Watercolour Wonders Pinworthies

 Hello everyone, Deb here to announce our Pinworthy winners for July's Watercolour Wonders challenge.  As usual we had many fabulous entries and we want to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to enter our challenge.  But we had to narrow it down to our three favourites so without further ado here are our choices.

#8 - Cassandra

We loved Cassandra's use of the vintage elements in her background along with her lovely watercoloured flowers and textural elements.

# 15 - Tracey

Tracey's faux ceramic tiles are amazing!  We loved the dimension and texture combined with the gouache, background stamping and triple embossing, simply lovely.

#20 - Christine

And what's not to love about Christine's lovely Christmas In July card.  The soft watercolour washed sky in the background combined with that wonderful watercolour pencil stamped bird made for a delightful wintery scene.

Thanks again to everyone who joined in our July Watercolour Wonders challenge and we hope that you will also be able to join us for our current challenge, Tag Your It!  Can't wait to see what you create,

Deb and the Creative Guides

Watercolour Wonders Tutorial

Hello, it's Deb back with you again to share a tutorial on how I created my Beautiful Moments watercolour painting for our current Watercolour Wonders challenge.

If you missed our July challenge, here is the brief:

This month we want to see what can you create with water reactive mediums. There are lots of options - watercolour paints, dye inks that react with water, or any of those wonderful powders that bloom to life when sprinkled onto a wet surface. Just remember to create your project in one of our preferred styles: vintage, shabby, mixed media, art journaling, industrial, timeworn or steampunk.

I decided to paint my little floral watercolour study using watercolour paints and watercolour pencils.

It was super easy to do and believe me, if I can do it anyone can because I am most certainly not an illustrator!   The secret I have found is to hold the watercolour pencil near the end and lightly sketch your florals without worrying about how realistic they look.  You are looking for a representation of the flowers, not a botanical study.  I've made a quick little video to show you how I made my sketch with the watercolour pencils.

See, easy right?  After sketching, mix a little green watercolour paint and apply it to the sketched leaves in a loose fashion with a round paint brush.

Then mix some pink or red watercolour and apply it to the sketched flowers, don't worry if the paints bleed together a bit, that's part of the joy of watercolour!

While the paint is still wet, go back to the leaves and flowers and sketch back over them with the watercolour pencils.  Add some 'swirls' to the top of the flowers to simulate petals.

Make a light green wash and colour in the background around your flowers, letting the paints mix and blend.  Add a little bit of clean water here and there to help the paint colours move into each other.

Take the green watercolour pencil and sketch the stems back in while the paint is still damp.  Set the painting aside to dry.

Add another water reactive medium to your painting by creating a background with Distress Ink.  Ink up the BACK of a floral stencil with blue Distress Ink, spritz the inked stencil with water and press it firmly onto a piece of watercolour paper.  Blot up any of the ink that comes up through the stencil.  Let the blue ink dry.

Replace the stencil over top of your monoprint, lining it up, and then ink with green Distress Ink through the stencil as you normally would.

Trim your watercolour floral to size and tatter the edges with a distress tool or your scissors.  Mount the watercolour painting on to a piece of sanded gold Metallic Kraft Stock with a scant 1/8" reveal.

Cut the stenciled background about 1/2" larger on all sides than your watercolour painting and mount the painting on top with foam strips or squares.

Select a sentiment and mount it on another piece of sanded gold Metallic Kraftstock with a scant 1/8" reveal.  Centre the sentiment below the painting.

Select a piece of coordinating scrapbook paper for your background 'frame' and lightly distress the edges with a distress tool or your scissors.

If desired, add a die cut easel to the back of the scrapbook paper frame for display or you could also add the assembly to a card blank to make a lovely all occasions greeting card.

Centre your watercolour painting on top of the scrapbook paper frame and you are done.

Here are a few more pictures of the finished painting.

I hope that you've enjoyed seeing how my little floral watercolour study came together and that you will join in our Watercolour Wonders challenge with your own watercolour project, you have until August 6th to enter.  Can't wait to see what you create, thanks so much for stopping by and happy creating!

Deb xo

Watercolour Wonders

Hello everyone and welcome to our July challenge, Watercolour Wonders! It's Deb here and this month we would love to see projects created with any watercolour medium that you have in your stash. Here is the challenge brief:

This month we want to see what you can create with water reactive mediums. There are lots of options - watercolour paints, dye inks that react with water, or any of those wonderful powders that bloom to life when sprinkled onto a wet surface. Just remember to create your project in one of our preferred styles: vintage, shabby, mixed media, art journaling, industrial, timeworn or steampunk.

The Creative Guides will choose their three favourites from all of the entries and each winner will receive a Pinworthy Badge to post on their blog or website as well as having their project pinned to our Pinworthy board on Pinterest.  You have until August 6th to enter our challenge so get out your paints, powders, inks and pencils and start creating!

