Ink Pad Watercolor Look

This is a background technique.

Materials needed:
Serene Silhouettes stamp set (#127324)
Watercolor paper 4 x 5 1/4", 2 3/4 x 3"
Wild Wasabi card stock 3 x 3 1/4", 4 1/4 x 5 1/2"
Crumb Cake ink pad
Summer Starfruit ink pad
Pistachio Pudding ink pad
Mister or spray bottle
1" Rose Red Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon (#111846)
Red buttons
Glue dots
Paper towel

1. Press a juicy ink pad onto the watercolor pad. I like to use 3 different colors for a good look.

2. Spray water directly onto the ink with a mister or a small spray bottle.

You want the ink to be wet so it will move around the paper.

If desired, you can tilt the paper for the ink to run on the page. Blot (don't rub) the wet ink with paper towel.

You may add more color from the ink pad & mist again if you wish until you get the color you want. Remember, this is paper so don't keep spraying until the paper falls apart. 
The paper may curl but you can flatten it out.
3. Stamp a silhouette image randomly onto the background while the paper is still wet. This will give the paper a stippled look.
4. Color another background piece that will be for the embellishment. When it is dry, stamp a silhouette image on to it. Mount it on solid card stock.
5. Decorate the card front with ribbon, buttons, etc to complete the card front.
You can make a background paper like this using any colors you choose. I almost always use 3 different colors for it. On this next one, I wanted brighter colors, so I used Strawberry Slush, Crushed Curry, and Island Indigo.

Other materials used:
Island Indigo card stock
White card stock
Certainly Celery 5/8" Grosgrain ribbon
Candy Dots subtles (#130933)
Candy Dots brad base (#132293)
Early Espresso ink

Mixed Media Thanks

This is definately a mixed media card. With the medias of watercolors, pencils, stamps, and Cricut, you've got a variety of techniques with this card. I had fun playing with it and coming out with this. I hope you like it.

Materials needed:

Vintage Verses stamp set (#129633)

Secret Garden stamp set (#129144)

Feels Good stamp set (#129684)

White card stock

Watercolor paper or white card stock

Coastal Cabana card stock

Watercolor pencils (#101879)

1/2" Grosgrain Striped Old Olive ribbon (#13883)

Aqua Painter (#103954)

Old Olive reinker

Marina Mist reinker

Melon Mambo reinker

Daffodil Delight reinker

Bermuda Bay ink

Early Espresso ink

Cricut Expression

Cricut Wild Card cartridge

Glue dots (#103683)

Stampin' Demensionals (#104430)

1. Start with a piece of watercolor paper that is at least 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" in size. I acutally used a larger piece of paper and then cut it down to the size I wanted after I was finished painting it. Place a drop or two of each reinker on a plastic palette or a foam plate. Be sure to keep them separate, so the colors don't mix.

2. Use the aqua painter or a wet paint brush to pick up some of the color on the brush tip. Using  plenty of water, cover the paper with the Marina Mist on the top and the Old Olive on the bottom but don't leave any white space between them. Next use the other colors to make a rainbow shape on top of the Marina Mist. Depending on how wet they are, they will run together. That's ok. In fact, I like the look that it gives it. With this I wasn't trying to actually paint a rainbow, just give it a rainbow sort of look. Put the paper aside to dry.

3. Use your Cricut and the Wild Card cartridge to cut a lacy oval shape with Coastal Cabana card stock that is on p. 39 of the booklet. For this card I cut the oval at 4". This will cut one side solid and the other side lacy. Cut the solid side off & save it for another project.

