I know October is a third over already, but I'm just now finding time on this school and Columbus Day holiday to finish my October calendar! So I thought I would share that with you all today. You may remember when I introduced you to my 2010 calendar for this year, here. It's a mini-book style, made out of 4-inch square pieces of Ellen's fabulous Craft-A-Board! You could prep one of these calendar books for next year to give as a gift, leaving space for the recepient to add photos of their own as the year goes along, if you wish!
I started by cutting two pieces of Craft-A-Board 4-inches square and then round the corners with Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper:
Next, I chose papers from Cosmo Cricket's Matilda Mini Deck and covered the Craft-a-Board with them, using a glue stick. Then I stamped Karen Lockhart's sweet new Basket of Leaves with Memento Rich Cocoa ink onto Copic's new X-Press It Blending Card. I noticed Ellen has several affordable package options of this fabulous new cardstock available now -- you can find them here! Your Copic markers will blend wonderfully on this new cardstock and you won't see any feathering of marker color or stamped lines like you might on other cardstocks.
Here's a quick step-out of the Copic markers I used on the basket image, chosen to match the Matilda papers (click on any photo for a larger view):
L - E31 on the basket, YR21 on the basket cross weaves and leaves, pumpkin & apples. R - E33 & E35 on the basket and fruit stems.
L - YR16 on some leaves and pumpkin. R - YR18 to deepen the pumpking and some leaves.
G82 & G85 on leaves and one apple.
Sorry I didn't get a photo of the last few steps:
R24 on last apple.
E31 & E33 on what I decided would be pods or nuts in the basket and to finish the basket rim, some E37.
YR16 & YR18 on the flowers on each side of the basket.
W1 & W3 to shade under the basket and for the blowing leaf trails.
Gold Atyou Spica Glitter Pen accents everything.
I cut out the image and popped it up on foam tape. Now, take a look at my finished colored image next to the papers I chose:
I love the bright white of the Copic X-Press It Blending Card -- it produces very crisp and vivid colors. But notice how different it is (bright white) than the ivory of the patterned papers and Neenah Natural White cardstock that I printed my computer-generated calendar on? Now this may not bother some people, but it bothers the perfectionist in me, LOL! So what to do? Here's where your hand-dandy Copic E50 Egg Shell comes to the rescue!
I used it to color any of the remaining white areas of the basket image. In the photo above, I started on the right side of the image, up to where the tip of the marker is pointing -- the left side of the image still remains white, so you can see the difference the Egg Shell marker makes!
And here's a close-up of the finished image -- hopefully you can see the nice sparkle the glitter pen adds (click for a larger view):
I used Martha Stewart's Picket Fence Edger Punch and Maple Leaf Punch to punch more Matilda paper for accents on this page. The leaves were edged with Copic E35, crumpled and added with Mini Glue Dots.
For the right side of my calendar, I cut the Cosmo Cricket Matilda pumpkin background paper a little smaller than the 4-inch Craft-a-Board and colored the edges of the Craft-a-Board with Copic G85 marker. Next, I die cut my computer-generated calendar with a Spellbinders Labels Four die and sponged the edges with Ranger Antique Linen Distress Ink. It is popped up on foam tape.
Cosmo Cricket's Tiny Type Brown sticker letters make the 'october' word on top of my calendar. Using Spellbinders Nested Maple Leaf die, I die cut & embossed green plaid Matilda paper, sanded the edges, and then machine stitched it. Strands of ribbon make "hinges" to hold the two calendar pieces together like a book!
Thanks for joining us today -- Happy Columbus Day! ~ Sharon
Stamps: Lockhart Basket of Leaves
Paper: Cosmo Cricket Matilda Mini Deck & Tiny Type Brown letter stickers, Copic X-Press It Blending Card
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Ranger Antique Linen Distress Ink
Copic markers: YR21, YR16, YR18, R24, E31, E33, E35, E37, E50, G82, G85, W1; Gold Atyou Spica Glitter Pen
Accessories: Essentials by Ellen Craft-a-Board, Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper, Spellbinders Labels Four & Nested Maple Leaf die sets, Martha Stewart Picket Fence Edger Punch & Maple Leaf Punch, Sanding Block, Mini Glue Dots
