making a watercolor template – friendly seagulls watercolor card

making a watercolor template – friendly seagulls watercolor card

Today’s blog post is about creating a template with dies to use to watercolor through the negative space to create a unique background.
Today I wanted to create a segmented background of equal squares so i used the smallest square die from the Stylish Shapes die set and ran a 4″ x 5 1/4″ layer of Basic White through the Stampin’ Cut and Emboss machine creating two rows of three die cuts resembling window panes.

Measurements:
BASE: Coastal Cabana CS: 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
scored at 4 1/4″
Pool Party CS: 4″ x 5 1/4″
Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper: 1/2 sheet
Basic White CS: 4″ x 5 1/4″ for mask/template
scraps for stamping

Using 3M Post-it Labeling and cover up tape I secured down one side of the template over the watercolor paper – because the Fluid 100 1/2 sheet is smaller than the template make sure that the template is evenly spaced on the watercolor paper.
Squeeze the lid of the Coastal Cabana ink pad and get some ink on the lid.
With a Water Painter place a few drops of water onto the lid and mix the ink and water with the brush. I used the medium brush size from the three piece set that comes with when you order the Water Painters #151298 3 painters in a set $13.00.
Brush the inside of each die opening with the watercolor wash.
Allow to dry before removing the template.
Remove the template and make sure the surface is totally dry before stamping.
I stamped in Tuxedo Black Momento ink the flying birds image in the top two boxes.
I stamped the fish image in the middle left-hand box and the shells image in the lower right-hand box.
On scraps of Basic White CS I stamped two of the birds from the Friendly Seagulls FREE Level One Sale-a-bration Rewards stamp set that you can earn with a $60 order. I think this is such a fun set!
I used Stampin’ Blends to color the birds: Pool Party Light and Dark to color the wings and Smoky Slate to shade the bellies and wings of the seagulls, Lemon Lolly for their beaks and webbed feet and crumb cake dark for the french fries.
I fussy cut the birds using the Stampin’ Up! Paper Snips which are the best knife edged scissors to fussy cut with as you can cut all the way to the tip!
I adhered the birds onto the remaining two boxes.
I stamped “hey friend” sentiment in the upper left-hand box to finish the stamping on the card!
I popped up the watercolored layer on Stampin’ Dimensionals and added it to the 4″ x 5 1/4″
Pool Party layer.
Opening the Paper Snips scissors and running one of the blades across the edges of the Pool Party layer I distressed the edges of this layer and then adhered it to the Coastal Cabana base card.
I finished off the card with the new Sparkle Gems but just as easily could have used the Riverside Irregular Pearls on this project as well
Which do you like better?
Try this water coloring template technique and show me what you create!
Which embellishment do you like better?

Now go and create some artwork of your very own – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

more color mondays azure afternoon, coastal cabana, and lemon lime twist

more color mondays azure afternoon, coastal cabana, and lemon lime twist

Today’s blog post card is another card using the card layouts on page 22 from the current 2024-2025 Annual Catalog. These colors pop off the page for this More Color Monday color challenge of Azure Afternoon, Coastal Cabana and Lemon Lime Twist.

Measurements:
BASE: Basic White CS: 4 1/4″ x 11″
scored at 5 1/2″
Basic Black CS: 4″ x 5 1/4″
Fluid 100 paper

Using the Fluid 100 Paper, I picked three colors: Azure Afternoon, Coastal Cabana, and Lemon Lime Twist.
Color the entire surface of the Fluid 100 paper with Blending Brushes in the three ink colors.
Using a Stampin’ Spritzer filled with water and a large Water Painter and spray the surface with water splatter and drop water from the water painter. Allow the paper to dry.
Emboss the Basic Black layer with the Beattiful Butterflies hybrid embossing folder.
Adhere the embossed layer to the card front.
Die cut the large butterfly from the Fluid 100 paper and adhere the top half of the card.
Color the Basic Rhinestones Jewels with the Azure Afternoon Stampin’ Blends.
Stamp the Happy Birthday sentiment from the Beautiful Butterflies stamp set on the Fluid 100 paper and die cut the sentiment piece.
Pop up the sentiment piece with Stampin’ Dimensionals and adhere to the bottom of the card on the right hand side.
Adhere five Rhinestones to the card front around the butterflies and sentiment piece.
I love this card – the colors pop off the Basic Black embossed layer.

