Blooming Thank You Card {Avery Elle}

Hello friends,

Just popping in with a card and technique to share with you today featuring Avery Elle's Blooming stamp set.  The Blooming stamp set features a beautiful and versatile floral frame that can be customized any way you like from the colors to the sentiment inside the frame.

For my card today, I thought I would share with you an easy technique for adding details to watercolor images using colored pencils.  I love the look of watercolors on stamped images, but being a novice, sometimes I find it a bit challenging to get the brush or the paint to create the effect I want- especially when it comes to adding details to small images!  Colored pencils are a great solution and allow me to add fine details while still blending beautifully with a watercolor base.

My first step, since I am attemping a "no line" watercolor look, is to stamp the image using a light ink that is compatible with a water color technique.  Here I used Distress Ink in Antique Linen.

Next I added a wash of watercolor to the frame using Avery Elle's Liquid Watercolors in Cherry, Fizz, Mimosa, Lemon Grass and Celery.  I started with the greenery before moving to the florals.  Be sure to allow time for the watercolors to dry before switching colors - especially on adjoining images, otherwise the colors will bleed together.

Once the paint has dried completely, I added some details and shading using Prismacolor pencils.  I am still learning, so I focused mainly on the centers of the flowers, shading beneath the petals, and adding veins to the flowers and leaves.  I colored over the pencil lines with a colorless blender pencil to soften some of the lines and blend out the shading.

To finish the card, I stamped the sentiment with Versamark ink and heat embossed it with Avery Elle's  Rich Gold Embossing Powder.  I die cut the frame and adhered it to a card base that I covered with the Chevron Mat Elle-ments die cut. A few flat sequins add a finishing touch. 

 

Supplies:

Blooming Clear Stamps

Die: Blooming Elle-ments

Die: Chevron Mat Elle-ments

Celery Liquid Watercolor

Cherry Liquid Watercolor

Fizz Liquid Watercolor

Lemon Grass Liquid Watercolor

Mimosa Liquid Watercolor

Rich Gold Metallic Embossing Powder

I hope you'll consider giving this technique a try next time you watercolor! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

Heartfelt Magnolia Thanks {Avery Elle}

Hello friends,

Just popping in today to share a card featuring the gorgeous new Magnolia stamp set.  We are lucky to have a well-established Magnolia tree in our front garden and I always eagerly anticipate its bloom each spring.  With the Magnolia stamp set, it can be spring anytime!    ````

For my card, I blended Distress Oxide ink (Tattered Rose) onto a panel of watercolor card stock. I spattered water onto the blended panel to lift some of the ink.  Next I die cut adhered the largest Wonky Scalloped Frame. 

For the flowers, I stamped them with Versafine Black Onyx ink onto watercolor card stock and heat embossed the images using Avery Elle's clear fine detail embossing Powder. I colored the blooms using Avery Elle's liquid watercolors in Cherry and Mint to Be.  I die cut the flowers using the coordinating Magnolia Elle-ments dies, stamped the sentiment in black ink and adhered the flowers to the card- the larger bloom was adhered to the card using foam tape for some added dimension.  As a finishing touch, I added a few clear gems. 

Supplies

Magnolia clear stamps

Dies: Magnolia Elle-ments

Dies: Wonky Scalloped Frames

Clear Fine Detail Embossing Powder

Cherry Liquid Watercolor

Mint to Be Liquid Watercolor

Be sure to stop check out this week's posts on the Avery Elle blog for even more inspiration using the Magnolia clear stamps! Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Katie

Waterbrush Watercolors {Avery Elle}

Hello friends, 

Just popping in to share a technique using Avery Elle's new liquid watercolors along with the Loved and Admired stamp set. I just can't stop using the liquid watercolors.  I love the liquid formula- no more messy muddy paint pans- these watercolors are ready to go right out of the bottle! The liquid formula also lends itself to some easy techniques- like adding color directly to the barrel of a waterbrush.  Watercoloring doesn't get much easier than that.  A list of supplies and links are below. 

First, I stamped and heat embossed the wreath image onto a panel of watercolor card stock using Avery Elle's Rose Gold embossing powder.

