Posts Tagged ‘Aqua Painters’
Pleasant Poppies Gift Bag: I *heart* watercoloring
Pleasant Poppies is another of the gorgeous full-size images currently available from Stampin’ Up! (see it online – 129499). Last week I mentioned a few tips for using large stamps on small projects. Today I have a couple more technique tips for you: the Spotlighting Technique and a Watercolor Refresher! Both techniques are wrapped up in this paper lunch sack turned into a Gift Bag.
This project was actually one from my Stamps in the Mail Club during the last round. If you haven’t ever participated, get ready for the next round. Signups begin in April for the May Round!
Spotlighting Technique
Spotlighting is a nice way to highlight a certain part of a larger stamp, like with Pleasant Poppies or Swallowtail.
- Stamp your large image on the background.
- Stamp again on scrap paper and use a Circle Punch to punch out the piece(s) you’d like to highlight.
- Color the circles differently from the background and match them back onto your main image.
Here are a few more Spotlighting Technique card ideas on my blog.
Refresher Technique Focus: Watercolor
Watercolor Wonder Crayons (WWC) combined with an Aquapainter or paintbrush allow an artist to create realistic watercolor effects. Here are few pointers to perfecting your technique:
- Gently wipe the wet tip of the AQP across the end of the WWC, picking up color
- Begin with the lightest color layer: use a light touch and extra water to thin out your color
- Add a 2nd color layer, either of the same tone or different. Be sure to leave some of the lightest layer showing
- Add a 3rd color layer as the darkest layer, using the most pigment from the crayon and the least amount of water
- Consider your shadows – which direction does the light in your picture shine? Objects with a shadow around the outer stamped black line look more dimensional and realistic
Curious about how the gift bag works? I have a Video Tutorial that shows how to make these Card Topper Gift Bags.
And be sure to check for more Pleasant Poppies ideas on my blog!
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Supplies: Stamps: Pleasant Poppies, Curly Cute; Inks: Jet Black Staz-On Ink; Cardstock: Watercolor Paper, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White, Pacific Point; Accessories: Sycamore Street Ribbon (Sale-A-Bration gift), Jumbo Rhinestone, Pacific Point Stitched Ribbon, Watercolor Wonder Crayons – Brights Collection, Aqua Painters, Distressing Tool (optional – Spring Catalog), 1 ¼” Circle Punch, 1 ¾” Circle Punch
Subscribe to the comments for this postWatercolor Wonder Crayons: For The Birds
For the Birds (see it online) is a great all-occasions stamp set, plus it’s a perfect one for perfecting your watercolor skills! My absolute favorite tools for watercolor are the Watercolor Wonder Crayons (Brights Collection here - see them online – 119804) and the Aqua Painters (see them online – 103954).
You’ll have the best luck with your watercolor if you use really nice watercolor paper (like from Stampin’ Up!).
For ink, my preference is definitely the Jet Black Staz-On Ink (see it online)
Want to learn more about watercolor crayons? Here’s my Video Tutorial for watercoloring! Or I also have a 3-in-1 Video Tutorial for Watercolor Wonder Crayons.
Happy stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Card Base Pop ‘n Cuts – Not just for dresses!
Did you look at the cute dress framelits in the Spring Catalog and then take a visual jump over the Pop ‘n Cuts Card Base Die? Well check it out now! (see it online – 130099). This die is a lot of fun, and definitely not just for use with the Dress Form Base, although it is *super* sweet, too.
The die turns a 4-1/4″ x 11″ piece of card stock into a fun shaped card base with rounded corners and a curvy top that fits into tab slots to hold the card closed. See?
This card uses the Pop ‘n Cuts Card Base along with the Pleasant Poppies stamp (see it online – 129499) and the Brights Watercolor Crayons (see them online – 119804).
To accent the bottom edge, I used a piece of Tea for Two Designer Series Paper (see them online – 129311) and cut it with the die, so that it peeks out from under the bottom edge.
Isn’t this a fun project? This is one of the projects from my LAST round of the Stamps in the Mail Club. The good news is that you can sign up NOW for the new Round, which will include projects for February, March & April. See details on my website or sign up now for Stamps in the Mail Club, where everything you need comes right to your mailbox: stamps, inks, accessories & card kits!
