Bee Happy and some Blog Candy!!!

I have a case of Spring Fever due to the 70 degree days here. My tulips are coming up and my fingers are itching to dig in the garden.  The ground is still too wet, but it won't be long with these warm windy days. I have to say, I have really been loving my recent purchases from Close to My Heart.  The Sophia paper is so girly and spring-y.  I used it for all of these cards and have lots more to use.  I was in a coloring mood, so I embossed the Bee Happy stamps from CTMH and colored with my blender pens. 

I have been wanting some Copic markers but don't have an extra $300 laying around.  Does anyone with gas and food prices on the rise?  Since I don't have the Copics, I used my Stampin' Up markers with a little trick.  The trick is to make a pool of marker color on something like your acrylic blocks and then pick up the color with a blender pen.  This mutes the color and actually allows it to fade from a darker to lighter shade.  Of course, you need to start coloring at the edges where you want the most pigment and then move inward to the center.   I have also found that making small gentle circles helps.  You also want to allow the paper to dry between colors to prevent the paper from pilling up into little balls.  Another trick when coloring is to give it a fine outline with a gray shade to add depth.  It really fools the eye.  Don't forget to leave a comment this week for some blog candy.  I'll pick a winner on Sunday.