Watercolouring blog hop: Three cards using Stylish Sketches Sale-a-Bration stamp set

Did you know it’s World Watercolouring Month? Or #WorldWatercolorMonth to be more precise? So I am delighted to be taking part in a blog hop celebrating this fabulous technique. 

 

 

Please read on for some tips and tricks for watercolouring using Stampin’ Up!® supplies and some inspiration using the new Stylish Sketches stamp set from the Sale-a-Bration Brochure.

Wet on Wet watercolouring with Accented Blooms

Look closely at the punched "Hello" panel on this card and you’ll see two shades in action. I inked up the whole stamp using Pumpkin Pie, then added some Poppy Parade around the bottom with a sponge dauber. I love the ombre effect it creates and it’s ever so simple to do.

The image itself is embossed in white then coloured in using a wet on wet watercolour technique – always fun... if a little unpredictable! Once it had dried, I went back and added some stronger splashes of colour.

Behind the image I’ve stamped some Artisan Textures splatters, just because I could and to break up the large expanse of Very Vanilla.

Hexagons Dynamic Embossing Folder gets the ombre look

One of my favourite products from the Spring/Summer catalogue is the Hexagon Dynamic Embossing Folder, as it’s so versatile. It goes with masculine projects, can be used to create honeycomb for bee projects, chicken wire to go with everybody’s favourite Sale-a-Bration set, Hey Chick... and here I’ve used it on a more feminine project.

It was inspired by a project I saw by the hugely talented Kristina Werner and uses a favourite technique of mine; watercolouring.

I began by creating an ombre effect on the watercolour paper. This is really simple: I wet the paper, then loaded a brush with diluted ink (Emerald Envy, Flirty Flamingo, Peche Fraiche) and swiped across the width. Then, instead of adding more ink, I wet the brush with clear water. This dilutes the colour so you get a graduated effect as you work down the paper. Once it was almost dry, I embossed each piece, then turned them around so the darker colour was at the bottom to create these fun projects.

This last one also has a watercoloured ombre background behind the balloon. The dies come with three wide bands, which you can use to create a striped effect to your balloon. I used the darker stripe at the top, to make it stand out from the paler sky.

If you wish to purchase the whole bundle (stamps and dies) instead of just stamps, these are the codes you need:

Lift Me Up Bundle

Wood mount: 144711

Clear mount: 144712

Swirly Bird meets Pêche Fraîche

Well, would you believe it? Pêche Fraîche makes another appearance on one of my projects. I think I’m getting used to it! The colour, that is, not the name. I’ll never get used to the name, so it will remain Pêche Fraîche for the foreseeable. 

I made this at a friend’s crafty get-together recently and had fun creating the watercolour background. After wetting the paper, I swiped with the two ink colours (Pêche Fraîche and Watermelon Wonder), allowing them to blend in the middle. Once dry, I splashed a little water around, left it for a minute or two, then dabbed it off gently with tissue paper. I painted some circles in clear water, too, then did the same - this created the paler backgrounds behind some of the flowers. 

When it had dried for the second time, I stamped on top with Swirly Bird and Watercolor Words, then finished off with some ribbon and just one Enamel Shape… in Pêche Fraîche of course. 

Swirly Bird Photopolymer Stamp Set [141749] £23.00	Watercolor Words Photopolymer Stamp Set [138702] £23.00	Watercolor Paper [122959] £4.50	Peekaboo Peach A4 Cardstock [141422] £7.25	Watermelon Wonder A4 Cardstock [138341] £7.25
Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549] £8.25	3/4" Circle Punch [119873] £11.50	2016-2018 In Color Enamel Shapes [141410] £8.25	Peekabo Peach 3/8" (1 Cm) Ruched Ribbon [141427] £7.25	Watermelon Wonder Classic Stampin' Pad [138323] £6.00
Peekaboo Peach Classic Stampin' Pad [141398] £6.00	Watermelon Wonder Classic Stampin' Ink Refill [138328] £3.00	Peekaboo Peach Classic Stampin' Ink Refill [141403] £3.00

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Mix It Up Monday: Love You Lots with fun watercolour background

It’s Mix It Up Monday and a bank holiday no less – hope you have a relaxing day off!

In case you missed last Monday’s post, I’ve just started working my way through a new set of In Color charts, featuring 50 colour combinations using the 2015-17 In Colors. 

