A friend asked if I could make a card for her husband’s birthday. I had to think what do I know about the family. I know that they vacation a lot in Hawaii or at least they used to before Corvid. The first stamp that came to mind was Lawn Fawn’s, ‘ I like (a lotl).
I made the traditional shaker card but then I ran into trouble. The sequences would get caught behind the axolotl or behind the seaweed. I deconstructed it and started again, this time. I made a double panel. The embellishments are in their own panel which gives depth to the card as if you are viewing in it from a portal. I learned a couple of things. The layers need to dry before you shake the card. If you shake the card while it’s wet the sequence get glued to the side. Given that I need to mail the card ASAP, I moved the card. Just remember to let the glue set before moving the card.
Affiliated links used at no cost to you. Happy Tuesday!
Recently my middle sister asked what set of watercolors should she buy her daughter for Christmas. I have a couple of suggestions. Before I make a recommendation, I would like my niece to understand the science behind watercolor because it will make using them a lot easier. According to Britannica, watercolors are a combination of pigment and ground gum arabic. Gum arabic is used as a binding agent. If not enough binder is used your watercolor will be difficult to rewet and pick up color. Too much binder used they will be soft and delicate. Some watercolors are translucent while others are opaque.
When using watercolor, start with the light colors first, then use dark colors. The clerk at Blicks art supply store, likened watercolors to an onion, layers on layers of watercolors make a watercolor painting, like the layers of an onion make an onion. Waiting for your colors to dry is essential.
Depending on the project, most people start out with a basic set. I like Schmincke because the colors are rich. But as a student, I used anything from Crayola watercolors to Daniel Smith watercolors. The cardmaking industry promotes different brands depending on the card marker’s level of watercolor experience. One cardmaker likes Mission Gold Watercolors while another Cardmaker may use Kuretake. I have both sets , Mission and Kuretake, and use them for different reasons. Depending on the subject I will pick a brand. The card that I am show casing was made with a 12 colors set from Schmincke. Schmincke, is my favorite, and expensive. However in previous posts I have recommended handmade watercolor, like Hydra Colour or Case For Making. As you begin to work with watercolors sometimes you begin to look for certain hues that only handmade watercolors can give you. Artists that make handmade watercolors put along of time in creating a formula that gives watercolors certain hues. I like adding handmade watercolors to my Schmincke set.
I took a class with Alexa from Case For Making to further my understanding of watercolors. I also ordered from Kremer a watercolor set for producing watercolors paint to make my own watercolor. In the Kremer kit you had to ground the arbic gum well to mix with the pigment and water. Jane Davenport sells a watercolor kit too which you make half pans of watercolor. Jane adds distilled water and mixes the pigment. However, Jane suggests adding vegetable glycerin and clove essential oil mostly for rewetting reasons and mold reasons. Jane has dubbed her watercolor pigments, as ‘fairy dust’ which is illustrative of who Jane is and her brand. I enjoy using Jane Davenports brand because her line is geared toward the liking of women’s makeup.
There are artists who specialize in one medium. I have a general understanding for watercolor and can use it well. There are website you should look into to get more information regarding watercolors. I am writing this post mainly to help my middle sister out. If you have any questions, please feel free to write using the comment section below.
Happy Friday! Affiliated links used when possible at no cost to you.
I started this project on Tuesday and I kept trying different ideas until one idea came together exactly how I imagined it. The garland came out cute and I am super happy with it. Its simple but made a nice statement on my fireplace mantel.
After cutting several snowflakes, I decided to use Ranger’s Medium Matte to glue on white foam to add a thickness to the snowflake, as well as shimmery paper. In addition, I used Stickles Distress Dry Clear Dry Glitter by Ranger to make it look like crystals. There are two links, one link will take you to Ranger’s website. However, I also found a link on Amazon selling multiple products from Tim Holtz which I have. Worth checking out both if you are interested Tim Holtz’s products. Last but not least, I used DMC metallic thread to string them.
Affiliated links used when possible at no cost to you. Happy Monday!
I made this card on Monday but I was not happy with details that make a card special. After thinking it over, I decided to do redo the card by giving it more layers. Using Over the Mountain stamps has three meadows in it, so I created three meadows. In addition, I added the car and the house from Snow Globe Scenes stamp set to create. It reminded me of time we took the family skiing in Denver, Colorado.
Winter Dragon has just one dragon. I was able to get the opposite version of the dragon by stamping it on Mini Media Mat by Waffle Flower and then pressing paper to it. I outlined the dragon with Pigma Micron black in and cut it out by hand. Some card makers call this process ‘fussy cut’ because it is easier to use a die cut. But since there is no opposite dragon and matching die cut , I did it by hand.
Affiliated links used when possible at no cost to you. Enjoy your Wednesday!
