More watercolor fun!

Hi again!

I'm here to share another fun card I made while finishing up the Online Card Class that dealt with watercoloring. I'll also be submitting this card for the latest Simon Says Stamp! challenge. Our challenge is to do something botanical. Here's my card:

I wish I knew who made this stamp but I won it at a local craft store years ago. I chose to begin by stamping the image using versafine ink and then masking off the flower. I then colored in the background. I didn't want to risk the blue color getting on the flower so masking made it easy to color in. I then colored in the image using a combination of distress markers and inktense watercolor pencils. I LOVED using these two mediums together!

The hardest part about watercoloring is waiting for everything to dry so I confess that I did use a heat gun a couple of times. I also stepped away a few times so that I could get a "fresh" look at the panel once I returned to the room. That helped a lot actually! I came back a few times and realized where I wanted to add a bit more color and shading. The sentiment is from Hampton Arts. I added some twine at the top of the card and the card was done.

Thanks so much for stopping by and hope you try using these two mediums also.
Pat

Textured watercoloring

Hi everyone!

I finally got a chance to play in my craft room and I used a technique taught in the Online Card Class that is finishing tomorrow. The class was all about watercoloring. Some of the techniques were probably a bit out of my league but there was one that caught my eye and I've been dying to try it. I'll also be entering this card for the latest Lawnscaping Challenge that was all about distress mania. Here's my card and the challenge badge.

After making some horizontal and vertical score lines on the watercolor paper, I went ahead and used my distress ink pads to create this watercolor background. I chose the colors I wanted and used my nonstick craft sheet to swipe the pads and water them down a bit before pressing the watercolor paper on top. I started with a light blue color and dried after each color application. That way, the color kept building and I could control it a bit better, too, from just getting too muddied up. After several layers of colors, I added some flicks of paint to the panel also. The butterfly is an old stamp from Inkadinkadoo (I think) and I colored it in with distress ink also. I used it as a watercolor and didn't add as much water to the ink when I wanted the color to be brighter on the butterfly. I cut out the butterfly and realized I wanted some shine on it. I added some liquid pearls to it and now it has a lovely shimmer to it. The sentiment is from Hampton Arts and I really like it because you can see through some of the letters but it's still bold enough to make the statement.

This was a really fun technique and it really didn't take as long as I thought it would. Hope you guys try it out, too!

Thanks for stopping by!
Pat

Flower time for Mother's Day

Hi again!

I have a confession. I hadn't jumped on the Copic marker train because I wasn't sure I'd enjoy coloring. I was WRONG! Although there's not much time to craft, I can carry my markers anywhere and color. In fact, I took 'em to the dentist office the other day while the kids were busy getting their cleanings. I LOVE these markers!

I'm entering this card in several different challenges. The first is a Simon Says Stamp! botanical challenge. The second is the Less is More site. The challenge is to also use flowers but it needs to be a clean and simple design--which tends to be a hard one for me! And then I'm sharing it on the Word Art Wednesday site, too. It's an "anything goes" challenge that I always enjoy! Here's my card:

The stamp is from a company that I think isn't around anymore, Autumn Leaves. But the image was perfect for coloring and shading. I stamped the flower several times and then colored it in and cut out a panel. I felt the white space in between the flowers needed a punch of color so I did outline the flowers. Then I framed the panel in black cardstock and stamped the sentiment (from the dollar bin). It's a vibrant color that makes me think of spring and sunny days. This card was so much fun to color and I love how it turned out!

Thanks for stopping by!
Pat

Merry Christmas...in May!

Hi all!

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Ours was busy but we're grateful the school year is winding down and the days will be a bit more relaxed. I'm popping in quickly to share a card I made for Christmas. Yes, Christmas. I have a couple of clients that have asked for Christmas cards so I've been making some cards off and on for the occasion. I'm also entering this card in the latest Simon Says Stamp! challenge which was to use dies on our cards. And, the lovely Word Art Wednesday has an "anything goes" challenge which is also fun to do. Here's my card:

I received a lovely poinsettia die set (Memory Box, I think) and I love using it! All you need are a few shades of red and green cardstock and then you assemble the card. I love that you can sit and do tons of die cutting and then assemble the poinsettias in little batches til you're ready to put them on the final card. For this card, I kept it very simple. I wanted the flower wreath to be the focus with the sentiment (Stampendous) right underneath.

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by!
Pat

Life is Sweeter card

Hi everyone!

I know, it's been a long time since I've posted. I'm really looking forward to the homeschooling year being done so that I can have more time to play in my craft room. For the past week and a half, I've been taking the Online Card class that's all about watercolors. I'm loving the class--but wishing I had more time to play along. So, tonight I'm sharing the card I made for one of the very first days of class. It's a simple color wash for the background. I'll also enter this card into the Word Art Wednesday site that has an "anything goes" challenge. Last, but not least, V's Sweet Ideas' latest challenge was to use distress ink in some way. So, I'll enter my card there, too. Here's my card:

I LOVE this stamp...I just think it's the sweetest image! (It's from Technique Tuesday). I started out by masking off the sides of the watercolor paper. I then stamped the image in Versafine ink and used 4 different distress inks to do the background. (Squeezed Lemonade, Ripe Persimmons, Spiced Marmalade and Barn Door). This technique is SUPER easy...I LOVE it! The sentiment is from Hero Arts and I think it's paired perfectly with the image.

Anyway, I'm hoping to post more cards soon. Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!
Pat