Watercoloured Poppies

Hello! Here's a card I made with a technique shown in the On-Line Watercolour class I've been taking.  I was lucky enough to have a weekend of stamping with a great friend and we had a wonderful time playing in the stamp room.  I really wanted to try this techinque and my friend had the Sheena Douglass poppy stamp, which was perfect for the technique.  You can find great inspiration and instructional vidoes on Sanketi's blog here.  The top card was my first effort and the bottom card was my second attempt.  I like them both, but I like the composition in the second one better.  I also stamped the leaves in green, which makes for a softer look I think.  For the colour medium, I used a Windsor and Newton student watercolour set.  The sentiments are stamped in yellow pigment ink and embossed with Sahara Pearl (Many thanks - Stampin' Up; Happy Birthday  josephinekimberling for Impress Rubber Stamps).
This was a wonderful techinque to try and I had so much fun making these.  I have a Sheena Douglass sweet pea set that I want to try next.  I just couldn't get off the poppy kick.  I made two other watercolour technique cards, but will post them another day.  I need to dash and get ready for a special evening service at church tonight.  Thanks for stopping by!

Mother's Day card and Watercolour Class Day 1

Here's the card I made for Mother's Day, using the vibrant backgrounds technique from the on-line class I'm taking (see sidebar).  I used Dylusions for the background in the new colours.  The flower stamp and background are from Penny Black and the sentiment is from Stampin' Up. This was a fun technique - masking with masking fluid and adding colour around the image.  I would like to try more of these with different watercolour media.  The masking fluid makes masking smaller areas much easier than trying to use masking film or paper masks.  Good times!

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Watercolour Class Day 4

Hello!  Here's a card I made using the Stamps Specifically for Watercolor technique in the On-line Watercolor class (link in sidebar).  I used a Stampin' Up two-step stamping set and Distress markers for the ink.  I sponged on some coordinating colours at the end and matted it on black.  I found a few coordinating scraps of paper for a quick and easy layout and it feels done.  I am thinking about adding some rock candy distress stickles to the main image, which would give it a bit of texture, but it might overpower the soft shimmer in the lavender piece.  I think I might just leave it as-is!

Thanks for stopping by.

Watercolour Class Day 1 - another project

Here's a sample I did for the Vibrant Watercolor Wash technique in the On-line Watercolor class I'm taking (link on sidebar).  I used Distress markers and the paper is white shimmer.  The stamp is one of Fred B. Mullett's stamps from nature prints, and the sentiment is Stampotique.  The stamps are embossed in black, except on the notecard (Memory Box in squash), which are stamped in Soft Olive (Hero Arts Shadow ink).  I love this technique and will try it again.  It is really quick and easy.  I am enjoying this class so far, and learning new things, which is always fun.

Watercolour Class Day 1 - Second Post

I am re-posting this one so I can load it into the class gallery.  It only lets me link to one picture for each blog post. It might be something I'm doing wrong, but I don't have time (or inclination) to figure it out right now so I am doing this work around.

My second card also features the same technique - painting through a stencil (The Crafter's Workshop Mini Fish Scales). I stamped this lovely heron and grass cluster (both Old Island Stamp Company) and applied some different Distress Inks with a colour duster brush.  (It's fun to play in someone else's stamp room - you get to try all sorts of things!) The cardbase is stamped with a linen background stamp (Stampin' Up) using Dark Peony Colorbox Fluid Chalk ink for a wonderful effect like Kaffe Fassett's shot cottons. It's a gorgeous effect and it did look like the shot cotton fabric (warp and weft threads are different colours). I will be using this technique again (and again and again!).


I didn't have time to try the other two techniques, but they are ones I have done before.  This one was new to me and it was a lot of fun.

Thanks for stopping by!

On-Line Watercolour Class Day 1 - First Post

 Hello!  I signed up for the On-Line Watercolor Class (see button on the right-hand sidebar).  The first class was yesterday and we learned about different watercolour backgrounds.  I was at my mother's house for a stamping visit and thought I would try out a couple of the techniques.

The top card features watercolour paint applied through a stencil (Memory Box Style No. 88515).  Once that was dry, I sponged Vintage Photo Distress ink on it and sponged a bit through the stencil.  Then I overstamped it with a text stamp (sorry I don't remember which one).  The sentiment (Stampin' Up) is is matted on some dark brown and mustard cardstock and accented with some stamped flowers (Stampin' Up). The card base is burgundy with a textured accent strip. I used a student-sized palette of Windsor and Newton's watercolour paints.

The bottom card also features the same technique - painting through a stencil (The Crafter's Workshop Mini Fish Scales). I stamped this lovely heron and grass cluster (both Old Island Stamp Company) and applied some different Distress Inks with a colour duster brush.  (It's fun to play in someone else's stamp room - you get to try all sorts of things!) The cardbase is stamped with a linen background stamp (Stampin' Up) using Dark Peony Colorbox Fluid Chalk ink for a wonderful effect like Kaffe Fassett's shot cottons. It's a gorgeous effect and it did look like the shot cotton fabric (warp and weft threads are different colours). I will be using this technique again (and again and again!).

I didn't have time to try the other two techniques, but they are ones I have done before.  This one was new to me and it was a lot of fun.

Thanks for stopping by!

Thank you card

Hello! Here's a card I made last night.  I made it for a lovely lady at work who has recently been to Japan for a vacation.  When I found out she was going, I told her how much I love the decorative Japanese paper.  She offered to send me some if she came across any during her travels if I paid for the paper and the postage.  Well, this offer could not be turned down and sure enough, one day a box arrived in the mail covered in Japanese writing!  How exciting - there were some lovely treasures in there and somehow knowing it came directly from Japan made it all the more special.  So, this card, made with some of that very paper, will be her thank you card on her return to the office today.

I started with this lovely stamped image (The Stamp Barn), stamped on watercolor marl using a blue Versafine ink (plus a bit of Memento for the red).  I added some shading with pencil crayons as it was a bit too stark otherwise.  The card base is tsumugi card stock (from a package of notecards in assorted colours - all lined with pretty mulberry tissue and complete with envelopes - I got them at Wallacks and The Papery).  The dark blue accent paper was also in the package of patterned paper (each piece of patterned paper had a coordinating solid - now if only quilting fabric assortments came that way too!).  I edged the green paper with Blue Iris Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink and added some Red Pepper Adirondack liquid pearls for accent.  I see Sauron the scanner has highlight the downward slope of the accent strip for me so I have gently pried it off on that side and fixed it. I think the package she sent me is handmade patterned yuzen paper in origami squares.  I don't know how to do origami, so I hope I am not committing some outrageous faux pas in cutting it up for other purposes.  Somehow I think not- this is still a respectful and appreciative use of something beautifully made in an ancient art form.

If you can't find pretty Japanese paper at your local art store or your local specialty paper shop, you can find it through The Japanese Paper Place. This link will take you to re-sellers by country and on-line.

Thanks for stopping by !