Rosy Birthday

Believe it or not, this is one of the easiest cards to make! If you know how to heat emboss (the gold outlines of the rose and leaves were heat embossed), and you can color somewhat between the lines, then you can make this card. If you don't have watercolor paper, then Shimmery White cardstock will do, which is what was used here. Make sure you use an Embossing Buddy to get rid of any static on the cardstock. Trust me, it makes a big difference!

The "How To" for this card
Image panel: Shimmery White 4" x 5-1/4"
Card base: Whisper White Thick cardstock 5-1/2" x 8-1/2", scored and folded at 4-1/4"

Rub the "buddy" all over the Shimmery White CS, and blow off any dust. Stamp image using VersaMark Ink, then pour gold embossing powder generously over stamped lines. Dump excess powder off image and onto scrap paper, then funnel back into jar. Tap back of cardstock over a waste basket to knock off any loose bits. Heat with Heat Tool until powder has melted.

Squeeze the top and bottom of your (closed) ink pads together to leave some ink on the lids. (They make a great palette to use with Aqua Painters or Blender Pens!) For this card I used Calypso Coral, Crushed Curry, and Mossy Meadow.

Now, let's get painting! Have a paper towel handy for blotting your brush, if needed. Using an Aqua painter, squeeze the barrel until the brush gets wet, but not drippy. Working on just 2 or 3 petals at a time, moisten them with water from your brush, then pick up some of the color from the lid of your Calypso Coral ink pad and spread it around on the moistened areas. This is watercoloring, so you don't want it to be perfect. Some areas will be a little darker and some will be lighter and that's okay! Continue adding more petals, a few at a time, then go back over some areas with a bit of Crushed Curry to give them a glow. Now do the leaves the same way using Mossy Meadow.

This is where practice really does make perfect, so don't be afraid to play around with different amounts of wetness and ink on some practice images. You'll get the hang of it! It really is amazing the shades you can get from one color, from the palest hint of color to the deepest, boldest shade. You can always go back and add more color if it isn't dark enough for your liking. Or if it's too dark, you can blot some of the color off (before it dries, or course!).

Let the image dry and then ink the idges with a Stamping Sponge and some Mossy Meadow ink. Adhere to card base, and add a few sequins (the Fine-Tip Glue Pen is perfect for this). Aaaand, you're done!

STAMPS: Rose Wonder
CARDSTOCK: Whisper White Thick, Shimmery White
INK: VersaMark, Calypso Coral, Crushed Curry, Mossy Meadow
ACCESSORIES: Heat Tool, Embossing Buddy, Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder, Love Blossoms Embellishment Kit (sequins), Stamping Sponges, Fine-Tip Glue Pen

Just What Is So Special About February 22?

George Washington, the father of our country, was born on this day. So was my little sister, who always got her birthday off from school (the little twerp). Oh yeah, and so was a fabulous new stamping forum called Stampin' Addicts! And to celebrate their 2nd birthday, we are having a Birthday Blog Hop featuring different stamping techniques, all with a birthday theme. If you are following the hop in order, you just landed here from Holly's blog, where punch art was the technique. That pizza made me hungry! This is stop number three and the technique is Watercoloring. (Here's a link to all the stops on the hop, in case you get lost.)

The first card uses the marker-to-stamp technique. Using a Stampin' Write Marker, color directly on your stamp. Mist Shimmery White cardstock lightly with water before stamping to get that soft watercolor look.

Click Images to See Larger

Up next is the Watercolor Bleed technique using re-inkers. Heat emboss image in white on Shimmer White cardstock or Watercolor Paper. Moisten image with water in a mist sprayer, then pick up ink with an Aqua Painter and spread it around, letting it "bleed" on the image.

And the last card features a quick, easy technique. Simply stamp the image on Watercolor Paper using a Classic Stampin' Pad in your color choice, then use a Blender pen to spread the color around as desired. Easy-peasy! Note: After the pony was inked up, the Blender Pen was used to remove the ink on the eye and nostril. Then a Soft Suede Stampin' Write Marker was used to color (marker-to-stamp) the eye and nose.

There are sooo many different ways to watercolor...you've only seen a few here! I hope you are inspired to try some of these techniques. Check back on Monday for the materials used in each card.

Up next is Carmen's blog, where she's going to show the inlaid embossing technique (one of my new favorites!). Love the bats, especially.......

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Be sure to check out Stampin' Addicts. It is a warm, friendly Stampin' Up-only community, and is open to everyone, not just demonstrators! It's free, it's fun, and it's full of fabulous ideas. (Be sure to check out the gallery.)  Tell 'em Cindy sent you!