Stampfest at Lynette's July 11, 2025

We visited Lynette on Friday and had a great time as always! For lunch, we took a walk to a nice restaurant in her neighborhood...delicious food, with leftovers to take home. 

Lynette found inspiration for our cards from Lisa Hetrick, Gina K (who was inspired by Natasha Foote) and Jodene Tripp.

For our first card, we followed Lisa Hetrick's flower card with a wet on wet watercolor technique demonstrated on Lisa's YouTube tutorial from May 28, 2019. 

Card Tutorial: Washy Watercolor Florals + 3D Sentiment Embellishments

Lisa described it as  "wet, wet, washy watercolor". 

Lisa stamped her flowers first with GK amalgam ink-obsidian/black waterproof ink. Apparently the amalgam ink is waterproof. However I left that inkpad at home. So we decided not to stamp the flower first. 

First we added water to the watercolor paper with a paintbrush. Then we used watercolors from Lynette's stash, trying to keep our work area wet so the color would travel. We followed Lisa's video as we worked and set aside our panels to dry before we stamped the large outline flower from Gina K's Hugs and Wildflowers set, using Versafine Onyx black ink. It was very fun to watch the colors move and "go with the flow" on the paper.

Lynette mounted her both panels on a dark pink panel from her stash (this one and the next).

I decided to add the extra stamping shown on Lisa's demo, stamping the little branches with Gina K dandelion yellow and medium lilac. I stamped the leaves on a separate piece of cardstock with GK grass green ink. Then I fussy cut the leaves and attached them with GK connect glue.

For our second card design, we followed Jodene Tripp's Sept. 16, 2019 blogpost:

Altenew - Clean & Simple Boutique Cards

using the large leaves stamps from  Altenew's Leaf Canopy stamp set. First we stamped the the large shadow image with GK soft stone ink. Then stamped the large leaves outline stamp in Versafine Onyx Black ink. In both instances we followed the placement that Jodene used.

For our third card design we followed Gina K's YouTube from Jul 8, 2025: 

Inspired by Natasha Foote! Ripped Masking Technique - Fun Cardmaking Technique to Try Tonight!

Apparently Gina was inspired by Natasha Foote's YouTube from Jan. 22, 2025

Ripped Masking Technique TWO DIFFERENT WAYS (1131)

I forgot to bring my GK Masking Magic, so we used Lynette's removable tape. We used a solid mask for the sides, and ripped the tape for the wavy our ink blended areas. We used Post It's as shown by Gina to prevent our ink blending from going anywhere but the intended space! After ink blending an area, we stamped a design with the same color ink as what we used for the ink blending. 

From top to bottom, used Gina K inks:

Wild Dandelion, Turquoise Sea, Lucky Clover, Wild Lilac. 

Then we stamped the flowers from Gina's Natural Silhouettes stamp set using Versafine Black Onyx ink.

Thnaks for visiting!

Peace and All Good!

Saran Wrap Technique Again, Slight Variation

 

On these panels, I used a thinner Canson watercolor paper, 117 lb/250 g/m2. It comes in a 5.5 by 8.5 inch tablet. I taped both layers down with Scrapbook.com Mint Tape, re-using it from the other day. I spritzed the paper with a fine mist of water. Then I randomly added Jane Davenport Brights watercolors to the wet paper. I spritzed if the paint started to dry. 

Then I scrunched both the Saran Wrap-Left, and the cereal bag-Right before placing on the wet watercolor paint. I placed an old book on top of the cereal bag because the scrunched part wanted to unfold. The Saran Wrap's scrunched part remained in place after placing it on the wet watercolor paint.

I was inspired to scrunch the plastic wraps before placing them on top of the wet watercolor paint as shown in this YouTube: Watercolor Techniques - Plastic Wrap by Ms. Covart from March 7, 2017. I like this more dramatic design created with this method of scrunching the plastic film before placing it on the wet watercolor.

