Watercolour Wednesday - Joyful Holly

 Hello, today's card I have had immense fun making! For a change I thought I would broaden my experiences in watercolouring. I have looked at lots of videos online and discovered the watercolouring  technique using salt and dropping other colours onto the wet card! Surprisingly though, I stayed clean! 

 I started by taking a piece of watercolour card from Stampin' Up! and spritzed it with lots of water. I inked a large block with Pacific Point, a really lovely strong bright blue. I spritzed the block really well too and then added it onto the wet card. Sliding it across the card to cover the whole piece, I left it for a few seconds to absorb all of the ink really well. Once the block came off, I added some table salt to the card, literally spraying the salt all over it. While it was still wet, I dropped 2 drops of re-inker in Yellow, Pink and Green onto a block, (also called Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo and Bermuda Bay). I added a few drops of water to each colour and just dropped each colour randomly over the mat using my watercolour brush. I then went and made a cup of tea while it dried a bit.

On my return, I stamped the Holly sprig onto a piece of white card using Memento Black ink pad and then stamped the leaves with the most gorgeous green called Granny Apple Green. I took another piece of watercolour card and repeated the wetting process and another block stamped Granny Apple Green all over it. After spritzing the card and the block with lots of water, I again sprinkled more salt over that piece too. More information on the stamp set used Joyful Holly, HERE

Tea now long gone, I helped the card pieces to dry a little bit more using the Heat gun. The holly was added onto the green mat and the Blue mat, I chopped up! I cut the piece into long, narrow, triangle shaped pieces and then mixed them up. I then started to glue them to a standard card mat which was 10.5cm by 14.85cm. As you can see, I left a little of the white mat showing below the coloured card to accentuate the shapes. Bruno Bertolucci calls it a scrappy card technique. 

 

I cut the blue coloured mat into 2 pieces and added half to each side of the card base. the Holly having been glued to the green mat was then fixed to the centre of the card on one side of the card only. 

2 little messages, some more holly stamped and fussy cut (yes, it has to be done) and then added one to each side of the card to complete. I know it's a very bright Christmas card but I quite like that it's really different and I know to whom I am going to send it too!

 

 

Technique Tuesday

 Today's card is another simple card but this time I added in some heat embossing. On navy blue card I stamped the holly sprig from the Joyful Holly stamp set using Versamark ink pad. Then I used White embossing powder and heat set it. As you can see I wanted a few mats on this card and went crazy with the red, white and navy blue mats. I just love using those colours together, not only do they look fresh but they look classy too! Well, that's what I think! 

More information on the stamp set HERE

As I said, this was a very simple card which once heat embossed, it was just a simple case of cutting each layer down to make another one. A simple message from the same stamp set again put onto a mat, decorated the inside and added another message to complete it.

 

 

 

 

I added some little dots of red card using the 1/8" hand held punch onto the berries to decorate. I love the way it adds a pop of colour over the card.

Tomorrow is Watercolour Wednesday, what can I do for that I wonder??

Make It Monday

#simplestamping 

Hello and welcome back this week. Well, just for a change Cary has once again excelled herself with all of last weeks projects, they are all beautiful. Well done Cary. So it's back to me, I have no idea what's going on with me at the moment as I am so busy with so many things and everything I get involved with seems like it's getting bigger and bigger and doesn't work the way I want it to!  Is it just me or do you sometimes have periods like that too? Crazy isn't it?

Anyway, more important things, today's card is a perfect example of this last few weeks. So far I have made this card 5 times! Why it wouldn't go right I have no idea as it is so very simple, it's crazy! Once I had eventually stamped the images in the right way round!

I have never really liked holly bushes so why I purchased this stamp set, I have no idea but I'm very glad now that I did! The set is called Joyful Holly from Stampin' Up! and it is such a very easy card to make (once I got myself sorted)! I stamped the tip of one of the holly stems onto the white mat several times around the edges and added a little colouring on the berries in red and it's complete. Simple! I stamped it in black ink and with the berries and the messages in red to complete this one. 

 

 

 Well that's my very simple card for today. Please try and make your own simple cards and share them with Cary and I as we would love to see them. 

As a result of this stamp set, I am now much happier about holly trees. Very strange am I not?

Fun fold Friday Ornamental Envelopes

 Today's fun fold Friday card is the last card that I'll be sharing this week showcasing the Ornamental Envelopes stamps. 

