25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS, DAY #3, Dazzling Diamond Dust Chickadee Window Card...

Today's 25 Days of Christmas project features the Dazzling Diamond Dust technique.  This is the perfect technique for Christmas cards!  I used the gorgeous chickadee from the Beautiful Season stamp set for the focal piece as I really love pairing this technique with bird images.  

The large opening in the Cherry Cobbler piece was cut with the Window Frames Framelits.  Tip:  Make your cut-out BEFORE dry embossing as the embossing will be flattened out around the opening otherwise.  I filled the negative space with Chocolate Chip card stock from behind the opening.  The Dazzling Diamond Dust focal piece is popped out on Stampin' Dimensionals although you can't see that very well in the picture.  It does pop out nicely though and adds a lot of dimension to the project!  Enjoy!

Here is a closeup of the chickadee piece:

Please note:  The Scallop Edge Border Punch used for this project is on sale for 30% off during Stampin' Up!'s Online Extravaganza through Nov. 28!

DAZZLING CHICKADEE WINDOW SUPPLIES:

• Stamp Sets – Beautiful Season (W#122680 $21.95, C#122682 $16.95)
• Card Stock – Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler, Chocolate Chip, Glossy White
• Ink – Jet Black Stazon (#101406, $7.95), VersaMark, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Basic Gray, So Saffron Classic
• Ribbon – Always Artichoke 1/2" Seam Binding (#121000, $6.95)
• Accessories – Antique Brads (#117273, $5.95), Iridescent Ice Stampin' Emboss Powder (#101930, $4.75)
• Punches – Scallop Edge Border (#119882, $15.95)
• Tools – Big Shot, Window Frames Framelits Dies (#129021, $26.95), Petals-a-Plenty Embossing Folder (#116824, $7.95), Aqua Painter (#103954, $16.95), Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430, $3.95) 

Only 7 days left to get 20-50% off select products and exclusive bundles in my Online Store during our FABULOUS Online Extravaganza!  Sale ends Nov. 28 – don't miss out!

LOYALTY REWARDS - When you purchase $50 or more, you qualify for my Loyalty Rewards program!  This Frequent Stamper program is my way of saying "thank you" to my returning customers in appreciation of their business and is in addition to other Stampin' Rewards.  Earn FREE stamps with MarieStamps.com!

25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS, DAY #2: Frosty Snowmen Wishes...

Today's 25 Days of Christmas project is a "seasonal" card.  It features the Frosty Friends stamp.  I LOVE snowmen and this stamp is such a cutie!  I did a bit of watercoloring on the snowmen and then outlined them with a Sahara Sand marker to make them pop.  I added some glitter to the snow and then paper-pierced the Apothecary Accents piece.  Don't you just adore the new paper-piercing packs?  It just adds so much!  The sentiment is from the Bootiful Occasions stamp set.  Enjoy and be sure to check back tomorrow!

FROSTY SNOWMEN WISHES SUPPLIES:

• Stamp Sets – Frosty Friends (#128117 , $11.95), Bootiful Occasions (W#126595 $24.95, C#126597 $17.95)
• Card Stock – Baja Breeze, Shimmery White
• Ink – Jet Black Stazon,  Cherry Cobbler, Baja Breeze, Pacific Point Classic, Pumpkin Pie, Sahara Sand Stampin' Write Markers
• Ribbon – Cherry Cobbler 1/2" Seam Binding (#120992, $6.95)
• Accessories – Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter (#102023, $4.50)
• Tools – Big Shot, Apothecary Accents (#127003, $24.95), Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder (#127819, $7.95), Essentials Paper-piercing Pack (#126187, $7.95), Paper Piercer (#126189, $3.95), Aqua Painters (#103954, $16.95), 2-Way Glue Pen (#100425, $4.50), Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430, $3.95), Hole Punch

Only 8 days left to shop our FABULOUS Online Extravaganza and get 20-50% off select products and exclusive bundles in my Online Store!  Sale ends Nov. 28 – don't miss out!

LOYALTY REWARDS - When you purchase $50 or more, you qualify for my Loyalty Rewards program!  This Frequent Stamper program is my way of saying "thank you" to my returning customers in appreciation of their business and is in addition to other Stampin' Rewards.  Earn FREE stamps with MarieStamps.com!

