Emboss Resist Watercolouring

Hi Everyone and Happy Wednesday!

Welcome back to my blog. 

Thank you so much for all the positive messages about my latest watercolour technique videos (my July 18th Facebook Live and IG Reel). A few of you have asked about written directions, which I'm happy to provide in today's blog.

Here is the completed card and a couple extra sample trees. 

The same colours and order of ink were used each time. If your brush is fairly wet, the colours will be lighter (the tree right next to the card.) If you don't clean your brush in between layers, the colours will be less distinct (the tree on the bottom left). I've never coloured anything so fast as I did in that Reel - good thing I love a challenge. This is actually why the brush wasn't cleaned in between colours.😂

You'll need the following supplies: Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper, VersaMark, White Embossing Power, a Heat Tool, Stampin' Inks (the little refill bottles) and our Water Painters. You'll also need a stamp set (I'm using the new Christmas Lights Bundle) and some paper towels. 

Using VersaMark, Stamp your image on the watercolour paper. Since this paper has texture, you need to apply a bit of pressure to ensure the VersaMark transfers to the paper. Here's where the Stamparatus can be your friend - if any areas are missed, you can just pop your paper back in and stamp again. 

Sprinkle white embossing powder over your image and heat emboss it. I am loving the new Embossing Additions Tool Kit. You can hold the paper with your ceramic tipped tweezers, shake the excess powder into the tray and brush it back into the jar. No muss no fuss.

After heat embossing, I used the die from the Christmas Lights Bundle to cut out the trees. Put 2-3 drops of ink for each colour you're using on an acrylic block. Put some water into the the largest Water Painter and squeeze the bulb to bring the water to the tip. Use your paper towel to dab off any excess.

Tips: For a more natural look, follow the curve of the tree - so the paint strokes are starting higher, then down down and then back up. If you want distinct colours, remember to clean your brush when changing colours. And more water = less intense colours. Experiment on scrap paper. 

Starting with the lightest colour, Coastal Cabana, dip it in the ink and sweep across the tree, just under the star. Dip it in the ink again and sweep near the middle of the tree, down about 1" form the first one. Dip it again an sweep across the tree about 1" from the middle one. With your Bermuda Bay, repeat this underneath and slightly over lapping the each Coast Cabana stripe. Finally, with your Pacific Point, paint the star and fill in the 3 remaining pieces.

I put my tree on an piece of embossed white cardstock (Wintry 3D Embossing Folder) and used some Silver Foil trim on each side. This went on top of a Bermuda Bay card base. I added a sentiment from the Brightest Glow Stamp Set and cut it out with the Stitched Rectangles Dies. To finish it off, I added a few Rhinestone Basic Jewels. 

Right now, until the end of August, our fabulous Sale-a-bration continues. For every 60 spent* you get to choose an item for FREE. This is a great time to stock up on basics and try some new things.

If you need any help ordering, have any questions about Stampin' Up! products or this card, feel free to message me. Let me know if you want to be added to my monthly email newsletter. You can also find me on Instagram and Facebook where I spend way too much time.

We'll see you next time. Thank for coming by.

Cheers,

Adrienne

*Before shipping & taxes. There are also Level 2 items, which you get for free with a 120 spend. All Sale-a-bration items are while supplies last.

 

 

Circle, circles & more circles

 

Hello and Welcome!

I created this card for this weeks's Global Design Project #351. The theme was "shapes." Taking my inspiration from a current sand art installation in Tofino, BC (on the same island as me), I went with something a little abstract and out of the box.

The Crumb Cake layer was embossed with the Timber Embossing Folder. Then, going largest to smallest, the circles were embossed with the splatters from the Stripes & Splatters, Painted Texture and Fern Embossing Folders. The sentiment came from the Friends Are Like Seashells. All the circles were just eyeballed, not measured. You could absolutely measure or use a template to be more precise.