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Stamps: Pleasant Poppies, Curly Cute; Inks: Jet Black Staz-On Ink; Cardstock: Watercolor Paper, Very Vanilla, Pacific Point, Tea for Two Designer Series Paper (Spring Catalog), So Saffron; Accessories: 3/8” Striped Organdy Ribbon Old Olive, Aqua Painters, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Pop N Cuts Card Base (Spring Catalog)
Watercolor Wash Technique: Perfect for Pleasant Poppies
Have you used your Watercolor Wonder Crayons lately? I’ve had them out quite a bit and am falling in love all over again. This is one of the cards from my last round of Stamps in the Mail Club (watch for new signups soon so you don’t miss out!). I featured the Pleasant Poppies stamp (see it online – 129499) and the Brights Watercolor Crayons (see them online – 119804).
Watercolor Wash Technique
- Stamp your image in Staz-On Ink onto Watercolor Paper.
- Using the large Aqua Painter (see them online – 103954), pick up color from the Tempting Turquoise Watercolor Crayon. Apply the color to the watercolor paper with lots of water to create a wash on the top 1/3 of the card.
- Use Tangerine Tango for the middle 1/3 and Rich Razzleberry for the bottom 1/3.
Plus I used several of the Sale-A-Bration free products on this card: the Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper (SAB – free item – #127540) and the Sycamore Street Ribbons & Button Pack (SAB – free item – #130812).
Remember that you can pick one one free Sale-A-Bration gift for every $50 you order from my online store during Sale-A-Bration!
Want to see some other ideas for Sale-A-Bration freebie products? Check out ideas on my blog!
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Stamps: Pleasant Poppies, Curly Cute; Inks: Jet Black Staz-On Ink; Cardstock: Watercolor Paper, Pool Party, Sycamore Street Sale-A-Bration Designer Series Paper; Accessories: Sycamore Street Ribbon & Buttons (Sale-A-Bration free product), Cute Clips elements (Spring Catalog), Watercolor Wonder Crayons – Brights Collection, Aqua Painters, Distressing Tool (Spring Catalog)
Frosty Friends: Clean & Simple Watercolor
I’ve been on a “clean & simple” kick lately, and the Frosty Friends stamp set fits the bill (see it online)! This is a card that I’ve been sharing at workshops and with my Stamp Club this month, and I wanted to share it here, too.
If you haven’t used Watercolor Wonder Crayons (see them online), you’re missing out! These are yummy (okay, they *feel* yummy – I haven’t tasted them) and so simple to use to great effect.
Here’s a Stamping 101 Video Tutorial on using the crayons.
And here are lots of ideas from my blog on using Watercolor Wonder Crayons! (I told you I love them!)
If you’re looking to start your shopping list for Monday’s Online Extravaganza, here are a few items to add!
- Frosty Friends single stamp (see it online)
- Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Brights Collection (see it online)
- Aqua Painter (see it online)
- Watercolor Paper (see it online)
- Staz-On Black Ink (see it online)
And if you want to learn to watercolor, you can also sign up for my current Stamps in the Mail Club! We’ll be focusing on watercoloring for months 2 and 3 of this fun (and very popular) club! Learn more on my website and sign up today.
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Stamps: Frosty Friends, More Merry Messages; Ink: Staz-On Jet Black; Paper: Watercolor Paper, Festival Of Prints Designer Series Paper; Very Vanilla, Silver Glimmer Paper; Accessories: Aqua Painters, Watercolor Wonder Crayons Brights Collection,
Looking for a Reason to Smile?
How about a mini version of Sale-A-Bration…in July? *Big smiles!* Get the Reason to Smile Set-up to a $20.95 value-for just $5 when you spend $50 on any Stampin’ Up! products (learn more). Or visit my online store to start your order!
| Description | $5 Item | Price |
| Reason to Smile Wood-Mount Set | 131274* | $5.00 |
| Reason to Smile Clear-Mount Set | 131275* | $5.00
|
*Enter this $5 item number after reaching $50 on your order.
Here’s a fun project that I shared this past Friday night at our Demonstrator Meeting in Champaign, Illinois.
I love this 2 step builder stamp set with the Watercolor Wonder Crayons (see them online). Have you used these before? Be sure to check out my “Three in One” Video Tutorial (see it now) on how to use the crayons.
The greeting on this set is from the new Sassy Salutations stamp set (see it online). The font is a fun style that matches a wide variety of stamp images.
The little Scallop Square Treat is a fun project — watch for a Video Tutorial on my blog later this week. I’ll show you how to make at home!
