WWC211 - Kath's Feminine Anything Goes Challenge

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It's a feminine theme this week from Kath. A perfect opportunity to play with my new butterfly dies. This large die is a really quick way to make a WOW card.

I used Brushos on Shimmery White cardstock to colour the paper for the butterflies. On the Whisper White layer, I stamped the bubbles from Beauty Abounds using Tranquil Tide ink. The card base is Mango Melody, which matches really well with the Yellow and Gamboge Brushos.

Visit Watercooler Wednesday and see how everyone else played with this feminine challenge.

WWC210 - Heidi's All About Occasions Challenge

Amost any time can be an occasion for thanking someone. Heidi hosts our Occasions Challenge this week, and I always need thank you cards.

Do you remember a few weeks ago when I attempted to do no-line watercolouring and it didn't quite go the way I wanted? If you missed it, check it out here. 

I wanted to give it another try and the Beautiful Day stamp set has two gorgeous line drawing images that are perfect for this technique. The flower petals are coloured with only one colour - Blackberry Bliss. For the center, I used Crushed Curry as the base and when that was dry, dotted over the top with Mango Melody. Shaded Spruce was used for the leaf and the fun bubbles from Beauty Abounds are stamped with Blackberry Bliss.

The flower was done on watercolour paper then matted with Blackberry Bliss.  On the Crumb Cake background, I stamped more of those bubbles  with Crumb Cake ink.  Love those bubbles!

What Occasions do you have coming up?  Show us your projects at Watercooler Wednesday.

WWC209 - Marsha's Masculine Anything Goes Challenge

Time for another masculine challenge, brought to us by Marsha.

One of my favourite ways to make a colourful background, and also one of the easiest ways, is to use Brushos. If you aren't familiar with Brushos, they are highly pigmented colour crystals - and a lot of fun to use.

One of the appeals, for me, is the unpredictability of the final outcome. I like to use either watercolour paper or Shimmery White cardstock. Both types can handle a lot of water. Simply spritz your cardstock then shake a teeny, tiny bit of Brushos onto the wet surface and watch the magic!

That's how I did the focal point on this card.

I used the Rectangle Stitched Rectangles dies to cut out both the watercolour paper and the Mossy Meadow frame.

The grasses and the sentiment are both from the SAB stamp set, Home to Roost, stamped with Early Espresso.

I love the Crackle Paint background stamp, and used it with Mossy Meadow ink on Whisper White card stock. The card base is also Mossy Meadow.

Visit Watercooler Wednesday to check out what the rest of the team has done. 

WWC208 - Charlotte's All About Occasions Challenge

This week's challenge from Charlotte is a perfect chance to use some new things I just got from the 2019 Occasions Catalogue.

Sometimes, when I get a new stamp set, I like to just play around and randomly stamp images. So, I opened the Beauty Abounds set and an assortment of ink pads. There was a scrap of Whisper White cardstock on my table that looked the perfect size to experiment on.

Next thing I knew, I had something I really liked! Take a look:

Since I needed to make thank you cards, I used the 'thanks' sentiment from the stamp set. Colours used are: Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape, Mango Melody, Blushing Bride, Powder Pink, Granny Apple Green, and Poppy Parade.

Wow - that's a lot of colours in one little piece!

I matted the image panel onto Gorgeous Grape. Confession: I didn't plan to mount it askew - the piece slipped when I turned it upside down to rub the back and by the time I realized it, the glue had set. So - I went with it.

Since I had more new things to play with, I wrapped it with the new Old Olive Linen Thread. I already love this stuff! To finish it off, I used a Floral Romance Seal.

The DSP is from Botanical Butterfly, which is one of the awesome offerings in the Sale-a-Bration brochure. A card base of Gorgeous Grape finishes it all off.

Have an occasion coming up that you need a card for? If you need inspiration just visit Watercooler Wednesday. 

WWC207 - Helen's Feminine Anything Goes Challenge

Helen brings us the Feminine Anything Goes  Challenge  this week.
 
I'm trying to not automatically think "flowers" everytime I make a feminine-themed card. So I looked through my stamp sets and came across Mediterranean Moments.