4. Put adhesive on the back around the "frame" portion of the cut out. You do not need adhesive on the entire oval. Place it on the left side of the card front when the watercoloring is dry.
5. Stamp a flower from the Secret Garden stamp set on white card stock with Early Espresso ink. Use the Watercolor pencils and the aqua painter to color the flower. Don't use as much water on this as you did to do the watercolor background. Be careful so it doesn't run. Cut the flower out.
6. Place dimensionals on the back of the flower and adhere it on top of the oval.
7. Cut a strip of ribbon about 6" long. Place adhesive on the back and press it to the right hand side of the card front. With another piece of ribbon, tie a bow. Place glue dots on the back of the ribbon and press it on top of the vertical ribbon that you already placed.
8. On a piece of Coastal Cabana card stock, stamp a "thanks" greeting in Bermuda Bay ink. Cut around the outside edge of the greeting. Place dimensionals on the back. Press this on the bottom right hand side overlapping the greeting on the oval and the ribbon.
9. When the card front is completed, adhere it to a card base. On the inside of this card, I chose a greeting from the Feel Good stamp set and stamped it with Bermuda Bay ink. Then I added my own personal note of thanks and mailed it to a friend.

Silhouettes & Watercolors

 Materials needed:
Serene Silhouettes stamp set (#127324)
Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set (#128748)
Old Olive card stock 4 1/4 x 5 1/2"
White card stock or watercolor paper 2 1/2 x 4 3/4"
Gumball Green card stock
Always Artichoke ink
Green Galore ink
Daffodil Delight ink
Ballet Blue ink
Subtles Brads (#119738)
Modern Label punch (#119849)
Word Window punch (#119857)
3/16" Corner punch (#119871)
Aqua Painter (#103957)

1. Cut your white card stock or watercolor paper and round the corners. Pick up a small amount of blue ink with the Aqua Painter and brush it across the top 1/3 of the paper. Do the same with the yellow across the middle and the green across the bottom. Two of  the colors I used are retired colors but still work just as well. Lay this aside to dry.
2. Stamp the image from Serene Silhouettes with Always Artichoke ink to cover the Old Olive card stock for a background.

3. When the white card stock or watercolor paper is dry, stamp the same image from Serene Silhouettes over the top of the watercolor splotches in Always Artichoke. Adhere this to the left side of the background card stock. 

4. Punch a Modern Label out of Gumball Green card stock. Stamp a greeting from Teeny Tiny Wishes on white card stock. Punch it out with the Word Window punch. Adhere it on top of the Modern Label punch.

5. Place this at the top right of the card front, overlapping the colored image a bit. Punch holes on both side of the greeting label. Add brads and bend to the back.

As always, we will adhere this to our card base.

Lovely Trees

This card is using the same technique with watercolor that I used here. Hope you don't mind that I'm doing the same thing with a different stamp set.

Materials needed:
Lovely As a Tree stamp set (#115026)
Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set (#115370)
Elegant Eggplant card stock 4 1/4 x 5 1/2"
Old Olive card stock 3 1/4 x 4 1/2"
Watercolor paper 3 1/4 x 4 1/4"
Polka Dot Parade scrap
Early Espresso ink
Candy Dot Brad Bases (#132293)
Candy Dots Subtles (#130933)
Aqua Painter (#103954)
Word Window punch (#119857)
Modern Label punch (#119849)
Midnight Muse ink or marker
Always Artichoke ink or marker

1. Watercolor the background on white watercolor paper or white card stock. I started with a larger paper than listed above but then cut it down to 3 1/4 x 4 1/4".
2. Choose the trees from the Lovey As a Tree stamp set. Ink the stamp with Early Espresso ink. Stamp the image directly onto the dry watercolored background.
3. Stamp a greeting from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set in Early Espresso ink on white card stock. Punch it out with the Word Window punch.
4. Punch out a piece of Old Olive Polka Dot Parade with the Modern Label punch. Adhere the greeting on top of the Label punch. Place it in the center bottom of the"grassy" area on the watercolor paper.
5. Layer the watercolor paper on top of the Old Olive card stock and adhere that on top of the Elegant Eggplant card stock.
6. Punch holes at each end of the greeting label. Add Candy Dot Brad bases and a colored Candy Dot.
7. Adhere the card front to a card base and add your note or message to the inside.
Have fun doing the same technique in different ways!

Just for You card

I had been wanting to do something like this for a little while, so I finally just did it. I really like the watercolor look and I tried several different ways. I was not successful trying to use my watercolor crayons for this so after I did the background, I just did the image with my markers. I'll keep trying with my watercolor crayons & see if I can improve.

