Wandering Watercolour Wonder

Hi makers! Today's ICAD was born out of a session in using yet-to-be used products purchased months ago and trying out a combination watercolouring experimentation all with challenge parameters in mind. Keeping up with my participation in  Kathy Raccosin's the Daily Marker 30 Day Color Challenge & ICAD2020, I once again incorporated them both. Wanting a vintage theme with watercolours to play along with A Vintage Journey's Watercolour Wonders proved to be an interesting challenge. I have done the shabby thing with my 'Find Joy' ICAD so trying something simply vintage had me thinking of Tim Holtz products. This reminded me that I had yet to use the new Tim's products that I had ordered from Simon Says Stamp in March due to the nuttiness that became online teaching. I had ordered the Botanical Collage Tissue Paper and the World Traveler stamp set. As I looked at each product, an idea began to form.

I started with an index card that had been used to clean up an excess of Broken China Distress Spray Stain from my craft mat during some previous crafting session. I try not to waste medium, so whenever possible, I transfer excess either on to index cards (knowing that I will use then each year during Daisy Yellow's 60 Day ICAD) or on an art journal page. I had used the 'drag through and then pat it down' technique letting it dry a bit before patting it in some more until all the ink was sopped up into the card. The Broken China blue would provide a sky background feel for the botanical elements to come.

Next, I stamped the World Traveler definition text along the right side border to match up the border distress pattern in the stamp design using Jet Black Archival ink and a stamp positioning tool. After wetting the area around my desired images on the botanical tissue image areas with a water brush, they were easy to tear away from the whole piece. I used Tim Holtz Collage Medium to adhere them to the card and then used clear gesso over top so to provide tooth for watercolouring to come. Once that was dry, I coloured the berries with Seedless Preserves and the leaves with Peeled Paint by smooching ink onto my craft mat and then using a waterbrush to add the colour. I added some splatters of each colour and then set it a side to dry. While it was drying, I fussy cut out the robin from Tim Holtz patterned paper. After hitting the card with a heat tool just to ensure the watercolour was dry, I used the collage medium to adhere the bird rightside down to image transfer it. Once it was thoroughly dry, I spritzed the bir back with water and began rubbing the paper away. Once the image transfer was revealed, I felt it was too translucent and that even with adding watercolour, it would not pop enough. Then, I remembered that I was intrigued by Kathy Raccossin watercolouring with Distress Oxides and thought that might work. And it did! It turned out that painting with Oxides has a gauche like coverage. Only thing I found was that the painting looked too flat and I am limited in Oxide colours so I took out my Inktense watercolour pencilcrayons and added outlining and details with them which really worked. I am so pleased with how the bird turned out.

While it was drying, I stamped the 'NOT ALL WHO WONDER ARE LOST' in Archival ink and then heat embossed it with clear emboss powder. Deciding it was too long, I cut the quote apart. Once the bird was dry, I distress blended the border edges of the card with Brushed Corduroy Distress ink, knowing that Opaque Crackle Paste takes on the distress colour that it is placed over. And, it didn't disappoint, as I stenciled the crackle paste on with the Blossoms stencil in three areas creating a visual triangle and then scraped on more with a palette knife to edge the entire card. Once it at over night and did its crackle thing, I adhered the quote to complete it.

Supplies: index card (Staples), Tim Holtz Broken China Distress Spray Stain, Tim Holtz Peeled Paint, Seedless Preserves & Brushed Corduroy Distress Inks, Tim Holtz Antique Linen, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain & Fired Brick Distress Oxide Ink, Distress Collage Medium, Jet Black Archival ink, Opaque Crackle Paste (Ranger), Tim Holtz World Traveler stamp set & Blossoms Stencil (Stampers Anonymous), Tim Holtz Idea-ology Botanical Tissue Paper & patterned paper (Advantus), Tan, Baked Earth, Bark & Chilli Red Inktense watercolour pencil crayons (Derwent), Clear emboss powder (Simon Says Stamp), Clear gesso (Liquitex)

I think it has an old style illustration feel to it. I am really pleased with how it all turned out plus I learnt some new ways in which to use the Distress Oxides so all in all a successful crafting experience.


TTFN,

Colourific Creation

Howdy crafty friends! Today, I am sharing am ICAD creation inspired by Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog's Play with Paint challenge featuring Dina Wakley products, July Ranger/Dina Wakley #ShowUsYourMEdia Grateful for Color challenge and Kathy Raccosin's Coloring Challenge.

I pulled out my gellli plate for this and created backgrounds on a variety of 4x6" index cards and several 8.5x11" paper too. I used Dina Wakley Heavy body Acrylics in Turquoise, Peacock, Sky, Lime, Tangerine, Magenta, White. I used the Mini Favourites stencil, Text and Scribbles stamp, bubble wrap, and a small spray lid.

I chose one of the more colourful ones as it fit the theme and then an idea formulated from there based on the Dina Wakley stamps that I have. I stamped the flower from the Abstract Blooms 3 times with Black Soot Archival ink and then filled them in with Black Stabillo All pencil and a water brush. Once it was dry, I splattered it with watered-down black paint. Once it was dry, I white heat emboss stamped the paint, bloom and grow script words from the set in the middle of each flower. Next, I added polka dots to the leaves with a White Sharpie marker and then some white splatters with it too. Once that was dry, I sewed around the outside area two times.

As you see, I now have a ready supply of Dina product inspired gelli prints for future use so don't be surprised if a few more ICAD's get made from these over the rest of the month.

TTFN,

Cattywampus

Oh my goodness, how fun is that word?! Say it with me... catty-wampus![ kat-ee-wom-puh s, kat-uh- ] LOL! Love it!

I had never heard of the word until Sara Emily posted it as a challenge on The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog. Sarah quoted it as meaning..."appearing off center, diagonal from, crooked or not level, appearing askew, tilted or lopsided". She mentioned that it is something she hears around her home area in the Southern States.

It made me think of kitty-corner or catty-corner. I had the urge to look it up discern the origin... waywordradio.org had this, "We do know the word has been around for more than a century and is spelled many different ways, such as catawampus and caddywampus. It may derive from the Scots word wampish, meaning to “wriggle,” “twist,” or “swerve.”

This definition example from yourdictionary.com made me laugh because of the true to life picture it created in  my mind... "An example of something cattywampus are the positions of the items on the top of a coffee table after a two year old has been playing with them and moving them around."

Oh words are so much fun! Anyhow, I digress... on to the task at hand, sharing my Cattywampus creation!

I created an ICAD with my mind on using up one of my little bitty bobs baggies that I had curated a while back. Using multi medium matte, I collaged the index card with a dictionary page from the 'C' section where cattywampus would have been if it wasn't a simple affordable home dictionary from 1977 that I found for crafting use. Then, I applied scrapings of white gesso and once dry a little touch of clear gesso knowing that I was going to add watercolour on top. On my craft mat, I scribbled a good amount of Chocolate gelato and mixed it with glass bead glitter gel. I stenciled with it through the Crafter's Workshop Mini Damask stencil. I use the excess on another sized index card and what was left of the dictionary page. Once the gel was dry, I scrapped a bit of gesso to add some white bits to the damask. Once that was dry, I added on Vintage Pink Glimmer Mist with the nozzle tube end around the damask areas. Then, spritzed it with water and angled the card to get the colour to run. After it set up a bit, using the nozzle tube again, I added some splatters. While that was drying, I scraped some gesso onto the play word, edged it with a brown sharpie and distress inked it a bit. 

Next, I glued down the cheese cloth, lace, and old athletic tape all a bit cattywampus. I added the Create transparency and secured it with a mini brad and a few drops of Glossy Accents behind the 'A', 'T', and 'E'. I used a scrap bit of uneven dyed muslin to mat the corrugated play word and added the die cut butterfly slightly a skewed. Lastly, I added a second mini brad and a meandering brown craft wire for the final cattywampus touch.

Supplies: index card (Staples), glass bead glitter gel, Chocolate gelato (Faber-Castell), Vintage Pink Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels), Mini Damask stencil (The Crafter's Workshop), Multi Medium Matte, Glossy Accents, Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress ink (Ranger), White and Clear Gesso (Liquitex), NoName cheesecloth (Loblaw's), circa 1977 dictionary page (Webster's Dictionary), brown marker (Sharpie), athletic tape, lace, Create transparency, corrugated Play word, die cut butterfly, craft wire (Misc.)

I had so much fun making this ICAD, that I decided to use up some other scrap bits and the pieces that I had used the leftover glass bead glitter glue on to make two ATCs for trading.

On this one, I added cheesecloth, spritzed kraft cardstock and old athletic tape and sewing it with a zig zag stitch with embroidery thread. I used a fussy cut Prima Apricot and Honey butterfly and pink craft wire for embellishments. The Magenta Make Time to Play was stamped with Black Soot Archival ink.

On this one, I first stamped the background with Finnabair Messy Writing stamp with Jet Black Archival ink. I added tan tissue, the spritzed kraft cardstock and lace. I fussy cut another Prima butterfly but it was too pale against the background so I watercoloured it with Bubblegum and Guava pink gelatos and added highlights and shading details with a Staedtler brown and white pencil  crayons and then outlined it all with a Stardust Gelly Roll pen for some sparkle.

Again, I added the pink wire and this time the Create title is a Tim Holtz rub on.

If you are interested in trading one of these ATCs, just let me know in the comments below.


TTFN,

Time to Create

Vacation time for me equals crafty time but that doesn't just mean creating. It's funny because I am bursting with ideas having spent the past couple of days catching up on crafty sites, checking out the challenges out there and doing a little retail therapy (not that I needed a nudge but a holiday ale helped out). Now, all I want to do is immerse myself and create, create, create.

Today's share for Kathy Raccosin's the Daily Marker 30 Day Color challenge and World Watercolour Month is a watercolour card inspired by the Color Throwdown #600 colour combo and Simon Says Stamp Flickr Challenge #153 Crazy For Coloring. 

Supplies: XL watercolour paper (Canson), Zig Gansai Tambi watercolours (Kuretake), Wonky Rectangles die and Fine Clear Embossing Powder (Simon Says Stamp), Merci stamp (Magenta), IO Beauty Text Cover a Card Stamp (Impression Obsession), Black Soot Archival ink (Ranger), black cardstock (Bazzill), pencil crayons (Staedtler), jewels (Offray)

I haven't painted loose floral roses in a bit and thought to give it a go with my Gansai Tambi watercolours on Canson XL. I did some experimenting with 2nd layer wet on dry painting. I wasn't thrilled with the results but thought... waste not, want not... how can I salvage it and use it for a card? Simon Says Stamp Wonky Rectangle die to the rescue. It was the perfect size to capture a part of my freestyle painting and give it a finishing detailed look. After heat emboss stamping the Merci sentiment, I thought it still needed something. Thinking of Kathy's recommendation of adding depth and details with pencil crayon, hand me taking out my pencil crayons. I went to work adding in some shading, defining some of the buds details, increasing the colour on the leaf veins, and adding a white halo outline to the Merci. Once I was pleased with the look, I matted the die cut panel onto black cardstock and then popped it up with cereal box board pieces onto a cardbase stamped with IO's Beauty Text background stamp using Black Soot Archival Ink. Lastly, I added some small jewels and called it done.

Here is the colour inspiration image:

If you are on Flickr, check out the other Simon Says Stamp Challenge #153 Crazy for Coloring cards.

TTFN,

A Good Reminder

Now that I have started my vacation time, being mindful is what I need right now as I attempt to unwind. Today's index card for ICAD2020 is a reminder that the first step is to... just breathe. That slow deep breath does wonders to calm a tense body and spinning mind.

Creating helps me be mindful. I am a slow crafter. I like to take my time as I create. I find the process relaxing and a sense of joy and fulfillment when I create something that didn't exist until I created it. 

For this mixed media index card, my colour medium as I join in Kathy Raccosin's the Daily Marker 30 Day Color Challenge is both watercolour and acrylic. As to the colours, I was inspired by the rich emerald gem tones of the Mixed Media Place's June Moodboard. When I saw the colours it reminded me of a pretty baby wipe that I had saved after creating an ICAD with those colours from a previous year. When you think of watercolouring, upcyling a baby wipe used in cleaning up watercolour splattering likely doesn't come to mind but I thought that it would make a great base for what I had in mind and keep me on track for World Watercolour Month. Think of the background like a watercolour abstract painting. The watercolours came from the lots of splatters using Prima Watercolour Confections from the Classics and Tropicals sets when I created this previous background.

To start, the index card base was stamped with a Prima background stamp, blended with a blend of Tim Holtz Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress ink along distressing the edges and then edging it with Distress Ink. After adhering the baby wipe with Matte Multimedium Gell and letting it dry, I used a Brown Stabilo All watercolour pencil dipped in water to draw my leaf sprig. Once that was dry, I took it to my sewing machine and used embroidery thread to outline the sprig. Next, I switched up the thread to a more common standard weight brown multipurpose thread and stitched around the outside adding in some zigzag stitches for rule of 3 and framing interest.

Once back at my craft table, I stamped the Finnabair Messy Writing onto it with Coffee Archival Ink. Initially I thought I would be done at that point, but looking at it, I felt the leaves needed to stand out more so I painted the lower part with Finnabair Mermaid Teal Metallique paint and dabbing it off as I went to lighten and blend it. Next, I painted the top portions as highlighted areas with water-downed Finnabair Gesso. Again, dabbing off as I went to lighten and blend. I completed the painting part by added some tiny splatters of the gesso. Lastly, I distress inked the sentiment strip before adhering it with some cut pieces of cereal box board to pop it up for a little added dimension.

Here's a look at the ICAD again:

Supplies: Index card (Staples), IOD Text background stamp, Finnabair Messy Script stamp, Finnabair Mermaid Teal Metallique paint, gesso, Finnabair Sentiment sticker (Prima), Tim Holtz Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress ink, Coffee Archival ink, Multi Medium Matte (Ranger), Brown All pencil (Stabilo), brown embroidery thread (Aurifil Mako'Ne), brown thread and baby wipe (misc.)

Here is the Mixed Media Place moodboard. Oh, so pretty!

I am also playing along with:

Mix It Up Challenge - #39 Anything Goes + Open Technique

Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge - #62

A Bit More Time To Craft Challenge #119

TTFN,

Spring is... Art Journal Page

Today, I am sharing some spring seasonal celebrating with an art journal page inspired by the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Spring Mood Board and Kathy Raccosin's The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge. 

Often, if I have an excess of a medium when crafting, I use it up on a blank page in an art journal or on an index card. For today's art journal, I started with just such a page where I had deposited the remaining modeling paste on a pre-gessoed page after applying it over the smallest Duo Flowers mask on this card. Because the Pebeo modeling paste that I had used was rather fluid (owing to its more plaster like texture), I had used the Duo Flower mask as a stamp pressing it down to transfer the paste getting multiple impressions with which I had created a design for future use. Thus, my starting point was to use the outside stencil piece of the mask, aligning it with my previously created impressions and using a Fuschia Inktense watercolour pencil crayon to outline each one.

Then, I activated the crayon by watercolouring each flower with Hot Pink Nuance. Once that was dry, I used the Flowers and Leaves stencil and a Teal Green Inktense watercolour pencil to add in the foliage around the flowers. I activated that crayon by watercolouring with Cerulean Blue Nuance and added a touch of Grass Green Nuance to each one. Next, I used an Apple Green Inktense watercolour pencil and free hand drew in leaves. I then activated those by watercolouring those with Grass Green Nuance. As they were drying, I dipped the watercolour pencil crayon into water and added the now activated Apple Green to the flower centres and darkened the leaves outlines and centre lines. Once all that was dry, I added a really watered down Bright Yellow Nuance to the background and dabbed it up with a paper towel to leave a subtle yellow.

To finish the page off, I added some splatters of Grass Green Nuance and used Copic Opaque White ink to add some further details to the flower centres and the leaves as well as to add splatters to the whole page. I ended up white heat embossing the edges after attempting to paint them with white acrylic paint that didn't really define them enough. Then, I muted the gloss of the emboss by painting over it with Matte Multi Medium Gel.

Lastly, I stamped the quote stamp on a strip of white cardstock with Black Soot Archival ink, trimmed it to size, distressed the edges, and adhered it to the page.

Here is the beautiful mood board put together by Simon Says Stamps Monday Challenge blog's Design Team member, Macarena.

You can check out the challenge details, see the inspirational seasonal creations from their design team, and see other participant entries here.

TTFN,

*****

Magenta products used:

MC41 Flower Duo - set of two Masks

Hot Pink Nuance MNU005

TM216 Flowers and Leaves

Cerulean Blue Nuance MNU011

Grass Green Nuance MNU009

Bright Yellow Nuance MNU002

Robin Williams Quote 2 - 07.921.G

Florals and Foil

I finally got my hands on some Altenew products and decided to play along with their July Inspiration Challenge. To colour this one, I went with watercolour to keep up my watercolouring for World Watercolour Month.

I used the Altenew Floral Drape stencil with a mini mister and Mijello Mission Gold watercolour paints on Strathmore 400 series watercolour paper. Once dry, I added some gold splatters with Gold Sheer Shimmer Spritz and then, I used a gluestick along the bottom and added gold foil flakes. Lastly, I gold heat emboss stamped the sentiment with the Altenew mini Hello stamp.

Here you can see the challenge image:

Be sure to check out the challenge post here for an inspirational video for the beautiful watercolour card by Therese Calvird.

TTFN,

More Watercolour Stripes

Today's watercoloured cards were inspired by Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog Stars and/or Stripes and Simon Says Stamp Flickr Challenge 127 Split, Splat, Splatter as I take part in Kathy Raccosin's the Daily Marker 30 Day coloring challenge and World Watercolour Month. 

I used the same design on Ranger watercolour paper for both cards mixing it up with different colours, sizes and sentiments. The watercoloured stripes and hearts were created with the Simon Says Stamp Brush Stroke Messages stamps using Tim Holtz Distress inks and spritzing them with water prior to stamping. After stamping with each colour, I used the colour left on the stamp and door of the Misti to add splatters of each colour. Both sentiments were first stamped with Tim Holtz Black Soot Archival ink and then heat embossed with SSS Clear Emboss Powder. To finish the cards, a little sparkle was added with SSS Assorted Moonshine sequins.

I love, love, love, how this cool colour card turned out. For the stripe colours from top to bottom, I used Twisted Citron, Cracked Pistachio, Mermaid Lagoon, Shaded Lilac, and Wilted Violet Tim Holtz Distress inks. The sentiment comes from a combination of the SSS Big Thanks Words stamp set and Winnie and Walter's The Big, The Bold and You for the "a bunch" part.

You can see the order of Tim Holtz Distress ink colours that I used for my rainbow version from the photo but for those who are small print challenged, they are: Mermaid Lagoon, Twisted Citron, Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade and Picked Raspberry. The You Are Loved sentiment comes from Simon's Brush Stroke Messsages.


I also created a third warm colour combo version but decided to hold it back for magazine submission. Fingers crossed that it gets picked up!

TTFN,

U Embrace the Weirdness ICAD

Inspired by the Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge of Make Your Own Background and Dina Wakley Media Tribe's July On the Lighter Side challenge, I pulled out my Dina Wakley paints for today's colouring for Kathy Raccosin's Daily Marker 30 Day challenge and added to a 4 x 6 index card that I had started with some leftover paint from a previous project.

I always keep a stack of index cards handy just for this purpose, when I have little bits of remaining product like pastes or paint so as to not go to waste. It makes for some interesting starting points. I already had the bubble wrap stamping in Turquoise, finger swipes of Blackberry Violet, sprayer bottle cap rings in Magenta and little touches of fruit mesh stamping in Lime. As the beginnings of the background were really bright and I wanted to upcycle a previously used baby wipe that was loaded with Dina paints in similar blue-green colours, I added gesso to push the Turquoise back. Then, I brushed on some small marks in Blackberry over the swiped area but decided they looked a bit too leopardy so I added some tiny black Xs over each before adding splatters in Black and Turquoise to bring some cohesion. 

Next, I tore the butterfly from the Dina Collage papers and adhered it in a reversed position with multi medium matte to the old paint stained baby wipe such the the "U" was in a better direction to with the sentiment. While it was drying, I doodled some circles and then added asemic writing all around to ground my butterfly focal point. Then, I fussy cut the butterfly out, deepened the colours as the turquoise and black were a bit too opaque with through the tissue. Once adhered, I gel mediumed the Dina Wakley collage words in place, inked the edges and then decided to take the card to the sewing machine for some finishing stitching.

Starting from scratch and making your own backgrounds is fun and often intuitive as you sometimes just don't know where it will end up. Be sure to stop by Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog here for more background inspiration from their DT and challenge participants.

TTFN,