Happy Monday!  I got a chance to do some watercoloring this weekend and am enjoying practicing and creating with watercolors.  I signed up for the online watercolor classes through Kristina Werner quite a while ago.  Only $25 and lifetime access to the lessons.  It is a handy tool to have in your arsenal!

Today I am playing along with three challenges – I did not set out to do this – I made my project and then was scoping out some challenges and came across three that happened to work with this card.  So I will be linking up with The Curtain Call (bouquet), The Paper Players (CAS watercolor) and SugarPea Designs (celebrate spring).

I will try to be better in the future to explain some of the techniques that I use when I make my cards.  (Thanks Deb! And thank you for the stamp set!).  I started off with the Stampin’ Up! (SU!) butterfly basics stamp set.  I stamped the image on watercolor paper and then heat embossed with white embossing powder.

I taped the paper to a hard surface and then broke out my distress ink markers.  Whether I use the markers or the ink pads, I color/smoosh them onto a clear block so that I can pick up the color with my paintbrush.

I liberally brushed clean water over the heat embossed image.  (Something important to remember is wherever the water goes, so goes the color!) Then, using a small paintbrush (I pick the size according to the area I need to paint), I wet it and then dab in the ink on the acrylic block.  After that I paint the area and repeat as necessary with either the same color or new colors.  I add clean water to the paper as needed if it gets too dry.  This is not a perfect science, and if you are like me, I like a nice clean image.  But with watercolor I have learned to go with the flow! (pun intended!)  And it’s OK to go outside the lines!  In this case, because I used white embossing powder, I needed to go outside the lines to be able to see the image. 

For the sentiment, I watercolored a large enough space to be able to stamp the sentiment.  I used my heat tool to dry after I was done.  You could let this dry naturally but I wanted to complete my project.  After drying, I stamped the sentiment in memento black ink.  I added a few small pearls and then layered everything.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Tomorrow I post my project for the Retro Rubber Challenge blog.  If you have brads (and really, shouldn’t you?), then create a card and link up HERE to the challenge!

Supplies:  CS:  SU! watercolor paper and tangelo twist.  Papertrey Ink kraft.  Stamps:  SU! butterfly basics and herb expressions.  Other:  Distress inks, memento black, white embossing powder, and pearls.

Happy Monday all!   I wanted to play along with The Friday Mashup this week – it required using rich razzleberry, pacific point and smokey slate for the colors.  The other choice was to use a window element or to mash the colors and window element together.  I opted just to go for the colors. 

When I sat down to make this card, I actually had something else in mind – basically something with the SU! gorgeous grunge stamp set.  But just before I was ready to start, I remembered the confetti cluster stamping technique from the Make It Monday video over at Papertrey Ink.  This is pretty fun to do so click HERE to go to the video if you are interested in giving it a try.  I decided to use the sketch from the most recent MFT sketch challenge to help put this all together.

I started off by drawing a circle to help guide me in my stamping.  Then I used the SU! perpetual birthday calendar stamp set and the MFT fall foliage stamp set for my images.  I stamped the varying images in a triangle pattern within the circle (this will make sense if you watch the video).  I concentrated on using the required Friday Mashup colors but threw a little old olive and daffodil delight in for good measure.  I just stamped the images until I thought I had enough.

Next, using the MFT pierced circles, I cut out the confetti circle and one out of rich razzleberry.  Finally I used the MFT horizontal stitched strips to cut a banner for my sentiment.  I added a few buttons per the sketch and that was it.

I really liked this confetti cluster stamping.  Quick, easy, and unique.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Don’t forget about the Retro Rubber challenge – emboss it!  Click HERE for details!

Supplies:  CS:  PTI white.  SU! smokey slate and rich razzleberry.  Stamps:  MFT fall foliage and cute as a button.  SU! perpetual birthday calendar.  Inks:  SU!  daffodil delight, old olive, smokey slate, rich razzleberry, pacific point and memento black.  Dies:  MFT pierced circles and horizontal stitched strips.  Other:  buttons.