If you have any questions about Stampin' Up! products or this card, feel free to message me. Let me know if you want to be added to my monthly email newsletter. You can also find me on Instagram and Facebook.

See you next time. Thank you for coming by.

Cheers,

Adrienne

Summer Flowers Black & White

 

Hello and Happy Wednesday!

I've always like Wednesdays. It's half way through the work week and most of us are getting exited for the weekend. 

I created today's card for the Global Design Project. People all over the world are given the same card sketch/layout or colour combination. And then we all make cards! It's a great way to get inspired and have you create outside your comfort zone. 

Using the large Artistic Dies, I cut out the flowers and attached them to a circle of the Vellum Layering Designs, which was over a circle of white. The edges of the die cut are loose and I curled them up a little with my fingers. This piece was attached to the card front with Stampin' Dimensionals. The sentiment came from the Charming Sentiments Bundle and the background from the Stitched Greenery Die.

If you have any questions about Stampin' Up! products or this particular card, feel free to message me. Let me know if you want to be added to my monthly email newsletter. You can also find me on Instagram and Facebook.

We'll see you next time. Thank for coming by.

Cheers,

Adrienne

Lilacs from Wisterias

Hi all and welcome back,

When I first saw the lovely Wisteria Bundle in the new Annual Catalogue, I immediately thought of lilacs. Growing up in Alberta, they were everywhere and I often picked them for my Mum. To this day, I find their scent magical and almost intoxicating.

It turns out they aren't native to North America. It's believed they were brought over, from Europe, by homesick settlers. A cool thing about lilacs (and maybe this is why there were so many around homesteads) is farmers used them as an indicator plant and would harvest their fields depending on what the lilacs were doing. How wild is that?

This beautiful background was created with the Fern 3D Embossing Folder. The Happiness Abounds Stamp Set provided the sentiment and the Stylish Shapes Dies, the sentiment strip. To create more visual interest, cut an extra sentiment strip in a contrasting colour. Glue it behind the sentiment and slightly offset it. 

Here is my lilac card, made possible by wisterias. 

If you have any questions about Stampin' Up! products or this card, feel free to message me. Let me know if you want to be added to my monthly email newsletter. You can also find me on Instagram and Facebook.

We'll see you next time. Thank for coming by.

Cheers,

Adrienne

The breath of the enchanted wind mingles the fresh scent of the lilacs with the fragrance of the past. - Marcel Proust

 

 

Campology & A Long Lost T-shirt

Hi Everyone!

Today I'm going to show you a few cards from the lovely Campology Stamp Set. As a demonstrator, I buy stamp sets for various reasons. Sometimes I just love them and have to have them. Other times, I will decide a certain set may work well in a class or appeal to my customers. And then there's this one. I bought it to make ONE card, based on a 25 year old memory.   

Since my brother lived in Victoria, I often visited before I moved here. During one of these visits, I was downtown by myself. I walked past a shop that had a t-shirt in the window. It was a cartoon-like drawing of two pup tents perched precariously close to the edge of a cliff. It said, "Two Tense." I thought it was hysterical. Why I didn't buy it then and there, I don't remember. But I went back the next day. I searched and searched and couldn't find it. Downtown Victoria had a LOT of shops with t-shirts in their windows. In fact, I looked for it over several years. I never found it and eventually the memory just settled into a corner of my mind. When I saw this stamp set in the catalogue, I knew what I had to do.

In addition to the Campology set, I used the Mountain Air Stamp Set and the Stacked Stone Stamp Set. The colouring was made possible with the fabulous Blending Brushes.

The inspiration for my second card came after a ferry ride. When you go from Victoria (on Vancouver Island) to Vancouver (on the mainland) you pass through the Gulf Islands. In addition to the large islands, there are a few tiny uninhabited ones. I envisioned camping on one of the main islands and what that view would look like at dusk. Fussy cutting that lantern - oof! The latern's glow was achieved by adding some of the Fine-tip Glue Pen to the light after I'd coloured it with my Blends.