I have chosen to use another unusual colour pallette for a Christmas card. The rich teal and soft turquoise highlighted with white embossing is rather elegant. 

The card is a 14.85cm x 14.85cm square base with an appature that allows the center to pop through. The center panel is a piece of card measuring 14.85cm x 29.7cm scored at 14.85cm  and then at 7.4cm in from both ends. On one end mark in 2cm from each edge on the short side and cut upto the first score line. Then cut along the score line and remove the panel. The scorelines should be folded mountain,  mountain and valley. The first panel, only the 2 legs are remaining, is  attached to the back of the front of the card. The opposite end of the card panel is attached to the inside right side of the card base.  Please see the photos below for a better explanation 😅 Now it's time to decorate you card. I used circle dies to create a center panel and decorated it with baubles. I used the stamps from the Ornamental Envelopes stamps to create a wresth around the appature.  

Well that's it from me if you'd like to purchas the stamp and any of the other materials I've used this week please click HERE

Please join us next week when Gill will be inspiring us with her creations. 

Have a good weekend and maybe enjoy some crafting .

Have fun

Cary xx

Throwback Thursday Ornamental Envelopes

 Well today's post is a mix of  old and new! I'm sharing a card using one of the first techniques I fell in love with when I started papercrafting nearly 20 years ago.....teabag folding! And I'm combining it with a very short and raw video tutorial of how I made it a very new thing for me so please be gentle 😉. I have of course used the Ornamental Envelopes stamps and dies on both the card and the envelope.

So to the project. I have chosen a bold bright colour pallette of bright hot pink and bold lime green,  magenta madness and granny apple green from Stampin' Up! The white layer is embossed with the gorgeous  winter snow embossing folder also from Stampin' Up!. The pattern paper is from a pack called Artistry Blooms and is full of bold patterns and ombre effect papers.

I hope you like the card and video and will have a go yourself. If you do please share your creations in the comments below.

Video tutorial Here

Watercolour Wednesday Ornamental Envelopes

 Today's card is using a technique I've never used in theis way before. Called Watercolour colour off it envolves using clear embossing powder. It is a variation of the Joseph's coat technique. I used the dies from the Ornamental Envelopes in a non envelope way too....so all in all a mix up of techniques and uses 😅

First I made myself a mask using vellum and one of the dies from the Ornamental Envelopes dies.  I used one of the envelope cut out dies 3 times on the piece of vellum.

I then took a piece of shimmery white cardstock,which is great for watercolour , and created a simple 2 colour watercolour wash. I used a pretty mint colour and a lilac colour. The wash was quick dark and intense with colour.

Next I used the vellum mask. Carefully positioned it over the cardstock and taped both down using low tack tape. Now I took my versamark ink pad and carefully applied ink over the mask so that it went through the holes. Carefully  removing the mask I then used clear embossing powder and a heat tool to heat embossed the area.

Now the fun begins!. With a water brush, clean water, and some kitchen towel to hand, starting at one end drop small droplets of water over the colour and use your brush to reactive the ink. With the kitchen towel dab the ink away. 

The parts covered with clear embossing resist the water and remain the stronger colour. Like magic you now have two colour tones for each colour!! 😀 It might be a bit strange to add colour and then remove it but I love the effect and can think of countless stamp sets and masks that this will work beautifully with. 🙂

I was having so much fun that I decided to decorate my envelope with a watercolour wash and some of the beautiful stamps frombthe Ornamental Envelopes stamp set too. Leave no area undecorated is my motto at the moment 😅

Tips, Tricks and Techniques Tuesday Ornamental Envelopes

 Today's project is all about texture and uses both ink and dry embossing to create it. I have also created a coordinating lined envelope using the Ornamental Envelopes dies because ...well....why not 🤣

Starting with a piece of white card and strips of mask paper or what I use which is all over sticky note paper. I created a checker board effect. 

I then applied a pale turquoise blue ink over the card. Once I was happy I removed the strips to reveal the background. 

I then used an embossing folder and my cut and emboss machine to add more texture to the cardstock. Making sure that the raised side was on the inked side of the cardstock I then applied more colour to the piece. With a darker shade of turquoise ink I gently went over the the piece catching just the raised parts of the card. 

The finished result is very textural and pretty. It is a great way to get more from your embossing folders. 

I then stamped the baubles in navy blue and die cut them using the corresponding die from the Ornamental Envelopes dies. I used 3d foam to make them stand proud, added a little twine for the strings, added a sentiment and voilà.