...and I'm very happy to re-use the cereal bag. It cleans up easily with plain water.

Thank you for visiting!

Peace and all good!

Stampfest at Lynette's January 17, 2025

Don and I visited Lynette Friday, January 17, 2025. We walked to Sugar Bowl restaurant, enjoying the sunshine and warmer weather. Two of us had the delicious Hobo breakfast skillet and one had a big hamburger meal with fries. Plenty to eat and lots of leftovers to bring home.

Lynette found a great card idea created by Ceal Pritchett for My Sweet Petunia. Lynette used her Waffle Flower Postage Collage Die to make two postage layers. We then cut the individual "stamps" by using scissors to cut on the perforation lines. Voilá 6 stamps for each of us. We decided we could each make two cards.

Stamps: Stampin' Up! - Nature Walk, Botanicals, French script and postage cancellation

Unity - a butterfly collage stamp, and stamps from her stash

Inks: Gina K warm cocoa for the script, Versafine onyx black

Colored pencils

We had so much fun making flowers on watercolor paper at our May 7, 2024 Stampfest that we 

re-visited Amy William's technique Water Coloring Made Easy! This time, we used Lynette's watercolors from her stash. She had made a palette of dried tube watercolors on a plastic covered tray with round "wells". It worked great with a waterbrush...and we used an old rag to absorb extra water from the brush when needed.

Lynette's four panels are first. Then the next image of five panels is mine. 

We were inspired by some Pinterest pins to add more to the stems this time...extra lines and dots and lots of little leaves. We plan to add the panels to a card base.

Thanks so much for visiting!

Peace and all good!!

Stampfest at Lynette's May 7, 2024

Lynette and I had a wonderful time stamping on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. We had lots of inspiration from cards we saw online. Thanks to those who share their artwork!  

Our "torn book and ledger" card was fun to make. Inspired by Natasha Foote's YouTube #991...and a card posted by a member of Natasha's Facebook group. It's called Come crafting with Natasha. Thank you to Natasha and the FB member for sharing their artistic talent!

I worked on the background pieces, stamping with a Hero Arts ledger stamp, using an old book page,  tearing and sponging distress gathered twigs ink on the edges of both.  I found a piece of darker brown cardstock that was already stamped with a tiny script. I trimmed it to fit the card and  added flourishes from Stampin' Up's Carte Postal, using Brilliance white ink. 

Lynette worked on the flowers and leaves, stamping Stampin' Up's Secret Garden flowers in versafine black onyx onto a soft buttercream linen cardstock. Then she did some ink blending with distress lemonade and honey to add more color. The leaves were stamped in Gina K's jelly bean green.

Inspired by a card Lynette found online created by Scrappin' and Stampin' in GJ. Scroll down-the card is toward the bottom of that webpage.

We cut book paper, 2-3/8 wide by 5-1/2 long. And added a piece of black card stock to back it. 

We used the silhouette stamp in Stampin' Up's Just Believe set. 

The green butterflies were die cut from a  Stampin Up's Embosslit called Beautiful Wings

We cut our own banner and stamped with sentiments.

We used Versafine Onyx Black ink.

We really like the big dragonfly blueprints image from Tim Holtz's old Stampers Anonymous Classic Favorites "Classics #1 SCF001" cling rubber stamp. We created a stenciled background with

Tim Holtz Collection Dot Fades THS006

Circles and X's aka Dotted and stitched-THMM114

Harlequin THS016

TH Mesh & Typo stencil from TH Mixed-Media Stamps & Stencil set THMM121.

Then stamped the dragonfly with Versafine onyx black ink.

Inks used to blend over the stencils: distress broken china, wild honey, peeled paint.

Had so much fun with the stenciled background and the large dragonfly that we made a second, portrait version, which was inspired by Rita Wright's Masked Butterfly card. 

Stencils: Tim Holtz circles THMM114 and sequin waste stencil

Inks: Gina K sea glass and jelly bean green 

Stamped the dragonfly with Versafine onyx black.

