Hello crafty friends! Today I’m pulling out my alcohol markers for a little coloring time and creating the sweetest scene with the Bee’s Knees stamp set from Simon Says Stamp.

There is something so relaxing about sitting down with a handful of markers and bringing stamped images to life. You don’t need complicated coloring techniques to get beautiful results, either. A few shades for blending, some simple highlights and shadows, and suddenly those stamped images have so much personality!

I started by stamping several images from the Bee’s Knees stamp set onto white cardstock using an alcohol marker-friendly ink. Since I knew I would be coloring with my OLO markers, using the right ink is important so the stamped lines stay nice and crisp without smearing as I add color.

For the coloring, I kept things fun and approachable. When I’m working with alcohol markers, I like to think about where I want my shadows to fall and add my darker shades in those areas before blending into the lighter colors. Even just two or three shades can add a surprising amount of depth.

And honestly, sometimes the best part is simply playing with color! These cute images are perfect for experimenting with different combinations without feeling like everything has to be perfectly realistic.

Once all of my coloring was complete, I used the coordinating dies to cut out the images and set them aside while I worked on the background.

For the card front, I started with Honey cardstock and added a subtle pattern using the Medium Dots Stencil.

Using a blending brush, I applied Honey ink through the stencil. Keeping the ink and cardstock in the same color family gives the background some interest and texture without competing with the colorful scene that will sit on top.

To break up the pattern and add a little extra texture, I splattered white splatter paint across the background with a paintbrush. I love this little finishing step because it softens the look of the ink blending and adds just enough detail.

To give my images their own little place to live on the card, I reached for the Chunky Ovals die, which is quickly becoming one of my new favorites.

I die cut the oval from white cardstock and used ink blending to create a simple outdoor setting. I blended Surf ink across the top half for the sky and Limelicious ink along the bottom for the ground.

This is one of my favorite tricks for scene building because it doesn’t require a lot of extra supplies. Two colors of ink and a simple die-cut shape immediately give your stamped images a setting instead of having them float on the card.

Once the ink blending was finished, it was time to bring everything together. I added the little pots of honey directly to the oval with a tape runner and used thin foam squares behind the two critters. Mixing flat and dimensional adhesive helps create some separation between the elements and gives the scene a little more depth without adding too much bulk.

I popped the entire Chunky Oval scene onto the card front with foam tape for one more layer of dimension.

I chose a landscape orientation for this card because it gave me plenty of room to spread out the images and let the scene tell its little story. Sometimes simply turning your card sideways can open up completely different possibilities for arranging your stamped images!

I love techniques like this because there’s no rush. You can sit down, choose a few favorite colors, enjoy the process of coloring, and then build a scene around the finished images.

Alcohol marker coloring doesn’t have to be complicated or intimidating. Start with simple blends, add shadows where they make sense to you, and most importantly, have fun with it. Once those images are die cut and arranged together, all of those little bits of color come together to create such a cheerful card.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope this inspires you to pull out your alcohol markers, do a little coloring, and create a fun scene of your own with the Bee’s Knees stamp set from Simon Says Stamp.

Happy crafting!

SUPPLIES