Pretty Pansies Notecard Set

Sharing a set of cards created using my Pretty Pink Posh Stamptember 2018 Pansies stamp and die set.  The pansies were stamped onto Bristol cardstock and then colored with my Inktense watercolor pencils which I did use water to blend out. 

I paired these beautiful pansies with a ink blended, stenciled background stitched rectangle and a WPlus9 Hand Lettered Hello stamp and die cut sentiment. 

I love how the different color combinations were able to create very different look and feel to the cards.  The stencil changes also helped to create a different look.

Yellow is decidedly not my color, but I am loving these yellow pansies.

One last card featuring all the leftover bits.  Definitely a fun set of cards to make.  Hooray for using old stamp sets (nearly 10 months without seeing the ink?!?) and making something pretty.

Zara On Display

I get the distinct pleasure of sharing this beauty with you today.  Brandy stamped the Prima Princess stamp Zara using Inktense pencils to color her hair and Prima Hair and Skin Watercolor Pencils to color her skin and lips.  The flowers are Inktense pencils and some purchased flowers.  Can you see the iridescent butterflies?  The clear drops and the butterflies are from Studio Katia.  The background was done with Blueprint Sketch Distress ink.  A wonderful work of art which I am glad to share with you today.  Enjoy!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge Simon Says Anything Goes
Word Art Wednesday's Challenge 288/289; Anything Goes

Away In A Manger - A Watercolor Card Set

As mentioned last week, I'd used my Art Impressions Nativity stamp and die set to create a set of tri-fold cards.  Here's the finished labor.  I, once again, used my Intense Watercolor Pencils to color the image,  In this case, I usually wet my watercolor brush and dabbed it onto the pencils to pick up color.  Then, I colored the image as if the brush was full of watercolor paint.  This technique creates a soft image with little chance of blooms - a sure fire technique to look good at watercoloring.  I really followed the example provided in the product packaging to color the image.

I simply love the inside of the card - It's such a sweet sentiment and image.  Couldn't get over how adorable this stamp set is.

I stopped myself after creating a set of six images - making the total 7 cards made since my sample card was also made.  The original sample opened to the left and these duplicates, I made to open to the right - which is more standard for cards.  I can see more coloring in the future, but I'd better get moving on a few other projects before finishing up any other Christmas cards.  Quite a lot of crafting planned for the next two weeks so I'm a busy little crafter.

Hope your week is going well and that you've completed all your to-dos this week.

A Variation

I was so in love with all my WPlus9 Drummer Boy die cuts, I decided to see how it might look on a slightly different background.  In this case, the die cut images were colored the same - using my Inktense watercolor pencils and then blending with water and a brush.  I kept the background wash very light and faint blue using my Mission Gold watercolors, gold embossing the sentiment and star before die cutting the background using my WPlus9 Sunshine Layers die.  I kept the rest of the design the same layering the scene onto some ruby red cardstock.  The baby Jesus is raised a bit with some foam squares to keep him the focal image.

All of these were also a birthday gift for my mom.  I'm thinking she's feeling pressured now to send out a bunch of Christmas cards!  Oh well, she knows the creative freak that I am and that I won't mind if some are saved for next year.  Christmas is coming.  Are you ready?

More Drummer Boy Christmas Cards

So, my mom enjoyed my cards made last year using the WPlus9 Drummer Boy stamp and die set.  Given my playing around that I mentioned in a post late last week, I decided to mix it up a bit and make this set of cards in a landscape orientation.  I am really pleased with how these turned out, liking them a bit more than the portrait version I posted earlier.

I kept the design simple again - not wanting to take away from the lovely scene created on the front of the cards.

Just like the earlier sample, the die cut images are colored with my Inktense watercolor pencils and then blended using water and a brush.  I die cut the images after coloring using the matching dies.  The background wash was created on watercolor paper using my Mission Gold watercolors.  The sentiment and star are gold embossed onto the paper and then the entire background is die cut using my WPlus9 Sunshine Layers die.  To finish the front off, I layered the image onto some ruby red cardstock as a nice frame.  The baby Jesus is raised a bit with some foam squares to keep him the focal image.

I gave these to her as a birthday present.  I'm hoping she puts them to good use and sends them out with well wishes at Christmastime.  What gifts have you been working on?

Christmas Cards with WPlus9

I had mentioned that I had a surprise gift for my mom's birthday and this is the start of that.  I purchased the WPlus9 Drummer Boy stamps and matching dies last year.  I did a few cards that really captured my interest last year and I've been contemplating designs every since.  My mom spoke about how cute they were so I decided to play around with the set as a gift.  The die cut images are colored with my Inktense watercolor pencils and then blended using water and a brush.  I die cut the images after coloring.  The background wash was created onto watercolor paper using my Mission Gold watercolors.  The sentiment and star are gold embossed onto the paper and then die cut using my WPlus9 Sunshine Layers die.  To finish the front off, I layered the image onto some ruby red cardstock as a nice frame.  The baby Jesus is raised a bit with some foam squares to keep him the focal image.

On the inside, a simple sentiment in cranberry red ink.  I thought I could improve a bit on the design so I've made some changes and ultimately a set of cards as the gift.  There are a few photos to edit, so I'll be back when I get them uploaded to share the final product.

Poppies Colored with Inktense Pencils

Popping in this morning to share this simple card with you.  I borrowed Brandy's stamp using some Archival black ink on Bristol paper.  I used my Inktense Watercolor Pencils to color the image.  I kept the design simple by only adding a bit of purple twine as an accent.  I really like the final notecard so I'll put it in the stash and use it to send my well wishes to a dear friend.

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge Summer Garden

Word Art Wednesday's Challenge 234/235 Anything Goes

Come join the fun!

