challenge over on Project Tuesday
is to make a little post it note holder. This really was so very quick and simple to make.
I didn't have any small pens or pencils, so i used one of Chloe's crayons...lol I just decorated it with matching paper.

Papers - K & Co/peppermint twist

Pink cs - SU

Sentiment stamp - Zetiology

TFL

Shaz x

Back at last

I really can't believe its been a month since i updated this blog :(
To be honest ,i don't seem to have been updating it all that much this year at all :(
At the start of the year 1 of my 'crafty' new years resolutions was to try and blog everyday,even if i had nothing 'crafty' to show (I think i've failed quite miserably on that one haven't i )
...For any of my regular readers,who may wonder why i haven't been blogging, entering challenges ect, it's basically like this. Upto press this whole year so far has been a kind of 'bad' year for me on a personal level. From just after Chloe's birthday things just seemed to 'go downhill' as i knew those following weeks lead upto Dan's 2nd anniversary,and those few weeks fetch back 'not nice' memories :( However even though 'that time'' has passed i sort of couldnt 'shake' myself out of it.In a few weeks it would be Dan's 18th Birthday, so not sure if that has anything to do with it or not.I can't even imagine him as 18,as to me he will always be 15.
..I think maybe i just got to a stage where 'everything' just caught up with me, Dan's death and having a new baby to look after. I've been mainly just concentrating on the designing side of things.Even that to be honest almost got 'knocked on the head' as i was soo close to finishing funky fairys :( But thankfully, a cpl of the girls on the dt talked me into carrying on with it, which i am sooo glad that they did,as i'm so glad that i have funky fairys to keep my mind occupied :)
Plus funky fairys just seems to be going from strength to strength,which iam so grateful for. I have lots of lovely customers,and gaining new ones everyday! And some of them send the most lovely emails...and thats what makes it all worth while :) As long as people like what i do, i shall continue doing it :)
The past 4-5 months though ive been mostly designing rather than crafting:( Thats one thing that i don't like), i always said that if the designing 'got in the way' of my crafting,then i would give the designing up!
The past few months though i can't say that its the designing that has got in the way.its more myself and personal issues,that have resulted in my mojo being 'extinct'..I haven't even been doing any crafty shopping either *Shock,horror*
I love to craft and create things...i find it relaxing,so iam going to try my best to do some,to start joining in with the challenges again, even if i only manage it a couple of times a week.
Iam pleased with myself tonight as i have actually managed to create a cpl of things for 2 challenges! So thats cheered me up :)
..When i get in the mood/frame of mind that ive been in the past few months, i dont like to blog ect,as i don't want to just keep coming out with'depressing' stuff and making everyone else feel miserable too, so i kind of 'detach' myself from people. I find that way better than depressing everyone :) I know i have a couple of 'humble pie' emails to do*You know who you are* (If you are reading this then i hope you can understand why i haven't 'been in touch' lately!)
I don't normally write anything really personal on here, but i felt i had to get it off my chest as it were, as i dont want people just thinking that i'm ignorant ect.
For so many months i've been kind of hanging on the 'middle' of a ledge, where one way is down and the other way is up, so many times its felt like ive been 'tipping' over to the 'down' side of that ledge :( and thats not a nice place to be :( At the moment though i feel as though im moving more to the 'up' side of that ledge :) thats the side i want to be at, and hopefully things will improve each day (I hope)
...Anyways ...enough of me waffling on :)
I've just been to Glastonbury festival! First time ive ever been,all i can say is that place is HUGE! I will do another post about that and have lots of pics to share too :)
For now i shall leave ya with these 2...lol
This was taken on the Wednesday evening just after we had arrived and got the tents up! It took up 14 1/2 hours to get there :( We got 10 miles away,and then we were stuck in a jam for 10 hours!!! We must have had to camp the furthest place away from everything that you could possibly be, up the top of a hill too :(

Don't i look a bonny chuff??...lol The glasses are Shane's btw! lol He wanted to take a pic of me wearing them..haha

TFL

Shaz xxx