Tag: Watercolor backgrounds

Holidays 2022, St. Patrick's Day, Watercolor

Easy Rainbow Watercolor Background Square Card

kittieslovecrafting

St. Patrick’s Day Cards

Hello friends. Need a quick card for St. Patrick’s Day?!? The watercolor background on this card is super quick to make and there’s no for perfection (which I love) necessary because it should look like paint was dropped on the paper.

For this card, I cut a piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ to 4-1/4 x 8-1/2″ and scored at 4-1/4″ to create the card base. Then, using the largest of the scallop squares (4 x 4″) from the Sizzix Framelits Die Set 6/PK – Squares, Scallop, I diecut the card base. I left the die about an 1/8″ off the card so that it would leave the top connected.

I cut a piece of Montval Acid-Free Cold Press Watercolor Paper, 140 lb, 18 X 24 in, Natural White to about 4 x 4″ and used the Catherine Pooler ink refills in Party Dress, Tiki Torch, Limoncello, Lime Rickey, Something Borrowed, and Grape Crush to create drips on the panel. I just squirted a dot of the ink onto the very top of the panel then using a brush dripped water onto it and let it run down the page. I added some splashes with a few of the same inks.

Then I diecut the panel using the second largest die from the Sizzix s Die Set 6/PK – Squares, Scallop (3-3/8 x 3-3/8″). I stamped the cat from Newton’s Nook Designs Newton’s Pot of Gold and the shamrocks from Simon Says Stamps WOOLY-LUCKY stampset onto some Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink.

I colored the images with Copic colors. I used N5 & N8 and Y15 & Y17 for the pot of gold; YG17, G07 & G09, N5 & N8 and Y15 & Y17 for Newton’s hat; N1, N2, 0 & R20 for Newton; and YG17, G07 & G09 for the shamrocks.

I stamped the sentiment from the from Newton’s Nook Designs Newton’s Pot of Gold onto some Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, then using my MISTI stamped over it with Versamark Ink, heat embossed it with Ranger CLEAR Embossing Powder and cut it to 3/8 x 2-1/2″.

I adhered all the images and sentiment onto the panel and to the card base using 3M Foam Tape.

I left the inside of the card blank.

Dimensions

Supplies

Thanks for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed and I’ve inspired you to give this card a try for yourself. Leave comments or questions below or feel free to email.

Distress Ink Techniques, Tips and Tricks, Watercolor

Creating Easy Distress Backgrounds…(Part 1)

kittieslovecrafting

Hello friends. I had some fun playing with my distress inks and other products and created several backgrounds. Sometimes it’s nice just to play with mediums and not think too much. I love distress inks because they create cool effects when water or other mediums are combined with them. I ended up with 6 backgrounds I will later turn into cards. Stay tuned for that post…

For these backgrounds I decided to test out the reaction Distress Oxides and Distress Crayons had with water and also salt plus white vinegar. I also tested Cold Press Watercolor Paper and Strathmore Bristol Smooth Multimedia Paper. I was actually surprised at the reaction of the watercolor paper to the salt and vinegar.

For the first set of backgrounds, I started the process by ink blending on both the Cold Press Watercolor Paper and Strathmore Bristol Smooth Multimedia Paper. I used Kitsch Flamingo, Worn Lipstick, Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, and Walnut Stain Distress Oxide Inks. I sprayed water onto both panels with the Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer, let it sit for a few minutes and pat dry with a paper towel.

I then used Abandoned Coral, Carved Pumpkin, and Worn Lipstick Distress Crayons and smeared them with my finger (Tip: Wet your finger a little to smooth). Then sprayed more water again.

Left = Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper; Right = Watercolor Paper

Observations: One thing I noticed is that the distress crayons are much harder to move and blend out on the watercolor paper. They require a lot more water then on the Strathmore Bristol Smooth Multimedia Paper. But the colors look more saturated and vibrant on the watercolor paper.

Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper
Watercolor Paper

Once all the ink was dry, I mixed some Perfect Copper Perfect Pearls by Ranger with water and randomly added splashed and went around the edges of one of the panels.