Gorjuss Girl - Ladybird

Brandy's image imspired me to find and share this photo of a card made a while ago.  I used my Gorjuss Ladybird stamp with Archival black ink onto Bristol paper.  I colored the image with my Inktense pencils and then die cut with a Spellbinders die.  The background paper is from the stash and made a perfect setting for this lovely girl.  The flowers were cut with my IO Spiral Flowers die and the butterfly cut from patterned paper using my Prickly Pear Mini Butterflies die.  Some floral sprig die cuts and a sentiment frame from the coordinating paper and this birthday card is done.  I am so pleased with how this turned out and I think the lovely lady who received this card felt special.

I hope March finds you happy and healthy.  I fly to Denver tomorrow to visit with my grandparents.  They will celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary Sunday and we'll all be there to mark and remember.  This is a monumentous occassion and I can't wait to see them!

Wanna Getaway?

Throughout the fall and winter I had a couple of opportunities to travel for work.  What is a crafty girl to do?  I simply packed my 12 pc. Intense pencils, a watercolor brush and some pre-stamped images and had a crafty time in the hotel room after work was done.  I'm finally getting around to making cards from these image.  This card is the first.

This image was stamped in Archival black ink onto watercolor paper using my Gorjuss Getaway stamp set.  I will say that some of the coloring imperfections are a result of the poor lighting in most hotel rooms.  Still, pairing this image with some Making Memories (old!) paper flowers with pearl centers and patterned paper from the stash really works to let our 'lil Miss take center stage of this card.  There are improvements I'd make looking back, but she's wonderful just as she is too.

A Watercolor Background in the Christmas Card

I thought I'd lead off today with a description of one of the Christmas card sets I made for a ladies night.  The Bible study group I used to join every Thursday night still meets.  I found that my schedule simply doesn't permit me to participate any more, but I still love the ladies in the group.  I was asked to coordinate a card making night which we held last night.  I recently acquired Die'sire's We Three Kings silhouette die and was inspired by one of their inspiration cards.

II figured that the card was perfect to make up some for the ladies that they would then have to simply glue together and stamp a sentiment.  I used my Intense Pencils to do the coloring - rapidly laying down the color in layers.  I ended up getting the 72 piece set, but could have easily completed this card with the 12 piece I originally purchased.

After coloring lightly onto watercolor paper, I used a watercolor brush to start in the center with the lighter version and move outward toward the edges.  The sand color to the orange brown and finally dark brown for the bottom of the scene.  I did the yellow of the star all by itself, but then moved from light blue to dark blue after drying the yellow with a heat tool.  In the end, I prepped 20 of these in a night, including die cutting the white cardstock with the die.

Last night was fantastic.  Here's an example of the finished card.

In addition, I prepped the following cards for the ladies to make as well.  These designs you've seen from me in years past.  They worked really well in the large group.

I am hoping that your Christmas crafting is coming along nicely.  Wishing you a joyful Advent.  I'm entering the three kings card I to the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge Simon Says Die Crazy
Word Art Wednesday's Challenge #214 Anything Goes

Come join the fun.  It's Christmastime!

A Fall Scene

Oops, quick before I loose my fall season all together I thought I'd share this handmade watercolor scene with you.  I just want to first say that I wouldn't have dreamed 3 years ago that I'd be attempting let alone making this kind of card.  I didn't consider myself that talented.  Granted, the tools have improved a bit and I've purchased a few of them, but the other thing I'd say is that my own vision of me shut down a possibility that was always there.  I'm going to encourage you to put off those crafty limitations you've set for yourself and give a new and challenging technique a try.  I did and look how it turned out.

This card front was made with a combination of watercolor media.  I started the image by stamping with my Darkroom Door Trees stamp using Tea Dye Distress Ink.  The burst of color in the tree leaves was made by sprinkling Brusho Scarlet, Yellow and Orange watercolor crystals on the watercolor paper.  I covered the tree limbs a bit with a paper towel and spritzed the Brushos with a spray bottle to burst their color.  It was at this point I believed this image could become a card front.  I used my Inktense Pencils to create the extension from the tree base and shape the hills.  A little water on the waterbrush blended this shape and made that ink permanent.  Then I sprinkled Leaf Green and Dark Brown Brusho watercolor crystals, covering the rest of the image with a paper towel and spritzed the Brushos to burst the brown and green color at the bottom.  I used a bit of Prima Oil Pastels to fill in the color on the grass and the blue of the sky, dropping small water droplets full of color int he spaces between the Brushos which were now dry.

For the inside of the card I used the technique used in this video to stamp Happy Birthday in green, red, orange and yellow Prima Oil Pastels.  I then flicked color off the end of the crayon with a water brush to create these tiny burst of color on the inside of the card.  I'm super pleased with how this card turned out.  I might give it a try again.

I am linking to Jennifer McGuire's Sharing Handmade Kindness challenge.

An Inflated Birthday Card

I worked up this card recently to give to my dad on his birthday.  The man card can be so tough, but my Avery Elle Balloons Clear stamp and die set was just what I needed.  I used some Simon Says Stamp hybrid inks to ink up the balloons and the card.  These stamps can be a bit tricky to stamp so I just made and die cut a bunch of them.  Now I have some for another card if I need them later.

On the inside I used my Penny Black Sweet Wishes stamp set and colored with Inktense watercolor pencils.

A simple, but effective card. I've been hoping around the internet enjoying World Cardmaking Day and will be linking up with the following:

Simon Says Stamp's World Cardmaking Day post

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenege: Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday's Challenge #203: Anything Goes

Today's the day - get crafty and join World Cardmaking Day.  We're all having fun.