BABY SHOWER SAILOR DUCKIES CARD...

Baby shower #2 was today!   I was so busy making the diaper cake for this shower (check out tomorrow's post), that I totally forgot about a card until 30 minutes before I was leaving.  Since the baby's daddy is in the Navy, I thought that the little ducky with the sailor hat stamp from the Easy Events stamp set would be perfect.  I just stamped it three times without the sentiment.

Unfortunately, the watercoloring did not go as planned and took quite a while to correct the mess as best as I could.  Between that and paper piecing (the little umbrellas), my time was up and I didn't get to do the paper piercing and other accents that I had planned for the card.  :(  Next time!

SAILOR DUCKIES BABY SHOWER CARD SUPPLIES:

• Stamp Sets –  Easy Events (W#116958 $32.95, C#123225 $24.95), Teeny Tiny Wishes (W#115370 $36.95, C#127802 $26.95)
• Card Stock – Marina Mist, Pool Party, Shimmery White, 2011-2013 In Color Collection Designer Series Paper Stack
• Ink – Basic Black, Lucky Limeade Classic, Watercolor Wonder Crayons (Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango)
• Ribbon – Pool Party 3/8" Ruffled (#122975, $9.95)
• Punches – Modern Label (#119849, $16.95), Word Window ($119857, $15.95), Horizontal Slot (retired)
• Tools – Big Shot, Apothecary Accents Framelits (#127003, $24.95), Aqua Painters (#103954, $16.95), Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430, $3.95) 

LOYALTY REWARDS - When you purchase $50 or more, you qualify for my Loyalty Rewards program!  This Frequent Stamper program is my way of saying "thank you" to my returning customers in appreciation of their business and is in addition to other Stampin' Rewards.  Earn FREE stamps with MarieStamps.com!

WATERCOLOR WEDNESDAY, Romantic Indigo Blossoms...

Today I have a Watercolor Wednesday card to share with you.  It features the Bordering on Romance Stamp Set and the Sweet Shop Specialty Designer Series Paper from the Occasions Mini Catalog which ends on April 30, so don't miss out! 

This image really lends itself to watercoloring.  You can experiment with so many different techniques.  For this one, I mostly used Classic Ink with my Aqua Painter.  I added accents with a White Signo Gel Pen, but it  was really running dry, so it didn't turn out exactly how I wanted, but it's okay.  I was going to pop-out the flowers with another layer as my upline had done, but I decided to keep it a little simpler.  Hope you enjoy it!

ROMANTIC INDIGO BLOSSOMS SUPPLIES:

• Stamp Sets – Bordering on Romance (W#125480 $27.95, C#125482 $21.95),  Tea Shoppe (W#125545 $34.95, C#125547 $27.95)
• Card Stock – Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Watercolor Paper, Sweet Shop Specialty DSP
  
• Ink – Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Basic Black Classic, White Signo Gel Pen
• Punches – Scallop Edge Border (#119882, $15.95), Itty Bitty Punch Pack (#118309, $16.95)
• Accessories – Basic Pearl Jewels Accents (#119247, $4.95)
• Tools – Big Shot, Labels Collection Framelits Dies (#125598, $26.95), Aqua Painter (#103954, $16.95/2), Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430, $3.95), Sponge Daubers

LOYALTY REWARDS - When you purchase $50 or more, you qualify for my Loyalty Rewards program!  This Frequent Stamper program is my way of saying "thank you" to my returning customers in appreciation of their business and is in addition to other Stampin' Rewards.  Earn FREE stamps with MarieStamps.com!

WATERCOLOR WEDNESDAY, Chickadee CAS Christmas Card...

Today I thought I would share a little watercolor free tutorial for Watercolor Wednesday!  I didn't use all the techniques for this card as it was one I quickly colored at my Christmas Stamp-a-Stack, but I did use some of the tips.  The tutorial is at the end of the post.

For this watercolored card, I chose to do a simple, but elegant Christmas card.  I used the "Open Space" Creative Embossing technique on just a white card base with no sentiment to keep it very CAS.  This was also my first try with the gorgeous Beautiful Season stamp set.  I really miss A Cardinal Christmas, but this little beauty fills the void nicely.  Enjoy!