To watercolor the wreath image, I added drops of Avery Elle's Liquid Watercolors in Mint to Be and Cherry to the chambers of two waterbrushes.  Using the waterbrushes, I easily added watercolor pigments to the wreath image.   If the color is too pale, you can add more drops of the watercolor pigment to the barrel.  If the mixed color is too intense, add a little more water to the chamber.  Once you are finished with the watercolor in the waterbrush, just rinse out the chamber and the brush to switch colors or go back to plain water.

I die cut the wreath and stamped the sentiment with Versamark and embossed it with more Rose Gold embossing powder.  I die cut the bottom of the white card stock panel with the scallop Dotter Border Elle-ments die before adhering the panel to a mint card base.

I have a quick video on Avery Elle's You Tube channel to show you this technique in action and how my card came together.  I hope you'll check it out!

Supplies:

Loved and Admired Clear Stamps

Dies- Loved and Admired Elle-ments

Mint to Be Liquid Watercolor

Cherry Liquid Watercolor

Embossing Powder- Rose Gold

Dies- Dotted Borders Elle-ments

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a great day!

Katie

Watercolor Blog Hog!

Hello friends!  TGIF!!!  

We are so excited to be hopping along with our friends at Ellen Hutson today.  We are featuring projects using our NEW Liquid Watercolors and are SO excited to show them off in action.  Avery Elle's liquid watercolors come in 10 gorgeous shades that can be used on their own or easily mixed together to create custom colors.  For an intense shade use the watercolors straight out of the bottle.  If you want lighter shades, just add various amounts of water to get the color you desire.  The possibilities are endless.  Be sure to check out all of the details of the hop as well as how to be entered to win one of TWO FULL SETS of our Avery Elle Liquid Watercolors over on the Ellen Hutson Classroom Blog.  

Let's get to the hop shall we?  

I used the Avery Elle Liquid Watercolors to create the under the sea background.  I sprayed the background watercolor paper with water and added drops of the liquid watercolors (Aquamarine, Sea Glass, and Mint to Be) directly to the wet paper.  I was able to swirl and blend the colors by just tilting and rotating the paper. I let the panel dry and repeated the process to create additional depth- no brushes required! 

I stamped images from the Bubbles and Mermaids stamp sets onto white paper and colored them with Copic Markers.  Does this scene remind you of a famous Little Mermaid? 

I stamped the sentiment with Versamark and embossed it with white embossing powder. A few clear gems add a finishing touch. 

Supplies:

Mermaids Clear Stamps

Dies: Mermaids Elle-ments

Bubbles Clear Stamps

Dies: Bubbles Elle-ments

Dies: Double Pierced Elle-ments

Liquid Watercolors (Mint to Be, Aquamarine, Sea Glass)

That's all for me today! I hope you are inspired to make these awesome watercolors "A Part of Your World!"

You are off to Carly Tee Minner next.

A full list of the hop participants is below.

Avery Elle

Julie Ebersole

Caryn Davies

Lisa Spangler

Heather Campbell

Emily Midgett

Yainea

Melania Deasy

Carissa Wiley

Katie Gehring

Carly Tee Minner

Ashley Marcu

Elena Roussakis

Laurel Beard

Sandy Allnock

Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

Happy Mother's Day {Avery Elle}

Hello friends!

I am on the Avery Elle blog today sharing a card that I made with the Mother's Day stamp set.  A list of links to my Avery Elle supplies is below.

I stamped the flowers repeatedly on a panel of watercolor card stock and I colored them with Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers. 

To soften the look, I added a layer of vellum on top of the stamped and watercolored panel.  I hid the adhesive behind the rectangle that I die cut with the Wonky Stitches Elle-ments die.  A bit of Hemp twine in Midnight Black adds a finishing touch.

Supplies:

Mother's Day Clear Stamps

Die: Wonky Stitches Elle-ments

Midnight Hemp Twine

Well that's all for me today, but be sure to stop by the Avery Elle blog for more inspiration from the Design Team! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

Watercolor Birthday Balloons {Avery Elle}

Note: This is my second blog post today. If you are looking for the Lil' Inker blog hop, just scroll down!
---------

Hello friends,

I am on the Avery Elle blog today with a card featuring the Time to Party stamp set.  Since I have already made a few cards using the awesome birthday cake image (check out here and here), I decided to turn my attention to the fun birthday balloons stamp.

I stamped the image with Versamark and heat embossed it with white embossing powder.  Next I did some watercoloring with Distress Ink cubes. 

I die cut the edge of the watercolor panel with the Scalloped die included in the Dotted Border Elle-ments stamp set.  I drew the balloon strings with a black fine tip pen and ruler, added a couple clear sequins and attached the panel to a coral note card with foam tape. 

Supplies

Time to Party Clear Stamps

Die: Dotted Border Elle-ments

Well that's all for me today, but be sure to stop by the Avery Elle blog for even more inspiration from the Avery Elle design team. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

STAMPtember Avery Elle Exclusive

Hello friends, 

I am so excited to introduce you to the newest stamp in Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember celebration.  A collaboration with Avery Elle called Christmas Cheer and I made a couple samples to share with you today. 

For my first card, I paired the stamp set with bright watercolor pigments from Gansai Tambi. After allowing the panel to dry, I stamped and heat embossed the snowflakes with white embossing powder and stamped a few of the snowflakes again using regular dye ink to add a little depth and dimension. 

I die cut the panel with Avery Elle's Wonky Stitches Ellements die and adhered it to a bright pink note card. 

For my second card, I went more muted in shades of mint and silver.  I die cut this panel using the Finished Frames Ellements die.

I love how you can get a different look just by swapping out the watercolor colors! I used Versafine Black to stamp the sentiments on both cards.  The sentiments that Jamie designed for the set are just beautiful too and suitable for many types of holiday celebrations.

You can pick up the stamp set here and there is also a version with coordinating dies available here.  For all the details and even more inspiration, please check out the Simon Says Stamp blog.

Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

Avery Elle Inspiration x 3

Hello friends, 

Happy Fri-yay! I am on the Avery Elle blog today with a trio of fun cards using stamps sets from Avery Elle's summer release.  All of my Avery Elle products are linked below each project. 

First up is a card using The Scoop stamp set.  I envisioned a sweet shaker card in shades of pink and pistachio.  I changed the look of the truck by drawing a line to section off the bottom of the truck and adding one of the large ice cream cones as a roof ornament.

Supplies

The Scoop Clear Stamps

Die- The Scoop Ellements

Die- Scalloped Banner Ellements

New Moon Dye Ink Pad

The Sorbet Collection Paper Pad

The Sugar Collection A2 Note Cards

Next, a card featuring the very funny That Bites stamp set.  These fish are so awesome on their own, so I added a fish to a watercolored background panel.  I used the bubbles and waves dies included with the coordinating die set to add a little interest to the background. 

Supplies:

That Bites Clear Stamps

Die- That Bites Ellements

Die- Finished Frames Ellements

New Moon Dye Ink Pad

The Citrus Collection A2 Note Cards

Last is a card featuring the Ribbit Ribbit stamp set.  I created another watercolored background for these frogs and their lily pads.  The speech bubble die came from the Stoker Ellements die set. 

Supplies:

Ribbit Ribbit Clear Stamps

Die- Ribbit Ribbit Ellements

Die- Wonky Stitches Ellements

Die- Stoked Ellements

New Moon Dye Ink Pad

The Lucky Collection A2 Note Cards

Well, that's all for me today, but be sure to stop by the Avery Elle blog for more inspiration from the Avery Elle Design Team.  Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

Floral Thank You Card {Avery Elle}

Hello friends, 

I'm on the Avery Elle blog today with a card I made using the beautiful Floral Frame stamp set.  All Avery Elle supplies are linked below. 

I stamped the Floral image with Versamark onto watercolor paper.  I heat embossed the the image with white embossing powder and watercolored the flowers and leaves using Zig Clean Color markers. 

Next, I die cut the stitched and scalloped banner from the Scalloped Banner Ellements die set.  I stamped the "thank you" sentiment and embossed it with gold embossing powder.

I adhered the banner layers and floral die cut to a Silver Fox note card from the Midnight Collection. I adhered a strip of striped paper from The Neutral Collection paper pad.   As a finishing touch, I added a frosted gem to the center of all the flowers. 

Supplies: 

Floral Frame stamps

Die: Floral Frame Ellements

Die: Scalloped Banner Ellements

Midnight Collection Folded A2 Note Cards

The Neutral Collection Paper Pad

Well that's it for me today, but be sure to stop by the Avery Elle blog for even more inspiration from the Avery Elle team.  

Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

Floral Canopy Birthday Card {Avery Elle}

Hello friends,

I am on the Avery Elle blog today with a card I made using the Canopy stamp set.  All Avery Elle supplies are linked below.

On a panel of watercolor paper, I stamped the large floral image from the Canopy stamp set in navy archival ink.  Next, I added color using my Zig Clean Color markers.  To soften the colors of the markers, I scribbled them onto a stamp blog and then use a water brush pen to add the color the the card.   Stamping the floral image at the top and bottom of the panel made for a pretty busy background, so I die cut "Happy Birthday" from the A Tag for All Ellements in gold and adhered it to a circle cut with the Double Pierced Circle Ellements. I decided to not punch out the insides of the letter loops for a different look and to carry over the gold, I added a little gold spatter ink to the background before adhering the die cuts to the card.  

Supplies: 

Canopy Stamp SetDie: A Tag for All EllementsDie: Double Pierced Circle EllementsThe Caribbean Collection Notecards

Well that's it for me today, but be sure to stop by the Avery Elle blog for even more inspiration from the Avery Elle design team. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

Let's Do Lunch {Avery Elle}

Hello friends and happy Friday!

I'm on the Avery Elle blog today with a card I made using the Hello Chum stamp set designed by Caryn Davis.  The shark in this set reminds me a bit of Bruce from Finding Nemo, so I decided to pull out the little clown fish from the Swim Team stamp set and go with it. :)  All of my Avery Elle supplies are linked below.

So if you remember Finding Nemo, Bruce the shark is one of the characters that Nemo encounters on his journey.  Bruce and some other sharks are part of a support group who have adopted the mantra that other fishes are friends, not food.  Bruce struggles with reconciling his new beliefs with his nature.

I stamped the sandy floor and then watercolored the background.  Once the panel was dry, I added some details with stamps- the wavy lines are from Hello Chum and the sandy speckles are from Swim Team.  Next I stamped, colored and die cut the shark.  The while there are no coordinating dies for the smaller fish, he was pretty easy to trim out using my scissors.  I colored him with copics and added the white stripes using a white gel pen. Finally, I stamped the "Let's Do Lunch" sentiment in black ink.  I love that the shark's intent is a little ambiguous towards the little fish.  Is this a friendly invite or something else...

Supplies

Hello Chum Stamp Set

Die: Hello Chum Ellements

Swim Team Stamp Set

New Moon Dye Ink Pad

The Caribbean Collection A2 Folded Notecards

Well that's all for me today, but be sure to stop by the Avery Elle blog for even more inspiration from the Avery Elle Design Team.

Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

Essentials by Ellen January Pin-Sights Challenge

Hello friends, 

I am honored today to be playing along with the January Essentials by Ellen Pin-Sights Challenge. 

The Essentials by Ellen Pin-Sights challenge is a monthly inspirational challenge based on a Pinterest Inspired photo that is located on the CLASSroom blog.  There's lots to love in this month's inspiration photo- so many dreamy images and luscious shades of red.

I used the Essentials by Ellen Love You So clear stamps and the Essentials by Ellen Folk Hearts designer dies to create my card.  With the inspiration photo andValentine's Day right around the corner, I was immediately drawn to these stamps and dies.  I love the brush lettering the the Love You So stamp set and the hearts are the perfect size for cards. 

I used Distress Ink to watercolor a panel of watercolor paper.  Once the panel was dry, I spritzed it with water and blotted the panel to create the bleached out looking spots.  I die cut a panel of white card stock with the largest heart die.  Before adhering the die cut card stock to the watercolor panel, I applied watermark ink to the edge of the card stock and heat embossed it with gold embossing powder.  

I adhered the card stock to the watercolored panel and stamped the sentiment from Love you So with black ink before adhering both layers to a white card base. I have to tell you that this "I love you more" sentiment reminds me of a little back and forth saying that my hubby and I had when we were newlyweds.  It went like this...

Person 1: I love you.

Person 2: I love you too.

Person 1: I love you four.

Person 2: I love you more.

Weren't we the cutest? 

A complete list of my supplies is listed below. 

Now it's your turn to play along for an amazing prize! A random challenge participant will receive a $50 gift certificate to the Ellen Hutson store .  To be eligible, you MUST use Essentials by Ellen products and the photo badge as inspiration. Submit your entry to the inlinkz on the challenge post. 

I hope you can play along with us this month.  Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

Love You So Card Supplies:

• Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps, Love You So by Julie Ebersole
• Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies, Folk Hearts by Julie Ebersole
• Ranger Distress Mini Ink Pad, Festive Berries
• Ranger Distree Ink Pad, Abandoned Coral
• Ranger Distress Mini Ink Pad, Picked Raspberry
• Ranger Distress Mini Ink Pad, Seedless Preserves
• Verafine Ink Pad, Onyx Black- 
• Versamark Ink Pad
• Ranger Embossing Powder, Gold

You Warm My Heart {Avery Elle}

Hello friends, 

I am up on the Avery Elle blog today with a card I made using the adorable Polar Pals stamp set and Polar Pals Elle-ments dies. 

I tried a new technique with this background- salted watercolors! I started with a panel of Distress Watercolor paper and used Distress Ink to paint a watercolor background.  The ink colors I used were Tumbled Glass, Salty Ocean and Mermaid Lagoon.   While the watercolor was still wet, I sprinkled the panel with salt.  When the paint dried, I brushed off the salt.  I love how the salt crystals created a snow-like swirl against the blues. 

I stamped and die cut the cute Polar Bears, adhered them to the panel.  I stamped the sentiment and added a little enamel heart as a finishing touch.  I attached the finished panel to a Fog card base from the Midnight note card collection. 

Well, that's all for me today, but be sure to stop by the Avery Elle blog for even more inspiration from the Design Team. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

Watercolor Peonies {Avery Elle}

Hello friends, 

Today, I am on the Avery Elle blog with a card featuring the beautifully illustrated Peonies stamp set, Peonies Elle-ments die and the Wonky stitches die. 

I stamped the peonies in versamark ink on watercolor paper before heat embossing the flowers and leaves with gold embossing powder.  Next, I watercolored the flowers and leaves using Distress Ink.  I also used Distress Ink to watercolor the vase. 

After die-cutting the watercolored images, I adhered them to a panel cut with the Wonky Stitches Elle-ments die.  I stamped the "thanks" sentiment and added a few sequins before adhering the stamped panel to a note card from the Sugar Collection. 

Well, that's it for me today, but be sure to stop by the Avery Elle blog for even more inspiration from Jamie and the rest of the Avery Elle Design Team!

Thanks for dropping by!

Katie

Watercolor Rose Birthday Card {Paper Smooches SPARKS}

Hello friends, 

It's time for another Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge!  This week we are inspired by a beautiful photo featuring floral pom-poms and soft gray stripes and here's my take: 

 I die cut the Roses Die and a pair of leaves from white card stock and roughly sketched where I was planning to place them on a panel of watercolor paper.  I removed the die cuts and added color to the panel with Distress Inks.

Once dry, I adhered the rose and leaves to the watercolor panel.  The sentiment is from Lovely Thoughts and I added a few sequins.  I attached the finished panel to a card base with foam tape, trimming it down slightly before adhering so a fun strip of washi tape would peek through.  

Here's this week's inspiration photo: 

source

Ready to play?  You know the routine!   You have until 11:59 PT on Saturday, April 18 to link up your take on this week's challenge to the Paper Smooches SPARKS blog for a chance to win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Paper Smooches store.  

Be sure to check out the amazing inspiration from the other members of the SPARKS design team playing along with this week's challenge: 

Larissa Heskett
Lori Tecler
Lynn Mangan
Savannah O'Gwynn

I can't wait to see what you create!  

Thanks for stopping by!
Katie

Watercolor Succulent card set {Waffle Flower Crafts}

Hello friends,

Today, I wanted to share with you a little card set I created using Waffle Flower Craft's Planted Stamp Set along with some Distress Inks for a little "no line" watercolor fun.

First, I stamped the succulent images onto watercolor paper using Antique Linen Distress Ink. I began to fill in the images with a bit of the ink mixed with water taking care to allow dry time before shading in two connecting sections. 

I stamped the "For You" sign onto card stock, trimmed it out and adhered it to the planting.  With a ruler, I drew a stick with a brown ink pen to hold up the sign.  

I kept the rest of the layout pretty simple, adhering the watercolored panel to kraft card bases matted with light yellow and aqua card stock. 

Wrapped with a bit of twine, this card set is ready to go for gifting or for your own personal use. 

Well, that's all for me today!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Katie