A Little Bit of Watercolor

Whenever I sit down to make a card, I almost always pull "spare parts" from my work surface.  I always have spare parts because not everything that I create in my mind works out in the practical application but I can usually use it in some other way or on a different card eventually.  I have a little dish on my table that I put these things into as well as a stack of backgrounds that didn't come out how I wanted on the original project.  Sometimes I am just experimenting with a new technique a few times to see if I can repeat the process.  I'm actually getting better at that part.

Today's cards are super easy ones.  I embossed the image using Versamark on Canson 140# Watercolor Paper and heat set it with Simon Says Stamp Clear Embossing Powder then water colored it using Tim Holtz Distress Markers in Abandoned Coral, Mowed Lawn & Gathered Twigs.  For the halo effect I used Tumbled Glass.  I'm still in the process of trying to determine how much color I want in my halo and that seems to change from image to image.  I think that's probably as it should be.

Originally I thought I would like using the textured side of the watercolor paper but I am totally devoted to the smooth side by now.

I had a red and coral background from the other day when I was trying out the "smooshing" technique so I cut that as the mat for the water colored image.  Then I attached that to a 4 x 5.25 SU! Cameo Coral stitched rectangle using Ranger Multi Medium Matte.  I'm pretty sad because that color hasn't been available for quite a while and when I use up my stash, I won't be able to get any more.  That color has just a bit of pink in it and I love it.

I used a Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle, and the two largest My Favorite Things Stitched Ovals.  I love all of the stitched dies that I have and there are some double stitched dies on my wish list.  The "smile" die came in a set of 3 words made by Little Yellow Bicycle.  I've never seen them again anywhere but they are among my very favorites and they cut like butter.

For the other two cards I made today I wanted kind of a matching set.  The floral images are from the Clearly Besotted Beautiful Friend Stamp Set.  There are Beautiful Friend Coordinating Dies as well.  That is my very favorite thing that has been happening in the paper crafting world.  So many stamp sets these days all have coordinating dies.  In fact, I try to purchase only the ones that have coordinating dies.

Water color is definitely an art form that you can spend as much or as little time as you want on it.  I have a tendency to overwork an image and when I do that, I tend to not like the outcome.  The leaves are okay, but I wish I would have obsessed less on the flowers.  It was a good lesson for me.

I used Tim Holtz Distress Markers in Worn Lipstick, Mowed Lawn, and Gathered Twigs for these.  The pink scalloped and stitched rectangle is another SU! color that is no longer available called Regal Rose.  The gold mats are pieces of foiled cardstock that were cut using my favorite die, the Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangles set.

Both cards have been mounted to a 4.25 x 5.5 top folding landscaped card.  I actually found this paper at Michaels and it is a heavy weight 100# super smooth card stock.  It was a ream of 250 sheets so I have enough to last for a few more days at least.

I am very late getting this post up and I wrote all but this paragraph last Thursday.  With our Grandson getting married on this past Sunday the 11th, I had too many things to do to get ready for our trip.  It was a beautiful and very touching wedding and we had an awesome trip.

I love reading your comments, so don't be shy!