WATERCOLOR CHICKADEE CHRISTMAS SUPPLIES:

• Stamp Sets – Beautiful Season (W#122680 $21.95, C#122682 $16.95)
• Card Stock – Whisper White
• Ink – Stazon Black, So Saffron, Old Olive, Soft Suede, Cherry Cobbler, Basic Gray Classic
• Ribbon – Cherry Cobbler 3/8"  Quilted Satin Ribbon (#124105, $7.95)
• Accessories – Illuminate Top Coat Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink (#121084, $5.50), Crystal Effects
• Tools – Big Shot, Snow Burst Embossing Folder (#124096, $7.95), Aquapainter

Watercoloring 101
When watercoloring with aquapainters, be sure to to use less ink (and more water) in some areas and more layers of ink in others.  This will result in light and dark shading all while using the same color of ink.  For example, all of the leaves are colored with Old Olive.  But, by using less ink in some areas or on some leaves, it looks like you used different colors reflecting light and shadow.  

Light and shadow are important in watercoloring because darkness tells the eye there is depth.  Light tells the eye that something is raised.  You need to know where the light hits and the shadows fall on an image.  The key is to determine a light source and to use it effectively.  To do so, just imagine a light coming from the top left or right corner of the image (choice depends on the image).  Light will hit that same corner of the image and any raised areas.  Shadows will fall to the bottom opposite corner and any low areas.  Use bright highlights for the highest points to create raised areas and dark colors (or more layers) for shadow to create depth.  Blend the areas between the light and the dark.

Don't be afraid to leave some areas white as highlights of the highest points.  Some people are intimidated by this and feel the need to have every bit colored.  That's okay, with more and more practice, you will come to it in time.  Try using Crystal Effects after your watercoloring has dried to simulate the sheen of glassy eyes, water, etc. You can also use Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink to give a glistening effect on berries, etc.

WATERCOLOR WEDNESDAY, Red Roses Blooming...

This is the last of my July Creative Crew Challenges from Splitcoaststampers.  I saved this one for Watercolor Wednesday, a new feature on my blog occassionally.  This challenge was to use new catalog products.  Unfortunately, I did not do a preorder until the third week of July and won't receive it until today.

We have had some major problems with our house come up (structural damage, hvac system problems, etc.) that were recently discovered.  We have been getting estimates, refinancing our house to pay for everything, etc.  So it was the last thing on my mind.  Since I didn't have any new products to play with, I was stumped.  However, I had punched out a scrap of Real Red card stock with the brand new Lace Ribbon Border Punch (and we all know punches are my weakness!) at my upline's a couple of weeks ago.  So I decided to cut it up and use that in my card along with the prettiest stamp (IMHO) from the Summer Mini Catalog:  the flower vase from On the Grow.

It started out very simple as Jenni has been encouraging me to keep it easy, but after it was done, I just couldn't do it.  :(  I ended up adding the Fancy Flower Rose.  Now, I'm thinking it kind of overpowered it and I should have just done a sentiment... hmmm....  What do you think?  Click to enlarge as it looks a little off in the smaller in post picture.

For the watercoloring, it was all done with Real Red ink and an Aquapainter.  Some flowers, I kept light with a pale coat of color.  Others I added more coats and picked up more color on the brush.  Still others I added a tiny bit of Cherry Cobbler to the very centers.  After they dried, I added a bit of VersaMarker to the center of the flowers and embossed with Clear Embossing Powder.  Not too much, just a bit to make them look more dimensional like they were standing out from the leaves.

I wanted to add Crystal Effects to the Vase, but mine had gone cloudy (It will do this after a year or so - then I use it as all-purpose glue which it is GREAT for).  So I used the VersaMarker/Clear Embossing Powder on it, too, but I would have much preferred the Crystal Effects.  The VersaMarker blurs the image just a bit and dulls the watercoloring.  It washed out some of the blue.  But, it will do in a pinch.  The red bow around the vase is actually our White Baker's Twine died Real Red. 

