Special Reason watercolour effects

Try this: Take the largest daisy image from the Special Reasons stamp set (SU) and color three different colors directly on the stamp. I used Cucumber Crush in the center, So Saffron on the inner petals and Flirty Flamingo on the outside petals. Then using your Stampin' Spritzer, mist the whole thing really well. (I probably misted it too much, but I do love what happened next!)

 

This picture (above) isn't the greatest, but maybe you can sort of see how it turned out. I simply stamped that big flower image three times on three separate pieces of Whisper White cardstock. Each time I stamped I breathed an "Oh-h-h-h!" to myself! Watercolor does that to me every time! You just NEVER know what it will surprise you with.
Using those three images, I created the following cards. See what I mean? From bright and happy to sweet and soft! They cover all moods.
And don't you LOVE how that stem die from the Special Reasons set creates a gorgeous negative space?! I just love everything about this set!

good egg

Inside this card it says, "You are a good egg!" I can't beGIN to explain how wonderful it is to FINALLY have a chicken stamp set! And it's FREEEEEE in the Saleabration catalogue RIGHT NOW, with a purchase of $60CD. And the BEST thing about this set is this wonderful realistic Polish Rooster. That's right! He's a rooster, but there HAD to be an egg on this card....
(For those of you who know about these wonderful Polish guys, the designer of this stamp set obviously knew they cocked their heads to the side and she made this roo to do EXACTLY the right thing!)

watercolor peonies

Water coloring is so...so......so NEAT! SPECIAL! I don't know HOW to say it I guess! Water color has a mystique to it that other techniques don't. OK! I know that's just MY take on it, but since this is my spot to air my opinions, that's what you'll get! I used my aqua painter and re-inkers dropped onto a clear block as my palette. That's right! A clear block makes the perfect palette! It's washable and smooth enough to mix colors to perfection.

two ways to use paper strips by Karly

While you may wonder why I posted these two cards of Karly's on the same page, it's cuz they showcase two different ways you can piece your paper colors to create two completely different looks. (I've studied and studied these cards, Kar!!  Keep them coming!)

for you flourish (effortless)

I'm simply addicted to the diecuts from the Flourishing Phrases bundle from Stampin' Up. This is a simple card, easily put together in a few minutes.

jar of lilacs for you

I tried to get a picture that showed the Wink of Stella glitter paint and this is the closest I got. It adds a subtle glimmer to the lilacs.

just a note

square thankyou and compliments

amazing watercolor backgrounds

My favorite 5-year-old co-cardmaker and I once made these backgrounds. They were laid aside for another day and now using the Flourishing Phrases stamp set and Flourish thinlits dies, I created these cards with those backgrounds. It's our version of doodling! Ha!!
By the way, if you purchase this stamp and die bundle you save 10%!!! Let me know if I can grab them for you!!

best fishes

These two cards were made using SU's bundle which includes the stamp set Jar of Love and the framelits dies Everyday Jars. The top card is 3-d with a clear center and gems inside the fishbowl while the 2nd card has the gems adhered on the bottom of the jar.

coffee celebration

I know I'm late. But I've been busy since sale-a-bration ended weeeeeeeeks ago. I'm kinda very sad the coffee and tea cups (stamps and dies) aren't available in the new annual catty, but I've certainly had my fun with them anyway!

bleech painting

i'm here for you

I just love this sentiment. It's so caring. So this whole post is full of cards that tell you "I'm here for you!"

Besides challenging myself to use DSP, the following card has the added interest of holes punched in it and butterflies on the INSIDE of the card!

and drink coffee!

I don't know what to say about these cards except I used a mixture of different brands of product on them. There's just something so comforting and earthy about a good cup of coffee and a good coffee card!

all about roses

These cards are all very different from each other, but they have one common element. They were created with the Rose Garden and Rose Wonder stamps and dies bundle. The card above was water colored after the image was embossed in clear on watercolor paper.

 

Above, is another die-cut and water colored rose card. I love how these images lend themselves to simple elegance. Below is a partial die-cut rose. Again, simply elegant.

pedal pushers saleabration

These two cards showcase two new stamp sets. Actually three! Timeless Textures, Pedal Pushers, and Balloon Celebrations. I soooo hope SU keeps Timeless Textures as it's a MUST HAVE set! I used it to give the illusion of ground and sky on both of these cards. It's a little hard to see, but on the floral card, look closely beneath those flowers and you will see another image from those gorgeous textures. And don't even get me STARTED on Pedal Pushers! WOWWWW!!! And you only have till the end of March to get it ABSOLUTELY FREE with the purchase of $60 worth of SU product (before shipping and taxes). Please do grab it! It's soooo fun especially with spring around the corner.

ombre botanicals

The brayer came in handy with this ombre design. It's fairly simple and straight forward. I left off the sentiment so I could quick add it when I know what occasion I will use it for.

ice cream anyone?

Sprinkles of Life is a fun fun fun stamp set with coordinating punch that I don't use nearly often enough. Here's a really simple and quick card made from Sprinkles. You could dress it up with string or ribbon or buttons or candy dots or ANYTHING!! I left it clean and simple today.

moon lake in watercolor

No matter how much I try to use DSP I always fall back on the solid color cardstock for matting my water color designs. Tell me what's wrong with me! I gave it an honest try on both of these cards, putting Designer Series Paper behind my viny cutout layer, but it simply refused to come together until I popped a simple solid color back there. The DSP made it too busy somehow. I'm sure any of YOU could have done it and turned out a gorgeous card, but me?? Ah, no!!!

I didn't put a sentiment onto these cards just yet since I didn't know what occasion they were to be used for. They would fit anything from birthday to Mother's Day and even sympathy...for sure the one below looks restful enough for sympathy. Or friendship. Or anything!!

watercolor florals

You know how every now and then you hit upon a genius inspiration and your cards turn out EXACTLY LIKE YOU PICTURED! Well, the card (above) is just such a card. The two below are versions of the original plan. It all happened because I finally decided I MUST have the squares thinlets dies for frames for watercolor prints. Wow! Why didn't I get them sooner? While you can easily copy what I did here, I do have a few extra ideas or tips to acquire just this look.
~I pulled out my trusty Husqvarna sewing machine to stitch through my frame. I'm leaving my machine out now because if I put it away I'll forget what a nice touch those threads give to many different designs.
~Try Basic Gray ink to stamp your image. I love how soft the end result is especially with watercolored designs. Black sometimes is too bold for the soft edges that watercoloring creates.
~Stampin' Up's aqua painters are a must-have for this technique.
~Don't be afraid to stick to all-whites when matting your watercolor images. So clean and fresh.

And the card below is a watercolored image that I used black ink for the outline stamp. It should be fairly easy to CASE by just looking at the picture.