#945 – Watercoloring with Pencils

Hello and welcome! Time for another Watercoloring challenge at Happy Little Stampers. As always, it is an Anything Goes challenge.

My mother celebrated her birthday last month, and I made this card for my father to give to her. As she loves flowers, and roses in particular, I made this for her –

I started with stamping the flower and leaf images from two Simon Says Stamp stamp sets – More Spring Flowers and Even More Spring Flowers in a light brown ink. I thought the color would gel well with the colors I wanted to go with – pink, purple and greens. Once I stamped the images on a trimmed piece of Canson XL watercolor paper, I watercolored them using Prima watercolor pencils.

While watercoloring, I struggled a bit with the leaves when I started with them, which ended in them looking not so good right at the center where I started coloring them. I thought of hiding them with the sentiment instead! 🙂

So once the piece has dried, I added some splatters of blue and brown using the penciles and white using Hero Arts Unicorn white pigment ink. I then trimmed the panel to size and decided to adhere it over a light brown card base.

Before adhering, however, I needed a sentiment on it.I had thought of stamping using pigment ink, but somehow that ended up spreading, and I couldn’t use it. I went with embossing instead. I stamped the sentiment from Simon Says Stamp Big Birthday Wishes on a piece of vellum using Versamark ink and heat embossed it in black. I then trimmed the vellum and adhered it on the watercolor panel using double sided tape, which I then adhered over the base cardstock.

I wanted to add some embellishment to the card, but felt that sequins or stones were too shiny, and I didn’t want pearls either, since they would add a bit of dimension to an otherwise flat card. I also noticed that the strip of vellum was arched up, instead of lying flat. To remedy both these problems, I went with a washi tape with gold pattern of roses on it. Of course, I had to trim it to a third of the width, so sadly the roses are not so obvious, but I did love how it shines, while not taking away the focus and also keeping the card flat. 3-in-1! 😀

And that’s my card! I’m also joining the following challenges –

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps and More challenge #406: Make Your Mark

Step over to the Happy Little Stampers challenge blog to checkout more innovative ideas from the rest of the DT!

Thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂

#942 – Seize the Birthday: Wheels

PE: Top Pick at the Retro Rubber challenge!

Hello and welcome! Time for a new challenge at Seize the Birthday and we have a new Topping this time, given to us by Shirley, “Wheels“. As always you may enter any birthday themed projects into our gallery if you don’t want to take the Toppings option.

And here’s what I made –

I started with that cuddly bear and cute butterfly from Waffle Flower Happy Day, stamped it in VersaFine Onyx ink and then colored it using Zig Brush marker pens.I didn’t spend time on blending colors or making it look smooth, since I wanted to experiment with a rough colored look. Of course, since I am so used to blending, this isn’t as ‘rough’ as I would like! 😀

So, after I trimmed it, I used a couple of scrap cardstock and adhered it behind the piece, to provide support, since the cardstock wasn’t strong enough in some of the thinner places. Same with the butterfly.

For the background, I used Waffle Flower Enveloper Little Birdie, stamped it in a single blue ink. The stamp wasn’t long enough to cover the card, so I stamped it again from the other side. I didn’t do any masking, since the space between would be covered up by the bear.

I then stamped the sentiment, a combination of two Honey Bee Stamps Pearfect Sentiments and Sentiment Builder.

For a base for the bear to ride his bicycle on, I cut out a piece of the same cardstock and die cut the top using My Favorite Things Fresh Cut Grass die. Before foam mounting this on the card, I added a strip of grid-like washi tape on the base of the card. I then adhered the butterfly and the bear, adding foam tape to support the top of his body.

And that finished my card! And I’m also joining the following challenges –

Allsorts challenge #625: Anything with Happy Bright and Sunny Colours. They are also celebrating their 12th Birthday!! Congrats!!

Watercooler Wednesday challenge #316: All About Occasions

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Anything Goes

Retro Rubber challenge #159: Anything Goes (The Waffle Flower Happy Day stamp set was released Spring 2017)

Addicted to Stamps and More #406: Make Your Mark

You can get more details about the challenge and extra inspiration from the DT and our Surprise Party Guest, Lynda, at the Seize the Birthday challenge blog. Take a look, be inspired, and play along!

And thank you for stopping by! 🙂

#940 – Surf Dog!!

Hello and welcome! Time for a new challenge at Tic Tac Toe, where the board this time, created by JoAnne is this –

I chose the center column of Sky-Circle-Sea and here’s what I made –

I started with making the water for the sea. I used gelli plate with Neat and Tangled Rice Paddies stencil, along with a few light shades of blue distress ink. I then drew the wavy lines on the back, and cut it out. I used another piece of scrap white cardstock to create another wave, to lie it in between.