Looking for more Watercolor Wonder Crayon techniques and ideas? Here are some other projects on my blog!
Either way, don’t miss this sweet stamp set, available only during July! (order now)
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Watercolor How-To: Magic Tips to Use
The most common thing I hear when I demonstrate watercoloring is that people can’t seem to make it look “right”. Guess what? There are some easy tricks that will make your watercolor look ‘right’ every time. Here’s a card that we made at stamp club last week, using the soon-to-be-retired Beary Best Friends stamp set (see it online).
Beary Best Friends and the matching Beary Nice Wishes set (see it online) will be available along with the rest of the Build-A-Bear Product Suite (see it online) but only until May 31st (learn about the retiring items & sale).
The bear is on the inside of the card — peeking through the window!
Tips to make your watercolor look fantastic:
- Use Stampin’ Up! Watercolor Paper for best effects. I know, it sounds like I just want you to buy paper from me… but I’ve tried other papers from big craft stores, and they just don’t work right. If you want to be successful, it’s important to start with good quality materials.
- Draw a small line with a Stampin’ Write Marker where you want color to be darkest.
- Use Aqua Painters to wet the line and move the color around on the paper – leave blank spots to get an authentic watercolor effect.
- Remember that you can always add more color, but it’s tricky to remove color if you start with too much.
- Outline with River Rock Stampin’ Write Marker & blend to finish. This will keep your image ‘anchored’ to the paper and add dimension to the background so that it doesn’t look flat.
Looking for more Build A Bear ideas? Here are several on my blog.
Or more watercoloring technique samples? Here you go! Or if you’re looking for ideas on Watercolor Wonder Crayons, here’s a how-to video tutorial from my blog.
Happy Watercoloring! (and stamping)
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE
Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope you have a wonderful day, and the chance to celebrate with your loved ones. Here’s my Thanksgiving Day gift to you!
I sometimes enjoy my turkey with a little chocolate on the side 
Happy Thanksgiving, and Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Watercolor Wonder Crayons: A Three-In-One Video Tutorial
Do you love your Watercolor Wonder Crayons as much as I do? Or did you order them and forget how to use them? Either way, you will find this Three-In-One Video Tutorial helpful.
Using the Simply Soft stamp set (available as a hostess-exclusive set, or as a ‘stampin rewards’ bonus for orders over $150 — see it online), I’ll show you how to use Watercolor Wonder Crayons:
- directly on your stamps
- directly on Watercolor Paper
- as pigment for using with AquaPainters
Supplies:
- Brights Collection Watercolor Wonder Crayons (see it online)
- Simply Soft stamp set (see it online)
- Perfectly Penned stamp set (see it online)
- Jet Black Staz-On Ink (see it online)
- Watercolor Paper (see it online)
- AquaPainters (see it online)
- Pear Pizazz Seam Binding (see it online)
- Peach Parfait Card Stock (see it online)
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Video Tutorial: Watercolor Wonder Crayons
Recently I shared a project that I’ve been demonstrating at Home Parties, using the Watercolor Wonder Crayons. I was surprised that more stampers hadn’t seen this watercoloring tool already! The WWC are definitely a favorite of mine.
To spread my love around, I thought a Video Tutorial might be in order.
So here it is, my Stamping 101 Watercolor Wonder Crayons with Aqua Painters! You can find step-by-step written instructions here on my blog.
Here is the Supply List for this project. All supplies are available for order online through your Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator — I’m happy to help you with an order if you don’t have a demonstrator! (click below to view online):
- Sweet Summer stamp set (see it online) *Sale-A-Bration free gift, until March 31st! (learn more about Sale-A-Bration)
- You’re A Gem stamp set (see it online)
- Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Subtles Collection (see it online)
- Aqua Painter (see it online)
- Designer Label Punch (see it online)
- Watercolor Paper (see it online)
- Staz-On Black Ink (see it online)
- Springtime Vintage Designer Series Paper (see it online)
- Small Cello Bag (see it online)
- Baja Breeze Seam Binding (see it online)
- Smooch Moonlight Pearlized Accent Ink (see it online)
Have fun with this project– it’s perfect for wedding favors, shower favors, holiday office treats, you name it!
Check out some of my other recent Video Tutorials!
(and if you were looking for my Video Tutorial on the cupcake project… hang in there, for just a little bit longer!)
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
