A Quick Card

Hello, hello!  It's been a while since I have made or posted a non-watercolor card so I decided to knock one out really quickly tonight.  Making cards seems to be my therapy lately.  When I'm stressed out or have had a long day, putting a card together always seems to make me smile.  Isn't that what it's all about?  Plus, when a card is this quick and easy to throw together, it doesn't take a lot of thinking.  Which is good because right now my brain is mush.  :)

I wanted this card to be simple and fun.  I used my favorite colors (pink and teal) and my favorite embellishments (wood veneer and enamel dots).  Super simple. 

I'm submitting this card for this week's Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.  The theme is Anything Goes!

Thanks for stopping by today!  I'll be back soon with more watercolor fun.  Yay! 

Until then...

More Watercolor Cards!

Today is the last official day of the Watercolor for Card Makers class.  Sad face.  But I have genuinely loved EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. of this class.  I've mentioned before that I am not an artist, but I am really good at faking it.  And watercoloring makes anything pretty, so that helps.  :)  I wanted to show you a few cards I made using techniques from three different days.

First up, here is a card using the heat embossing/watercolor wash technique I learned on day one.  (I also showed an example of this here.) 

First I drew lines on the page just above and just below where I actually watercolored.  I wanted to make sure I had somewhat straight lines when I was done with this wide border.  Then I stamped my sentiment with Versamark and embossing powder.  Next I used a clean, wet brush to do a water wash where I wanted there to be color.  I then took my brush and dabbed on color and let the water do it's job, spreading the color everywhere I had put water.  I used three varying colors of pink to get what you see.  While I was coloring the wide border, I also did the same thing on a scrap piece of watercolor paper, because I knew I wanted to die cut some hearts to put on the card.  Once the paint was dry, I used my iron to get rid of the embossing powder (put a sheet of paper above and below the watercolor paper).  The embossing powder did not want to come off cleanly, but that just adds to the messy watercolor effect.

It's hard to tell, but I used my clear Wink of Stella glitter pen on the hearts. 

For my next card, I used a technique I learned on day 5:  watercoloring stamped images.

First I stamped my images using my Stampin' Up! ink pads.  Once everything was the way I wanted it, I went back in with the same colored inks and added the watercolor effects.  I added purple inside the flowers to fill them in more, I used the green ink to add shadows on the leaves and I used the blue to give the jar some dimension.  I think it turned out so pretty!  I am submitting this card for this week's Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge theme:  anything goes.  

This next card uses more cards that I made from day 4 of class.  (See another example from this day here.)

I die cut a mustache with watercolor paper and watercolored it with the same Glimmer Mist color I used on the base cards.  Then I stamped the sentiment using similar colors from the card's color scheme.  My 7 year old laughed when she saw this card, so I'd call that a success!  :)  I am submitting this card for this weeks SimonSaysStamp.com Wednesday Challenge, which is Die Crazy!

Thanks for stopping by today!  I'm sure I will have much more to share as I play around some more using techniques I've learned from this amazing class.  Until then...
 

Watercolor for Card Makers Day 8

Yep, that says day 8.  I am kind of skipping around as I haven't really been going in order when I play with the techniques I am learning.  For example, this post is going to contain a card I made last night using a technique from day 1 as well as something I learned from day 8.

Anyway, first up is a card I made using ink pads, stamp blocks and watercolor paper.  Here's the card:

First I stamped some ink onto about the top inch/inch and a half of the stamp block.  Then I spritzed the block with water.  I pushed the ink block onto the watercolor paper and then slowly removed it.  The water tends to want to come up with the block and pools in the area that last touched the paper, so I moved the paper around to get the ink to spread more evenly.  Once this dried, I did another layer because the first layer was too light.  I did this two more times with different colors to get the same effect.  I love the randomness of the colors.  Light in some places and darker in others.  I used a 'Lil Inker stamp/die set that was part of the prize from being one of the winners of Stamping Royalty to finish off the card.  This is such a great masculine card and I can't wait to give it to my dad!  I am also submitting this card to SimonSaysStamp.com's Wednesday Challenge this week.  The theme is die crazy!

These next two cards were made using a technique Laura Bassen showed in class.  She used a die cut out as a mask to create a watercolored image.  I used a flower that I cut with my Silhouette in the same manner. 

For this first card, I used the stencil as a guide while I filled in the holes with paint.  I think this card turned out so pretty.  The watercolors turned out so soft. 

The second card used the same stencil but I used my watercolor pencils for this one.  I traced the shapes with the pencils, removed the stencil, then went over the pencil lines with a water pen to blend the colors together.  The color and shading isn't as subtle on this card, but it still turned out amazing!

That is all for today!  Thanks for stopping by!  I'll have more cards to share tomorrow.  Until then...

Watercolor for Card Makers Day 4

I'm back with more cards that I've made using the amazing techniques I am learning at Online Card Class' Watercolor for Card Makers.  Before I show you what I made using one of day 4's techniques, I wanted to show you a card I made last night using another technique I learned from day 2.

This card uses masking but in a way I never would have thought of.  First the image was stamped on the card.  Then I covered the image with a thick layer of rubber cement.  Yes, rubber cement!  Once that dried, I did a watercolor wash over most of the watercolor paper.  Once that was dry, I rubbed off the rubber cement and I was left with a (mostly) clear image surrounded by bright color.  I say mostly because the image didn't stamp that clearly in the first place, but I digress.