Once all dry, I used the Stampers Anonymous – Tim Holtz – Ledger Script Stamp with Ranger Archival JET BLACK Ink to both panels. I used the Stampin’ Up! Timeless Textures Rubber Stampset (retired) with Spiced Marmalade and Picked Raspberry Distress Oxide Inks on the watercolor paper panel and stamped using the Tim Holtz® Stampers Anonymous Wildflower Layering Stencils (THS035) with Ranger Archival JET BLACK Ink on the Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper panel.

Left = Watercolor Paper; Right = Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper

Finished the panels by adding splashes with watered down white Gesso on both and black ink on the watercolor paper panel.

Watercolor Paper
Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper

For the second set of backgrounds, I started the process by ink blending on both the Cold Press Watercolor Paper and Strathmore Bristol Smooth Multimedia Paper. I used Scattered Straw, Mermaid Lagoon, Mowed Lawn and Walnut Stain Distress Oxide Inks. I sprayed water onto both panels with the Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer and sprinkled Coarse Salt, let it sit for a few minutes and pat dry with a paper towel and rubbed off the salt. Be very gentle with this because you can tear you paper if it’s still wet.

I then used Salty Ocean, Blueprint Sketch, Mustard Seed, and Vintage Photo Distress Crayons and smeared them with my finger (Tip: Wet your finger a little to smooth). I reinked the panels with Mermaid Lagoon and Mowed Lawn Distress Oxide Inks to brighten them up a bit. Then, added more salt and water to see if it would react again.

Left = Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper; Right = Watercolor Paper

Observations: I didn’t see much of a reaction to the salt on either papers. Not sure if I didn’t leave it on a sufficient amount of time or if only the regular distress inks react to the salt. Again, the distress crayons are much harder to move and blend out on the watercolor paper and the colors are more vibrant on the watercolor paper.

Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper
Watercolor Paper

Once all the ink was dry, I mixed some Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls Pigment Powder by Ranger with water and randomly added splashed and went around the edges of one of the panels.

I used the Kaisercraft Postmarks Background Stamp with Ground Espresso Distress Oxide Ink and Stampin’ Up! Timeless Textures Rubber Stampset (retired) with Mermaid Lagoon Distress Oxide Ink on the Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper panel and Stampers Anonymous – Tim Holtz – Ledger Script Stamp with Mermaid Lagoon Distress Oxide Ink and Tim Holtz® Stampers Anonymous Wildflower Layering Stencils (THS035) with Ground Espresso Distress Oxide Ink on the watercolor paper panel.

Left = Watercolor Paper; Right = Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper

Finished the panels by adding splashes with watered down white Gesso and Ground Espresso Distress Oxide Ink on both panels.

Watercolor Paper
Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper

For the third set of backgrounds, I started the process by ink blending on both the Cold Press Watercolor Paper and Strathmore Bristol Smooth Multimedia Paper. I used Milled Lavender, Seedless Preserves, Wilted Violet, Chipped Sapphire, Cracked Pistachio and Walnut Stain Distress Oxide Inks. I sprayed water and white vinegar onto both panels with the Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer and sprinkled Iodized Table Salt (fine grain), let it sit for a few minutes and pat dry with a paper towel and gently rubbed off the salt.

Left = Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper; Right = Watercolor Paper

Then I did some ink smooshing with a few of the colors above, added water, white vinegar and salt again and let it sit for a few minutes.

Observations: Again very little reaction to the salt on either papers, But when rubbing off the salt from the watercolor paper panel, some of the areas of the paper pilled and rubbed off. Not a big deal; it just adds to the texture.

Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper
Watercolor Paper

Once all the ink was dry, I used some Lindy’s Magical Shakers in Alpine Ice Rose, Magnolia Magenta Gold, and Time Teal Travel with water and added to some areas of the panels.

I used Stampin’ Up! Timeless Textures Rubber Stampset (retired) with Seedless Preserves, and Chipped Sapphire Distress Oxide Inks and the Stampers Anonymous – Tim Holtz – Ledger Script Stamp with Ranger Archival JET BLACK Ink on the watercolor panel. Then, on the Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper panel, I used the Stampin’ Up! Timeless Textures Rubber Stampset (retired) and the Kaisercraft Postmarks Background Stamp with Chipped Sapphire Distress Oxide Inks and the Tim Holtz® Stampers Anonymous Wildflower Layering Stencils (THS035) with Ranger Archival JET BLACK Ink.

