Halloween 2022 | Project #8, Trick or Treat

Hi friends! Today’s card was inspired by a recent faux dip-dye watercolor technique I learned from Kristina Werner (IG: @starofmay, YT: K Werner Design). Kristina is an extremely talented card maker and has so many amazing techniques to share on her YouTube channel, if you haven’t already done so, I highly recommend you checking out her channel… AMAZING ARTIST!

I started by taping a piece of Strathmore Watercolor Paper to one of my hardboards using blue painter’s tape and gathered my watercolor paints, paint brush, and a cup of clean water to create the background for my card front. I used Kuretake Watercolor Paints (#31, #46, #47, and #20) and about halfway down the page began painting layers of the colors I listed previously beginning with a very watered-down version of #31 and dried that layer with my heat gun before proceeding to apply the next layer of paint. Each subsequent layer of paint is going to be darker and darker until I eventually ended up with black. Each layer must be dried before adding the next layer of paint. It’s such a fun painting technique – this is a link to Kristina’s YouTube video where she uses this technique to create a card: 🔴 EDITED REPLAY - Faux Dip-Dye with Watercolor (4 color combos) - YouTube.

Once my painted background was completely dry, I misted the entire panel with a couple sprays of Technique Junkies’ Iridescent Shimmering Bliss. Next, I used Trinity Stamps’ Modern Embossed Rectangle Stacks to die cut the panel and adhered it to a black, top folding, A2 size card base using Simon Says Stamps’ Big Momma Foam Tape.

To finish the card, I stamped the Trick Or Treat sentiment from Simon Says Stamps’ Handlettered Halloween stamp set using Altenew’s Embossing Ink onto a piece of black cardstock and dusted it with Ranger’s Silver Super Fine Embossing Powder and set it with my heat gun. I fussy cut the sentiment, applied foam adhesive to the back and adhered it to the card front. Card complete!

Thank you so much for stopping by to see me - I appreciate you doing so!

Until next time…

Halloween 2022 | Project #7, Dungeon & Dragon

Hi friends! Today’s card is a fun one that was inspired by the Whimsy Stamps Dungeon Door red rubber stamp and an adorable Katzelkraft stamp called Dynosaurus. I have been wanting to use these stamps all month, unfortunately life got busy, and I am only now getting around to creating a card with them. I hope you find inspiration in this creation and Happy Halloween!

For this A2 sized card, I began by stamping the Whimsy Stamps Dungeon Door onto a piece of Canson XL Bristol Smooth cardstock and colored the image using Copic markers. For the grays I used a mixture of Copics in neutral and cool grays. Next, I stamped the Katzelkraft Dynosaurus stamp (CUTE!!) onto another scrap of the same cardstock and colored it with Copic markers using these colors: Y02, Y17, YR16, G14, G17, and G28. I used my Brother Scan N Cut to cut out the dynosaurus image and applied foam adhesive to the back.

Using Pink & Main’s Concave Rectangle Dies – the largest die in the set, I positioned the die onto the dungeon door, colored image and ran it through my die cutting machine. I then glued the die cut image to an A2 size piece of the Ranger Distress Black Two-Tone Woodgrain cardstock and removed the foam tape backing from the dynosaurus’ foam tape and adhered it to the card front’s background.

The sentiment was created using the Whimsy Stamps’ Dracula I Compel You stamp set. I stamped the Happy Halloween on a Copic colored (G14) piece of cardstock with VersaFine Clair Nocturne ink, trimmed it to size, and attached it to the top of the card front using a strip of black adhesive foam tape. I finished the card by adding some embellishments from Pink & Main’s Floral Pumpkin Sparkle Dots.

Thank you so much for stopping by to see me - I appreciate you doing so!

Until next time…

Thanksgiving 2022 | Truly Thankful

Hi friends, I thought I’d start October by creating my first installment in my Thanksgiving 2022 series.I’m a huge fan of Iuile watercolor paints, which will be evident when you see today’s card.I hope you enjoy it!

I started this card by taking a piece of Cardstock Warehouse’s Sirio Ultra Black cardstock and splattering it generously with Kuretake’s Starry Colors watercolor paints in the No. 904 color, I then set that aside to dry. Next, I used two of The Greetery’s die cuts sets (Botanicuts Mighty Oak and Autumn Findings) and die cut the oak and maple leaves from these sets multiple times out of Legion Stonehenge Aquacolor Black watercolor paper. I ran a few strips of repositionable adhesive to a scrap piece of paper and stuck all the leaves to the adhesive to hold them while I painted them. I used Iuile Watercolors paints from the Christmas 21Q set and painted each of the leaves using colors: Bronze, Gold, Orange, Apple, and Brown. Once the painting was finished, I set the leaves aside to dry while I worked on the sentiment.

Using the Colorado Craft Company Truly Thankful stamp set, I stamped the Truly Thankful sentiment onto Cardstock Warehouse’s Sirio Ultra Black cardstock using Altenew Clear Embossing Ink and covered it with Ink On 3 Gold Rush Ultra-Fine Embossing Powder and set it with my heat gun. I fussy cut the sentiment and put double-sided, black foam tape on the back.

Now back to the leaves… I used Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive to glue all the leaves sporadically around the black cardstock panel. Once the glue on the leaf-covered panel was dry, I used the next to the largest die from Trinity Stamps’ Modern Embossed Rectangle Stack die set and diecut the black, leafy panel and using the largest die from this set I cut an A2 size of Cardstock Warehouse’s Stardream Gold cardstock. Using the Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive, I glued the leafy panel to the front center of the gold cardstock panel then removed the backing from the foam tape on the sentiment and adhered it to the card front.

To complete the card, I adhered the card front to an A2 size, top folding piece of kraft heavyweight cardstock. This card is completed! I don’t think the photos do justice to the Iuile Watercolors on these leaves – the Iuile mica watercolor paint has so much beautiful, shimmery goodness that you just can’t capture very easily with a camera. If you haven’t tried these watercolors you really need to… they’re gorgeous and addictive!

Thank you so much for stopping by to see me - I appreciate you doing so!

Until next time…