Pink Calla Lilies

Hi everyone.  Having fun playing with the CAS Watercolour April Challenge - Green & Pink.  Love this colour combination.

For the card above, I used a beautiful stamp gifted to me by my friend Deepti (designer of the stamp - Dee's Artsy Impressions).  I heat embossed the image in Liquid Platinum and then watercoloured using my Zigs.  I stamped the sentiment in soft green to match.

I thought this would be perfect as a square card, so I cut down the image panel. Happy with how it turned out.

If you get a chance, come check out the gallery.  So many gorgeous Green & Pink cards.  I know you'll be inspired. :)

Stamps:  Smile (dee's artsy impressions); Friendship Garden (Fiskars)
Paper:  Mixed media (Strathmore 140 lb.)
Ink:  Versamark; Distress Inks:  Picked Raspberry, Mowed Lawn, Twisted Citron (Tim Holtz)
Accessories & Tools:  Liquid Platinum embossing powder (Ranger), paint brushes

Challenges:
CAS Watercolour April Challenge - Green and Pink

Watercolour Wash

Hi everyone.  A few weeks ago I got together with some crafty friends and we tried all kinds of watercolour techniques and mediums.  This is one of the projects we did that day, and I finally got it made into a card.  :)

We did watercolour wash with Peerless Watercolors.  I don't know if you're familiar, but they come in several forms, including a small booklet.  They have small sheets (approx 6 1/2" x 2 1/2") of each of fourteen colours.  They are dry, but as soon as you touch them with a wet brush, you brush will be filled with gorgeous watercolour pigments.  They would be great for doing crafts when you are traveling, as you only have to bring along your brushes and the booklet.

Here's what they look like ...

I used two colours (Sky Blue and Dark Blue) for the background wash.  First, I heat embossed the image of two trees and falling snow in white.  Then taped my watercolour paper down to a clip board using painter's tape.  This keeps it from warping.  Used a sponge brush to add lots of water to the paper ... you should be able to see a sheen of wet.  Picked up the first colour with a wet brush and made large gestural strokes.  The second colour was added with a wet brush filling in some of the areas without colour along with overlapping a small amount of the first colour.  Then I tipped my clipboard, letting the colour and water run.  This created the design above.  Also sprinkled kosher salt over top and let it dry completely before brushing away the residue.  The salt pushes the colour away and created small starbursts.  Very cool!

To finish the card, I tore two pieces of white card stock for snow drifts, splattered diluted white acrylic paint over everything and let it dry before stamping my sentiment.

I used snippets for my torn snowdrifts, so I'm heading over for some fun at the Snippets Playground.  Also entering this into the AAA #66 - Watercolour challenge.  I think this is my fourth entry --- can you tell I love to play with watercolours?! :)

Thanks for coming by for a visit!

Edited to Add:  I should have included a link to this wonderful wash tutorial by Gina Kim.  I followed her steps exactly and ended up with the card above.  Thanks to Gina for sharing her expertise on YouTube.

Stamps:  Snowdust (Penny Black); Sentiment - Christmas Bell Medley (dee's artsy impressions)
Paper:  White card base (Neenah 110 lb.); Watercolour card front (Arches 140 lb. cold press)
Ink:  Versamark; Sky Blue, Dark Blue (Peerless Watercolors)
Accessories & Tools:  White embossing powder, heat tool, brushes, salt

Challenges:
Snippet Playground - Week 233
AAA Cards #66 - Watercolour

More Brushos and Aspen Trees

Hi everyone.  Last week I posted these cards using the same stencil, layout and design, but using just Black Brushos for the background.  These are so many pigments within each colour.  Today is just Light Brown Brushos.  So happy with how they turned out.

Here's my second one ...

Just wanted to share. :)

Since I used snippets for my die-cut deers, and snippets for the torn snowdrifts, I'm linking up to Snippet Playground. :)

And I'm linking up to Simon Says Wednesday - Anything Goes.

Edited to add:  Thanks to Linby, I'm linking up to  Mo's May Rudolph Days Challenge.


Hope you're have a great day!

Stamps:  Sentiments from dee's artsy impressions and Amy R
Paper:  White card base and snow drifts (Neenah 110 lb. card stock); Mixed Media (Strathmore 400 Series); Baked Brown Sugar (SU!)
Ink:  Light Brown Brushos; Baked Brown Sugar (SU!)
Accessories & Tools:  Aspen Trees stencil (The Crafter's Workshop), water mister, Deer Trio dies (Impression Obsession)

Challenges:
Snippets Playground - Week 230
Simon Says Wednesday - Anything Goes
May Rudolph Days Challenge

STAMPlorations CAS Challenge Guest Designer

Hi everyone.  Today I'm honoured to be the Guest Desiger for STAMPlorations March CAS Challenge - YAY! :)

Here's is the challenge.

I love how sunny, fresh and spring-like this card is with this bright yellow sprayed background.  I used my watercolour sprays to create it, just adding the one shade of yellow.  Quick and easy and it adds a lot of visual texture. :)

I stamped the bloom and leaves onto mixed media paper, coloured with my Zig Clean Color Real Brushes, moving the colour around and blending with a waterbrush. Again, another easy technique!  I fussy cut the flower and leaves, and then popped them up over my torn vellum sentiment banner.

I hope you'll come check out the STAMPloration's March CAS Challenge and see all the beautiful cards made by the Design Team.  And I hope you'll play along.

And since I used STAMPlorations stamps, I'm linking up to the Never Ending "Anything Goes" challenge at STAMPlorations.

-----

Also, this card is another example of CAS Mix Up.  A CAS design with mixed media products or techniques and fits the March challenge of Watercolouring.  I have stamping, watercolouring (watercolour spray background + watercoloured flower with zigs) and "my choice" is vellum, heat embossing and fussy-cutting.

Edited to add:  Thanks to my wonderful friend Sandie's suggestion, I'm heading over to link up my Spring card at Time Out Challenges.  They are celebrating their two years --- congrats to them!  Their theme this time is Easter and/or Spring with the twist of masking. :)

Thanks for coming by for a visit!

Stamps:  Blooming Buds (dee's artsy impressions); Fond Expressions 2 (STAMPlorations)
Paper:  White card base and front (Neenah); Mixed Media paper (Strathmore); vellum
Ink:  Black (Memento), Zig Clean Color Real Brushes (Lemon Yellow, Orange, Light Green, May Green)
Accessories & Tools:  Yellow watercolour spray made from Liquid Concentrate (Dick Blick), waterbrush, clear embossing powder, heat tool

Challenges:
STAMPlorations March CAS Challenge - Anything Goes - optional twist: Yellow
CAS Mix Up March Challenge - Watercolouring
STAMPlorations Anything Goes
Time Out #51 - Spring

New Beginning

Hi everyone.  Playing with watercolours again this afternoon.  This time I've done a watercolour wash (wet on dry) using Dawn's wonderful instructions from the on-line watercolouring intermediate class that I'm taking. :)

I have a two-fer as Darnell would say.  I did the watercolour wash of a sunrise onto a horizontal piece of watercolour paper and then cut it in half to make two cards. :) Always good to build my stash, or maybe this will go in the donate box.  Either way, I got good use out of one card front. :)

Here's the second ...

I learned something by accident with this card.  I decided to heat emboss the image and sentiments (liquid platinum for the first card, white for the second).  My heat tool is very hot ... it's not a crafting heat tool, it's something I "borrowed" from my hubby's workshop and have kept for the past five years. :)  It's meant to strip paint, so it's pretty hot.  Anyways, the watercolour changed colour when it was heated. The red turned darker and almost purple in spots.  Still happy with the look, but not as bright as before the heating.

I mentioned earlier today that I got my new STAMPlorations order, and in it was this beautiful stamp set by Deepti Malik.  I love the image and her sentiments are so perfectly matched. :)

I was inspired to make this card after seeing this beauty by my very talented friend Maria (reislingmama). After doing my wash, and then looking at my new stamps, I thought of Maria' gorgeous card so this became a CASE. :)  Thanks for the inspiration Maria!!

More watercolouring to do and I'll be back tomorrow with more to share with you. Thanks for taking the time to visit.

Stamps:  New Beginning (dee's artsy impressions)
Paper:  White card base (Neenah); Watercolour paper (Arches 140 lb. cold press)
Ink:  New Gamboge, Alizarin Crimson watercolour paints (Winsor & Newton); Versamark
Accessories & Tools:  1" flat brush, Liquid Platinum embossing powder (Ranger), white embossing powder (Hero Arts), heat tool