Try to make a card with Basic Black and pops of color! Now go and create some artwork of your very own – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

more color mondays – changing leaves amazing card

more color mondays – changing leaves amazing card

Today’s More Color Monday features Basic Gray, Coastal cabana and Gorgeous Grape. I love this Changing Leaves Hybrid Bundle and this card has lots of depth and dimension and gorgeous color!

Measurements:
BASE: Basic Gray CS: 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
scored at 4 1/4″
Layer: 4″ x 5 1/4″
Coastal Cabana: scraps for sentiment piece and
leaves dies
Gorgeous Grape: scraps for leaves dies

Take the Basic Gray layer and emboss with the Changing Leaves hybrid embossing folder.
Die cut leaves in both Coastal Cabana and Gorgeous Grape.
Die cut the long sentiment piece and stamp the sentiment in Gorgeous Grape ink.
Pop the sentiment piece onto the center of the card front.
Adhere the leaves under sentiment piece.
Add three Basic Gray and Smoky Slate Pearlson the card.
This is a great color combination – see what you can create – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

adventurous sky masculine birthday card

adventurous sky masculine birthday card

Masculine cards can be difficult for some people – flowers and butterflies are traditionally “girly” cards but not always but making a card for a guy can be a little trickier!
This is one of my go to masculine card sets and it looks beautiful in hues of blue green like Pool Party and Coastal Cabana!

Measurements:
BASE: Coastal Cabana: 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
scored at 4 1/4″
Basic White layers: (2) 4″ x 5 1/4″
scraps for die cut plane and clouds

Color one of the Basic White layers with a blending brush and Pool Party and Coastal Cabana ink. I brushed from the outer edges of the paper inward so the darker ink color is on the edges of the paper.
I stamped the clouds where i wanted to place the popped up clouds and colored a little darker around the edges of the clouds with the Coastal Cabana ink.
I stamped the larger cloud image four times in Coastal Cabana ink on Basic White cardstock scraps and die cut them out.
I stamped the large airplane and colored them with Pool Party and Pretty Peacock Stampin’ Blends and Balmy Blue for the propellors.

I colored the whirling propellor blades with Balmy Blue Stampin’ Blends markers and then colored it with the color lifter to give it a see through appearance.

I popped up the clouds except for the one behind the airplane and popped the airplane up on Stampin’ Dimensionals as well.

Stamp the bottom of a die circle from Spotlight on Nature die with the Happy Birthday from the Adventurous Sky stamp set. Adhere at the top of the Blending brushed layer and cut off the top of the circle die.
Adhere the blended layer onto a Basic White layer with just a small border. Then I adhered those layers to the Coastal Cabana base card.
I love this “high flying” masculine happy birthday card – what do you use for your masculine cards. There are some great Designer Series papers like Country Woods and some great masculine stamp sets – need help designing some masculine cards just let me know!

Now go out and create some masculine cards of your own -one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

rainbow sketched butterflies card and shadowbox

rainbow sketched butterflies card and shadowbox

I love this card and the shadowbox I created for my father’s funeral.

Measurements:

BASE: Basic White CS: 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
scored at 4 1/4″
scrap for the Deckled Circle dies/embossed
Real Red scrap for Sketched Butterflies
dies
Melon Mambo scrap for Sketched Butterflies
dies
Flirty Flamingo scrap for Sketched Butterflies
dies
Pumpkin Pie scrap for Sketched Butterflies
dies
Lemon Lime Twist scrap for Sketched Butterflies dies
Coastal Cabana scrap for Sketched Butterflies
dies
Blueberry Bushel scrap for Sketched Butterflies
dies
Gorgeous Grape scrap for Sketched Butterflies
dies

Die cut the third largest deckle circle and cut in half.
Stamp the butterfly stamp in Tuxedo Black Memento ink.
Emboss the butterfly stamped layer in the Birch Wood 3D embossing folder.
Pop up the butterfly layer onto Stampin’ Dimensionals and match the right-hand edge to the card edge.
Stamp the sentiment onto the upper left hand edge of the card base.
Die cut the Sketched Butterflies dies in Real Red, Melon Mambo, Flirty Flamingo, Pumpkin Pie, Lemon Lime Twist, Coastal Cabana, Blueberry Bushel and adhere them around the deckled circle embossed layer tucking them in and under the edges in rainbow order.
Add adhesive-backed shiny sequins and sequins trio to the card front to finish this card.

I added this card to a Coastal Cabana 8 1/2″ x 11″ and added pictures for my father’s funeral and mounted it into a shadow box.

This stamp set has so many uses and it is my new favorite! Hope you get to stamp today now go create some artwork of your very own – one stamp at a time.

Happy Stampin’
Natalie