As usual, the Creative Guides have some projects to help inspire you, be sure to visit their blogs and leave them some comment love.

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Deb

For our challenge I created a little floral watercolour painting with watercolour paints and watercolour pencils, it was super easy to do and I will have a step by step tutorial to share with you here at A Vintage Journey in a couple of weeks time.  In the meantime, pop over to my blog for a few closeups of the finished painting.

Alison

Although I am challenging myself to some daily watercolouring for World Watercolour Month, I actually used water-reactive Distress Inks for Deb's lovely and well-timed Watercolour Wonders theme.  If you'd like to see some more details of these thistle tags, do come and visit Words and Pictures.

Jennie

I love using Distress Inks as a watercolour medium and had fun painting these wonderful cone flowers and then going back to some basic watery Distress Ink Techniques for the background and ribbon. Do join me over at Live The Dream for all the details.

Toni

For Deb's lovely watercolour challenge, I've chosen to break out my Brushos, Pixie Powders and watercolour pens to make this sea themed home decor piece. If you'd like to see how it came together, feel free to hop over to the Artistic Craft Dabbler blog with this link.

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Wonderful projects as always, as I'm sure you will agree, and hope that you've been inspired to start playing in the water as well.  Link your projects up below, we can't wait to see what you create!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Deb and the Creative Guides

Window On Your World And Tag Friday Pinworthy Winners

Hello everyone, it's time to announce our Pinworthy winners for November's 'Window On Your World' challenge as well as for our Tag Friday link up!  So many lovely entries, the Creative Guides want to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to join in our challenges, we love seeing your creations.

First up here are the three Pinworthy Mentions for our November 'Window On Your World' challenge:

Cathy

Nancy

Irina

And now for our November Tag Friday link up winner:

Kerstin

Amazing creations one and all, don't you think?  Cathy, Nancy, Irina and Kerstin, we will be sending you your Pinworthy Mention badges to display on your blog or website soon and will pin your projects to our Pinworthy board on Pinterest.  Thanks so much again for participating in our November challenge and we hope that all of our followers will also join in our current Holly Jolly Christmas challenge, can't wait to see what you create!

Deb and the Creative Guides

Window On Your World Tunnel Book Tutorial

Hello everyone and thank you for stopping by.  It's Deb here with you today to share a tutorial on how I made my Winter Wonderland tunnel book for our Window On Your World challenge.

Grab a cup of your favourite beverage and let's get started.

Cut a piece of 12" x 12" scrapbook paper in half so your have two pieces measuring 6" x 12".

Score both pieces on the long side, starting at 3 1/2" and scoring every half inch up to 6 1/2".

Fold on the score lines as shown.

The 3 1/2" segments will become the front cover of your tunnel book and the 5 1/2" segments will overlap to form the back cover of your book.

Adhere the back covers together, making sure that the back of the tunnel book is 6" wide from score line to score line.

We now have the cover of our tunnel book completed, set it aside for now.  Cut 4 pieces of cardstock, each one just a smidgen less than 6" square.  Set one 6" square piece aside for the time being (sorry, forgot to take a picture of that step!).

Select 3 graduated nesting dies, I used circular dies that measured 5", 4 1/2" and 4".  Center the 5" die on one of the 6" square pieces of cardstock and die cut a window.  Place another piece of 6" square cardstock behind the die cut opening, lining up all of the edges, and center the 4 1/2" die in the opening.  Die cut the window on the second piece of cardstock.

Place the third 6" square behind the piece with the 4 1/2" window and center the 4" die within the opening.  Die cut the third window.  Set all of the die cut pieces aside for the moment.

Ink the last piece of 6" square cardstock with Distress inks in shades of blue, dipping it into puddles of ink until you are happy with the colour.

Ink more cardstock with Distress inks in shades of green in the same manner and die cut two Tree Line die cuts.  Die cut the Winter Wonderland stag from sanded Classic Kraft Stock and add the wreath around his neck if you'd like (the wreath die is from the Village Christmastime die set).

Overlay the 4" die cut window onto the inked background so that you get the placement right and adhere the Tree Line die cuts, overlapping and offsetting them slightly.  Adhere the deer on top of the Tree Line die cuts.  Add some snow along the bottom if desired with a white sparkle embossing powder.

Apply double sided tape to the back of the background panel and adhere it onto the back cover of your tunnel book.

Stencil a design onto the front of the 4" die cut window piece (this is Carta Bella's Holly stencil).  Die cut some Mini Holiday Greens from more Distress Ink coloured cardstock.

