Saturday, April 13, 2013

Floral Fantasies with Kathy Racoosin!


Hi Bloggers! Happy Saturday to you! I'm always tickled to have special guest artist (and pal) Kathy Racoosin as a guest on our blog! She is not only a phenomenal artist and color-er EXTRAORDINAIRE,  but a sweetheart who is a lot of fun!

Without further ado, Here are 2 beauties that will surely have you grabbing for Copics or your favorite markers! Kathy gives a few pointers on how she made these great cards below:

Shop the supplies:



I love Hero Arts inks not just because the colors are beautiful and crisp but, they last forever. My inks have lasted years without re-inking. 
  • Start out with your darkest color in this case BG49
  • Take a light color to color on top of the dark color to blend and soften the darker color. 
  • Now you want to add a bit more of the darker color again on the base of the stems and leaves. 
  • I wanted to make this bloom look more like some pods for a darker contrast on my card. Use any light and dark browns. I also used a brown to color the stems on the flowers. 
  • Color the flowers with any pink. I selected R83
  • Feather in a darker pink and use "0" (colorless blender) to blend the colors on the petals. (There are many ways to blend and this is one of them. I don't always use this technique) 
  • Add some white gel pen dots to the open part of the blooms on the flowers. Cut around the black and use some pop dots on some of the blooms to layer on your card. Stamp on the vellum with Ranger Jet Black Ink. Be sure to let the ink dry. Score the vellum wrapping the vellum around the back of the card. Tape onto the back. 
The second card was colored the same way. I love to leave in some of the "Chain Links" after die cutting. Carefully lift off of your cutting plates and let some fall out. tape the rest on the back.
Shop the supplies:



Thanks for reading today and thanks so much to Kathy for these fabulous inspirations!








Blog Candy Alert! Join our following and comment on this post for a chance to win a special blog candy!



Pin It
SUBSCRIBE TO: This Blog | Our Newsletter
WE'RE SOCIAL: Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Google+
TAKE THE CHALLENGE: Simon Says Stamp Challenge! | Vintage Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge

214 comments:

  1. Thanks for the tips on colouring. An amazing colour combo.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The coloring on these are stunning!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful cards! Love the backgrounds and the coloring :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wonderful flowers and great cards. Thank you for sharing!
    xxx Marianne

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful coloring and such pretty cards!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've been following you since I first learned about Simon Says Stamp and Kathy Racoosin's is one of my favorites. I love the sentiment on vellum -- now I know what to do with all those little scraps I couldn't throw away and then forgot I had!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Beautiful cards, love the colours :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love Kathy's work and her Daily Marker blog. She is so talented and these cards are a great example.... Superb colouring!

    ReplyDelete
  9. AMAZING - Always love to your techniques Kathy! Thanks for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Those flowers are amazing colored it seem like real.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow, beautiful, those Hero art are bright and wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Beautiful flowers! Such gorgeous color on these pretty cards.

    ReplyDelete
  13. wow Kathy is amazing.. she knows her color because her images always pop off the card.. I LOVE IT...thanks for the inspiration..

    ReplyDelete
  14. Absolutely gorgeous cards here from Kathy again. I LOVE the colors, she´s used here, just sooo beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Beautiful cards from Kathy her coloring is always so gorgeous ..Just love it !!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Love your cards! Love the flowers after this long cold and grey wintertime!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Like mаnу people, I liκe to get a prepаred carry out pizza oсcasionallу.
    Nеѵer try to rеmοve a pizzа
    stone from thе oven until it is completely cooleԁ.
    That is, until I thought about making a pizza uѕing my cast iron skillet.


    Feеl free to surf to my weblog pizza stone and peel set 14x16

    ReplyDelete
  18. Absolutely gorgeous colors and coloring!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Beautiful and stunning! Love all the detail! Awesome job coloring!

    ReplyDelete
  20. my goodness, the coloring is fabulous on these! love the idea of leaving some of the pieces in the die cut piece, too. :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Two gorgeous cards and some great ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  22. These background stamps are wonderful! I have very few background stamps(only two, to be exact) so these would be a wonderful addition, and these cards are so lovely they have given me the determination to obtain these stamps, one way or another! lOL

    ReplyDelete
  23. Two beautiful cards. Love how you left some of the scraps in the die cut!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Beautiful cards, love the colours!! xx

    ReplyDelete
  25. Beautiful cards.

    craftymom205 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  26. Such beautiful floral cards. Iris

    ReplyDelete
  27. Gorgeous cards, Kathy is an amazing coloring artist. Love the tips on how bold, vibrant and real flowers can look!!

    ReplyDelete
  28. I´m a fan of Kathy and these cards show exactly why! Greetings, Gerrina

    ReplyDelete
  29. Such beautiful cards and amazing colouring Kathy!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Wow, these are beautiful. Love the bright colored flowers that just pop off the page. Gorgeous shading.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Great idea keeping some "hanging chads". Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  32. I am blown away by these uber-vivid colors!!! Amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  33. These cards are so amazing. The coloring is beautiful. I hope to jump on the Copics bandwagon someday.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Love the effect your coloring has!
    Really like the same stamp used for the background
    Vellum is pretty; I really need to get some to try it out

    ReplyDelete
  35. Your cards are beautiful. I love the peony one, that
    colored flower is gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Gorgeous cards! What amazing colouring jobs. :)

    ReplyDelete
  37. Great cards! Thanks for the coloring tips. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  38. Love these stamps and Kathy is so gifted in her coloring.
    Sheer delight.
    Becky Johnson

    ReplyDelete
  39. Lovely cards. So bright! And thanks for the tips and the chance to win.

    ReplyDelete
  40. I love Kathy's coloring technique. She's super.Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  41. Kathy's colouring technique is superb! Both cards so gorgeous, thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  42. Love the beautiful, vibrant coloring on the flowers. The stamps are gorgeous... would love to win them!

    ReplyDelete
  43. The coloring technique is something I can use in lots of settings. Thanks Kathy.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Beautiful cards! The Penny Black Peacock Feather is stunning. Thanks for the chance to win.

    ReplyDelete
  45. just found your site for the first time. Looks like I will be hooked on it for a few hours!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Her copic coloring is marvelous. :)

    ReplyDelete
  47. Pretty floral cards, love the bold colors. :) hugs, Kimberly

    ReplyDelete
  48. Beautiful floral cards, her coloring is awesome. TFS

    ReplyDelete
  49. Thanks for the inspiration Kathy! Your cards are so lovely with those pretty images. I especially love how you did that wonderful sentiment on vellum on the first card, but they're both such pretty cards!

    ReplyDelete
  50. These are works of art! Love those vibrant colors.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Such pretty cards. I love the penny background stamp and your copic coloring brings the flowers to life.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Fabulous inspiration Kathy - I always love your cards

    ReplyDelete
  53. Love the way you left some of the bits in the chain link. Great effect

    ReplyDelete
  54. Love the cards! I think your coloring is terrific!

    ReplyDelete
  55. Wow, those flowers are amazing and look like so much fun to color! Hugs, Hanneke

    ReplyDelete
  56. The floral card is just gorgeous! Great colouring and love this card!

    ReplyDelete
  57. Ohhhh these are gorgeous! Beautifully coloured :)

    ReplyDelete
  58. Beautiful cards Kathy, your colouring is amazing :)

    ReplyDelete
  59. Love the mason jar card, very clever using the background stamp and acetate and flower using the background stamp again.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Kathy is the queen of coloring! said it before and I'll say it again--amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  61. Gorgeous cards. Thanks for the reminder to wrap the vellum around the back of the card.

    ReplyDelete
  62. I think the first card is the most beautiful card I've ever seen.

    ReplyDelete
  63. kathy's coloring is always amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  64. Amazing cards, love the colouring!!!

    ReplyDelete
  65. wow! Stunning as usual! I just love her work!

    ReplyDelete
  66. Beautiful flowers! I love the coloring, TFS!

    ReplyDelete
  67. The cards are gorgeous, as are all of Kathy's work.

    ReplyDelete
  68. They look real! I'm always blown away by Kathy's talent and work. I'm so glad she's willing to share it.

    ReplyDelete
  69. Just stunning. I love how the flowers just seem pop off the cards, they are just so vividly coloured!

    ReplyDelete
  70. The phrase is lovely and I really like the chain link die on the second card

    ReplyDelete
  71. Both of these are gorgeous! The colors and Kathy's coloring abilities are amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  72. Beautiful cards....Kathy is very talented at coloring!!

    ReplyDelete
  73. Kathy is so talented and I just love all Penny Black stamps.

    ReplyDelete
  74. Kathy these are both gorgeous!!! Love your coloring, especially the teal leaves!!!

    ReplyDelete
  75. Both of these cards are fabulous! I was so excited to see your work on this blog tonight!! Your coloring is extraordinary, and I love how you tucked part of the flower vine behind the vellum while the other part is on top of the vellum. Really great. Thanks for sharing.

    Katie B.

    ReplyDelete
  76. These two cards are stunning! The coloring is so perfect... I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  77. Love Kathy's work, always beautiful and amazing coloring.

    ReplyDelete
  78. Beautiful cards. Love the colors of them both.

    ReplyDelete
  79. I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you make this
    website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you?
    Plz respond as I'm looking to create my own blog and would like to know where u got this from. thanks

    My blog ... cheap desks

    ReplyDelete
  80. Beautiful floral cards! The colors are so pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  81. I just love those giant flowers!

    ReplyDelete
  82. Such beautiful cards, just love them!

    ReplyDelete
  83. Great cards and wonderful ideas for the use of bkgd stamps. It's always fun to learn new things and I thank you for sharing with us. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  84. Kathy your cards are gorgeous as usual. love the bright colors....

    ReplyDelete
  85. Such incredible colouring from Kathy Stunningly beautiful

    ReplyDelete
  86. Beautiful cards, i love them both.xxxSara

    ReplyDelete
  87. Both of these cards are beautiful, thank you for sharing Kathy.

    ReplyDelete
  88. gorgeous cards!! love all the colours too ♥

    ReplyDelete
  89. Absolutely gorgeous cards, the colours are beautiful. x

    ReplyDelete
  90. Utterly gorgeous! I want to see these made on video!!! ~God bless~

    ReplyDelete
  91. Kathy has such a talent with copics it's amazing. Love to see her creations and appreciation the "how to" (not sure I can duplicate, but will sure try).

    ReplyDelete
  92. I love Kathy's work - she is amazing, just like these amazing pieces of art!
    Sandra ltb

    ReplyDelete
  93. Kathy's work is a feast for the eyes! Her use of color and her Copics is beyond amazing!! Her tutorials are so detailed and complete!! Loved seeing these cards with new PB stamps!

    ReplyDelete
  94. Joan-Anne WeatherbeeApril 14, 2013 at 8:02 AM

    These cards are stunningly beautiful. Kathy is the greatest colourer! TFS!

    ReplyDelete
  95. These cards are beautiful! I can only dream about coloring that good. Love the sentiment stamp.

    ReplyDelete
  96. Love both of these cards! The colors and stamps are gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  97. Love these cards and how the flowers seem to just pop off the backgrounds. Great coloring and color combos. Thanks for sharing !

    ReplyDelete
  98. lovely showcasing of the stamp, the color combinations are wonderful

    ReplyDelete
  99. These are absolutely gorgeous!! Thanks for sharing! :-) xx

    ReplyDelete
  100. Goodness. Be still my heart. This is absolutely fabulous. Thanks so much for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  101. Love the cards ... just gorgeous!! Thanks so much for sharing them! Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  102. Kathy cards are just wonderful! I always get my hearts captured by her stunning cards!

    ReplyDelete
  103. Both cards are gorgeous...Kathy's can colour so brilliantly!
    xxx Margreet

    ReplyDelete
  104. Great job on the coloring.

    ReplyDelete
  105. Wow, I just love how the bright colors pop on these cards! Gorgeous!!

    ReplyDelete
  106. These cards are lovely and the coloring is fantastic. Thanks for the chance to win.

    ReplyDelete
  107. Kathy I love what you did with the gorgeous yellow background and flowers! As always, a beautiful card!

    ReplyDelete
  108. Thanks so much for the coloring tips on these lovely cards.

    ReplyDelete
  109. Beautiful cards! I love how you used the background stamps.

    ReplyDelete
  110. Beautiful cards, gorgeous coloring

    ReplyDelete
  111. Absolutely awesome!! Love the colors and the designs. Kathy is so creative! Love her work!

    ReplyDelete
  112. Absolutely awesome!! Love the colors and the designs. Kathy is so creative! Love her work!

    ReplyDelete
  113. What stunning cards. I love the vellum on the bright pattern.

    ReplyDelete
  114. Beautiful colour and cards! I am just getting into using background stamps and love the effect.

    ReplyDelete
  115. Kathy, you always make the most beautiful cards! These are proof!!!

    ReplyDelete
  116. Absolutely stunning - I love the colors and the shading - I learn so much from you - thank you so much!

    ReplyDelete
  117. Absolutely stunning - I love the colors and the shading - I learn so much from you - thank you so much!

    ReplyDelete
  118. Beautiful! You always inspire me!

    ReplyDelete
  119. Just beautiful! Love the way ou used the background stamp! Such different looks too. Very versatile too!

    ReplyDelete
  120. Lovely cards. The colors are great, wonderful inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  121. These are GORGEOUS cards!!! I love the colors you used and how you used the background stamps!!

    ReplyDelete
  122. Such fabulous cards, such fabulous stamps!

    ReplyDelete
  123. These cards are absolutely beautiful! Love everything about them!

    ReplyDelete
  124. Absolutely love your colouring! Beautiful!!

