Simple Marker Coloring with Stamps

It was such a sweet visit to the kindergarten classroom to meet the baby chicks that hatched. They are so cute and the kids love them and were so gentle with them. It was amazing! The March Take 10 Kit (Pocket Kit and Glam Bag) from Studio 29 Designs was a great match for these pictures. Baby chicks mean spring time to me!

I decided to leave a lot of white space on these cards. White space is good. You shouldn't feel like you have to fill in white space when you see it. Give yourself permission to intentionally leave it. 

I printed my journaling on vellum so you could still see the lines behind. I have a little tutorial I want to share on what I did for printing my journaling from my phone. Go here if you would like to see that!

I stamped that little bird on white cardstock so that I could cut it out and use a pop dot for dimension. And there is my pop of color on that black and white card!

Hello Spring Stamp Set

On my bottom 4x6 card, I had some fun placing sequins throughout the floral design. I cut up that "Spring Fever" 3x4 card to make a coordinating tab. (And I can use the other half on a different layout!) I made another little stamped bird for this card, too. For both birds, I got out my Stampin' Up Stamp & Write marker set. I am not a marker coloring guru, but I have watched a few tutorials. I have one tip to share that ANYONE can pull off. It can be done two ways. All I did here was give these critters a wash of a lighter shade of blue and then add a little bit of darker blue for a shadow under the wing. So cute and easy. You don't have to be an expert colorist. 

Simple Marker Coloring:

1. Give an all over wash of a lighter color.

2a. Determine where a shadow would naturally be (imagine the sun up and to the left for my birds) and use a slightly darker shade of same color family.

2b. Same idea as 2a, but just use more layers of the same marker you used for the wash to make it darker.

That marker set is very versatile. They are double ended (fine point and brush tip). I use them for journalling, stamping, and coloring! If you don't have a Stampin' Up demonstrator, you need one and I've got one for ya. Mary Talbot is one of my besties. She'll hook you up. Her site is here: Stampin' Up - Mary Talbot. In case you don't know, they sell exclusive Project Life sets, too. Check it out. 

My last detail photo shows a homework sheet that my kindergartner brought home during their study on baby chicks. It is so fun to include with these photos to tell some of the story through her eyes. I just took a photo of it and printed as a 4x6 on cardstock. 

Go find some baby chicks to visit this spring. They are so fun to observe.

Holly with www.paintedladiesjournal.com

Facebook | Instagram

Printing Journaling from your Phone for Project Life Tutorial

Sometimes, I like to use a filler card for my journaling. I have physical cards I am using. I want to be able to read my printed journalling on top of the pattern, so I print on vellum or white cardstock to archieve this.

I used the Project Life App to do this quickly from my phone. I have an iPhone, so if you are using the app on an android, it may be slightly different.

From the main menu, select the orange image in the upper left section.

You will use the default selection if your end result will go on a 3x4 card. (And of coarse choose the 4x6, if you are using that.)

                                          

Tap on one of the 3x4's and some icons will appear in the upper right. Select the little cards with lines on them to access the card kits.

Then, select "Neutral Cards." This is a free set in the App. I like bright white, which is best on vellum. And I just like bright white cardstock, too. When filling in your story, don't worry about the margins that you cannot change. We will fix that in a bit. 

                                          

After you select your neutral journal card, you have to close out by hitting the "x". Then you will see this. Click on the pen in the center to start entering your text.

After you have both sides filled out (for two different journal cards) and have double checked your spelling and grammar, you are ready to export.

Select export and on the next screen, select "Save Image." This saves it to your camera roll.

The next step uses another app called Picstich. If you don't have this, and you do Project Life, I totally recommend it. You will need the paid version to do what I'm going to show you here. Totally worth it, to me. The first thing you need to do is select the two equal slots that are a side by side layout. 

Then, pick the 6x4 aspect ratio. 

This is the step that is only available in the paid version. You can adjust the thickness of the white border. This is what fixes the size of your card so that it is smaller than your Filler Card. This image above shows approximately what I chose to make this work. (I use this paid feature for thickening the border when putting 2-3x4 photos on a 4x6).

Now you are ready to import that image of your journaling that you made. You will import the same image twice and line it up to show each card on each side. 

Import to your camera roll and you are ready to print on a 4x6 cardstock.

Why I like this: I used to open Word and make individual text boxes after measuring my cards. I'd have to fill an entire 8.5" x 11" to feel like I wasn't wasting paper. It was lots of measuring and took forever to fill a page. I like that I can write two journal cards and fill a 4x6 to print. AND, no more measuring since I'm using the 4x6 Project Life App template.

Do you use printed journaling in your layouts? I like to mix it up and put my handwriting in there, too, but when I have a lot to fit on the card, or just want the look, I will print. I'm always looking for easier, quicker ways to get my journaling printed.

Holly | www.paintedladiesjournal.com
Facebook  Instagram  Pinterest

I use a Canon Pixma to print at home. Here are a few affiliate links, if you so chose. I print some of my photos and home any journaling I decide to print.