When I discovered a sample card in the Stampin’ Up! January-June 2022 Mini Catalog, I just had to recreate it. There it was, nestled on the page displaying the Happy Hedgehogs Stamp Set and Hedgehog Builder Punch. Such a sweet card, even though it was hedgehog free.
The plaid paper in the background was just beautiful. My first instinct was to search every pack of designer series paper to find that perfect plaid design. But I quickly discovered it wasn’t designer paper at all. In fact, it was a plaid design made from a technique!
Plaid Watercolor Background
Now that I knew what technique I was trying to learn how to do, I needed someone to show me how to do it. Of course, I turned to YouTube. And searched. And searched.
It turns out, not everything is on YouTube. I finally found the general idea and decided to just go for it. Paper and ink and inspiration…what more does a crafter really need?
Preparing A WaterColor Ink Wash
Every time I watercolor, I am reaching for a few basic things:
Water Painters. Stampin’ Up! sells them in a 3 pack, with different size brush heads.
An Acrylic Block. Useful for more than holding stamps for stamping.
Ink refills. You can use an ink pad too, but the refill drops go farther for use.
Of course, you may have heard that to watercolor with such a wet technique, you need special paper. Like the Fluid Watercolor Paper or Shimmery White Cardstock. While these papers are great at absorbing all the extra liquid this technique brings, you can use regular white cardstock, like I did!
Simple Stamping, Simple Watercoloring
I was able to put these cards together very quickly. The flower tree stamp and sentiment are both from the Happy Hedgehogs Stamp Set. I used Memento Black Ink for each, with more watercoloring along the branch, leaves and flowers.
The beautiful part about the front focal piece is that it covers just enough of the plaid background’s potential imperfections. So don’t let your fears of wobbly crooked lines stop you from trying this! I share lots of pointers and tips you may find useful in my how to video.
Create Some Plaid Backgrounds For Your Cards!
As you can see, the possibilities are endless when making plaid backgrounds with a watercolor wash. Because this technique is so unique, it is impossible for 2 cards to look the same. And as crafters of homemade cards, isn’t that what we are looking for…our personal spin on something everyone can do?
If you are missing out on the Happy Hedgehogs, don’t despair. Those adorable critters do have a scene in my video. And I am sure I will be playing with them again soon.
The Happy Hedgehogs Bundle
The Happy Hedgehogs Bundle includes both the stamp set and punch. By purchasing the bundle, you save 10% automatically until June 30, 2022. After that, the stamp set and punch will be sold separately, without the discount.
Looking for this or any of the other products I used for my project? Shop my online store anytime! I appreciate your business very much. Happy crafting!
What a wonderful long color journey this has been! As I have explored the new 2021-2023 In Colors with you, we have covered 5 gorgeous colors over 5 months. And now we are down to the end…
This last In Color, Pale Papaya, is one I have struggled with. But I have to say, this card using the Peaceful Cabin Stamp Set in Pale Papaya, Old Olive and Balmy Blue is my favorite! I did not intend to save the best for last, but you can be the judge of that.
Peaceful Cabin Stamp Set
The Peaceful Cabin Stamp Set is just that. You have a cabin scene, some pine trees, a wooden fence and more. There are also 5 lovely sentiments, and all but one can be used year round. Because my chosen colors are not winter themed, I down-played the snowy scene aspect and made a card that spans different seasons.
Next, I stamped the same image onto a Post-It note. I made sure the top of the image was stamped along a sticky edge. Then, I cut this out with my Paper Snips, creating a “mask”.
And with my newly made mask, I covered over my original stamped cabin. This way, I could stamp my pine tree stamps from the Peaceful Cabin Stamp Set behind the cabin. I stamped the trees multiple times in Old Olive Ink to get good coverage, overlapping them slightly.
The Colors of a Peaceful Cabin Card
My pine trees needed a little more green after I was finished stamping them. I used a Blender Pen to shade more Old Olive Ink to fill them in. The majority of the color, Old Olive, comes from my pine trees on this card.
I decided to add background color for this card by way of Water Painters. One of my favorite methods is to use ink refill drops on clear acrylic blocks and adding water. I find that wetting the paper slightly with water before adding the ink color mix provides a great medium.