For the sunshine, I used masking tape and brushed out Scattered Straw distress ink, to form the sun’s rays. For the sun itself, I used two die cuts from Sizzix Phrases dies. I first colored two scrap pieces of cardstock using Scattered Straw Mustard Seed distress inks and die cut them. I also die cut a few extra pieces which I then stacked to get some dimension.

The top doggo comes from My Favorite Things Top Dog stamp set, which I colored using distress inks. I also drew the surf board and watercolored it. (Somehow the coloring is not showing up well.. its actually better than it looks here.. 😦) I then fussy cut the images.

The sentiment, comes from My Favorite Things Top Dog stamp set as well. To bring the card together, I simply adhered the pieces on a white card base, adding little dimension using extra cardstock.

I love how fun this card looks – more so because the doggo has even brought his bone with him to surf!! And I’m sharing this card with the following challenges –

Addicted to Stamps and More challenge #405: Die cuts &/or Stencils (I’ve used both)

Watercooler Wednesday challenge #316: All About Occasions

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Four Legged Friends

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Use Dies &/or Punches

If this isn’t enough, pop over the Tic Tac Toe challenge blog to get more inspiration from the DT and our guest designer as well!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

#935 – Furry Friends

Hello and welcome! We have a new challenge up at Seize the Birthday, and the Topping for this time, chosen by Cathy is ‘Furry Friends‘. The topping is optional though, and as such, as long as your project is birthday-related, it’s worthy of entry.

I really hope Cathy didn’t mean to have ‘friends’ in this image.. if so, I have only followed the ‘furry’ part of the challenge! You don’t get any fur-rier than bunnies!! ;D

I chose this image from WPlus9 Wishing You stamp set, stamped it in my lightest grey ink, and the colored it using color pencils. I also stamped some stars from the same stamp set, and confetti using Purple Onion Designs Confetti stamp around the bunnies, and colored them too. I then used Zig brush marker to create a halo blue sky around the bunnies. I then die cut this panel using the largest die from Mama Elephant So Sew and adhered it on the card base.

The sentiment is a combination of Honey Bee Stamps Brush Grunge Alpha and My Favorite Things Ewe are the Best stamp sets. Since I wanted to keep it simple, I didn’t add any other embellishments to the card.

I’m joining the following challenges with my card –

Watercooler Wednesday challenge #314: All About Occasions

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps and More challenge #404: Any Occasion

Do stop by the Seize the Birthday challenge blog and checkout what our talented design team and our crafty Surprise Party Guest, Lynda, have created for you!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

#934 – Sending Big Hugs

Hello and welcome! Its always fun to use new products in the stash, and challenges are sometimes the perfect opportunity to use them. We have a new challenge up at Tic Tac Toe, where we still have the theme of Mom/Feminine/Encouraging going on, but a new board, by myself for you to play with –

I chose the mid row of Embossing – Florals – Encouraging Sentiment and this is what I created –

I have this gorgeous new flower from Altenew in my stash now – Build a Flower: Peruvian Lily. I don’t think I could ever have enough of looking at it!! 😀

Well, for this card, I chose a mint blue to be my choice of color for the flower. Once I stamped it all and die cut it. For the background, I had already decided on a mix of stamping and embossing. I first stamped a panel using Hero Arts Leaf & Floral Background – a very old stamp, but it has the most gorgeous patterns! I stamped it using a light kraft color, then embossed using Elizabeth Crafts Mini mosaic embossing folder. I love the effect that produces – you tilt it to one side and see the stamping, tilt it to the other side and see the embossing. Its just fun!

So anyway, I trimmed this panel to the size I wanted, and then foam mounted it on a light blue textured cardstock. For the sentiment, I first die cut the letters from Neat & Tangled Journaling Alphas. I stacked the die cuts for dimension and then added Zig Two way glue on top. On this i placed some blue holographic foil, and pressed it using my fingers on to the die cut letters. Either the pressure or the glue wasn’t enough, but the foil didn’t cover the entire surface of the letters. But I kinda liked this look, so I let it be. The rest of the sentiment came from Altenew Adore You stamp set, which I have stamped partially, and trimmed. I adhered the die cuts on the card, whereas I used a few pieces of scrap cardstock adhered behind them to mount the stamped sentiments.

And that’s my card! And I’m joining the following challenges –

The Flower Challenge #55: Pretty Pastels

Addicted to Stamps and More challenge #403: Birthdays

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Sending Hugs

Watercooler Wednesday challenge #314: All About Occasions

Checkout what the rest of the design team and our guest designer have prepared for you to get inspired in the Tic Tac Toe challenge blog. And thank you so much for stopping by!