Here is a close up of the image, which shows the clean lines around the flowers better:

After making this card, I decided I don't have nearly enough images that can be used this way.  :) 

That brings me to days 3 and 4 of the class.  This card uses misters such as Mr. Huey's and Glimmer Mist.  I unscrewed the mister, used the tube to put some of the color onto a clear stamp block, then I used a wet paint brush to spread the color out and blend it a bit.  Then I took the background image and placed it on the stamp block and then stamped the image onto watercolor paper.  I love how this turned out! 

As I learned in the class, you don't have to waste the color that is left on the block!  I placed a sheet of watercolor paper on the block itself and used it to absorb what was left on the block.  It gives the same effect as stamping the image itself, only it's much more bold and vibrant.  I love it!

I hope you are enjoying seeing what I've been learning from this class!  I'll be back soon with more!  Until then...

Online Card Class: Watercolor for Card Makers

Right now I am taking Online Card Class' Watercolor for Card Makers class.  And I. Am. In. Love.  Why, oh WHY couldn't real school have been this fun and rewarding?!  I am totally and completely digging every single thing about this class.  Contrary to what you might see on this blog, I am not an artist.  I couldn't draw my way out of a paper bag.  But I always wanted to be an artist.  This class makes me feel like I am one.  Sigh.  I am happy.  :)

Here is a card I made using a technique from the first day of class.  It is a stencil masking technique.    

It didn't turn out as awesome as Jennifer Raza's card, but I still love the effect. Here is a close up of the detail. 

So cool!  This second card uses an emboss resist technique.  It's supposed to use a background stamp, but I figured I would give it a try on one of my Mother's Day cards, using some doily stamps I have.  They were stamped with Versamark and then set with clear embossing powder.  Then I did a watercolor wash over it all.  Once it was dry, I used some paper and my iron to get the embossing off of the card, to make it more flat.  I think it turned out really pretty.

That is all for today!  I will be back tomorrow with more cards that I've created from this wonderful class!  Until then...

Watercolor Love

I am in love with watercolor on cards.  That is one of the reasons I'm taking the Online Card Class called Watercolor for Card Makers, which started yesterday.  :)  I can't wait to learn more techniques about watercoloring. 

I made a couple cards over the weekend that I wanted to share today. 

I made the watercolor rainbow by blending pink, yellow and blue together in a strip.  I actually did this twice, once here and once on a scrap piece of watercolor paper, because I wanted to die cut hears out of similar-patterned paper.  Once I adhered the hearts, I cover them with my clear Wink of Stella pen to add some subtle shimmer.  I love how it turned out.

Speaking of loving how a card turned out...this is one of my favorites to date.  I made the watercolor strip before anything else was decided about the card.  Once I went through my stamps, I just knew that this cactus stamp from Sweet Stamp Shop would be the perfect accent for the card.  I'm just in love with this card! 

That's all for today!  Hopefully I will have more to share soon!  Until then...

National Scrapbooking Day 2014

As you may or may not know, this past Saturday, May 3rd, was National Scrapbooking Day.  Now since I haven't really scrapped since January, I pretty much had to force myself to sit down and make a layout.  Since scrapbooking has never come easy for me, I had to find a sketch to work off of first.

Here is the sketch I used:

 

And this is what I made:

I think it turned out pretty cute for the most part.  It seems a little plain to me.  But for this being the second layout I have made in 7 months, I'll take it! 

That is all for now!  Until next time...

Paper Smooches Anything Goes

I don't know what the weather is like where you are, but where I am it is GORGEOUS!  This will be a quick post because my girlies are dancing around me waiting for me to let them go play outside.  :)

Today I wanted to share a card I made for Paper Smooches' Anything Goes challenge.  Here is my card:

 
I made this card for my friend's mom, who was like a 2nd mom to me in high school.  (Almost literally...I lived with my friend and her family during my senior year of high school because my parents and brother moved out of state the summer before.)  She has been in the hospital with a horrible upper respiratory bug and I wanted to make something to cheer her up.  I love how it turned out and I hope it brightens her day when she receives it.

That's all for today.  I'll be back tomorrow with some goodies I created yesterday for National Scrapbooking Day.  Until next time...

Ribbon Carousel Challenge #91

 Hello everyone!  I am so excited to be designing for the Ribbon Carousel Challenge again!  For those of you who had not heard, the challenge went on a bit of a hiatus for a couple months, but now we're back and ready to play! 

This month's theme is Party Time!  This can be ANYTHING celebratory.  Graduation, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Pedicure Friday...you get the idea.  :)  Here is the card I created this month:

Ok, I know I said this in a recent post, but shaker cards just might be my new favorite thing!  They are so fun to make and just make me so happy to play with.  I can only imagine how fun they would be to receive, too!

These Allison Kreft Recorded papers were just perfect for this card and I love all of the fun colors of sequins that I used in the shaker card.  Sure, some of them are stuck at the top and side, but I think that just adds to the fun of the card.

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you'll play along and I can't wait to see what you all create!  Until next time...