A Few of My Favorite Things

At the top of my favorites list is Crumb Cake or Kraft cardstock.  It just goes with everything.  Another favorite is Gold Encore ink and Champagne Glimmper Paper.  And a new super duper favorite is the banner die that comes in the Balloon Framelit set.  Oh how I love that die.  It looks fabulous where ever goes.

Sketch Looks Like...

When I first saw the sketch for this challenge I could only see the face of a bunny rabbit.  One wearing a bow tie.  I know I am pretty weird but guess what, I saw the same face when I uploaded the graphic into this blog post.  I did have some fun with this sketch coming up with my interpretation of three ties to each side of the card (by the way those look like whiskers to me).  I did some cropping using the Chevron Border punch.  Go check how the team at Hand Stamped Sentiments has interpreted this sweet sketch.

The Big Egg

Welcome one and all to another fun Monday Montage Blog Hop.  Since blossoms are popping everywhere and Easter is two weeks away I am going to show off my take on a card that screams "SPRING!"  This Big Egg card is cheerful and bright and a tad bit out of my typical style, but I like it all the same.

I don't remember which came first, the embossed circles or the egg.  But, I do remember thinking this is an egg and nothing else so, I watercolored it to resemble an Easter egg.  A little Crushed Curry and Coastal Cabana ink picked up with an Aqua Painter and I had instant cuteness and still a definite egg.  I tucked the egg in a bed of grass, then I embellished it with flowers, and finished it off with a greeting and stamped Wooden Element banner.

From Dara

To Julie

Stencil Watercoloring

I mentioned a while back about stencil watercoloring.  It is an addicting technique that finishes with a bang.  When you remove the stencil to reveal what you've painted it's a cool to see how fabulous it turned out.  It makes me feel like a professional painter :0)

To achieve this look start by making a stencil with a piece of Vellum Card Stock.  Then add Two Way Glue Pen to the back side of the cut stencil and let is dry thoroughly.  This drying makes the glue a temporary adhesive.  Lay prepped stencil on paper and lightly secure in place.  Paint inside the cut outs with an Aqua Painter.

& More Watercolor

Here is another look at watercoloring inside the embossing lines!  It's so fun and makes you feel like an artiste!  I have included the Ampersand TIEF, the Hello You Thinlets, and the Little Letters Thinlets along with Daffodil Delight, Smokey Slate, and Bermuda Bay inks.

Wow With Watercolor

I love this simple wow with a quick swish of watercoloring.  Just squeeze the lid of an ink pad, grab a little color with a wet Aqua Painter and swirl the paint on the embossed circles.  No need to worry about making it perfect or solid with color.  Just be free and let the water do the work.  For the scalloped flower I inked up the image and then painted water on the stamp to lift, move, and blend the color.  Stamp as normal and be surprised with the unique finish.

Butterfly Basics With Gorgeous Colors

Aren't these three colors simply divine together?  This color challenge combo is being hosted by Hand Stamped Sentiments.  Do jump over to the site and see all the gorgeous stuff the Design Team has crafted.

If you haven't got your hands on the Butterfly Basics stamps and the Thinlets you need to.  The eclectic collection of images is perfect for making super gorgeous stuff.  The images layer and blend for easy collage style stampin' and the Thinlets are the most exciting butterfly cutouts Stampin' Up! has ever offered.

Pretty & Simple

Check out my spring wreath!  It is quite pretty and was super simple to make.  All it is is a raffia wreath form, doilies, ribbons, and glitter.  Because I didn't want a stark white wreath, I spritzed each Tea Lace Doily with a mixture of Sahara Sand Ink Refill and 91% rubbing alcohol.  At first I tried misting the doilies with a mix of refill ink and water, but the water beaded up and dried way too slow and funky.  So, I switched to using the rubbing alcohol mixture and the result was just what I wanted.  Not to mention is dried super fast!

The process to finish the wreath was actually quite fast.  Getting to the point where I had enough doilies took a little time.  I thought five packs of doilies would cover the wreath, but I was way off.  I bought five more packs and was still off by a pack and a half.  All in all it took more than 11 packs of doilies!

The process was simple.  I wrapped each doily around my finger, added a blob of hot glue, and then tacked them one by one to the wreath form.  When I got the entire form covered I added a White Jute Ribbon, Sahara Sand 7/8" Lace Trim, White Seam Binding, and Soft Sky Seam Binding multi-looped bow.  The entire wreath glistens and sparkles as it is coated with Dazzling Diamonds Glitter.  To do this I sprayed sections of the doilies with Aqua Net Hair Spray, sprinkled on the glitter, and then sprayed the glittered area with more hair spray to really make it hold.  Here's a tip for you: put the glitter in a salt shaker to make the whole process a breeze.

From Dara

To Julie

Soft, Subtle, & Gorgeous

Isn't it a wonder at how using the same tools, inks, and technique can look so different just by changing the color of the cardstock?  That's what happened with this card.  I was busy stampin' one day and made a card with Brown Sugar cardstock and the very same elements as I did with this card yet the look was totally different.  This card is soft, subtle, gentle, and so pretty while the Brown Sugar card was more vivacious and striking.  Both equally unique but varied in mood.

For this card I started with Ivory Naturals to watercolor emboss a panel and then layered it on a card base of more Ivory Naturals.  I inked up the Lovely Lace TIEF with Blushing Bride and Pool Party and then spritzed the folder with rubbing alcohol.  I put in the Ivory Naturals panel in the inked folder and then ran it through the Big Shot.

I love the little collection of design elements I used to create a focal point for the theme of the card, but I think my favorite touch is the skinny strip of Champagne Glimmer across the top of the panel.  In person it is elegant and helps direct the eye down the card to the greeting and then the mini butterfly.

She Was Shakin'

I just love this shaker card and this is a simple way to create a bit of movement.  Just stamp a window sheet and tape it down over a puddle of sequins.  I used Sticky Strip to tape down the window sheet and then covered it with Sweet Sadie washi tape.

The background design is a piece of Smokey Slate cardstock that I water embossed with the Ampersand TIEF.  To water emboss start by applying inks directly to an embossing folder, mist it with water or rubbing alcohol, add a piece of cardstock, and run the folder and piece through the Big Shot.  Each time I water emboss it come out completely different but always super cool!