Left = Watercolor Paper; Right = Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper
Watercolor Paper
Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper

Finished the panels by adding splashes with watered down white Gesso and black ink on on both panels.

Stay tuned for another post creating some quick and easy cards with these panels in the near future.

Supplies

Thanks for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed and I’ve inspired you to give these backgrounds a try for yourself. They are lots of fun to make! Leave comments or questions below or feel free to email.

Father's Day, Holidays 2021, Masculine, Watercolor

Watercolor Father’s Day Shape Card

kittieslovecrafting

Hi friends. I’m back with a very easy watercolor card for Father’s Day, using the Honey Bee Stamps Big Pickup Tailgate Stampset. If you are not a great watercolorist and have trouble coloring within the lines (like me), this technique will save you tons of aggravation. It also uses minimal supplies.

I started by stamping the truck image from Honey Bee Stamps Big Pickup Tailgate Stampset with Versamark Ink onto Canson XL Series Watercolor Pad. Then added Gold Embossing Powder over it and heat set it. I also stamped the sentiment on the license plate and “Happy Father’s Day” from the Lawn Fawn HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY Stampset and heat set them with the same embossing powder.

I used my Kuretake GANSAI TAMBI Watercolor Set to color the image. I love these watercolors. theya re very pigmented and produce beautiful colors. But you can easily use dye inks to watercolor as well. Once dry, I diecut the truck with the coordinating dies. I also cut another truck from the Canson XL Series Watercolor Pad for the back of the car as well as a strip measuring 1″ wide x 3/4″ long and scored it at 1/2″. I adhered the strip to the back and front panels of the card to create the card base.

I left the inside of the card blank.

Supplies

Thanks for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed and I’ve inspired you to give this easy watercolor card a try for yourself. Leave comments or questions below or feel free to email me.

Birthdays, Celebrations, Masculine, Watercolor

Creating Feminine and Masculine Watercolor Cards Using One Stampset

kittieslovecrafting

Hi friends. I’m back with some more cute cards using the Honey Bee Stamps Big Pickup Cab Stampset. Do you have stampsets that you think won’t work for both feminine and masculine cards?!? Try changing the color. It worked great for these birthday cards.

I started by stamping the truck image from Honey Bee Stamps Big Pickup Cab Stampset with Catherine Pooler Designs Midnight Ink onto Canson XL Series Watercolor Pad. Then added Clear Embossing Powder over it and heat set it. Next I used Tim Holtz Spun Sugar Distress Ink and Picked Raspberry Distress Ink for the truck, Mustard Seed Distress Ink for the headlights, Pumice Stone and Black Soot Distress Inks for the tires and metal items, and Tumbled Glass Distress Ink for the windshield.

Once dry, I stamped the sentiment on the hood with Catherine Pooler Designs Midnight Ink and diecut the truck with the coordinating dies. I also cut another truck from the Canson XL Series Watercolor Pad for the back of the car as well as a strip measuring 1″ wide x 3/4″ long and scored it at 1/2″. I adhered the strip to the back and front panels of the card to create the card base.

For the second card, I followed the same procedure except I used Catherine Pooler Designs Suede Shoes and Eucalyptus Inks for the truck, Catherine Pooler Designs Chiffon Ink for the headlights, Stampin’ Up! Smoky Slate and Catherine Pooler Designs Black Jack Ink for the tires and metal items, and Catherine Pooler Designs Hot Tub Ink for the windshield.

And that completes these cards. They are pretty easy to make. The watercoloring is a little time consuming but I find it cathartic. If it’s not your thing, use your favorite coloring tools instead.

I left the inside of the cards blank.

Supplies

Thanks for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed and I’ve inspired you to give these watercolor cards a try for yourself. Leave comments or questions below or feel free to email me.

Holidays 2020, Love & Friendship, Valentine's Day

Use What You Have: A Valentine’s Day Card

kittieslovecrafting

Hello friends. For 2020, I want to try to be aware of the supplies I have in my stash and use them. I find that I have a lot of stamps that I purchase for a season or holiday or that comes in a kit and I use it once. And that’s just wasteful! Give your craft supplies some extra love this year!