Here are some closeups:

If you would like to play along, here is the challenge info:
CCREW0711CF, CreativeCrew, SUO or SUM -- Catalog focus: Show off your favorite new catalog or mini catalog item. Any stamp set or accessory will work here! Have more than one? Use them all! Just use whatever you have that's new to you and enjoy creative license to do whatever your muse wants

RED ROSES BLOOMING SUPPLIES:

• Stamp Sets – On the Grow (W#123075 $15.95, C#123077 $11.95)
• Card Stock – Real Red, Cherry Cobbler, Confetti White, Pear Pizzazz, Watercolor CS
• Ink – Real Red, Cherry Cobbler, Pear Pizzazz, Marina Mist, VersaMarker
• Ribbon – White Baker's Twine (#124262, $2.95)
• Punches – Lace Ribbon Border (#122362, $19.95), Fancy Flower (#118073, $16.95)  
• Accessories – Basic Pearl Jewels Accents (#119247, $4.95), Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder, Mini Glue Dots, Tombow Multi Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430, $3.95)
• Tools – Aquapainter, Blender Pen, Sponge Daubers

CREATIVE CREW, In Colors Splash Down...

The newest batch of In Colors has splashed down right in the middle of summer!   Aren't these tropical colors gorgeous???  To me they just scream Caribbean Island/summertime, so I knew I needed to make a summer project to feature them. 

I chose to use the Scallop Edge Border Punch because it just looks like waves of color creeping up the card. I watercolored the water and the kids tubing.  Then I added some Crystal Effects to the water drops and  a bit of the Illuminate Smooch Pearlized Accent here and there for a bit of shine and shimmer.  Of course, the real glitz comes with the Octopus.  I embossed him with Iridescent Embossing Powder to give him his sparkling personality - he's a friendly Octopus after all! 

The beach ball is made using the same method as my Flight of the Ladybug card.  Just punch four circles, fold them all in half and secure the outside of one half of a circle to that of another.  Continue until all four are joined together, but do not attach the first to the fourth.  Instead adhere the other half of the first and the fourth circles to the project to form a semi circle.  Here are some close-ups, so that you can see the details.  Click to enlarge. 

I made this project for my July Creative Crew Color Focus Challenge on Splitcoaststampers.  Here are the details if you'd like to play along:

CCREW0711DF, CreativeCrew, SUO or SUM -- DSP/Color Focus:  Show us what you can do with the In Colors! You can use other colors, but In Colors should be the main focus of your project.

IN COLORS SPLASHDOWN SUPPLIES:

• Stamp Sets – Sunny Fun (W#123040 $19.95, C#123042 $14.95), Summer Splash (W#123035 $22.95, C#123037 $16.95)
  
• Card Stock – Island Indigo, Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral, Wisteria Wonder, Watercolor CS
• Ink – Daffodil Delight, More Mustard, Island Indigo, Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral, Wisteria Wonder, Poppy Parade, Cajun Craze, Black Stazon, VersaMark
• Punches – 1/2" Circle (#119869, $5.95), Scallop Edge Border (#119882, $15.95), 3/16" Corner Rounder (#119871, $6.95)
• Accessories –  Iridescent Ice Stampin' Emboss Powder (#101930, $4.75), Illuminate Top Coat Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink (#121084, $5.50), Crystal Effects, Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430, $3.95), wiggle eyes
• Tools – Aquapainter, Blending Pen

HAPPY AUTUMN WATERCOLOR CARD...

Countdown to Halloween Project #16

Okay, I'm feeling more cute "pumpkiny" halloween right now, so this is what I felt like making today!  I just really wanted to do a fully masked watercolored image more than anything else, so the rest of the card is kind of plain and simple.  Enjoy!

HAPPY AUTUMN HARVEST CARD SUPPLIES:

• Card stock – Really Rust, Chocolate Chip Textured, Watercolor Paper, Autumn Traditions DSP
  
• Stamps – Autumn Harvest #110372, $17.95
  
• Ink – Basic Brown, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, More Mustard, Crushed Curry, Summer Sun, Bravo Burgundy, Old Olive, Close to Cocoa,  
• Ribbon – Chocolate Chip 1¼” Striped Grosgrain
  
• Accessories – Top Note Die, Aquapainter,
  

Marie