{Video Tutorial} Watercolor Tulips in a Spring-y Shaped Card

Hello, Studio Visitors!  While spring has sprung, the April showers have returned to my neck of the woods.  We've got tulips and hyacinth blooming (and the raindrops on them are so pretty!).  The trees are finishing their bloom and leaves are starting to emerge.

This card was inspired by nature and the fine folks at the Colour Me Card Challenge, who put forth the challenge of using Daffodil Delight and Bermuda Bay.  I enjoyed making a shaped card, using my Labels Collection Framelits.  What a simple way to make fun, shaped cards! Click below to watch a tutorial outlining this simple process:

The Square Lattice TIEF added Easter basket-like texture to the Daffodil Delight piece and is mirrored by the Burlap Ribbon (also fed through my Big Shot with the Labels Collection Framelit).  

This beautiful image comes from a single stamp in the Occasions Catalog called Blessed Easter.  It includes the sentiment, "Wishes for a Blessed Easter," but I want to use this card all spring long, so I omitted the sentiment in my inking.  

I watercolored my blooms using the Aqua Painter and my Daffodil Delight and Bermuda Bay Classic Inks.  Since I was limited to those two colors, I had to lay down Daffodil Delight first in the stem and go over it with the Bermuda Bay to achieve something close to green.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps:  Blessed Easter (OC, W133212)

Papers:  Bermuda Bay (131197), Daffodil Delight (119683) and Whisper White (100730) card stocks

Inks:  Jet Black StazOn (101406) and Daffodil Delight (126944) and Bermuda Bay (131171) Classic Ink Pads

Artist's Flair:  Big Shot (113439), Labels Collection Framelits (125598), Magnetic Platform (130658), Square Lattice TIEF (119976), Daffodil Delight Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon (126872), Burlap Ribbon (OC, 132140), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

{Stamp Set Spotlight} Big on Christmas

Merry Christmas! I hope this finds you well! We'll be busy baking at my house today, which is one of my favorite ways to celebrate the season... Thought I'd share two of my favorite quick and easy cards using Big on Christmas... Enjoy!

In both designs, I used my Blender Pen to pick up a bit of color to fill in the image with a bit of watercolor. In the Noel card, I used my Real Red Stampin' Write Marker to fill in the letters...
The scalloped edge is easily achieved using my Scallop Edge Border Punch... I used the scoring blade on my paper trimmer to make the scores on the Noel card and textured Real Red card stock gives it an added flair.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Big on Christmas

Papers: Woodland Walk Designer Series Paper, Garden Green, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Bashful Blue and Whisper White smooth card stocks, Real Red textured card stock

Inks: Staz-On Jet Black, Real Red, Bashful Blue, Garden Green, and Early Espresso Classics and Real Red Stampin' Write Marker

Accessories: Scallop Edge Border Punch, Scoring Blade, Paper Trimmer, Whisper White narrow grosgrain ribbon, paper snips

I wish you the very best this Christmas and for many blessings in 2011. Thank you for your visit today!

{Stamp Set Spotlight} Home for Christmas: Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of the Home for Christmas {Stamp Set Spotlight}! If you missed Day 1, click here.

Here's another example of how I didn't watercolor the ENTIRE image. I just highlighted a few parts...I love this simple treatment with the sentiment. Layering punches is such a quick way to add contrast between colors, texture and dimension. For this treatment, I used the Designer Label and Modern Label Punches.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Home for Christmas

Paper: Old Olive, Real Red, Early Espresso and Whisper White card stocks

Inks: Jet Black Staz-On, Real Red, Early Espresso and Old Olive Classics

Accessories: Blender Pen, Early Espresso wide grosgrain, Designer Label and Modern Label Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals,

Thanks for your visit! As I said in Day 1, I hope you find yourself "Home for Christmas", whatever that means to you, this season...

{Stamp Set Spotlight} Home for Christmas: Day 1

This is one of my favorite sets, namely for this image. I love the intricacy of the design; it can be completely watercolored or you can do what I did, and highlight just a few elements of the illustration.



I inked this image in Jet Black Staz-On ink because it is permanent ink and won't bleed when I apply color with the Blender Pen, Stampin' Write Marker or Aquapainter. I can be a little heavy-handed with those sometimes! I opt for Staz-On over embossing for this particular image because the finer elements of this image can get lost in embossing (the wispiness of the garland, for example).



Stampin' Up! Supplies:



Stamps: Home for Christmas, Teeny Tiny Wishes



Paper: Old Olive, Real Red, Basic Black and Whisper White card stock

Ink: Jet Black Staz-On, Basic Black and Old Olive Classics

Accessories: Real Red Stampin' Write Marker, Decorative Label, Modern Label, 1/2-inch Circle and Word Window Punches, Real Red and Basic Black Wide Grosgrain ribbons, Mini Glue Dots


Thanks for your visit! I hope this season, you find yourself "Home for Christmas," no matter where you are...

Because of You and a new punch idea...

The theme from "Welcome Back, Cotter" is playing in my head right now... Thank you for being so patient as we travelled about this summer, went camping, and then got back into the swing of school. While I was able to carve out a wee bit of time for stamping projects, posting about them has fallen by the wayside... Happy to say, as Jack would (but in a much less scary context), "I'm baaaack!" (Interesting side note: Stephen King wrote The Shining about a hotel in my hometown. While the Jack Nicholson/Shelley Duvall movie wasn't filmed there, a TV version was, as was "Dumb and Dumber".)

Anyhoo, on with the show...

This card was created for a 365 Cards challenge for which we were to use our favorite tool for adding color and our favorite technique for adding dimension. One of my favorite tools (as I have a couple) is my Blender Pen. I love to use them for watercoloring, as I did here. They're super easy to use, a tremendous value (not only do you get three for $9.95, but they last for a VERY long time) and they're quite versatile... Perhaps I'll write a future post as "An Ode to the Blender Pen"...

I simply squeezed my ink pad (Classic) with the lid closed to get some ink on the inside of the lid and then picked up that ink with my Blender Pen. To be sure my stamped image didn't run, I inked it in Jet Black StazOn first. I usually don't have trouble, but I wanted to be safe.

The technique I love that adds dimension and texture to every project is one I've used a lot here... It's what I call "Sueded Card Stock." I crumple a dry piece of card stock until the fibers are good and broken down and then I peel apart the two layers. I can then use the soft, "sueded" side of the card stock, or the outside of the card stock, which just shows the wrinkles. I chose the outside this time. I love the effect! Not only is it a "free" way to use what you've already got, but you get twice the mileage out of a piece of card stock. Your pieces can also be punched post-crumple, too! I have a card for which I did that and I'll post that soon...

Finally, I wanted to describe the embellishment in the upper left corner. I simply used the Modern Label Extra-Large Punch on a scrap of Perfect Plum, gently folded it around the corner of my bigger piece (be careful -- that Always Artichoke was pretty malleable), fed a piece of Linen Thread through two small holes (1/16-inch punch) and tied a bow. Voila! So easy and so cute! Love those versatile punches! I'll definitely be using that technique as I scrap -- talk about fun photo corners!

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Because I Care (A Hostess Freebie with any $150 merchandise order)

Papers: Sahara Sand, Perfect Plum, Always Artichoke and Whisper White card stocks

Inks: Pretty in Pink, Perfect Plum and Always Artichoke Classic Inks, Jet Black StazOn

Accessories: Modern Label Extra-Large punch, Blender Pen, 1/16-inch handheld punch, Linen Thread

It's so good to be back! Hope you've enjoyed today's project!