    ReplyDelete
  125. Love the backgrounds and the flowers are fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  126. Kathy is amazing! I'm so glad you shared these today! Just beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  127. Gorgeous cards! I am in Hawaii on vacation and they remind me of the beautiful flowers over here. Aloha!

    ReplyDelete
  128. Oh my goodness!! What exquisite cards! I only hope that some day I can color have as good as you!!

    ReplyDelete
  129. I LOVE her coloring. She is an expert!!!

    ReplyDelete
  130. Such a lovely card, Kathy. I love the rich, vibrant colours you used for the floral focal point. Absolutely striking!

    ReplyDelete
  131. Wow! I love all the coloring on these cards. I may not want to give it away :)

    ReplyDelete
  132. I just love the background done in green ink, and the vellum overlay for the sentiment! Gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  133. LOVe these beautiful cards and especially like the vellum!! Gorgeous colors and design!

    ReplyDelete
  134. These are some of the prettiest cards I've seen so far. They would be perfect for Mother's Day! Beautiful flowers and backgrounds!

    ReplyDelete
  135. These cards are just amazing! the colour is so vibrant and the background stamps are gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  136. Gorgeous cards and stamps! Kathy's coloring is amazing! I love seeing her cards!

    ReplyDelete
  137. What lovely cards and beautiful workwomanship Kathy. Loving the floral background stamp, so versatile. I will have to go back and look at some of mine and see if I can use them as you have. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  138. I happily join. Your card is so intriguing and the Copic use is brilliant.

    ReplyDelete
  139. Kathy, your cards are gorgeous as always!

    ReplyDelete
  140. Very fresh, bright and beautiful colors (as well as your coloring!). These are simply gorgeous!!!

    ReplyDelete
  141. Clever card! Thanks for all the hard work!

    ReplyDelete
  142. Hi Kathy,
    I love both these cards and the stamps and colors you used. Both are just awesome and beautiful. I love everything about both cards and glad you were able to do them.
    I would love to win your giveaway.
    Thank you again,

    ReplyDelete
  143. Beautiful cards--so much inspiration. Lots of ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  144. I Love Simon Says Stamp!!! I think these cards are absolutely beautiful! The flowers are so bright and cheerful!! Thanks SSS for the awesome giveaway! "Happy Spring"

    ReplyDelete
  145. Beautiful cards...the backgrounds are wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  146. Kathy does such fantastic work! Thank you for featuring her!

    ReplyDelete
  147. Stunning cards! Kathy never fails to amaze. Just love looking at those beautiful flowers. Her coloring is just flawless. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  148. Kathy is the master of coloring and her cards are always stunningly beautiful!!!

    ReplyDelete
  149. Always enjoy seeing Kathy's creations.

    ReplyDelete
  150. Beautiful cards! Your coloring is awesome!!!

    ReplyDelete
  151. Lovely cards! All the fabulous flowers just scream Spring!

    ReplyDelete
  152. Beautiful cards! Thanks for the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  153. Beautiful effect! These flowers are colored SO beautifully! I need to try this!!

    ReplyDelete
  154. Beautiful cards.
    marilyn2222 @ hotmail dot com
    follower

    ReplyDelete
  155. Aww, Kathy's cards are a delight! Great instruction and LOVE Penny Black's gorgeous flowers! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  156. Beautiful cards! Thanks for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
  157. great cards, love the stamps and her coloring is awesome

    ReplyDelete
  158. Really like these cards. I haven't started using background stamp but like you nifty ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  159. What beautiful cards I wish I was better at coloring images.

    ReplyDelete
  160. I just love these cards!! Your work is beautiful! The flowers jump right off the page! Thank you for sharing your talent!

    Sue Brailey

    ReplyDelete
  161. Wonderful cards! I love how Kathy has used one stamp both as the background and the foreground of her first card. The partially removed die-cut pieces of the second card is also very effective.

    ReplyDelete
  162. Kathy's card art is Amazing! She is a copic genius too. I love everything she does. And yes, she is a Sweet Heart and a very generous Soul.

    ReplyDelete
  163. Beautifully colored flowers! Love the sentiment on the vellum. Great cards!

    ReplyDelete
  164. Such gorgeous colors and amazing coloring!

    ReplyDelete
  165. Kathy always bowls me over with her coloring talents! Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  166. Kathy's cards are beautiful. Love the vibrant colors.

    ReplyDelete
  167. Lovely flowers beautifully colored. Love both the cards. :-)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for visiting our Simon Says Stamp blog! We work hard to update it daily and provide lots of ideas and current events. We appreciate the time you take to leave a comment! It makes us feel like someone is listening ;)

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.