We were inspired to make these watercolor flowers after seeing Amy Williams' YouTube: Water coloring made EASY! We used Jane Davenport's set of 12 watercolors-brights pallette. I had already played with this technique using reinkers, which you can see here. We used water brushes. However, next time I would like to try using a paintbrush.

 

Below are close ups. Click on an image to see a larger version.

Here you see Gina K's 4 x 4 inch Happy Hydrangea stamped image from using Lynette's luxurious Caran D'Asche watercolor crayons. 

I have to tell you about the right layer. We spritzed the stamp first then added the watercolor crayons and spritzed it before stamping. That image was too watery. We then worked on the left panel, in which we did NOT give it the 2nd spritz of water after coloring the stamp with the watercolor crayons.  That came out better!

We decided to give the right panel another chance...spritzed the stamp and added watercolor crayon (2nd time)...but this time we DID NOT SPRITZ the stamp a second time. Lynette stamped the hydrangea right on top of the stamped image and I think it looks great now!

I hope that the descriptions make sense. It can be handy for us to look back and see what we did to create these cards and panels.

Thank you for visiting.

Peace and all good.

Watercolor Flowers, May 9, 2024

Thanks to Lynette for sharing Amy Williams' YouTube, Water coloring made EASY! from April 7, 2024. What a fun and easy technique! I really liked the way Amy added dots of color to place where the bottom of each flower would be placed.  Liked how Amy made one of the flowers is turn downward and how she added the dots of color by flicking her aqua brush. I used a paintbrush and water. I did not blot my work with a towel like Amy did.

Gina K reinker colors used: turquoise sea, tranquil teal, medium spruce and grass green

You can always click on images to see a larger version.

After dry, I added lines with a Faber Castell Pitt pen.

Thanks for visiting!

Peace and all good.

Lady Faces July 2023

I'm at it again...artist "wanna-be"! This time I'm using my Jane Davenport Whimsical Girls book as my guide. This book was meant to be a workbook. The pages are made from and labeled with different kinds of paper: watercolor, marker paper, thin craft paper, coloring paper. There are a few pages of thin, colorful, collage paper that you can tear and use with acrylic medium for mixed media projects. For now, I am using this book for ideas on how to draw my lady faces. Not working on the actual pages of this book. Also, I just noticed that Jane has a YouTube on this book. 

For these faces, I used India Ink FABER-CASTELL Pitt Artist Pen, black, F (0.5 mm) and Canson watercolor paper, cold pressed 250 g/m2. When dry, I used Superior brand watercolors (set of 18 that my sister, Grace gave me). Also used my Jane Davenport  12 pan Bright Pallette watercolor set. Once dry, I added some ink blending to darken the colors: Gina K's sweet mango, wild dandelion, lucky clover and red velvet inks. Then I added some stamping around the edges.

This is the inside of the card.

For this second card, I used colored pencils to color the lady and ink blending for the border: Gina K's sweet mango, wild dandelion, lucky clover and passionate pink inks.

Here is the inside of that card.

I decided not to color the border of this card. Really liked the lady as she is. I wasn't sure which colors to use for the background...and was afraid to ruin what I had already done.

Here is the inside.

I wanted to try the "lined" hair that I saw in Jane's book. It was more difficult than it looked. Always seems that way! Jane has written text beside many of her drawings in the Whimsical Girls book. I decided to try it. I copied her way of creating the letters-fun to do. I wanted to make this girl's purple hair a little different so I blended some red with the purple on my pallette. Also I copied the blouse design from Jane's book.

I really enjoyed the process of drawing and painting. And it was fun to make the drawings into cards that I can send to friends.

Stamps: 

Stampin' Up-Letters from Friends

Heidi Grace/Fiskars-Dreamer

Heidi Grace/Fiskars-Cherrywood Ln.