I hadn't used it for a while and I've been wanting to try the "no-line watercolour" technique. First off, I should have picked a less-detailed image for this technique. Technically, it started out as no-line. But when I had finished, something didn't look right. So, I added back some lines. Thinner lines, but still lines.

What do you think?

I used watercolour paper and first stamped the umbrella lady from Beautiful You with Sahara  Sand, then masked her off and stamped the scene from Meditrannean Moments, again using Sahara Sand.

Most of the colouring was done by picking up ink from the lid of an ink pad with my Aqua Painter. After everything dried, I got my Watercolour Pencils and used the Aqua Painter to pick colour up directly from the pencil. This gave me more concentrated colour for doing highlights.

I trimmed down the image panel and mounted it on a card base of Blueberry Bushel. I didn't use any background stamping on the card base as the focal image has enough colour to stand on its own.

Now, must go through my stamp sets again and find a better image to try no-line watercolouring.

For more inspiration, visit Watercooler Wednesday and check out the rest of the team.

WWC206 - Anything Goes Challenge

This week's challenge is a fun one - anything goes! You can do any kind of project you want.

My project is a result of trying to clear off my work table. I found a piece of Whisper White cardstock I had used to play around with the wood slice stamp from Rooted in Nature. But, I was using non-wood colours and tried masking.

I'm not sure what I originally had in mind, but when I looked at the stamped images I immediately wanted to doodle on them.

On the Granny Apple Green image I used the fine tip journaling pen and for the Balmy Blue and Highland Heather images I used a white gel pen.

A thin border of Basic Black cardstock is perfect to set it off on the Granny Apple Green card base. And, just like that, I have a note card to send off to someone.

What will be your "anything goes" project? Link it up at Watercooler Wednesday.

WWC205 - Donna's All About Holidays Challenge

Holidays throughout the year are great card-giving occasions and it's always nice to have them made and ready to go. Like, for Christmas cards, instead of scrambling at the last minute.

For my Christmas card this week, I used a set that I loved as soon as I saw it in the catalogue a couple of years ago. Once I got it however, I drew a blank when it came to using it.

This week, I came across it during one of my on-going, not-always-successful attempts to get organized and decided it was time!

 After all that, this is a pretty simple design: stamps, ink and cardstock. And a little bit of bling.

I stamped the palm tree and the seashells with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and coloured with various Stampin' Blends. The "sand" was created with the mountain-shaped image from Waterfront with Crumb Cake ink.

For the strings on the shells, I used some Sharpie ultra-fine tip markers. Some of the shells got a Basic Rhinestone for some sparkle. And to continue with the tropical theme, I used Coastal Cabana cardstock for the card base.

I thought it was fitting to set it on one of my shell trivets that I brought back from a trip to Maui many years ago.

Wondering which holiday the rest of team picked? Check it out at Watercooler Wednesday.

WWC204 - Gail's Masculine Anything Goes Challenge

It's my turn to be host this week for the Masculine Anything Goes Challenge.

Looking for inspiration, my eye fell on a jar of silver embossing paste, and I realized I hadn't used it in quite a while. Then, I went through a stack of long-retired stamps and pulled out one I really like - but, again, hadn't used recently.

And, this is what happened:

On a piece of Whisper White cardstock, I first stamped the Off the Grid stamp randomly with Gray Granite. I used the brick stencil with the silver embossing paste.

Since I had no idea what theme this card would be, I started going through my stamp sets and when I came to the Animal Outing set, the light bulb went on!

The rhinoceros is second generation stamping to make a lighter image, and the sentiment is full  strength. To make the frame around the image, I embossed some Galvanized Foil with the Corrugated embossing folder and cut thin strips from it.

Mounting it all onto a Gray Granite card base finished off the monochromatic look.

Take a look at Watercooler Wednesday for more inspiration and then show us your masculine design.

WWC203 - Karen's All About Occasions Challenge

It's always great to have a supply of cards on hand, ready to grab when needed, for any of the occasions that come up throughout the year. This week, Karen hosts our All About Occasions Challenge to help you do just that.

Last week I showcased a multi-ccoloured background I did using Stampin' Up inks on my 3" x 5" gelli plate. Since I couldn't stop at just one, this week's card also features a background done on the gelli plate - and a brand new stamp set.

Using my brayer, I applied Merry Merlot and Mango Melody inks to the plate in stripes, then used Whisper White cardstock to pick up the ink.

That gorgeous horse is from a brand new stamp set, called Let it Ride, from the 2019 Occasions Catalogue. It is an outline stamp, but I made it into a silhouette by stamping with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink and then colouring it all in with a black paint pen. The sentiment is also from that set.

To add interest, I stenciled a compass using Mango Melody ink and then stamped the sentiment over it. The trees are from the Let it Ride stamp set, and I used Shaded Spruce to stamp them, letting them spill over onto the Crumb Cake cardstock.

I made this into a birthday card, with this sentiment from Beautiful Day and Shaded Spruce:

Now, I just have to share something about this card. After I had it all put together, I happened to look at the back - and saw smudges of Shaded Spruce ink! How did that happen? No idea. Now what do I do?

Well, after a few minutes of thought, this is what I did:

I have to say, it's the first time I've decorated the back of a card. LOL

What occasion do you have coming up? Make a card and share it on Watercooler Wednesday.

WWC202 - Dawn's Feminine Anything Goes Challenge

Welcome to our first challenge of 2019! Dawn brings us a Feminine Anything Goes Challenge.

For a few months now I've been obsessed with a new crafting tool - the gelli plate. It is a soft, squishy surface that does the most amazing things and is used to make mono prints.

Typically, they are used with acrylic paints. I'd been thinking for a while about trying my Stampin' Up inks on it. So, when I got down to making my card for this challenge, I thought - why not give it a try? And I love the results!

 I used my 3" x 5" gelli plate and brayered Granny Apple Green, Mango Melody and Balmy Blue onto it.  Then I placed a piece of Whisper White cardstock on top of it to pick up the ink. Love the way the WW cardstock works for this technique!

I  used the circles from Playful Backgrounds to stamp some texture in each of the three colours. For the focal image, I thought black would look too harsh so I went with Blackberry Bliss - my most favourite of all the returning colours. The sentiment and dancing lady are both from Beautiful You.

Then, it was an easy choice to use Blackberry Bliss for the card base. And that was it! I had so much fun doing this background I did a few more and you may see them pop up on my blog in the weeks to come.

Now go  to Watercooler Wednesday and see how the rest of the team is starting the new year.

WWC201 - Marsha's Special Two-Week Year End Anything Goes Challenge

This is our last challenge for the year 2018! Can you believe it?  Because it's a busy time of year for everyone, we make this a two-week challenge.

For this challenge, I'm sharing a really over-the-top project. Well, it's over the top for me. I made two pop-up cards for customer who has ordered Christmas cards from me for about seven years now. Two of the cards are for her granddaughters, and these are what I made.
 
I have a lot of photos this week, so let's get right to them! The first photo shows the outside of both cards:

I used a long-retired Bigz die for the stocking and some retired Christmas Designer Series Paper. The cuff of the stockings is cut from White Velvet Paper and the snowflakes, using the Snowfall Thinlits, are from Shimmer White cardstock. Red Dazzling Details, the bows from Santa's Sleigh Thinlits, and pinecones from Pretty Pines finish off the cardfronts.

Inside each stocking is a tag made using the Scallop Tag Topper punch and some black glitter ribbon.

And now for the big reveal! Here is what's inside:

I used so many stamp sets, dies, markers, glimmer papers and DSPs that I don't think I can remember them all. Of course I didn't write them down. Also, I had no real plan when I started and just kind of winged it as I went.

Here's some side views:

I find these challenging to photograph, so I hope you are able to see some of the detail.

And that's it till next year! Make a visit to Watercooler Wednesday to see what they rest of the design team came up with as we say goodbye to 2018.
 

WWC200 - Helen's All About Occasions Challenge

Wow! This week we reach our 200th challenge with Helen hosting an All About Occasions Challenge. Seems like only yesterday this challenge was born from a  group of Stampin' Up demonstrators chatting in a forum.

The occasion I've picked is that of a male-themed birthday  card.

Crumb Cake is one of my favourite neutral colours and I love stamping on it with a strong colour. I went with Blueberry Bushel for the truck image from Countryside, a retired stamp set.

The band across the middle is Very Vanilla, stamped with the Buffalo Check background stamp and Blueberry Bushel, which I also used for the sentiment from Window Shopping, also a retired set.

Using the Tag Topper punch to punch out the sentiment, and a bit of Thick Black Baker's Twine, gives just enough detail to finish off this card.

Now visit Watercooler Wednesday for more great ideas for your occasions creations. 

WWC199 - Tristan's Feminine Anything Goes Challenge

Taking a break from Christmas cards? Check out this week's challenge hosted by Tristan.

I don't think I'm the only crafter who has supplies that sometimes get pushed to the back burner. While perusing Pinterest the other day, I came across a stunning card created by Karen Dunbrook. She used Brushos and I realized I hadn't used mine in a while.

They are so easy to use and I'm always surprised at the results. I wanted to use the resist technique as Karen had done on her card.

First step was to stamp some images and a sentiment from the Dandelion Wishes stamp set on watercolour paper with Versamark Ink, then emboss with white embossing powder.

Next, I sprinkled some Brushos - Prussian Blue, Yellow and Gamboge (orange) in different areas. Obviously, I went a little heavy on the blue. Then spritz liberally with water.

I did use a small paint brush to move some of the colour around. After it dried, I wanted some areas of the blue to be darker. In an empty embellishment container, I mixed a few grains of Brushos with some water and used the paint brush to get in the areas where I wanted it darker.

When it was totally dry, I mounted the piece onto Whisper White cardstock and then mounted that to the Tranquil Tide card base.

Lastly, I randomly placed some Glitter Epoxy Shapes. They are a little hard to see as they are clear, but I love how they look on the darker areas. Here's a closeup:

Visit Watercooler Wednesday for more wonderful projects from the Watercooler Artist team. And - a special announcement!

WWC198 - Gail's All About Holidays Challenge

I don't often reach for pink when I'm making cards - but when I do, it's sparkly. Well, not necessarily, but I like how the sparkle and pink work with Crumb Cake and white. And, Christmas is the time for sparkle!

If you happened to see my blog post from last week's challenge, when I die cut the large snowflake from the Snowfall Thinlits Dies, this week you'll what I did with that snowflake.

I cut a small snowflake from some retired Sweet Sugarplum glimmer paper to put in the center. Then I used the new Rose Metallic Thread behind the snowflake to pick up on the Sweet Sugarplum.

The sentiment is from the Snow is Glistening stamp set, stamped with Crumb Cake on a strip of Whisper White cardstock. Some accents also cut from the Sweet Sugarplum glimmer paper set it off.

Now, for the background. While it doesn't show on photo, it is really plush in real life! I embossed a piece of White Velvet Sheet with the Basket Weave embossing folder. Sadly, this paper was so popluar, as part of the Snowflake Showcase suite, that it quickly sold out.

The card base is Sweet Sugarplum. I quite like this Crumb Cake/white/pink combo for Christmas. How about you?

There is an abundance of holiday inspiration waiting for  you at Watercooler Wednesday.

WWC197 - Kath's Masculine Anything Goes Challenge

This week, Kath brings us a theme that many cardmakers find challenging - making cards for the men in our lives.

My card was inspired by a card I saw online that was made using a large snowflake die from another company. Luckily, I just happened to have recently received the wonderful Snowfall Thinlits set. And it has a gorgeous large snowflake that was perfect. Take a look:

This card was quite easy to make. I started by cutting the large snowflake die from the piece of Crumb Cake cardstock, then ran it through the Big Shot with the Corrugated Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.

Next I sponged Whisper White Craft Ink all over. Once that was dry, I used a very find paint brush to paint Copper Shimmer Paint all around the shape of the snowflake.