Materials needed:
Just Believe stamp set (#120453)
Aqua painter (#102954) or watercolor brush and water
Wild Wasabi card stock 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" plus a small piece of scrap
White card stock 4 x 5 1/4" plus extra
Everyday Enchantment Organdy ribbon Lucky Limeade (#126060, retired)
Modern Label punch (#119857)
Word Window punch (#119857)
Markers or ink pads:
  Canjun Craze marker
  Old Olive marker
  Wild Wasabi marker
  Always Artichoke marker
  Marina Mist, either
Stampin' Dimenionals (#104430)

1. Do the watercolor background on white card stock first. Give it a few minutes to dry.
To do this, you can either mash an ink pad against the lid/top to put ink on the inside of the top(this works really well with the newer raised pads)

 

 or rub a marker on to the plastic top or another plastic surface. 

 Then use the aqua painter brush or a wet watercolor brush to swish a bit of water onto the ink.

 Pick ink up with the brush and smear or swish it onto the white cardstock.

 I did the top with Marina Mist, the middle with always Artichoke and the bottom with Wild Wasabi.

It's not necessary to totally cover the card stock with the color. You can also let the 2 shades of green to blend together on the card stock. You can also do this on watercolor paper, if you prefer.
2. Rub the image from the Just Believe stamp set with the markers. I used Canjun Craze for the flower portions, Always Artichoke for the stems and grasses and Old Olive for the leaves. After the stamp is colored, huff on it to reactivate the ink, then stamp on white card stock.
3. Cut out the image around the outsides of the colored leaves and flowers. Place Stampin' Dimensionals on the back of the cut out image. Adhere it to the left side of the painted card stock.
4. I wanted a delicate looking ribbon and I still had some of this organdy left from a couple years ago. Tie a bow in the ribbon. Then cut the length to cover the card, about 10".  Adhere the ribbon on the right side of the card front with adhesive or glue dots.
5. Stamp the greeting from the Just Believe stamp set on white card stock. Punch it out with the Word Window punch. Punch the Modern Label punch out of Wild Wasabi card stock. Adhere the white onto the Wild Wasabi. Adhere both on the top right of the card front, overlapping the ribbon.
6. Adhere the white card stock on to the Wild Wasibi card stock and have the edges showing around it. Adhere the whole card front onto a card base and add your message to the inside.

***Just a tip: You always want to buy items that you can get lots of use out of. I have found the one stamp set that I use over and over again is the Teeny Tiny Wishes (#128748) and the Word Window punch and the Modern Label punch. Every one of the greetings in the Teeny Tiny Wishes set will fit in the Word Window punch, as well as, greetings in many other sets. The Modern Label punch just adds a nice touch to help the greeting stand out.

Missed You Card

I bought this set of photopolymer stamps a few months ago but this is the first time I've actually used them. It was really easy to place the letters in each flag because you can see exactly where you are placing them. SU! now has several of these polymer stamp sets.

Materials needed:
Designer Typeset Photopolymer stamps (#132956)
Greeting Card Kids stamp set (#120633)
Soho Subway patterned paper (#130140)
Daffodil Delight marker
Blush Blossom marker
Strawberry Slush marker
Midnight Muse ink
Aqua Painter (#103954)
Staz On Black ink
Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430)

1. Cut the "map" look paper to 4 1/4 x 5 1/2." Use the reverse side of this same paper for the blue to stamp your greeting and arrow. Cut them out. Adhere to the top  of the patterned paper.
2. Stamp the child on watercolor paper using Staz on Black ink.
3. Use the markers and the Aqua Painter brush to color your child image. Be light with the Aqua Painter brush and wipe the brush on a paper towel between uses. Give it a few minutes to dry. Then cut out the child image.
4. Place Stampin' Dimensionals on the back of the child image. Place her on the map. The image that I chose was holding a heart. As you can see, I cut the heart off. I think she has a bit of a lost look with her finger on her cheek. Stamp or write a note on the inside.
5. Place the card front on a card base.
This card will go to a friend who missed our TOPS meeting this week.