It’s always fun to celebrate birthdays and what better way to celebrate a birthday is with cupcakes! This journal entry highlights not one but two birthdays we participated in last year.

First up, my niece Samantha turned lucky thirteen last November and celebrated her special day in a unique way. Instead of asking for gifts and other delights, my niece requested that all of her friends and family give her bags of can goods and dry food to be donated to a local shelter. My niece is such and kind and considerate person and her good nature shone brightly on her birthday. My niece was even featured in a local newspaper showcasing her thoughtfulness with a picture of her and a carload of food. Now tell me, how many thirteen year olds do you know who put others before themselves?

Next up we celebrated my mother-in-laws birthday the very next day. My mother-in-law is also a very kind and generous person who is always thinking of others in very thoughtful ways. There must be something special about November birthdays that bring out the best in people born in the month of November. Both of these ladies exemplify the Thanksgiving spirit and I am super grateful to have two wonderful people like them in my life that leave legacies that inspire all those whose lives they touch.

Materials used: Sakura Gelly Roll Pens, Derwent Inktense Blocks, Sakura Pigma Micron Pen, Brayer, Grey Foam Sheet, Embossing Stylus.

The process: This particular journal entry uses a simple foam transfer printing process using Derwent’s Inktense blocks. To create the printed backdrop, I started with cutting out a grey foam sheet similar in size to my journal page.

Next, I used embossing stylus to sketch out the cupcake design and words (keep in mind words need to be drawn in reverse if you try this process yourself). Then I used a water spritzer to spray the foam sheet. Next I carefully applied Inktense color in different areas, coloring the foam sheet directly using the block as a paintbrush (tip – if you are try this be sure to fully saturate the foam sheet with Inktense color.)

Onto the tricky part – flipping the grey sheet with your design and Inktense colors onto the journal page! As you can see the embossed lines create a negative white space allowing the design to come through. Timing is everything with this process. You cannot over saturate the paper with water, so you have spritz the water sparingly. With that said, you have to work quickly with your Inktense blocks before your sheet dries. The results are always a surprise and never absolute.

As a final step, I took my Micron and Gelly roll pens and added some accents with text. Overall the process is fun and full of surprises.