Thinking of You

Another watercolored card for this week's post. This time I started with a piece of watercolor paper, applied a thin layer of water to the paper using an aquapainter and then added the colors to the wet paper. The watercolor paper does all the work of blending the colors, but you can help it along a little with your brush, if you'd like to. Once the watercolored background is fully dry, you can layer the die-cut piece on top of it and add some splatters for interest and a sentiment of your choice. 

 All images © Stampin’ Up!^®

 All images © Stampin’ Up!^®

All images © Stampin’ Up!^®

Stampin'up Stamps: Window Shopping
Stampin'up Inks: Melon Mambo, Calypso Coral, Rose Red, Pink Pirouette, Flirty Flamingo, Rich Razzleberry
Stampin'up Paper: Watercolor Paper, Whisper White, Flirty Flamingo
Stampin'up Additional Supplies: Tripple Banner Punch, Many Marvelous Markers, Window Box Thinlits, Aquapainter, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

Tulips

I was born and raised in the Netherlands/Holland, which is known for its tulips and other flowers. Tulips are cultivated in large fields and it is the most amazing sight to fly to Amsterdam during the spring since the airport is surrounded by so many fields filled with an incredible array of colors that it is almost as if you're landing on a painting (be sure to google some images, it really is spectacular to see!).

Back to this week's card now... It is hard for me to stay away from the faux-watercoloring technique, Because it is one of my favorite techniques. It is so easy to do and the effect is stunning. It is important to use watercolor paper, since regular paper won't be able to absorb the amount of water used for this technique. Each image is stamped one at a time, to make sure the ink is still wet when you watercolor over the image right away with an aquapainter filled with water. Be very careful to stay within the edge of the images and clean off excess ink from your aquapainter to get best results.

 All images © Stampin’ Up!^®

 All images © Stampin’ Up!^®

Of course I couldn't stop after making one card and I had to make my own array of colors. Which one is your favorite?

All images © Stampin’ Up!^®

Stampin'up Stamps: Tranquil Tulips, Beautiful Bouquet
Stampin'up Inks: Blushing Bride, Berry Burst, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Old Olive, Early Espresso
Stampin'up Paper: Watercolor Paper, Old Olive, Basic Black, Whisper White (inside of card)
Stampin'up Additional Supplies: Vintage Lace Ribbon, Aquapainter, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

Hello Spring!

I had fun stamping this wreath of flowers and greenery to frame the cute bunny on this card. I love the combination of happy bright and soft pastel colors, they work so well together. I know that some parts of the country are still covered in snow, but spring is definitely here to stay in Northern California! 

 All images © Stampin’ Up!^®

 All images © Stampin’ Up!^®

All images © Stampin’ Up!^®

Stampin'up Stamps: Hello Easter

Stampin'up Inks: Balmy Blue, Berry Burst, Lemon Lime Twist, Powder Pink, Crumb Cake
Stampin'up Paper: Whisper White, Balmy Blue

Stampin'up Additional Supplies: Stiched Shapes Framelits, Big Shot, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals