WWC159 - Marsha's All About Christmas

Time to add to your stash of Christmas cards! Marsha is hosting our All About Christmas challenge  this week.

In every catalogue, there is a stamp set that really appeals to me, but for some reason I put off getting  it. Then, when the catalogue is just about to retire, I finally decide to get it.

Good Tidings was that set for me in the 2017 Holiday Catalogue. it is a two-step holly design with a watercolour look to it. Even though I really liked it, once I got it, I didn't use it. Silly, I know! So, it was time to  ink it up for this challenge.

I only used two colours for the holly: Old Olive and  Cherry Cobbler. The images for the bottom layer were stamped off, then  I used the detail layers full strength. The sentiment is done with Always Artichoke.

These images have a nostalgic feel to them, I think. I didn't want to use Whisper White - thought it would be too bright. So I stamped the images on Very Vanilla for a softer look. It also  gives a warmer tone to the colours.

The DSP is from Delightful Daisy, and  the card base is Cherry Cobbler.

For a little bit of sparkle, I used some of the Glitter Epoxy Shapes, from the 2018 Occasions Catalogue, on the berries. Here's a close-up look at those:

For more Christmas inspiration, check out Watercooler Wednesday and have a look at the wonderful projects from the other Watercooler Artists.

WWC158 - Helen's Masculine Anything Goes Challenge

It's time for another Masculine Challenge, hosted this time by Helen.

I'm late to the party when it comes to the Waterfront stamp set - a truly magical stamp set designed by Connie Heisey, a Stampin' Up Million Sales Achiever. Pinterest is loaded with awesome samples of what can be done with this deceptively simple-looking stamp set. The possibilities are endless!

For my first use of this set, I simply wanted to stamp the images. It is sooooo easy to create a mountain paradise just by stamping. Each image creates its own shading - you don't have to think about anything. Here's what I came up with:

I started by stamping the line of mountains straight across the Whisper White cardstock, with Crumb Cake. I stamped multiple times without reinking to give the impression of mountains in the distance.

Next I created a transition space between the water and the mountains with Always Artichoke - again using stamping off.

Then I created the grassy hill with Old Olive, and stamped the trees randomly with Always Artichoke.

For the sky, I used Soft Sky, again stamping off to give a colour variation. The birds are from the High Tide stamp set and I used Night of Navy.

The water is done with Pool Party, stamped off. To add a little more interest to the water, I used the wave image from High Tide on top of the base stamping.

On the tag, I used Guy Greetings for the Happy Birthday and Thoughtful Banners for the Brother. They are stamped with Always Artichoke on Very Vanilla. It looked a little too bright, so I stamped one of the images from Waterfront with Crumb Cake then popped it up with Dimensionals over a strip of Metallic Copper Ribbon tied in a simple knot to finish it off.

To see more inspiring projects from the other Watercooler Artists, visit Watercooler Wednesday.

WWC #157 - Heidi's All About Occasions Challenge

This week, Heidi is our challenge host with the All About Occasions Challenge.

There are so many card-giving occasions throughout the year from birthdays and anniversaries to the many holidays, plus thank-you and thinking of you.

My card is celebrating a special day - which can cover almost any of the occasions.

I'm still playing with the Brushos and used them here with the Woodlands embossing folder. It's so easy to do and the results are different every time.

Colours used here are Moss Green, Gamboge and Prussian Blue. Simply sprinkle some of the crystals directly onto the embossing folder, spritz with water, then place your cardstock in the folder and run it through the Big Shot.

I used Shimmery White cardstock, as it can handle the water. After it was dry, I matted it with Basic Black cardstock. The next layer is Crumb Cake, stamped with the Marbled background stamp and Crumb Cake ink, then mounted onto a Crumb Cake card base.

The sentiment is from Dragonfly Dreams, stamped with Night of Navy ink on Very Vanilla.

To see what the rest of the team has done, visit Watercooler Wednesday.  

WWC156 - Penny's Feminine Anything Goes Challenge

Happy Wednesday and welcome to another challenge. This time, Penny gives us a Feminine Anything Goes Challenge.

I'm still learning my way around the Brushos Watercolour Crystals. I love creating backgrounds with them, so decided to pair them with a lovely, sketchy-type image from Mediterranean Moments.

I used a piece of watercolour paper and taped it to my craft sheet using washi tape. Then I sprinkled the Brushos onto  the dry paper, starting with Moss Green in the lower right-hand corner, then Yellow in the middle and Gamboge in the top left-hand corner. I tried to sprinkle the powders in a diagonal direction.

Then I spritzed water all over the surface. After waiting for a few seconds for the colour to spread, I could see areas where I wanted more colour, so I just sprinkled a bit more of each colour where I wanted it.

After that was dry, I put the watercolour piece into my stamp positioner and inked the image with Tranquil Tide. I didn't want to use black ink, as it just seemed too harsh for the look I was going for.

Stamping on watercolour paper can be tricky, so I find a stamp positioner really helps as your stamp can be re-inked and re-stamped until you are happy with the results.

I wanted to let the image speak for itself, and decided to not add too much. To give it some interest, I used the ovals from the Stitched Shapes framelits and cut out two of the shapes.

My idea was to make it seem as if you are looking into this courtyard, so I glued the smallest oval in the center right onto the Tranquil Tide card base - which I had stamped with the dotted stamp image from the Waterfront stamp set, using Tranquil Tide ink and the stamping off technique.

The next section was adhered with dimensionals, and the final section was adhered with adhesive strips which are slightly higher than the dimensionals. The sentiment is from a Tim Holtz collection of peel and stick quotes.

To add just a little more interest to the design, I used some of the Clear Epoxy shapes at opposite corners of the oval. Hopefully you can see them in this closeup:

Our team of Watercooler Artists have really outdone themselves this time. There is plenty of inspiration to be found at Watercooler Wednesday!