Thanks

During a recent trip back home, my husband and one of my grandsons made a trip with me to see a family friend.  We weren't sure that we could make it so I asked if last minute was okay with her and she said that was fine. I would have felt worse if I said I could be there and then not make it. When I had asked her the night before our visit if I could let her know in the morning, she put a brisket on to cook overnight in case we were there. I'm so glad we could make it to see her for a visit.  It was our first time to visit since her husband had passed away not quite two years ago.

I wanted to try out a new stamp and die set that I recently purchased from Ellen Hutson, LLC called "Mondo Magnolia" from the Essentials by Ellen Collection which was designed by Julie Ebersole.  I love this type of line drawing that I can watercolor and this is my favorite of the ones I have, measuring 3.75 x 3.75 inches. 

I had also recently purchased the Simon Says Stamp Thanks Scallop Border Die and wanted to use it to send a note thanking her for the visit and for feeding us some of her home cooking, which is always so good.  

I stamped the Mondo Magnolia with Versamark and heat embossed it using Simon Says Stamp Ultra Fine Detail Gold Embossing Powder.  I really love the Simon Brand Embossing Powders because they melt quickly and smoothly. Next I cut a Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle in the largest size out of Gold Foil Card Stock.  After that was cut, I laid the Thanks Scallop Border Die along one edge of the widest side of that rectangle in the bottom third.  Just as in photography, you want to try to use a rule of thirds in card making.  The border die is wider than the rectangle so it gave the panel the decorative edge.  With the gold foil card stock and the gold embossing powder, this made for a quick and easy card.

I spent a little time watercoloring the bloom, but I enjoy it so I had it ready to make a quick card.  I used one of my favorite Distress Markers in Seedless Preserves.  This color goes down very purple, but once you add the water to it, it gives lots of shades of pink and violet.  I call this color "my little extrovert" because of the way it behaves with the water added.  All of the distress inks do this but none quite duplicate the behavior of the Seedless Preserves.  As a person who loves pink and purple, I love the variations in tone and depth achieved with this particular color.  If I want my image to look more pink then I use a bit more water.  If I want more purple and less pink, then I use less water.  There's not really a right or wrong way to do it.  I just add layers of color until I achieve the desired look.  To me, that is relaxing.  And if you know me, then you know that there is not too much that I am relaxed about.  

It's a lot of fun for me to use the various watercolor mediums that I have and learn how each of them behaves.  Distress Markers and Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens are the most alike, but still a bit different from each other.  The distress markers give you somewhat predictable color but the pens are such an intense amount of that color that they seem less predictable.  I also use Reinkers or Distress Stains to watercolor with but the thing about the markers or pens is how portable they are.  I can haul them around in a small tote with a water brush and some pre-stamped images in very little space.  That is not something I can say about my ink pads. 

I would encourage you to try all of the mediums that you have so you can learn their behavior and which gives you the most satisfactory results.  Also, be sure to use watercolor paper when you do this because regular white card stock just doesn't cut it.  When I started, I merely wanted something that looked passable and that I wasn't embarrassed to send.  Watercolor has become so much more to me.

We have been traveling, first to Kansas and then to Dallas, for a week and I was so ready to be home this afternoon.  I really crave the creative time in my studio to kind of decompress and I wanted to get a blog post up today.  Now that I can access my studio again, the creative juices will start flowing.  I don't really let myself think about what I might make next when I can't access it because then I just get frustrated.  I have several upcoming projects including some pre-class homework for a class that I am taking in January so I have lots to share and create.  Thanks for stopping by today.