And what a winning combination this one is! I have surprised myself by doing a complete U-turn about Sweet Sugarplum. What do you mean “that’s not a surprise”? I never do U-turns about craft supplies. I thought it was a sickly colour but I’m happy to report that it’s quite “dirty” and not that sweet after all. It goes perfectly with Rich Razzleberry and the addition of Old Olive and Crumb Cake are just genius, if I do say so myself. 

I’m quite chuffed with the card, too. I love this new stamp set - Love You Lots. It’s a hostess set in the upcoming catalogue, which means you can only get it if you host a qualifying party or place an order of £150 or more. The animals are so cute and, as I’ve shown here, you don’t always have to colour them in the traditional way. 

Here I’ve painted swathes of colour across some watercolour paper. I used the ink pad lids of Old Olive, Sweet Sugarplum and Rich Razzleberry. When it was dry (I sped things up with the heat tool), I sprinkled some clean water over the top, left it for a few seconds then dabbed it with a tissue. I stamped the image on top - and love how it gives the impression that the elephant is blowing bubbles. 

I continued the “bubbles” theme by adding some clear and white sequins, and by embossing the Old Olive cardstock with Softly Falling. There’s a thank you sentiment with this set but I liked “A little thanks” as a nod towards the tiny mouse. Overthinking, me? Never!

Love You Lots Clear-Mount Stamp Set [141801] £13.50	One Big Meaning Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139420] £17.00	Sweet Sugarplum A4 Cardstock [141423] £7.25	Rich Razzleberry A4 Card Stock [119981] £6.50	Crumb Cake A4 Card Stock [121685] £6.50
Old Olive A4 Card Stock [106576] £6.50	Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549] £7.25	Softly Falling Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [139672] £7.75	Punch Corner Project Life [135346] £7.25	Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad [126953] £6.00
Sweet Sugarplum Classic Stampin' Pad [141395] £6.00	Rich Razzlebberry Classic Stampin' Pad [126950] £6.00	Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad [126975] £6.00	Sweet Sugarplum 3/8" (1 Cm) Ruched Ribbon [141428] £7.25	Metallics Sequin Assortment [138390] £4.50

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Mix It Up Monday: Love You Lots with Emerald Envy

It’s Mix It Up Monday and time to start creating with my brand new set of In Color charts, featuring 50 colour combinations using the 2015-17 In Colors. 

I’ve started with a combo that’s WAY out of my comfort zone, using two brand new colours, Emerald Envy and... I can hardly bring myself to say the words... Peekaboo Peach. I’m going to feel SO ridiculous saying that colour name at Stampin’ Up!® parties! I even dug out my little-used Tempting Turquoise for the occasion. Definitely not my sort of colour combo but it seemed to fit the image. You’d be forgiven for missing this stamp set as it’s right at the back in the Stampin’ Rewards section, but do check it out. It’s called Love You Lots and you can earn it free when you host a £150 workshop. 

It’s just ripe for watercolouring, so that’s exactly what I did, using the ink in the lid of my Emerald Envy and Tempting Turquoise ink pads. 

Here’s a tip if you’re nervous about going over the edges (not that it matters, honest!) or about colours bleeding into each other and you’re too impatient to wait for them to dry. 

Start by painting with clean water. Paint the area you want to colour – in this case, the frog and, with a slight gap, the puddle below. Now, when you add the ink, it will only spread as far as the edges of the water and won’t bleed over the edges. Genius, eh?

And, of course, this gives you a useful margin for error: if your water painting goes “wrong”, you can allow it to dry and start again with no harm done. 

Watercolouring completed, I added a greeting with the new Thoughtful Banners stamp set and matching punch. To finish off, I had fun with some Timeless Textures spatters which, to my surprise, gave the card a bit of a 90s vibe; not sure why, but that’s the impression I get when looking at this project. 

Finally, I tried to photograph my project... and got photobombed!

Love You Lots Clear-Mount Stamp Set [141801] £13.50	Thoughtful Banners Photopolymer Bundle [142330] £31.50	Timeless Textures Clear-Mount Stamp Set [140517] £18.00	Tempting Turquoise Classic Stampin' Pad [126952] £6.00
Peekaboo Peach Classic Stampin' Pad [141398] £6.00	Emerald Envy Classic Stampin' Pad [141396] £6.00	Jet Black Stazon Ink Pad [101406] £7.25	Emerald Envy A4 Cardstock [141420] £7.25
Watercolor Paper [122959] £4.50	Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549] £7.25	Peekaboo Peach A4 Cardstock [141422] £7.25

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com