Club Scrap: Challenge Card for "Can You Case It"

Today I am going to share a card that I created for: Can You Case It.
This weeks challenge is:

Purple, Kraft or tan, and white.  Well this months club kit is all about flowers and there was a gorgeous purple paper and cream colored paper in the kit.  Perfect!!  So off I went.  This was harder than expected.  I created many cards and none read as purple.  So for this posting I am going to show the only purple looking card that I was able to get to photograph as purple!

So, how did i create this?  If you follow ClubScrap Blog, you would know that Color Burst by Ken Oliver has been a hit over there.  I love pigment powders and had not tried this product so thought I would.  It is much harder to control the pigment and distribution with this product as the powder is so fine, but I did get a few backgrounds that I liked.  Trying to incorporate these busy backgrounds into a stamped project is a challenge so I chose to create flowers from he backgrounds.

I stamped the dahlia flower from the kit onto to background and cut them out.

Once finished I used a mica blend to fill in the centers.  I die cut some leaves from green paper and was ready to complete my card base.

First I made an A2 card base from Kraft that was top folded.  On a piece of white cardstock stamped stripes using the line stamp included in the Kit with Purple ink. I attached this to the bottom edge of the card.

Next, I cut a panel from the linen like paper that was included in the kit, and using a circle die, rounded the bottom.  This was placed over the stripes.  A sentiment was stamped and heat embossed with clear powder and attached over the stamped panel.  All that was left was to arrange the flowers and leaves.

Perfect card! Makes me think of spring.

All supplies are available through Club Scrap.

The stamp used was from the Weather Floral Unmounted Stamp Collection

I used Purple, Yellow, Red  and Blue Colorburst-Single-Colors .

Die cut for leaves, unknown.  I have an envelop full of random leaves from various manufacturers, most likely Spellbinders or Sizzix.  

Be sure and visit:  Can You Case It to see all the other cards made in this wonderful color combination.

Until Next time,

Happy Crafting

Josette

Robin's Nest: Watercolor and Embossing

Good morning.  Today I am a guest designer for Robin's Nest.  Follow the link and check out all the wonderful goodies that are available.

For today's card, I thought I would continue with my exploration of how to use embossing in your projects.  The one area that we haven't explored is the use of traditional watercolors.  By that I mean using watercolor paper, water and soft blended edges.  In the ColourArte project, I used embossing powders and regular cardstock.  The embossing powder acted as a "dam" to contain the paint.  In this technique the embossing powder acts as a way to define the stamp and allows us to use the property of watercolor to spread.  Make sense, maybe not, but as we look at this card it will become clearer.  Also, look at the previous posting for ColorArte and you will see how they differ.

Considered a Winter theme, but there are so many showing up, I thought we needed something bright and cheery!

Tools needed:  Stamp, I used a floral stamp.  In the photo is an evergreen stamp, but it was too boring.
Versmark, powder tool and Watercolor Paper.  So like in previous post, dust with the powder, stamp and heat emboss.  I used a fine clear powder for this project.

I was not able to get a good photo of the embossed image, so I stamped it in black for you to have a better idea of what I started with.

For my watercolors I am going to use Peerless.  If you are not familiar with these, they are a pigment embedded into paper.  You wet the paper to release the pigment and then use like any other water color product.  I really like this medium as it is easy to store, and the colors are vibrant.  Blends and spreads well, but not too much.  I do like my tubed watercolor pigments, but I am basically lazy and this is quick and convent.  I store them in photo sleeves.

First step is to add a wash of water to the image.  I am painting on the "water" over the image and just a smidgen outside of the outermost lines.  I am trying to keep the border area dry so the paint won't flow into that area too much.

The color is picked up from the Peerless strips and floated onto the paper.  In the first photo, green and yellow has been added.  In the second photo a darker green and orange has been added to begin the shading and separation of the parts of the stamps into "parts"  by varying the colors.

After the center image was painted, I used a heat tool to dry the image.  Then added water to the background and floated a blue around the outside.  Adding more water as needed to obtain a nice color wash.

Closer view of the painting.  See how the embossing is showing up as white lines.  

I thenspattered the image with a darker green and die cut into a circle.  Here you can see the embossing better. Note that the color is not staying in the lines.  This gives it a more painterly appearance.  

Ok, now to finish the card:  Using the same 3 sprays: Water Cooler by Calico Studio and a Green and Gold by Heidi Swapp,  a white cardstock, commercial paper doily and beige seam tape were sprayed.

I use a card board box to contain the misting.  The background was cut down to size and the best part of the ribbon selected for the card and the remainder tied into a bow.

All that is left is to add a mat in gold, a few embellishments and a card base.

The doily is placed on the card front and adhered with score tape.  The metal embellishment has also been attached with score tape and then the card base is layered on to a Gold Mat.

Watercolor paper can be tricky to get to stick. The paper often warps or the texture makes it hard to get a good contact.   I find that using score tape and fun foam for dimension will keep everything in place and it will survive even the USA mail. 

The bow and a metal tag completes the picture.  I did not add a sentiment so it will work for about any occasion.  I will add the appropriate sentiment to the inside of the card, thus allowing the art work to take center stage.  

Finished!!  Hope you enjoyed this final installment of Embossing.  Next month I will pick a different technique to focus on so stay tuned.  If you have any suggestions please leave a comment and let me know what you would like to have me explore.  

Thank you Robin's Nest for this opportunity to share my blog with you.

Until next time,

Happy Crafting,

Josette

Links

Robin's Nest

Visit previous blog posting for more information on Embossing.  Also ColourArte YouTube Channel for a video on embossing and painting with Twinkling H20's, which are another form of watercolor.

Supplies:

Peerless Watercolors,

White Neenah 80# card stock for card front. 

