Pink Persimmon

Birthday Cake Decoration

Marion Ballog made sure that this birthday cake won't add any calories to your day!  This one is made of a styrofoam wedge shaped like the perfect slice of cake, then covered with vintage birthday wrapping paper, sheet music, glitter, and "icing " made of ribbon ruffles and pleated crepe paper.  

On top is a little chick and a flag stamped with "You take the cake", (Marian snipped the word "Cake" from the "(cup)cake" stamp in Sweet Greetings).  Cut the flag with a scalloped die (or use decorative scissors) and ink the edges.  The little flag is punched with 2 mini holes and flies from a frilly toothpick.  The little flag can be stamped with any Pink Persimmon sentiment to dress up real cakes too.  Or pancakes for a birthday breakfast! 

Coloring Techniques for Stampers

UPDATE (Fri 7/17) & GIVEAWAY WINNERS:  So the tally for coloring preferences is as follows (note that some of you mentioned two preferences):  Copics (9), Other Markers (4), Watercolor Pencils (13), Colored Pencils (12), Chalk (3) and Craft Ink (1).  Many of you mentioned that you would like to try Copics, but the cost was a bit high.  I do think that the quality of these pens really does justify the cost, so it is definitely something worth saving for and/or purchasing slowly with a few colors at a time.  For cost savings, so many of you mentioned Watercolor pencils.  I am inspired to find some watercolor tutorials and will share if I find something good! 

And now for the GIVEAWAY:  Put all the names in a hat (actually a box, but hat sounds better) and drew these names:  Jennifer L., Maxine, and Samantha S.  I will send an email to each of you so that you can send your mailing address for a little surprise package! 

Thanks for all the comments!

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This post has a giveaway at the end, so keep reading!!....

Judi is so accomplished at coloring with Copic Markers, but I have not been able to master them, so I thought I would look up some tutorials.  I found a lot of resources on the web for several coloring techniques:

StampARTic Magazine - Copic Markers Tutorial
We are heading over to Finland where this tutorial with Copics was found.  It's in both Finish and English, so keep reading! The info on blending and shading for skin tones is really helpful. 

Card Creme with Sherrie Siemens - Copic Marker Tutorial
This is a short video on using Copic markers to create some nice blending.  Sherrie has a neat hint that uses a piece of acetate as a pallet for picking up color. 

Carolyn King's Blog - Copic Marker Tutorial
A good step by step on shading along with some basic info about Copics.  She is also a certified Copic Instructor.

Hero Arts YouTube Video - Using Colored Pencils with Mineral Spirits

Carolyn King's Blog - Prismacolor Pencils Tutorial (with Mineral Spirits)
Another great one from Carolyn (she calls herself Cammie).  This time it's a step-by-step shading and blending with Prismacolor pencils and odorless mineral spirits.  

I hope that some of this info helps you learn some new techniques (I know I did).  If you know of any other good tutorials or references about coloring tools and materials, please share in the comments.

(Thanks to the above blog owners for allowing us to share their posts and videos with our readers)

WIN A STAMP SET:  Comment on this post about what your favorite coloring materials are (markers, pencils, etc.) and why you prefer that type of material.  Then we'll draw a few random names on Friday July 17th at 8am to receive some of the new stamp sets! 

Guest Designer - Marian Ballog

Please welcome Marian Ballog to Pink Persimmon for the month of July.  She has been VERY busy with our stamps and has some great ideas to share with you.  Marian recently had a wedding in her family and was the hostess for a bridal shower.  She created a complete suite of items for her Pink & Black bridal shower that are all adorable.  The attention to detail is amazing.  Here's a sample of the invitation, but you need see the full tutorial to see ALL of the projects she made.  I am sure that the lucky bride-to-be had a great time at her shower!

We'll have more to share from Marian during the coming weeks. 

Challenge Winners

Our birthday month is over, and we want to thank everyone who played along in our challenges.  We were amazed by the creative ideas and all the fun interpretations that you shared.   

Heres a recap of the winners from each challenge:

Pink & Orange Challenge Winner:  Nancy Grant.  

Paper Doll Challenge Winner:  Keely Yowler.  

Cupcake Challenge Winner:  Michelle Michael.

Triple the Sketch Winner:  Christy (over at the Triple The Sketch Challenge blog)