When I was happy with background, I tore the top and bottom of the paper to create an interesting edge. Next, I used Blending Brushes to add Balmy Blue Ink to the top, and Old Olive Ink along the bottom.
Embellishments in a very specific color can be hard to come by…unless you make your own color! I did just that with the Elegant Faceted Gems. I added some color to the clear gems, using my Dark Pool Party Stamping Blend. Now, I know this card features Balmy Blue, but that shade was so light I needed something slightly darker. In the end, the color is still very opaque, and quite beautiful!
A little twine makes this card divine! I relied on the Baker’s Twine Essentials Pack (5 colors to choose from!). Because I am adding Very Vanilla to my card front, I chose the corresponding color twine. I wrapped it around my Peaceful Cabin scene and made a small knot in the front.
My Peaceful Cabin Card front layers were so easy to assemble! Much of them went down flat, using Multipurpose Liquid Glue.
I did add Stampin’ Dimensionals under my sentiment piece. I chose the mini version on purpose. In this way I could make sure my Baker’s Twine remained in between the dimensionals, so there was no issues with interference.
The last thing I added to my card front was the pretty blue bling I created. I used my Take Your Pick Tool to lift the self-adhesive beauties onto my card. In symmetry, I used 3 smaller sized gems along the top, then 3 larger size gems along the bottom.
My 2021-2023 In Color Tour
I hope you have enjoyed spending some time getting to know the new 2021-2023 In Colors with me! Each month we covered a different color and some coordinating combinations. And 1 out of 3 cards for every new In Color was a Christmas card. If you would like to see the Pale Papaya Christmas card, click here.
As always, products for the cards I create are available in my online stamping store. I showcased the Peaceful Cabin Stamp Set, but did you know there are also coordinating dies? The Cabin Dies and a Die Cutting Machine will help you cut the stamped images nicely, and the Peaceful Cabin Bundle will also save you 10%. I encourage you to check out any sales or specials when you shop…earn yourself some amazing deals. Your creativity is worth it!
As my 2021-2023 In Color tour comes to an end this month, we are turning to the last color, Pale Papaya and the stamp set, Shaded Summer. I have to admit, Pale Papaya is not my favorite color hue. In fact, I struggle with this yellow/orange color that seems to shift tendencies depending on its color partners.
Our first combo with Pale Papaya is Calypso Coral and Basic Gray. Of course, Basic Gray lends some neutral sensibility to this mix. And Calypso Coral actually coordinates well with Pale Papaya! When I put all three colors together, I was very pleasantly surprised.
Shaded Summer
I realize as I make this card and write this blog post that it is November. Summer is long over. But, the color combo of Pale Papaya and Calypso Coral reminds me a little of summer. And Basic Gray is definitely “shade”! So, I just had to pull out my Shaded Summer Stamp Set.
Something else that I used on this card is long over too: the retired, coordinating dies from January-February 2021 Sale-A-Bration, Shaded Summer Dies. If you don’t have these dies, you could fussy cut the flower image from the Shaded Summer Stamp Set using Paper Snips. Another option would be to swap it out for a similar image with a matching die.
Watercolor Flowers
I started first by stamping my floral image from the Shaded Summer Stamp Set, using third generation Crumb Cake Ink on Basic White Cardstock. Not sure what this means? After inking my stamp, I stamped off twice and used the third stamped image. I wanted a very light outline image to work with.
Next, I grabbed my Watercolor Pencils. I added Calypso Coral to the flowers and Old Olive to the leaves and stems. While coloring, I focused on the outlines and Crumb Cake shaded areas. Notice from my picture that there are plenty of white spaces left un-colored.
You may be wondering why I left so much white space! This is where my Water Painters come in handy. With just the wet brush tip, the watercolor pencil lines are blended and softened beautifully. This artistic wash is simply something that I could not accomplish on my own.
TIP #1: Squeeze some water from the barrel of the Water Painter onto a clear acrylic block and use that water to blend your pencil lines. It is so much easier than squeezing the Water Painter to moisten the brush as you go along.
TIP #2: After you use your Water Painter to blend your lines, you can go back over your image with the Watercolor Pencils again to add more color or sharpen the look of certain areas.