Tim Holtz Mixed Media Collection Stampers Anonymous clear stamps/stencil set-THMM114

Dimensions Crafts-Thoughts of fancy stamps

Sentiment Stamps:

Penny Black-

  Friendships...2945H

  What matters...293CH

Hero Arts wood mounted set of 3 stamps-Nicest Thoughts

Stampendous-Treasured Friend

Stampabilities-Between Friends ER1034

Thanks for visiting!

Peace and all good!

Watercolor Beach Scene Cards

Instead of using a blending brush and ink to make beach backgrounds, I used watercolor paints and also watercolor pencils (bottom right). I was inspired by Lindsay Weirich's YouTube Painting VS Stamping Card Making Showdown. I am not an artist; just having fun.  Below are the finished cards.

Supplies: 

Jane Davenport watercolors, Stampin' Up! watercolor pencils, Versamark Watermark inkpad, VersaMarker Watermark pen,  Stampendous Stampin Stuff white opaque embossing powder, 

Hero Arts CM317 Color Layering Sea & Sky, CM316 Color Layering Waves, CL342 Everyday Sayings, 

Inks:

distress-abandoned coral, tea dye, walnut

Stampin' UP! going grey, tempting turquoise, summer starfruit, hello honey, delightful Dijon

Versafine onxy black

Thanks for tuning in! Peace and all good!

Halloween Cards 2019

I started making some Halloween cards on Saturday.

Punched a circle to use as a mask for the "moon". Then sponged distress inks onto the paper: chipped sapphire, fossilized amber, peeled paint. Used hickory smoke to add cloud streaks in the moon and sky and also along edges of the paper.

Pumpkins stamped in distress carved pumpkin and colored with coloring pencils.

Used Versafine onxy black for the sentiment.

Stamps from:

Michael Strong-cloisonne alphabet (Boo), and pumpkin harvest (large pumpkins)

Posh Impressions-tree

Hero Arts-Halloween sentiment

Bat and tiny pumpkins are unmounted stamps from my stash given to me by Lynette.

Trees are from Lynette's Sizzix Branch Tree which I had in my stash.

I made six more cards on Monday.

This time I drew trees on brown cardstock and cut them out. 

After dry embossing a Darice tree, I sponged it with fall colors using distress inks:

wild honey, fired brick, peeled paint, fossilized amber, rusty hinge and gathered twigs for the tree trunk.

This tree was created with the embossing folder stamping technique.

 I like to refer to these two tutorials for the embossing folder stamping technique:

Heidi Wegman's Embossing Folder Stamping
and
Audrie Magno-Gordon's Embossing Folder Stamping

Onto the raised side of the embossing folder, I dabbed distress inks: rusty hinge, wild honey, fired brick, peeled paint, fossilized amber on the leaves and gathered twigs on the tree trunk and branches of the embossing folder. Spritzed with water. Placed a piece of watercolor paper in the embossing folder. Closed it and pressed it down with my hands. When I opened the embossing folder the tree image was transferred to the paper.

I decided to add color to the white space using a paintbrush, distress ink and water. I transferred distress ink to my craft sheet by dabbing it. In another spot, I spritzed some plain water. I wet my brush with water then grabbed some ink with the brush. In that way, I added color to the paper. It was fun playing with the color. After it dried, I added some lines  with a black XS Faber Castell PITT pen. With distress carved pumpkin ink, I stamped the tiny pumpkins on a separate piece of watercolor paper. Then added some distress inks with my paintbrush: spiced marmalade, carved pumpkin and peeled paint to color in the white areas.

Variations on a theme...hope you are not bored! I switched to faded jeans for the sky and used a favorite Penny Black tree stamp, fantasy 3880K. Used mowed lawn and my home made curvy hills templates. 

I made a Birthday/Halloween card for my friend's daughter who was born on Halloween!  I was heavy handed with the sponging of color on the dry embossed Darice tree. Cut apart a Hero Arts Happy Birthday sentiment and the Halloween sentiment combining them.

Thanks for visiting!

Hope you have a very fun Halloween!