Poppy Parade

 

 

On Day 5 of the Online Watercolor for Cardmakers class--the amazing Swarup Murthy taught us her method of watercoloring stamped images (you can find her blog The Storyteller here).  She may be my new cardmaking hero.  I can't wait to finish this class so I can try this technique again (and again and again!!)  Can you tell I'm excited?  I'm still pinching myself that I made this card and it turned out this well. 

Never in my wildest imagination would I have guessed that I would be able to do something like this when I signed up for this class!  I mentioned in a previous post that I had a traumatic kindergarten coloring incident.  I still have nightmares to this day of my teacher ripping the mimeograph caboose I was coloring out from under my giant red crayon and screaming at me for coloring wrong--I think I was 5 years old. 

And that was pretty much the end of my art career--even though both my mother and my sister are artists.  Ask me to draw a circle or a straight line--ha!  I can't even make stick figures look like stick figures.  BUT look at these Poppies!  I'm in love with this technique.  I'm so glad I told my inner voice to shut up and decided to at least try doing it--because I was absolutely intimidated by it when I first looked at her sample card. 

Love this class!!  Can't wait to see what they have in store for us this week!

And since the Simon Says Stamp!  Wednesday challenge last week includes flowers and Penny Black stamps, I thought I would submit it over there as well.

Stuff used:

Penny Black Poppy Parade wood mounted rubber stamp
Sakura KOI Watercolor set
Claudine Hellmuth Artist Brushes
Strathmore 140 lb. Cold Press watercolor paper
Neenah 80 lb. Solar white Cardstock base
and Fiskars Clear Acrylic Birthday sentiment stamp 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Look Ma!  No Hands...

 

 

 

My Online Watercolor for Cardmakers Class has been keeping me seriously occupied this last week.  I can't believe how much work it has been.  But wow!  have I been learning a lot.  Keep watching--I'll be posting all my work from week one soon.  But for now I thought I would share this little guy with you.

 

This month's challenge over on the Viva Las Vegas Stamps blog uses this inspiration design using the Whimsical elephant stamp designed by Mary Vogel Lozinak:

 

 

Though I could have used anything in the pic to inspire my design, I didn't take a lot of time thinking about it because I was working more on the watercolor technique.  I think it turned out really cute though.

 

Here's what I did.  First I stamped the Man with Pointed Nose  (also designed by Mary Vogel Lozinak) and then masked his little feet with a post-it note mask (fussy cut), and stamped the Whimsical Elephant.

 

I colored the whole picture with Derwent Inktense Pencils.  I was given these as a gift a couple of months ago and I absolutely adore them!!  I had given them a try a couple of times before this class, but this is the first time I've really gotten serious with them.  And the videos in class really have helped me figure out how to get the most from them.   For me, they are so much easier to use and control than Copic markers. 

 

After I painted everything I added the "Look Ma... No Hands" stamp.  This came on a plate of rubber I bought last year. 

 

Hope you like the result!!  Wish I'd had this card to send my sister when she broke her elbow falling on the ice this winter.  Poor thing! 

 

 

Paper: 

Strathmore 140 lb. Cold Press Watercolor Paper

Stampin' Up Bermuda Bay cardstock

Neenah Solar White 80 lb. cardstock

Thanks for stopping by!

Watercolor for Cardmakers: pre-class homework

Online Watercolor For CardMakers Class: 

Pre-Class "Homework"

 

 

I decided to try my hand at an Online card making class.  I've taken craft classes at various times before, from knitting and dyeing to card making.  And while I still enjoy the Stampin' Up demos I regularly attend--I generally find that I learn the most by doing it on my own at my own pace in the peace and quiet of my own craft space.  I will spare you the story of my 'traumatic' kindergarten coloring experience, but that early humiliation by my 'teacher' (and I hesitate to call her that) definitely left me 'artistically challenged' for many many years.  So, I thought it was time to try something a little new--and see what an online class might hold for me.

 

Watercolor?  I must be crazy.  Freehand anything is beyond my ability.  Ask anyone who has been forced to see me draw pie charts or graphs on a chalkboard--they will immediately volunteer my inability to draw a straight line, much less a stick figure human that actually LOOKS like a STICK figure.  BUT... watercolor is forgiving, right?

 

So I thought about it and thought about it and decided to roll the dice and see what happens.  I KNOW I'll learn a lot.  The question is whether I'll actually be able to create anything that looks good enough for anything.  Here is the link to the class description page if you are interested in seeing what it is I've gotten myself into.   

 

I spent this weekend watching all the pre-class videos (several times) and doing what they told me.  Here's what happened: 

 

Step One:  PLAY with my mediums.  Hey!  I can do that!

I dug out all my water solubles, and WOW.   I have a lot more than I thought I did.  Thank you to Mom and Grandma (whom I miss terribly) who have passed along all their craft and art supplies they no longer use.  I found the ones I really enjoyed playing with were the watercolor pencil set that I've never used (72 colors!!  I love color!)  and finding out how well my Stampin' Up markers (I got for half price when the week I hosted stamp club hit $400 sales.  Yippee!)  interacted with water.  I also played with combining some regular water colors with each other to see how well mixed together... can you guess how many times I made a new Brown color?   I had fun playing, anyway!  Check out all the swatches I made up above.  At least you can say I was thorough.  Funny, I just like looking at these.  I LOVE color!  or did I say that already? 