On a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock, I stamped the pine trees from Rooted in Nature using Mossy Meadow ink. By using the stamping off technique, it's possible to get various shades of green and create depth in the image. The sentiment is also from Rooted in Nature, stamped with Soft Suede. I also sponged a little bit of Mossy Meadow over the edges of the embossed piece.

Here's a closeup of the trees:

When I was ready to photograph my card, it happened to be sitting on my craft table right beside a Distressed Red Card Tin that had been in my last order. I love anything distressed! Thought it went well with my card, so it became a prop.

If you need ideas for creating masculine-themed cards look no further than Watercooler Wednesday and the very talented Watercooler Artists!

WWC196 - Heidi's All About Occasions Challenge

There are so many card-giving occasions throughout the year, including birthdays. Heidi hosts this week's challenge and you can choose your occasion.

I went with a birthday, as one of my sisters celebrated hers recently and I am the offical card maker for our birthday celebrations. (Last week's gift bag project was also made for her birthday.)

I love the You've Got Style stamp set. It was so much fun colouring this, as I just grabbed any Stampin' Blend from a pile without giving it much thought. Except for the cat - I did pick a colour for her.

After the colouring was done, I used the clear Wink  of Stella and 'winked' her shoes, hair, ear rings and jewelery. To add some more bling, I matted the image with the Black Foil and then mounted it all on a Berry Burst card base.

I put the birthday greeting on the inside:

And that's it! Check out Watercooler Wednesday for more ideas and occasions.
 

WWC195 - Charlotte's Feminine Anything Goes Challenge

Our theme this week, from Charlotte, is Feminine Anything Goes.

I needed to make a gift bag, so decided it would do double duty and also be my project for this challenge. I love when stores use bags with handles to put your purchases in. They are perfect for upcycling. Like this:

I went with a fall theme and stamped random leaves from the Rooted in Nature stamp set using Merry Merlot, Mango Melody and Shaded Spruce. I stamped all around the bag.

The tag is a large shipping tag from the office supply store. I embossed it with dies from the Nature's Roots Framelits. I sponged lightly with Crumb Cake.

Peeking out from behind the tag is some of the Chicken Wire Elements that I coloured with Copper Shimmer Paint. Still going with my copper obsession, I die-cut some Copper Glimmer Paper from the Joyous Noel Glimmer Paper pack with a die from In The Woods framelits.

Then I went kind of overboard with Merry Merlot & Copper reversible ribbon, Linen Thread and Burlap Ribbon to finish off the tag. Well, what's that saying? Go big or go home!

You can see a little bit of what looks like tissue paper peeking out from the top of the bag. It's actually from a sewing pattern I bought at the thrift store. It's a huge pattern for a costume and it was .50. I've used parts of it on some mixed media and love it because of the lines and lettering on it. And it works great to stuff in a gift bag.

Now it's your turn to show us your Feminine Anything Goes project. Check out the other Watercooler Artists at Watercooler Wednesday.
 

WWC194 - Anything Goes Challenge

Here we are with another Anything Goes Challenge. That means you can pick your theme, occasion, type of project. It's wide open!

Ever since I became obsessed with making mono prints on a gelatine plate, I've been exploring different ways to incorporate my Stampin' Up supplies into my gelli prints. For this challenge, I've used framelits, a stamp set and shimmer paint along with a gelli plate.

I used various acrylic paint colours to do a dark blue-green background. Then I used the Detailed Dragonfly thinlits to cut three masks from a window sheet. I placed the masks on the gelli plate and brayered a light green layer of paint over everything. The masks were removed and I placed the background I had already made over the plate. That produced the light green layer with the dark blue-green dragonfly silhouettes.

Next, I sponged Frost White Shimmer paint on the stamp from Dragonfly Dreams and stamped in the space left by the masks. The vine shapes are done with a stencil. Using a white Posca paint pen, I drew random circles and a border. The sentiment is from a Tim Holtz collection.

Want to see how the other Watercooler Artists interpret the Anything Goes Challenge? Just visit Watercooler Wednesday to check it out.