For this card I featured Simon Says Stamp I Chews You Stampset. It’s a 6 x 8 stampset with tons of cute images and sentiments. It was included in the Simon Says Stamp Stamptember 2018 I Chews You Limited Edition card kit (no longer available). I haven’t had too much opportunity to use it since I bought it, so it was time. And the food characters are friggin’ adorable so I just had to, you know what I mean?!? Food brings people joy and love so a card with cute food on it is just perfect for Valentine’s Day, don’t you think?

Ok, so I started by cutting a piece of Stampin’ Up! Real Red 8 1/2 x 11” Cardstock to 5-1/2 x 8-1/2″and scored at 4-1/4″ for the card base, a piece of Valentine’s Day pattern paper (this came in the Crafty Parcel I purchased from Simon Says Stamp) to 4 x 5-1/4”, and a piece of Montval Acid Free Coldpress Watercolor Paper to 3-3/4 x 5”. Then, I used Ranger Tim Holtz Picked Raspberry Distress Crayon and my waterbrush (any brush will do) and created a background. I applied a few layers, letting each layer dry (use a heat gun if you are inpatient like me), until I got the color I wanted. It was my first time using the Distress Crayons and I was not expecting to like them but they are actually pretty cool and work well.

While that panel dried, I stamped a bunch of the food characters from the Simon Says Stamp I Chews You Stampset onto Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. It was so hard to choose which ones too use. I love them all soo much!!! I colored them with COPIC markers. I used Y00 and Y13 for the pizza crust, E40, E53 and YR09 for the top of the pizza, and YR09 for the pepperoni and G99 for the peppers. I used E53 and E57 for the cinnabun and pretzel; R17 and R29 for the gumball machine, BG00 and 0 for the glass on it, C1, C5, and C7 for the metal parts, and R81, R83, R17, R29, C00 and 0 for the gumballs; G43 and G99 for the pickle; Y13, Y15, and Y18 for the taco shell, G42 and G99 for the lettuce and YR09 and R17 for the tomato. And BG000 and BG01 for the cupcake wrapper, R81, R83, and R85 for the cupcake and R29 and G43 for the sprinkles.

Once the watercolor panel was dry, I used Wendy Vecchi WHITE Embossing Paste and American Crafts Heidi Swapp Stencil 6 X6 Polka Dot and applied it in some places on the panel. Then I sprinkled Ruby Red Martha Stewart Glitter on top of it. Once the paste was all dry I shook off the excess glitter. Unfortunately, most of the glitter shook off so I rubbed some Ranger Tim Holtz Picked Raspberry Distress Crayon to the raised areas.

I adhered the hearts pattern paper to the card base and the watercolor panel to that paper. Then proceeded to fussycut the images and adhered them to the bottom of the card using Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue. I popped up a couple of the images with some Stampin’ Dimensionals. I also added a shadow under the images using COPIC markers C3, C5 and the blender.

I stamped “Hugs & Kisses” onto a piece of Simon Says Stamp Card Stock 100# BLACK with Versamark Ink and WOW Embossing Powder Opaque Bright White Super Fine. The sentiment is from an old stampset but I don’t where it came from because when I started crafting I didn’t save the backing or note the company 🙁 I cut the piece down to 1 x 3-1/2″, cut the right side into a banner edge and adhered to the panel using. I finished it off by punching some tiny hearts from Stampin’ Up! Real Red 8 1/2 x 11” Cardstock using the Stampin’ Up! Owl Builder Punch (retired). You can use any tiny heart dies you may have.

For the inside for the card, I cut a piece of Neenah 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock 8.5 X 11″ to 4 x 5-1/4” and a piece of the pattern paper to 1 x 5-1/4”. I stamped Happy Valentine’s Day from the Lawn Fawn happy happy happy Add-on stampset with Black Memento Ink and added some more of the little hearts to complete the inside of this card.

Dimensions

Thanks for reading this post and I hope I’ve inspired you to give this card a try or make some Valentine’s Day cards of your own. Leave comments or questions below or feel free to email.