Cutting Edge Beauty
Remember those retired Shaded Summer Dies I spoke of earlier? I used mine to die cut my colorful flower image with my Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. Paper Snips are a great alternative if you need to fussy cut instead.
I took advantage of other dies in the retired set, and die cut leaves in both Basic Gray Cardstock and Smoky Slate Cardstock. Any leaf dies or punches would work here as well.
It was easy to add elegant die cuts to my card front with the Encircled In Beauty Dies. These dies may remind you of a spiro-graph image or doilies when you see them. The lacy circles come in a variety of sizes and designs, and work together so nicely.
After that, I die cut some 2021-2023 In Color Shimmer Vellum in Pale Papaya with the same Layering Circle Die. This Pale Papaya circle now fits inside my white die cut rim perfectly, and will add a bit of sheen to my finished card.
Perfect Punches and Elegant Embossing
I love the look of an embossed image on my card front. The raised texture adds a richness and lots of interest for so little effort. For this card, I decided a floral embossing folder would be too busy, competing with all the images and die cuts I already have.
The final elements of this card came together quickly. I love my punches for that very reason. Starting with the Treasured Tags Pick A Punch, I punched both ends of my Pale Papaya Cardstock using the largest width allowance. All of the Pick A Punch’s are channeled to give you 3 different width options and 2 designs.
After my paper was punched, I stamped my sentiment from the Shaded Summer Stamp Set, using Basic Gray Ink. This ink color is a good option when you want something a little lighter in color from a harsh black ink. I sponged the edges of my sentiment piece using Pale Papaya Ink to help it stand out.
And last but not least, I used my Sprig Punch. This one is my go-to for some extra layering behind a focal piece or sentiment. The 2021-2023 In Color Shimmer Vellum allowed me to use some sparkly Pale Papaya to get a couple of sprigs in no time flat. The sprigs and previously die cut circle in the same medium bring continuity to my card.
Beauty Of Assembly
Once I had all the parts and pieces finalized for my card, it was time to assemble. Instead of automatically adding layers to my Basic Gray Card Base, I began with the embossed piece of Pale Papaya. First, I adhered a piece of Simply Elegant Specialty Designer Series Paper. Next, I added my white rim die cut.
Following in order, I adhered the circular shimmer vellum, adding tape only where it would be next covered by the Calypso Coral die cut piece.
Before I went any further, I added a strip of Gray Granite 1/4″ Shimmer Ribbon on the bottom third of my circular pieces. I wrapped the ends of the ribbon around the back of the Pale Papaya embossed cardstock and secured them with Tear & Tape Adhesive.
From there, it was just a matter of layering on the rest of my pieces. I tucked in the gray die cuts leaves and the shimmer vellum sprigs. Then, I centered my watercolor flowers over the Calypso Coral die cut. Next, I adhered my sentiment and added a bow from another length of the same ribbon. I placed my artistic ensemble on my card base.
For a final bit of bling, I added some Pearl Basic Jewels. The elegance of pearls fits this card perfectly. I love the ease of adding small embellishments with my Take Your Pick Tool. Whether you use the spatula end or the putty end, the application is effortless.
Meant To Be
Much like the sentiment says, some friendships are meant to be. And the color combo I used here is also meant to be. I was so happy mixing Calypso Coral and Basic Gray to Pale Papaya. This card made with the Shaded Summer Stamp Set is perfectly beautiful.
If you haven’t seen any of the other In Color cards from this series, be sure to check them out. Click here to see another card that showcases a different way to use the Water Painters.
All of the current supplies used to make this card can be found in my online store, so shop anytime at your convenience to add these items to your crafty stash. And please come back and visit, to see where the next adventures in Pale Papaya take us!
In this final installment of Soft Succulent, I have another color pairing that will help you enjoy the moment you discover how nicely they coordinate. For this card, I am using So Saffron and Early Espresso along with Soft Succulent.
I have really enjoyed my moments with Soft Succulent. It is such a warm gray-green color; it sometimes lends itself toward blue. And mixing in Early Espresso is easy, this deep and rich neutral brown always shines. But, So Saffron has never been my favorite yellow. However, once I began to work this subtle color in, it started to grow on me.
Enjoy The Moment
With my color palette of green, brown and yellow, I wanted a nature themed card. My first thought was some lovely autumn leaves or trees. But as I thumbed through the Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog, another stamp set caught my eye: Enjoy The Moment.
TIP: Keep a small generic paintbrush handy to swipe away loose particles of embossing powder from your paper before you heat emboss it. This will help minimize stray powder from being a permanent fixture.
Moments of Watercoloring
After my focal point image was heat embossed, I began to watercolor the image and surrounding paper. I started by placing a single drop of ink refill from Early Espresso, Soft Succulent and So Saffron onto a Clear Acrylic Block. By keeping the refill bottles near the corner of the clear block that coordinates with the ink drops, I know what color is where at a glance.
I started with the Early Espresso Ink Refill drop and my smallest Water Painter Brush. With a small squeeze of the barrel, I mixed some water with the ink. Then, I covered the middle of my embossed seed pod trio.
Next, I moved onto the medium Water Painter Brush and the Soft Succulent Ink Refill drop. Again, I added some water from my Water Painter barrel to the ink drop to lighten the color and make it easier to water wash with. I swept the color along the bottom and sides of the embossed stem.
Lastly, I used the largest Water Painter Brush and the So Saffron Ink Refill drop. I took care to not run the yellow into either the brown or green. This way, each color would stand out on its own.
TIP: Cleaning Your Water Painter Brushes
Squeeze some water from the barrel and let it wash over the brush end. At the same time, use either a baby wipe or a paper towel to wipe away the inky remains. It is okay if your brush ends are stained. As long as no ink transfers when you swipe the bristles, you are good to go!
Enjoying Background Stamping
There is not a lot of designer series paper in either Early Espresso or So Saffron that I could use on my card. So instead, I created my own.
When it came time to add texture to my card, I looked for just the right embossing folder. Of course, I didn’t want anything floral. Bricks and animal print were not even considered. I wanted something neutral, almost masculine.
So, I turned to the Checks & Dots Embossing Folders. They are sold as a pack of two, one is checks and the other is dots. These slim folders measure 3-3/8” wide, perfect for smaller embossing machines, like the Mini Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. They are also perfect for smaller pieces of cardstock, like my Soft Succulent. Did you know the black line along the bottom of the folder will help you to line up your paper straight when preparing it for embossing?
Great Grapevines
Usually, I am adding swirly leaves and flowers to my card designs. Since this card is more “natural” and masculine themed, I had to look for something a little different.
The Grapevine Dies are perfect for my need of ‘swirly’. The large die bends around in a lovely L shape, sending shoots of leaves and vines along the way. I die cut this in Watercolor Paper with my Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. Because this paper is thicker (to hold watercolor washing), it may require some removal of small cut pieces. To make quick clean-up of my die cut. I use the Take Your Pick Die Brush Tip on my Take Your Pick Tool.
TIP: It is easy to switch up all the tool heads on the Take Your Pick Tool, but I prefer to have 2 of the Take Your Pick Tools so that my tool is ready to go without swapping back and forth. And the foam pad that comes with the Take Your Pick Die Brush Tip fits nicely in a clear Standard Stamp Case for storage.
My card layers are starting to develop nicely, so it’s time to look for the right sentiment for my card. I love generic sentiments when I am not sure who my card is going to, or what occasion it may eventually cover.
The “a little note…” stamp from the Enjoy The Moment Stamp Set is perfect in this instance. I chose to heat emboss it on a small slip of Early Espresso Cardstock. First, I applied VersaMark Ink, then covered my wet stamping in Copper Metallic Embossing Powder. Lastly, I heat set the powder using my Heat Tool. The copper shine of the sentiment mimics the embossed focal point.
Once I have everything stamped, die cut, punched, colored, embossed and prepared, it is time to put the card together. I started with an Early Espresso Cardstock base, then added my background stamped So Saffron piece, followed by my Checks embossed Soft Succulent.
Next, I adhered the large leaves of the grapevine die down on my card front. I found it easiest to place the image where I wanted it to go, then lift the large leaves and added a drop of glue behind each. This was much easier than adding Mulitpurpose Liquid Glue to all of it and trying to place it precisely in one motion.
Enjoy The Moment Focal Assembly
Before I went too far with my focal point, I decided to do a rough tear along one edge. I also added a little Early Espresso Ink with a sponge along the opposite side. Although Stampin’ Up! retired their round sponges, I keep mine handy for small jobs like this.
My focal point layers consist of the watercolor paper, the edge stamped Early Espresso Cardstock and another piece of plain So Saffron Cardstock.
As I prepare to attach the focal point to the front of my card, I realize I have a lot of odd layer depths. My quick fix for this is to add a piece of like color cardstock to the back. This helps to raise up the “lower” side and make it lay flat when I adhere it to my card. By using the same color, it blends in beautifully if viewed from a side angle.
Before I could adhere the sentiment, I needed to place my sprig punched pieces. After a dry fit, I stuck them down with some Tear & Tape. I always place my tape in a manner that will be covered by another layer. In this instance, the tape also artfully secures some sweeping Linen Thread.
The very last thing that I attached to my card was the sentiment. Because there were some bumps and lumps from the Linen Thread to cover up, I chose to place Mini Stampin’ Dimensionals on the back of my sentiment piece. This bit of “lift” helps give the sentiment prominence too.
Soft Succulent Moments
I have truly enjoyed my color exploration of the 2021-2023 In Color, Soft Succulent. To see my last card and color combo with this great green, click here. And don’t despair because we are done exploring Soft Succulent, there is still one more new In Color to delight us in November.
Do you need any of the products I used here for your next creation? Make sure you stop by my online store at any time and enjoy the moment of shopping for your stamping supplies! Until next time, stay inspired!
Fresh Freesia is one of the new 2021-2023 In Colors. And a lovelier soft purple could not have come along! This month, my In Color Club is exploring Fresh Freesia. For this card, we are pairing it with Gorgeous Grape and Granny Apple Green.
Quiet Meadow Focal Flower and Sentiment
First, I stamped my focal flower from the Quiet Meadow Stamp Set in Memento Black Ink on White Cardstock. Then, I used Stampin’ Blends in both Light and Dark Fresh Freesia, as well as Light Daffodil Delight to color it in. I punched the stamped flower out with a 1 3/4″ circle punch. For a backing circle, I punched a 2″ circle out of Gorgeous Grape Cardstock. If you don’t have circle punches, you can substitute circle dies.
I stamped the sentiment “You’re too kind” from the Quiet Meadow Stamp Set in Gorgeous Grape on White Cardstock. After that, I die cut it with the border die from the Meadow Dies. This die has the cutest outline of stitching on it, with open scallops on each end.
My stamped background piece brought a balance of Granny Apple Green to my card. I used the text words from the Quiet Meadow Stamp Set. For this stamping, I alternated a fully inked stamp with second and third generation stamping. This method uses all the ink up in three continuous “stampings” before inking the stamp again.
Quiet Meadow Greenery
When you think about meadows, you may picture flowers and greenery! For this card, Granny Apple Green is our complimentary color. I die cut 2 of the fern-like dies from the Meadow Dies. To fill out my greenery, I did a little trimming of the die cut branches and fanned them out behind my focal flower circle assembly. I sponged just the tips in Granny Apple Green Ink using a Sponge Dauber.
Quiet Meadow Accent
To finish my card, I searched for some bling in Gorgeous Grape. The Pastel Pearls were perfect for this, both in size and soft sheen. I added 3 of them around the assembled card in a sweeping pattern. These pearls added just the right touch to complete this Quiet Meadow card in Fresh Freesia!
Quiet Meadow Additional Cards
I C.A.S.E.’d (copy and share everything) the Quiet Meadow card in Rich Razzleberry found on page 110 in the Stampin’ Up! 2021-2022 Annual Catalog. This card features Water Color Paper for the die cuts, and some Ink Refill coloring with Water Painters.
*My TIP is to place a drop of Ink Refill onto a Clear Acrylic Stamp Block. Add a squeeze of water from your Water Painter to dilute the ink and water-paint away! The clear blocks are super easy to clean up when you are done. I use a paper towel or baby wipe for this.
And for more fun with color, I decided to try my hand at one in Balmy Blue too!
As you can see, the Quiet Meadow Bundle is perfect for making beautiful floral cards. Make sure you add this to your collection today! And be sure to add some Fresh Freesia supplies to your cart as well. You can never have too much purple.
