Hello everybody! Exciting news- it's Gina K. Designs release day! I've made a one-layer card using the new Poppy Garden stamp set (it has coordinating dies!) by Hannah Drapinski. This set is stunning and made me want to sit down and watercolor it straight away. I've made a VIDEO to share some easy watercoloring techniques so be sure to scroll on down and check out that video on my YouTube Channel.
I started out by heat embossing the largest image from the set onto Strathmore watercolor cardstock. To do this I used Onyx Pigment ink from Hero Arts and clear embossing powder.
You can check out the entire watercoloring process here...
My video shares my process for layering ink colors and easy application of color using Karin Brush Markers and a paint brush. I used four colors of ink for the poppies and three colors of ink for the leaves. I started by applying my lightest color of ink (yellow for poppies, lime green for leaves) as a light layer of color over my entire image. I used very little water and allowed my paint to almost entirely dry before adding the next layer of color. I added the darker colors into the areas where I wanted to have shadows and kept the other areas light as highlights.
After I finished watercoloring I stamped a sentiment in Gina K. Design Black Onyx ink and added a few white highlights with a gel pen.
It was a huge struggle not to splatter the heck out of this card but I managed to leave it as a clean and simple card. I hope you've enjoyed learning a little bit about my process today. For all of the details you can head over to YouTube and watch my VIDEO. You can also head on over to Gina K. Designs to check out the full release!
Have an awesome day!
Maria
PRODUCT SUPPLY LIST (Affiliate links may be used at no extra cost to you):
Hi everybody and happy Hero Arts release day! The August My Monthly Hero Kit is here and it is such a magical kit!
If you aren't familiar with the My Monthly Hero kit, it's a kit that is released by Hero Arts on the first Monday of every month. It always has a fun, themed collection of stamps, dies and other goodies. The cost is just $34.99/month and the value is always much greater! This month's kit is valued at $70!
You have the option to subscribe (subscribing now means your first kit will be the September release), or, to buy your favorite kits as a one-off purchases. Be aware that once these kits sell out they are gone for good. If you see a kit you like make sure to snatch it up quickly! There are also always a ton of fantastic add-on products offered. You can choose to buy your favorites or buy them all at a discounted rate.
We also have an awesome GIVEAWAY and a BLOG HOP with tons of inspiration going on so please make sure to check the info for those at the bottom of my post! And, I have a VIDEO today sharing a really fun DIY technique for making your own watercolor sprays (see below)!
Ok, on to my first card! If you'd like to watch me put this card together you can watch the video below. I started out by making a cool watercolor background using my DIY water color sprays (see the video for how to make yours). Then I used a die from the kit to out the purple heart hands. I love these hands and keep thinking that they look like a heart fist bump.
I used the stencil from the kit to add some white glacier paste to a black cardbase. Then, I heat embossed my sentiment in white.
I added my purple hands with foam tape and then added a gold glitter heart in the center. I thought this sentiment was perfect because it looks like the light is shining through from the heart hands.
I shared this card on Friday but wanted to share it again in case you didn't see it. I used my liquid watercolor sprays to make this background and loved how easy it was to make.
The "love" dies are from the kit so I cut those in black and added them with foam tape after heat embossing the word "you."
I added a few sequins from the Winter Sequins mix and that was it!
My last card was made using a piece of the background that I made in my video. I cut a 3" x 6" piece out of it and then heat embossed the Floral Color Wheel Bold Print stamp in Brass Embossing Powder.
I heat embossed a small sentiment from the Better Together set in white embossing powder on black cardstock.
I tied some gold thread around the side of the sentiment piece and attached it with foam tape. Then I added some gems in different colors to finish my card off.
Ok you guys that's it for me today but make sure you enter the giveaway and continue on with our awesome blog hop to catch all of the amazing inspiration along the way!
Have an awesome day!
Maria
GIVEAWAY:
Hero Arts will give away one $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Sunday, August 8th at 11:59pm Pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.
Hello everyone! I'm so happy you're here because it is release week for Tonic Studios Stamp Club and this month's set is one of my absolute favorites! This month's bundle is called Patterns & Prints and it is an amazing bundle for adding all kinds of visual texture and bold sentiments to your projects. Guess what?! I have more good news! Backgrounds & Borders (sold out in less than 24 hours) is back for a second round and it coordinates so well with the new Patterns & Prints set. So, two awesome bundles that work well together-it doesn't get much better than that!
Today's post is part of a blog hop with tons of inspiration so make sure to click to the next blogger when you hit the bottom of my post. We've also got two great giveaways for you today! First, we are giving away this Patterns & Prints bundle and a $50 gift card to Tonic so make sure to enter below. Second, everyone who orders the Patterns & Prints bundle will receive a FREE stamp in their order (check out the free stamp at the bottom of my post). On top of all that I also have a VIDEO for you today so make sure to check that out too (below).
Now, I just couldn't put this bundle down so I ended up making nine cards to share with you today. You can see all of them in the video or cruise through this blog post for more details.
Before I get to my first card here is that video I promised you!
For my first card I started out with a background that I had made using Dina Wakley Gloss Sprays. Then I used three of the stamps from the Patterns & Prints set to stamp the background. I used a combination of gray ink, blue pigment ink and white puff embossing powder.
Then, I layered my word dies on top of the crosshatch die so that my sentiment was anchored in as a focal point.
For my next card I started out with a watercolored background and then I used multiple stamps to stamp on top of that adding a lot of texture.
I heat embossed almost every layer of this card in clear embossing powder and the texture when you run your fingers over the background is amazing! The magic maker for this background is Sand embossing powder from Hero Arts.
I finished this card off by adding a custom sentiment that I created from the dies.
This next card was so easy to make but it sure is eye candy!
I started out by using my Nuvo Shimmer Powders in Blue Blitz and Storm Cloud. I sprinkled them lightly onto water color paper and then spritzed with water. The pigment exploded into this gorgeous mess of color and I let it air dry.
Once it air dried added my sentiments in black and white to keep with a fairly monochromatic look.
This next card began with a purple and pink watercolored background.
Then I added a lot of stamping in different colors and different heat embossed finishes. I stamped the circles in gray and then heat embossed in clear. When I heat embossed the little scratches in bronze some of that embossing powder stuck to the clear EP and melted into it creating a swirly gold mess. I love when unplanned things like this happen!
After that I added the die cut sentiments but this time I added the detailed die in gold so that it matched the heat embossing on the background.
My next card started out with an alcohol ink background. I used the script stamp with some alcohol lift ink to create some texture on the background. It is hard to see but it is there.
Then I cut the hexagon die multiple time out of gold foil (leaving it attached between cuts) and added that to my background.
I added a gold glitter sentiment with foam tape to easily finish off this card.
The hexagon pieces that come out of the honeycomb die cut are so fun and are perfect to use in your shaker cards. So I stamped the background of this card and used a little bit of gold nuvo mousse on some of the edges.
Next, I used an A2 sized shaker pocket to create a shaker card. The guts were a combination of the hexagon die cuts from the honey comb die (leftover from the sunflower card), some champagne sequins and some gold chunky glitter.
I glued my sentiment right on top of the shaker pouch with my Nuvo Deluxe adhesive.
This card is so simple but so eye catching. The dies from this bundle make it so easy to make a card from those beautiful backgrounds you have lying around but haven't yet figured out what to do with. For this card I used an alcohol ink background that's full of gorgeous purples, blues and gold.
I added the sentiment straight to the card with glue, no foam tape or dimension on this one. I love that it will be easy to mail.
I also love pretty and delicate these script word dies are when used without the shadow background.
My last card is another simple one but it's an eye catching one too. I started out with a watercolored background piece. Then I used the "Hello" die cut three times on a piece of white cardstock.
It was easy to line the die up since it is shaped in a rectangle.
I added strips of foam tape to the back of the die cut panel and adhered it to my card base... that was it! I did think about making this a shaker card but I like the clean simplicity of it the way it is.
Hey everybody! It's almost time for the AugustHero ArtsMy Monthly Hero release and this month's kit is absolutely gorgeous!
But first, if you aren't familiar with the My Monthly Hero kit, it's a kit that is released by Hero Arts on the first Monday of every month. It always has a fun, themed collection of stamps, dies and other goodies. The cost is just $34.99/month and the value is always much greater!
You have the option to subscribe (subscribing now means your first kit will be the September release), or, to buy your favorite kits as one-off purchases. Be aware that once these kits sell out they are gone for good. If you see a kit you like make sure to snatch it up quickly!
Today is Day One of the Countdown to Creativity and I've got a sneak peek of this month's kit to share with you. One of the things that is really exciting to me about this kit is the inclusion of three of the Hero Arts Liquid Watercolors. I absolutely love these watercolors and the colors that are included in the kit are three of my favorites (Pink, Dandelion and Indigo). I used the liquid watercolors to create my own sprays (I'm planning to have a video on how to do this up on Monday so stay tuned) and they can be used to create the most stunning backgrounds!
After spraying myself a gorgeous background and letting it dry I splattered it with White Glimmer Metallic Ink to give it a galaxy look.
Then, I used one die and one stamp to create a sentiment in black. I love using black with bright colors as it just seems to make everything pop!
Ok, that's it for today you guys! I can't wait until Monday when we get to spill the beans on this whole release because it is so much fun and has so many great elements to it!
While you wait for Monday to roll around make sure you enter to win a kit before you can buy it! Head on over to the Hero Arts Blog to enter.
Bye for now but I'll see you back here soon!
Maria
PRODUCT SUPPLY LIST (Affiliate links may be used at no extra cost to you):
Hello, everyone! Happy Monday to you all! I made this card a while back and forgot to share it so I'm happy to get to share it today. I used the Tree With Roots Fancy Die from Hero Arts and a gel press to create this colorful and happy tree. I used acrylic paints from Ranger Ink (Dina Wakley collection) to add color to my gel press. Then I picked up all of that gorgeous paint with a piece of white copy paper creating a beautiful print. I used the Tree With Roots die to cut a tree out of the print. I love the way it came out!
Now, if you're interested in watching me put together some cards using this die here's a video for you!
If you're having trouble viewing this video you can click HERE to watch it.
I splattered my Pitch Black cardstock with Glimmer metallic ink in white and gold. It looks like a dreamy galaxy behind that colorful tree.
I heat embossed my sentiment in gold onto vellum and glued that down before adding my tree. I wanted my tree to have a lot of dimension so I cut three extra trees out and glued them together behind my colorful tree. That gave me a tree that was four pieces of cardstock thick and very sturdy.
I used Hero Arts precision glue to adhere my tree to my card base and that was it!
I hope you all have the very best week! Bye for now!
