Creating and Connecting

I could not resist making another card with the extra images I had stamped and embossed for my last card, from the Altenew Golden Garden stamp set! And for inspiration in design for today's card I used the February 2020 Altenew Inspiration Challenge and the Flower Challenge #41 "Add Leaves". I am joining these challenges with today's card. If you would like more on how I watercolor or arrange my florals, my last post was made with the same stamp set and the same general method.  I include a video on my watercoloring in my recent post. I used different colors and arranged the florals in a different pattern. You can find it here: Watercoloring Altenew's Golden Garden Stamp Set      Thank you for stopping by! Have a great day! Betty If you enjoyed your visit please click on the "Follow by email" button on the right side of this post and follow me on my journey. P.S.  I am so happy to hav...

I am super happy to be back again to be a guest designer at the  Just Us Girls Challenge where the Trend Week theme is "stripes". I thought it was a good time to do a little watercoloring with some florals from Altenew's Golden Garden stamp set to add to my stripes. Oh wait, any time is a good time to watercolor florals!  I used Crafter's Companion Torn Panel background die for my stripes. Tips on how I achieved this look in watercoloring: 1. My basic method usually is that I work in two layers. In the first layer I add color with some depth. In the second layer I add more color and depth, and texture. 2. Use the right amount of water in your little "well" made with the embossing. Make sure it is lightly pigmented.  Then you add darker pigment into the light. You know you are at least close to the right amount if, when you add the darker pigment it spreads fairly slowly and doesn't take over the whole area.  If the pi...

It is a beautiful day because I got back into my craft room, and I am using the Beautiful Day stamp set by Altenew. My card was inspired by 2 challenges that I am joining.  Virginia at the  Altenew January 2020 Inspiration Challenge  chose this amazing color combination. Don't you just love it! And the theme at the Flower Challenge  inspired me to make a shaped card.  I love that challenges bring out cards that I otherwise likely would not come up with.   Tips: 1. Stamp your images and emboss them with your white embossing powder on your favorite water color paper.  2. Water color your images and then cut them out.  I used Daniel Smith watercolor combination including Quinacridone Lilac, Rose of Ultramarine, Cadmium Orange Hue, Permanent Green Light, Sap Green and Under Sea Green.  I repeated a bit of the purply pink in the orange flowers and the green leaves as well as on its own on some flowers for some...

Who wants to watercolor this beautiful Beautiful Bouquet Dahlia stamp from WPlus9! Pick me!!! It is an oldie but a goodie.  (I hope that is not what they are saying about me:) And Ellen Hutson still has it in stock, wow! I hope that you can go make a card and have some fun today! Betty     Supplies:  Beautiful Bouquet Dahlia Watercolor Cardstock This post contains affiliate links. When you shop using these links I receive a small commission at no cost to you.  Thank you for your support!

Watercoloring Colorado Craft Company's Bethlehem's Light stamp using Inkon3 Fadeout No Line Coloring Detail Ink  is fun and easy! This is Day 3 of Kathy Racoosin's 30 Day Coloring Challenge. In this challenge she encourages us to do what we love and color every day for 30 days. Here is a link to her blog if you want to know more about her challenge: The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge . So that is what I have done, I have watercolored for the last 3 days.  This card took 50 minutes, but the video is not nearly that long:) I hope you enjoy a short video to show how easy it is to make this card. Tips: 1. Inkon3 Fadeout No Line Coloring Detail Ink  is a must! I love it. It takes on the pigment of whatever paint color you apply to it. 2. Start with a light wash of paint, leaving some gaps where you want highlights. 3. Add more layers, using darker paint on each layer where the shadows would occur including along some of the detail lines of the stamp.  Co...

Watercolor galaxy backgrounds have never been so fun, and pairing them with the Space Out by Brandi Kinkaid Essentials by Ellen  stamp set is the best! I know, I will probably be saying this quite often for a while, but thank you Ellen for this fun set!  When she came to visit she brought me so many things to play with. Thank you! Here is a video of how I made this card. Tips: 1.  Use whatever watercolor powder you have. I have Brusho, but I have seen Color Burst with Ken Oliver and if I had them I am sure I would have a lot of fun with them as well. Shimmerz is also on my wish list to try using this technique. 2. I find that the key to the outcome is using a fine mist spray bottle that doesn't put out too much water at once.  I use the Stampin' Spritzer.   I have found I douse my page with too much water using my Ranger Distress Sprayer. 3. Tape your watercolor paper to a firm surface on all sides because it will be bulging, because you...

Watercoloring the Essentials by Ellen Mondo Gerbera Daisy  did not go as planned, but what goes as planned in life!  Ellen brought me this stamp set when she came to visit a few weeks ago.  She brought me many gifts you will see me use in upcoming posts:) Thank you Ellen!  I just had to use it before fall was over and where better to use it than the Inkspirational Challenge !   I started out with no line watercoloring, but when I finished it still needed a little somethin', so I added the black stamp outline and a little splatter and it turned out just right.     Today I am joining the Inkspirational Challenge   with my fall themed card inspired by this photo:      I hope you can go make a card and have some fun! Betty Supplies: Essentials by Ellen Mondo Gerbera Daisy Black Ink Pad Canson Arches Cold Press Watercolor Paper Daniel Smith Payne's Gray Daniel Smith Quinacridone Deep G...

No line watercoloring is one of my favorite techniques, so today I have used the Essentials by Ellen  Mondo Magnolia stamp. The reason I am excited to share this card today is because I want all of you to know about an amazing paint color.  I did not have this color in my palette until a sweet friend shared it with me. (You know who you are, and thank you!) It is the main color I used in this image,  Daniel Smith's Bronzite Genuine .  Do you see that shimmer! (If you are on your phone please zoom in, it is there.) I love it! I did not add the shimmer, it is right in the paint. Other small tips: Prior to painting I masked the stamens using a calligraphy pen to apply the masking fluid. I used  Daniel Smith Blue Apatite Genuine for my shadows and mixed a bit of  Daniel Smith Burnt Sienna with the Bronzite Genuine for the fine details of the flower. Once everything dried I removed the mask and added some glossy accents to the flower a...

I watercolored the Essentials by Ellen Mondo Amaryllis .   It is a wonderful new addition to the mondo collection of flowers and is amazing to watercolor. I remember every Christmas our Mom would have brought an amaryllis bulb out which she had stored to somehow, miraculously to me, make it bloom at just the right time.  And there was always the suspense before it opened on how many flowers would be on it that year.  This image is a fond reminder of those days! Tips: When painting petals of this size I paint one petal at a time. After letting it dry I add a second layer for the detail. I mixed a bit of Sepia with Quinacridone Coral to soften the coral boldness.  I used Payne's Gray for the drop shadow. I used a white gouache with a bit of Payne's Gray for the stamens. The opaque nature of the gouache allowed me to cover the under layer of painting. If you are thinking of buying the Daniel Smith watercolors and will only use them for sm...