My third card was made this week. I wanted to show that Campology can be used without Blending Brushes. One of the easiest ways of making a card look fabulous, is to stamp directly onto the DSP (Designer Series Paper.) This new paper, which reminded me of the night sky, is in the Rings of Love DSP pack. The ridiculously adorable camper is from the new Tree Lot Dies. Both of these are Sale-a-bration items, which means you can earn them for FREE.* I used In Color DSP & In Color Glimmer Paper to create the camper.

If you have any questions about Stampin' Up! products or either of these projects, just message me. Let me know if you want to be added to my monthly email newsletter. You can also find me on Instagram and Facebook.

See you next time. Thank you for making the time to visit and read.

Cheers,

Adrienne

There is no Wi-Fi in the mountains, but you'll find no better connection. - Anon 

*Each of these Sale-a-bration (SAB) items are free with a 60 (for the DSP)  & 120 (for the Dies) purchase (before s/h & tax) starting July 1st. SAB runs until August 31st. Items are available while supplies last. 

Ombre Window Card

Hello happy people and welcome!

Normally I make at least one card/project a day. Although I see so much inspiration around me sometimes I do find myself wondering what to make next. Design/Creative Challenges are great for inspiration. They often get one thinking outside the box - we can all get stuck. I encourage you to look at these "challenges" as inspiration and give them a go. 

Today's creation came to be during a Team Technique Challenge. Everyone in our group used the same "Floating Strip" technique, with dozens of different stamp sets, all getting great results. I used the Happiness Abounds Bundle for mine.

The In Color Glimmer Paper is attached to a Window Sheet. Since each strip needed to line up and be equally(ish) spaced, I used our Multipurpose Liquid Glue. (Our Grid Paper is very helpful for projects like this one.) The window sheet was attached to the card front with Mini Stampin' Dimensionals (I did make sure my strips were going to be wide enough for them to fit.)

To decorate the card, I added a stamped die cut flower and sentiment from the Happiness Abounds Bundle and some Simply Elegant Trim. The sentiment strip was created with the Stylish Shapes Dies.

If you have any questions about Stampin' Up! products or any of these projects, please message me. Let me know if you want to be added to my monthly email newsletter. You can also find me on Instagram and Facebook.

See you next time. Thank you for taking the time to visit.

Cheers,

Adrienne

Inspiration exits, but it has to find you working. - Pablo Picasso

 

Cherry Blossoms & Deers

Hi Everyone!

Welcome back to my blog. Today's card was created earlier this spring. I am blessed to live in Victoria, on Vancouver Island, where the cherry blossoms are incredibly plentiful, along with deer. (And the cherry blossoms are definitely the more popular of the two, at least with the locals. 🤣)

Once in a while I like to create a card without a sentiment and these dies are perfect for that. To recreate this look just cut out three foregrounds with the die, one in each colour (you could also switch up the colours for the other seasons.) Set aside the Soft Suede (brown) one for trees. On the Pear Pizzazz (green) one, cut it in half, on the short edges - I did this unevenly to try and make it look more natural. Cut away the trees. With the Blushing Bride (pink) piece, cut away the trees. Glue all three layers together. I recommend our liquid glue for this because you get that moment o forgiveness to adjust. Use Dimensionals to attach this piece to the card base. Cut out your deer. Mine are white because I wanted them to be the focal point of the card. I have the doe's head peaking around the tree (she is otherwise glue to the card base. The fawn is glued to the grass and the attached to the base with Dimensionals.

If you have any questions about Stampin' Up! products or this card, please message me. Let me know if you want to be added to my monthly email newsletter. You can also find me on Instagram and Facebook.

We'll see you next time. Thank you so much for making the time to come by.

Cheers,

Adrienne

Flowers enshrine my heart between their petals; that’s why my heartbeats love them so much. - Munia Khan