Commercial paper doily, 5"

Gold Cardstock for mat, Cream for Card base.

Strathmore 400 series 140# cold Press Watercolor paper

Beige seam binding

Metal embellishment: Tim Holtz Ideology line

Spray Paint:  Water cooler by Calico Studio, Green Shimmer and Gold Shimmer by Heidi Swapp

Fun Foam

Score-tape, glue dots

ColourArte YouTube Video is live

Good Morning;
My ColourArte YouTube Video is live and available for your viewing pleasure.  It is also available on my YouTube Channel as well.  If you are viewing this via email: click the link to go to my blog for the video. 

ColourArte

I would like to take the opportunity to discuss the technique and share some additional examples of how to use this technique.  Then watch the video to see the process in action.  Be sure to visit ColourArte for all your sparking mediums.   In the future I will explore more of the product line, but for now, the focus is on Twinkling H2O's,

Finished Project

This card appears very complicated, but in fact is simple.  Chose an image that you desire.  Any will work.  I have used this technique on Animals, Scenes, Florals and some times very simple stylized images.  Most of those are better with direct stamping, but sometimes, that process can be too iffy and this is a good substitute.

The floral image in the video was stamped with a water soluble ink, like distress and then colored in with a thick to medium consistency of H2O.  It should be the consistency of a very fluid acrylic paint but not as watery as ink.  Half and Half, perhaps.  You can vary the consistency for where you are applying and for how transparent or opaque you want the image.

Stamped image, ready for painting.  Note the pots of paint that have been spritzed with water, lined up

Once filled in, the next step is to apply ink.  I used a Copic Multi-liner .25 mm in black for all my inking.  I use a very light hand and try for "sketchiness".  I don't want a harsh line or to have the image appear to have been traced.  Nor do I want it to follow the stamped outlines.  This is how you get it to appear as an individualized art piece.

Here are two examples of this technique being used with different images.  Both are animals.  The dog was stamped, colored with copic markers, then the inking applied.  The Cats were done with water color and then inked.

Water Color and Inked. Double click to view up close

This image was colored with copic markers, Then inked using a Copic .5mm Multi-liner, finally highlighted with a white gel pen.

Water Colored Bird house using direct Stamping and then inking with the Paint and a fine brush

The final photo is also of a watercolor, but this was done with direct stamping using watery Twinkling H2O's.  After stamping and allowing to dry, the image was enhanced with a very fine liner brush and paint that had been thinned with water to the consistency of ink (whole milk).  All of the "inking" was done with a paintbrush.  Just another idea to enhance your stampings.

Watch the video to see the entire process.
Don't forget you can find your Twinkling H2o here:  ColourArte

Thank you for stopping by!
Be sure and leave a comment about what you would like to see more of or less of.
Any suggestions for future topics are welcomed.

Stay tuned for more stamping tomorrow with a posting about Club Scrap and the new Kit.
Happy Crafting!
Josette

How to direct Stamp with Twinkling H2O's.

I have been busy creating my first project for the ColourArte Video posting.  It is a process with a very steep learning curve.  I had to fix my camera mount, lighting and work area to make filming easier.  After creating my test video, the deficiencies of my set up were apparent so I set about to correct this.  My current setup still needs work but thanks to my husband's help is coming along!!!

As a lead in to my first Video episode, I would like to share my test video and discuss why I chose to start with with this project.

Little pots of Wonder
Where to buy Twinks?  Click here

Thoughts:  I love Twinkling H2O's.( Where to buy Twinks?) They were one of the first purchases I made as a new crafter.  The lure of a sparkle in a water color was too much to resist.  I bet you all have those amazing little pots of wonder in your stash!!  Do you use them?   If you are like most, the answer is NO.  The why of this has always puzzled me, but then I remember my first experience using them and understand why.  But I would like to encourage you to get them out and play.  I hope these videos will inspire you.

When I started to pursue being a design team member, my first objective was to educate.  Where better to start than with Twinkling H20's.

Let's start with a few guidelines to get you started into exploring Twinkling H2O.
Always begin by laying out the colors you are planning to use and then spray with water about 5 minutes before you start.  How much water is very subjective.  I generally just spritz to start the activation and then add water based on how quickly the  water is absorbed.    I generally like them a bit thick and will  dilute later if needed .  The more you use them, the less water it takes to activate them.  Final step before painting and a very important step is to Stir.  Most forget this  step or don't realize that it needs to be done.  These have mica in them and the mica needs to be distributed into the paint so that you get a nice even glimmer or shine.  Many times I hear that "they are too dull" or very transparent.  These simple steps will help solve these issues.  1) spray with water 2) let sit for 5 minutes and 3) Stir.
Now that you have the basics down,   join me as we explore various uses and techniques using Twinkling H20's.

The projects: The first project with Twinkling H20 is direct stamping.  This is a very easy technique to master.  You can achieve a painted appearance or a water color appearance, by just adjusting the water and consistency of the paint, or spritzing the painted stamp prior to stamping.  

combination of techniques, but all were direct stamped.

These were all done with the same process.  Only difference was the addition of water.  The Twinkling H20 directly applied to the stamp, stamped and then doodled around the image to give it an inked appearance.  Final step was splattering with pain and mounting it onto the card.  Enjoy the video as I go through the steps

Very thick application of paint, very little water

Direct Stamping with Twinkling H20

On Saturday, September 12, my second video with Twinkling H20 will premier on ColourArte's YouTube Channel.  Remember to check back here for links and information.  You can also subscribe to  ColourArte's You Tube Channel.  Then you won't miss an episode of my creations or tany of t he other team members projects.

Don't forget to subscribe to my blog, so you will stay updated on all of the exciting projects from ColoruArte and Club Scrap, as well as my own creations.

Happy Crafting,
Josette