 

Step Two:  Try my hand at a plaid background.  Loved the demo video!  hmmmm... I can do that!

 

 

I used my new set of Sakura Koi Watercolors in the Pocket Field Sketch Box.  I'm really glad I got this set for this class (love Hobby Lobby 40% off coupons!)  Its so cute and compact.   I channeled my inner 80's yuppie by trying Kelly green, pink  and grey.  I don't think I did too badly for my first time!  (from L-R, Top-Bottom in colors--that's 10, 16 & 23 on my swatch chart)  I added a hint of white to my first pink swathes.  Can you tell I ran out of color and had to mix a little more pink? (top and right stripes!)  forgot to add that hint of white again, didn't I?

 

Plaid take 2:

 

 

Thought I'd try using some distress inks here.  NOT so pleased with how this one turned out.  These are my favorite 3 distress colors together:  Mustard Seed, Peacock Feathers and Picked Raspberry.  But, c'est la vie.  Not the right medium for this technique (this is why we play, right?)  Too bright for a background, and no matter how much water I added to these I couldn't tone them down.  I Could have tried using distress markers, yes--I know.  But I just wanted to see how this would work.  On the other hand, it might make an interesting die cut. 

 

Plaid Take 3:

Back to the Sakura Koi.  And I think I like this one best.

 

 

Blue, Yellow and Grey  (on my swatch chart that's 15, 2 and 23)  I like how this one turned out.  I especially like to find out that when I really try--I CAN almost draw a straight line.  After all, it looks better when its NOT perfect, right?

 

 

 

Tomorrow is Day 1 of class.  Can't wait to see what it brings!   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mother's Day!

Mother's Day!

Whew, done ahead of time.  Thanks to the April 2014 Stampin' Up Paper Pumpkin kit and the February 2014 Simon Says Stamp!  Card Kit for inspiration.

 

Here's a close up of the card:

 

 

I used the February 2014 Simon Says Stamp! Card kit for inspiration for the card.  I loved this card kit.  Most of the items included I probably wouldn't have bought on my own--or separately.  But I can't tell you how many cards I've made from this kit.  And I loved the stamp set--super versatile!

Here's what I used from the kit:

 

Cardstock:  Bazzill Candy Hearts

Paper:  Basic Grey "Fresh Cut" 6x6 paper pad

Vellum:  Bazzill 40 lb. Vellum sheet

Ribbon:  Tim Holtz Linen Ribbon

Stamps:  Simon Says Stamp Thinking of You stamp set

Paint (for the flower centers):  Claudine Hellmuth Blank Canvas Paint  (a mini bottle came with the kit!)

 

I also used some sequins I still have left from the March 2014 card kit: 

Darice 5mm iridescent white Sequins 

 

I also used: 

Stampin' Up markers and ink in Calypso Coral and Wild Wasabi, Ranger Antiquities Embossing Powder in Rose Quartz, and the Happy Mother's Day stamp from the April 2014 Stampin' Up Paper Pumpkin kit. 

 

 

 

 

 

When I got the April Paper Pumpkin I decided it definitely needed to be used for my Mother's Day gift this year.  But the inside layout inspiration, though cute, was not something I thought my mother would appreciate.  So I grabbed this photo I had on my desk that my Aunt had recently given me, scanned it into my computer, doctored it up a bit, printed it out on glossy photo paper, and put it in the frame.  I then added one of the die cut hearts from the kit with the foam pop ups (already cut in the perfect size!!).  I made the flowers using the Tim Holtz Tattered Flower Garland decorative strip die, and added some loops of twine from the Paper Pumpkin kit behind the flowers, and placed them all down with some hot glue.  I used my handy dandy Martha Stewart letter stamp kit I found at a yard sale to stamp "Mom & Me" onto the same decorative paper I made the flowers from (K&Company "Life's Journey Designer Paper Pad").  And Voila!  A quick Mother's Day gift, finished ahead of time--and I know she'll love it. 

 

 

 

I think I was 4.  I won't tell you what year it was.  ha.

 

I "wrapped" the picture in the paper wrapper that came in the Paper Pumpkin kit, and made another paper wrapper to go in the opposite direction from the K&Company paper pad.  I decided to save the linen ribbon that came with the kit and use some pretty ribbon that (one of)  my Stampin' Up Pusher... enabler...Demonstrator (!!) gave to me--(Debi--Love her!  I stamped the Happy Mother's Day stamp in Bermuda Bay on one of the white tags that came with the kit, added one of the hearts, and tied it on with some of the kit twine.  I love it when everything is all handy in one place! 

 

All ready for next Sunday.  Hope Mom likes it...  As well as the yummy dinner out my brother and I have planned for her!