Adhere the 4" window onto the front of the 1/2" accordion fold that is closest to the background, centering the window top and bottom and side to side.  I found it easier to use a liquid adhesive for this step so you had a little play time to make the sure the window was centered properly in your tunnel book.  Adhere the die cut greenery around the opening, making sure that it doesn't obscure your focal point.

Stencil the 4 1/2" die cut window  piece with a design of your choice (this is Simple Stories Happy Trials stencil) and stamp and die cut some Mini Swirly Snowflakes.

Adhere the 4 1/2" window on top of the next 1/2" accordion fold in our tunnel book.  Adhere the Mini Swirly Snowflakes on top of the window, staggering them so you can still see the Mini Holiday Greens die cuts behind.

Stencil a design on the last 5" die cut window piece.  Make sure that whatever stencil you use has a repeating pattern as we will be continuing this design onto the inside covers of your tunnel book (this is Tim Holtz's Starry Layering stencil).  Die cut some stars from sanded gold Metallic Kraft Stock.

Adhere the 5" window on top of the last 1/2" accordion fold in your tunnel book.  Don't glue the stars around the outside quick yet.

Line up your stencil with the pattern on the 5" window and continue to stencil the pattern onto the insides of your tunnel book covers.

Adhere the die cut gold stars around the outside of the 5" window, staggering their placement so you can see the layers below.  Cut more Tree Line die cuts from green inked cardstock and adhere them on either side of the tunnel book covers.  Die cut two Woodlands trees from green inked cardstock and adhere one on each side, over top of the Tree Line die cuts.  Add a small gold star to the top of each tree if desired.

Decorate the front covers of your tunnel book with more Tree Line die cuts and some Mini Paper Snowflakes die cuts.  I designed the covers to overlap slightly but if you don't want them overlapped trim a 1/2" off each cover so the meet in the middle (probably best to do that before you decorate the inside of the covers!!).  Dye a piece of ribbon with Distress Ink to tie around our tunnel book to keep it closed and you are done.

Here are a few closeups of the completed Winter Wonderland tunnel book.

Hope you enjoyed seeing how it came together and that you will consider joining in our Window On Your World challenge, you have until December 5th to enter.  Thanks so much for stopping by today and as always, happy creating!

Deb xo

Window On Your World: November Challenge

Hello everyone and welcome! It's Deb here today to announce our November challenge:

Window On Your World

This month we would like to see some kind of window or tunneled element in your creations. Think hollowed out books, multiple layers with openings to see what has gone before, hidden flaps or windows that when opened reveal a secret element. Just remember to create in one of our preferred styles of vintage, shabby, mixed media, art journaling, industrial, timeworn or steampunk.

 I'm excited to see what you create for this fun theme, so many possibilities!  You will have until December 5th, 2019 to enter and as always the Creative Guides will choose their three favourite entries who will be crowned our November Pinworthies.  Our Pinworthies receive a badge to display on their blogs and we pin their amazing creations to our Pinworthies Pinterest board.

The Creative Guides have made some amazing projects to inspire you, take a look below and make sure to visit their blogs to see all of the details.

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Deb

I decided to make a winter themed tunnel book for our Window On Your World challenge, pop on by my blog for some more pictures and stop back here at A Vintage Journey on November 15th for a step by step tutorial.

Alison 

I've recycled some packaging to create a 3D book cover with a window onto a whole different time of day!  This window doesn't divide inside from outside but instead takes you from autumn dawn to autumn dusk, and from cottage garden to wild meadow.  It's a project you really can't capture in one photo, so if you want to get a proper look through the window to see what's out there, do come over to Words and Pictures for all the details.

Barbara

The wonderful Deb's challenge inspiring me to realize a tiny Christmas house! I created my door... with a window! I used the new Tim Holtz's  Window Frame die like a door! I really love using things differently than what they were created for! You can see details and tutorial on my blog Yaya scrap & more! 

Jo

 

I couldn't resist art journaling for Deb's Fabulous Window On Your World challenge. Taking the challenge literally, I created an autumnal window scene on my page which was inspired by the actual window display in my house and therefore includes maple leaves, pumpkins and sunflowers. To see how it all came together please pop over to my blog Let's Art Journal.

Julia

For Deb's delightful challenge this month, I created a window looking into a magical snowy winter wonderland using a Vignette Box and die cuts embossed in Molten Dimensions White Embossing Powder to create the look of snow!  Please ride your sleighs over to my blog for more photos and details on how I put this together!

S@ndy

I took Deb's fun challenge, quite literally, and made a card with a window.  This happens to be a Birthday Card so when it is opened - the balloon pops out with a birthday greeting.  If you would like to see this card in action, visit my blog here.

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Wonderful projects as always, thanks so much to my fellow Creative Guides for sharing their creativity with us all.  And now that you've been inspired, start working on your Window On Your World, can't wait to see what you create!

Deb and the Creative Guides

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter