Watercolour Pencil Hues of Happiness for As You See It Challenge #274

I've had both assortments of watercolour pencils for years now and I rarely use them. I think it's because I've had low expectations of what my colouring will end up looking like when I do. I've never admired the sketchy look they seem to create. But looking at the beautiful open blooms of the Happiness Abounds stamp set that is part of the Hues of Happiness Suite, I thought it would be a good opportunity to explore that medium a bit more and see if I could get some results I would be "Happier" with.

I used it for a Mother's Day card for my Design Team sample for As You See It Challenge #274 which is a Fill in the Blank Challenge:

I would fill in the blank with: The best thing about mothers is Unconditional Love!

Here's a closer look at my card using watercolour pencils:

• I used So Saffron cardstock as my card base and on that I layered a piece of the Hues of Happiness Designer Series Paper.
• Using the Blossoming Happiness Dies (part of the Happiness Abounds bundle) I die cut the perforated edge of a piece of Basic White cardstock and ripped the other edge. The sentiment from the Happiness Abounds set was stamped on the bottom edge using Memento ink.
• On a piece of Shimmery White cardstock I stamped various roses and the single flower and 6 sprigs of foliage (3 of each design) in Memento Ink. Since I would be using water to blend the watercolour pencil, I had to be careful of the Memento ink bleeding, but since this stamp set is a photopolymer one, I didn't want to use the waterproof StazOn ink because I wouldn't be able to clean it off with StazOn Cleaner, since it can damage photopolymer stamps.
• I added the colour I wanted in a few scribbles to each of the flowers, then used a water painter to blend the colour throughout the image. I was as careful as I could to avoid the lines so I could avoid bleeding the ink.
• I let the images dry for a few hours. Then I added more water colour pencil to the areas that would be shadowed. This time I coloured in darkly and radiated from the core outwards. I blended again with a water painter and was really pleased with the results. This second step made all the difference!
• I arranged the flowers on the piece of Basic White as shown and adhered them with a mixture of glue dots and Stampin' Dimensionals to create vertical dimension, tucking in the leaves and some vellum sprigs here and there.
• The vellum sprigs were die cut using the Ranunculus Dies and the Layering Designs vellum sheets.
• The second sentiment is from the Flowering Tulips stamp set and is stamped in Melon Mambo. I fussy cut around it so you could still see the flowers underneath and mounted it with a combination of a glue dot and a dimensional. 
• Finally I added some Glossy Dots in Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo and Pool Party.

I hope you'll give the watercolour pencils another try!

If you live in Canada, and don't have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator,  I'd love to be yours. I can help you with ideas, get you catalogues and provide you with Stampin' Up products. You can leave a message in the comments or contact me using any of the methods listed in the right side bar at the top of the page. You can shop with me from anywhere in Canada by clicking on the SHOP NOW button in the top menu or clicking on any of products below from my Online Store.

Product List

Happiness Abounds Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [159238] $32.00	Happiness Abounds Bundle (English) [158824] $68.25	Flowering Tulips Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [157672] $32.00	Hues Of Happiness 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [158822] $16.50	Vellum 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Layering Designs [157764] $13.50
Shimmery White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [101910] $13.75	So Saffron 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [105118] $12.75	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276] $14.00	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708] $8.25	Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad [147051] $11.00
Watercolor Pencils [141709] $22.00	Watercolor Pencils Assortment 2 [149014] $17.00	Glossy Dots Assortment [158827] $11.00	Water Painters [151298] $18.00	Blossoming Happiness Dies [158823] $44.00
Ranunculus Dies [157976] $44.00	Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine [149653] $170.00	Multipurpose Liquid Glue [110755] $5.50	Mini Glue Dots [103683] $7.25	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $6.00

The New Stampin' Up! 2022-2023 Annual Catalogue Goes Live Today!!

 It's finally here! The wait is over. Today you can order from the brand new 2022 - 2023 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue!

Don't have a hard copy yet? No problem! 

Download the PDF file of the catalogue HERE!

Have an order right off the bat? Email me at hcooper52@gmail.com or go right to my Online Store and place your own order.

Do you have a wish list as long as your arm? Do you especially want to collect all the new In Colours? Why not consider becoming a demonstrator and joining my  team? There is a new Signing Promotion starting today. Take a look at this:

It’s always exciting to join our community of crafters and creators. And right now it’s even more exciting because when you sign up between 3–31 May to become a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator you will receive the following 2022–2024 In Color products in your Starter Kit for FREE:

• 2022–2024 In Color Grid Paper (item 160009)
• 2022–2024 In Color Ink Pad Collection (item 161108)
• 2022–2024 In Color Cardstock Collection (item 159204)
• 2022–2024 In Color 6" x 6" (15.2 x 15.2 cm) Designer Series Paper Assortments (item 159253)

That's $91.25 CAD of In Colour Products FREE in addition to the already great deal of $165 CAD worth of current Stampin' Up! products of your choice for only $135 with free shipping!!

But that's only the beginning: It's so much more than free products - it's a community and a creative experience.

Join My Team or contact me and I will tell you more about it!

Sun Prints Suite for As You See It Challenge #273

Oh, yeah! Time for my favourite of all challenges, a colour challenge from As You See It! I'm so colour driven in my creating that I look forward to these as they roll around every seven weeks! What's exciting about this one is that when Team Member LeAnne designed this challenge back at the end of December, she had no idea that these colours would be used so extensively in up coming catalogues!

As soon as I saw them, I thought of the *Sun Prints Suite, since two of the colours are featured in the *Sun Prints Designer Series Paper, Night of Navy and Pacific Point. It was easy to add the Balmy Blue using layers and by stamping images from the *Nature's Prints Cling Stamp Set. Here's how my fun fold design ended up:

*New products from the 2022/23 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue, available starting May 3, 2022.

• I cut a regular card base from Pacific Point card stock at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" and scored it at 4 1/4". Then I cut off some of the front panel, cutting at 3" from the folded edge. 
• I added a layer of Balmy Blue cardstock to both the inside and the outside. The inside measurement was 4" x 5 1/4" and the outside measurement was 2 3/4" x 5 1/4".
• I added two different patterns from the *Sun Prints DSP to the outside and inside. The measurement for the outside piece was 2 1/2" x 5" and the inside piece was 3 3/4" x 5".
• Inside I cut a piece of Basic White cardstock at 2 1/2" x 4 3/4". It will be mounted under the flap so it can't be seen from the outside and used to write the greetings on.
• I stamped the gingko leaves in balmy blue and the fern in Pacific Point and die cut both with coordinating dies from the *Natural Prints Dies. The sentiment was stamped in Night of Navy and the splatter image was added in stamped off Balmy Blue and die cut with a die from the Tasteful Labels dies (which are retiring and I'm devastated!)
• I blended some Balmy Blue and Pacific Point ink on a small section of Basic White cardstock and added the splatter image in a couple of places in Pacific Point ink. Then I die cut a couple of the leafy sprigs from the *Natural Prints Dies from that paper.
• All the leafy die cuts were arranged on the front panel and secured with glue dots. The sentiment was added using dimensionals and a double bow of white baker's twine added to the bottom.

*New products from the 2022/23 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue, available starting May 3, 2022.

Here's what the inside looks like, images from the *Nature's Print set:

Well, the end of April is rapidly approaching and there are several promotions that will be ending by May 3, so I want to do a little round up for you to remind you about them:

Deadline: May 2, 2022 at 10:50 pm PDT (Online) 

Check my Online Store for products available or this document: Last Chance Products (red highlighted items are sold out)

Deadline: May 2, 2022 at 10:50 pm (Online)

Check my Online Store  *Note: most of the Natural Tones Stampin' Blends are currently unavailable

Deadline: May 2, 2022 at 10:50 pm (Online)

Check my Online Store.

If you live in Canada, and don't have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator,  I'd love to be yours. I can help you with ideas, get you catalogues and provide you with Stampin' Up products. You can leave a message in the comments or contact me using any of the methods listed in the right side bar at the top of the page. You can shop with me from anywhere in Canada by clicking on the SHOP NOW button in the top menu or clicking on any of products below from my Online Store.

Product List

Pacific Point 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [111350] $12.00	Balmy Blue 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146982] $12.00	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276] $13.25	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad [147110] $10.25	Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Pad [147098] $10.25
Balmy Blue Classic Stampin' Pad [147105] $10.25	Blending Brushes [153611] $16.25	Baker's Twine Essentials Pack [155475] $15.00	Tasteful Labels Dies [152886] $42.00	Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine [149653] $163.00
Multipurpose Liquid Glue [110755] $5.50	Stampin' Seal [152813] $11.00	Mini Glue Dots [103683] $7.25	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $5.50

*Nature's Prints Stamp Set, *Natural Prints Dies, *Sun Prints Designer Series Paper

*New products from the 2022/23 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue, available starting May 3, 2022.

April New at SU Blog Hop: Love & Laughter Forever After

     

      

Welcome to our April NEW AT SU! Blog hop! We are a group of Stampin’ Up! demonstrators from around the world who are Hoppin’ with creative paper crafting ideas to share with you. Today we are using continuing products from current 2021/2022 Annual Catalogue to make Wedding/Anniversary, Graduation, Mother's or Father's Day cards. I decided to use an old favourite, Forever Fern, to make a beautiful white on white with gold highlights wedding card.

I've always loved the Forever Fern bundle but I've always used it to make green or teal foliage type cards. This time I imagined it as a wedding card with white and gold foliage with sprigs of the Layering Designs vellum tucked in as well. You'll be able to see more detail in this photo:

• The standard card base is Thick Basic White cardstock. Over that is a layer of regular Basic White embossed with the new *Fern 3D Embossing Folder.
• Using Thick Basic White cardstock again I cut a frame using two Stitched Rectangle Dies, and then embossed it using the Timber 3D Embossing Folder. I mounted it on the card front using Foam Adhesive Strips.
• I stamped a couple of images from Forever Fern in Versamark ink on Basic White cardstock, covered them in Gold Embossing Powder and heat set it. I die cut them using the Forever Flourishing Dies. I die cut some sprigs of plain white cardstock as well.
• I took some of the Layering Design Vellum in white print and die cut a couple more sprigs.  
• I added all these components using glue dots at the bottom of the frame, letting them display upwards and to the sides, escaping the boundaries of the frame as they did so.
• The sentiment, from Forever Fern, was embossed in Gold. I fussy cut around the top edge of the sentiment and mounted just below the bottom of the frame, overlapping it at the top, using a Foam Adhesive Strip and glue dots.
• Finally, I added a double bow using the Simply Elegant Gold Trim.

I hope you enjoyed this wedding card made with Forever Fern! The wedding season is coming soon! 

Please take a moment to comment at the bottom of this post and let me know how you liked my project or ask me a question about the technique used. Don’t forget to scroll back up and keep hoppin’ with us! – Thank you!

Keep Creating!

Heather Cooper

Please contact your Stampin’ Up! demonstrator if you have any questions or to make a product purchase. If you do not have a demonstrator, I would be happy to answer any questions about products, or the techniques shown here. 

Here's the list of bloggers in our New At SU April Blog Hop to help you keep on track: