Fall watercolor

I have to decided to try watercolor in fall colors.  I like to send Thanksgiving cards, so it's time to get started.  I'm also try to work with the Go for the Gold challenge that I started in the last couple of posts.

On this card, I used Peerless Watercolor papers and Canson XL watercolor papers.  I stamped the sentiment and the leaves with Versamark ink and used copper embossing powder for some shine.  I also added a rim of copper embossing powder around the edge of the watercolored layer before adhering to a cream colored base card.

On this card, I used the same watercolor procedure, but used gold embossing powder.  One of my leaves did not stamp well and left a gap in the center.  I attempted to add ink from a Versamark pen and more embossing powder.  It didn't work too well, but I will work on more cards.

Watercolor gold

I've been following Sandy Allnock's free classes on Go for the Gold.  I'm not really one who uses a lot of gold, but I decided to try it with this card.

 

I bought some of the watercolor paper that Sandy recommends for card makers - Canson XL.  I used the liquid watercolors by Dr. Ph. Martin that I've had for many years.   After coloring with 3 colors, I spritzed the paper with water with gold Perfect Pearls added.  When paper was dry, I cut it out with a Spellbinders die.  I then rubbed it with my embossing buddy - a little pillow filled with powder.  I stamped the flowers from Penny Black with Versamark ink and embossed with Ranger gold embossing powder.  Finally, I stamped the Hero Arts sentiment with the same ink and embossed with same embossing powder.

I started to mount the layer to a white card base and didn't like it.  I took Sandy's advice and rubbed Versamark ink around the edges and added the gold embossing powder.  I didn't get good coverage the first time, so I added more ink and more embossing powder.  I used Tombow Xtreme tape runner to adhere to base card.

Another watercolor card

Today, I made myself make a card - first time in a couple of months.  I tried watercolor again.  I found several bottles of very old Dr. Ph. Martin Hydrous fine art watercolor.  It's a liquid with a dropper.  I dropped a couple of colors onto a plastic lid and added water.  I then brushed some onto damp watercolor paper.  The color was very intense, so I blotted some off with a paper towel.  I also spritzed the background with water with gold Perfect Pearls added.  I selected a portion of this and die cut it with a Spellbinders dies.

I used Versafine ink to stamp the flowers and sentiment, then added white embossing powder.  The butterfly is made with a Martha Stewart punch.

Where have I been?

Since I've been missing for a while, I decided to give you an update.  I attempted to upgrade my computer from Windows 7 to Windows 10.  It didn't work for me and I decided to buy a new computer.  I still don't know how to use Windows 10, but will work on learning.  My backed up files are supposedly restored, but I can't find them.  I need to do some studying to figure out what to do next.  I haven't been making cards so there is nothing new to post.  Hopefully, that will come when I figure out how to use this computer.

Watercolor wheat field

I've been wanting to expand my watercolor cards.  This one took me a long time, but I have decided to quit working on it and get the card finished.  I made this card for an old friend that I knew when we both lived in Kansas.  Wheat fields bring back lots of memories.

I started this card with Twinkling H2Os to get a little shimmer.  I then tried to create a wheat field with watercolor pencils.  When I added the water with a brush, it blurred the wheat, but still gives the feel of a wheat field in the distance.  The larger sprig of wheat is a stamp from Serendipity and the sentiment stamps are by Hero Arts.

Watercolor flowers

Since I mailed my final box of cards to Operation Write Home, I haven't attempted to make cards.  For anyone who doesn't know, OWH finished their mission and will not accept cards received after August 1, 2015.

I have family birthdays to work on, so gave watercolor another attempt.  This time, I used Twinkling H2Os that have been in my stash for many years.  I never thought of them as watercolors, but they really are meant for that.  I used to use them the color images.  On this card, I used them to create the background.  It has a pleasant shimmer, which doesn't show in the scan.

The flowers are Hero Arts stamps, colored with Marvy Markers, then spritzed before stamping.  The sentiment is by Penny Black, stamped with Versafine Onyx Black ink.

PS: I decided to take a photo of the card to show the shimmer of the Twinkling H2Os.

Life moves on...

I'm having a quiet day at home and enjoying the summer sunshine.  This morning, I spotted a lovely spider web suspended from my patio cover.  He's a tiny little spider, but has built an impressive web.  It even looks like he a caught a few insects in his web.

The sun shining through his web shows the lovely iridescence.  He must have worked hours building that lovely netting.  I'm sure he'll have to repeat this process again tonight because they always get destroyed during the day.  I don't know why I called him 'he'.  It's probably a female who does all this work.

Patriotic thank you

Celebrating the 4th of July got me in the mood to make some patriotic cards for OWH.

This eagle is an old stamp from Viva Las Vegas Stamps that I stamped in Versamark ink and embossed with gold embossing powder.  The sentiment is a stamp from Inkadinkado.  The dies are from Spellbinders.  Stars are left over from a border punch.

Both the eagle and the sentiment are stickers from Pop-Ups.  Dies are from Spellbinders and the papers and ribbon are from my stash.

Happy 4th of July!

In honor of Independence Day in the USA, I watercolored the American flag.  I turned it into a Thank You card for OWH for the July ODBD challenge.

 

My stamp had tiny stars on it, but my watercoloring obliterated them, so I added some punched stars.  The flag pole also turned out terrible, so I used a piece of cardstock to replace it.

Playing with watercolor, again

I managed to get to the big city and bought some new watercolor brushes this week.

My next step was to attempt to create a card, using the new brushes.  I used Arches Watercolour Paper and Peerless watercolor papers for this project.  I taped the paper to hardboard to keep it flat, then proceded to play with my new toys.

The sentiment is stamped with Versamark ink and embossed with white powder.  I also outlined the barn and tree with a brown Sharpie to show the details.  The barn and tree stamps are from Art Impression and the sentiment stamp is from an OWH set from Simon Says Stamp.  The finished image was cut out with a Simon Says Stamp stitched rectangle die and mounted to white card base with Tombow Xtreme tape runner.