Northwest Stamper

Tag: happy watercolor

  • Watercolor Wonder Notecards Ideas–Day 2 with Wood Chips and Vellum

    Watercolor Wonder Notecards Ideas–Day 2 with Wood Chips and Vellum

    So, I was planning on finishing posting these cards this weekend… but then the family decided to do an impromptu holiday trip to Portland, OR, so we took off and I completely forgot to schedule these before I went.  But now I’m back and have a lot to share with you in the next few couple weeks!

    Today, I was going to share with you the rest of the designs I put together for the Watercolor Wonder notecards.  With these cards, I started pulling in some different elements from around my craft room.  So, here is one of my favorites:

    I started out with the Gold foil vellum and then added the stamped circle with the poppy and sentiment from Happy Watercolor.  But it was just too plain…. so then I added some of the gold Watercolor Wonder washi tape.  And that was better, but it still needed something.

    And that is when I decided to grab my Wood Elements embellishment pack….. They were just the right addition of texture and dimension for me.  LOVE them!

    But these cards don’t have to have lots of layers to be cute.  Like I also really like this card too…. the chevrons come preprinted on the card, so all I had to do was stamp my flower and thank you.  I watercolored the flower with my aqua pen and just to add something to the card, I wrapped some linen thread around and add a subtles designer button, and DONE!

    Can you tell yet that I’m a fan of things that are cute but very quick and easy?  Smile  Seriously, with my two hyper heads running around, I have to squeeze in what crafting I can so while I love lots of layers and intricate projects, I can’t do them that often.  Thankfully I don’t think my friends and customers mind the quick and cute ideas!  (or if they do, they have a great poker face, ha ha!)

    Ok, so here are the last two cards.  They are the same card base (the polka dot background and the flowers come preprinted on the cards).  This was actually the most challenging for me to design with because the flowers are so pretty I didn’t want to completely cover them up, but I also needed to figure out how to have something balanced in the non-flower part of the card.  So, I started with just a simple thank you.

    But since just thank you isn’t enough… gotta have some pizzazz, I added some gold sequins and a daffodil bitty butterfly so I had my beloved dimension to everything.

    They are both pretty much the same except for the sequins…. So what do you think?  Random sequins or straight sequins are better?

    And just to end on a fun note, I thought I would share one of the photos from my trip to Portland.  Near downtown is a mall called Lloyd Center where there is a big ice rink enclosed in the mall.  A couple years ago we were in Portland and we took Nicholas on the rink, so this time Caitlin got her first chance to go ice skating… see, this is a novel thing in the Northwest. Smile  She did awesome and have fun on her one trip around the rink (both kids were ready to be done after one trip around).  I, of course, was the only one from our family to fall over on the ice and I did it in style! Flat on my back, landing head first.  But it was still a great trip!  I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend as well!

    image

    Quick Dates Reminders:

    So I realized that the dates for when some of these items are no longer available are a little confusing so I wanted to give everyone a quick reminder of how it works this year:

    • The Occasions Catalog items (like the Happy Watercolor stamp and the Watercolor Wonder Notecards used above) are available until June 1st
    • The NEW Annual Catalog items are available starting June 2nd
      (need a catalog?  Fill out my request form here)
    • The Retiring items (everything on the discountinued Stamp list or discontinued Accessory list) is available WHILE SUPPLIES LAST through June 4th

    Make sense?  If you have any questions just shoot me a note to jennifer@nwstamper.com.  Smile 

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    May Online Stamp Club Hostess Code – ZUBHUEK6
    Use this code to get free exclusive tutorials & project kit!Learn more

    Stampin’ Up! Supplies Used (for all cards in this post)
    Stamps – Happy Watercolor
    Ink – Stazon, Gumball Green, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango
    Paper –Watercolor Wonder Notecards, Whisper White, Gold Vellum, Daffodil Delight
    Accessories – Watercolor Wonder washi tape, 2-1/2” circle punch, Wood Elements accessories, Gold Sequins, Aqua Pen, Bitty Butterfly punch, linen thread

  • Watercolor Notecard Weekend–Day 1 Fun with Happy Watercolor

    Watercolor Notecard Weekend–Day 1 Fun with Happy Watercolor

    Ok, I know I’ve been sharing a lot with Happy Watercolor and even the Watercolor Wonder Notecards, but I’ve been having a lot of fun playing with them and I want to share them since I know a lot of folks have ordered the stamp set and the notecards.  I figure more idea for how to use your stuff is always better, right?  : )

    So in case you didn’t realize it with my past pictures, the cards come preprinted with different colors or patterns to get you started.  And they are all on watercolor paper… which means you can have fun watercoloring and adding your own personal touch as well.  So, here are two cards I made from the same base card, just with different stamping and embellishing.

    I would like to add, that I was not excited AT ALL when I was given these sequins a while back.  But turns out, they are a fun touch to add sometimes.  Since they come on a strand, I’ve been using them by pulling off sequins or tucking the strand partially behind a stamped layer.  But in this case, I think they actually are just right as a strand out in the open, all on their own!

    And then I wanted to figure out some different ideas to try on the other card styles… so this is my modified version of the spotlight technique.  Though, I think it almost looks like a bar across the colored background stamps… so maybe it is a “censored technique” because it looks like a censor bar. Smile

    And the last one for today I call my “Artsy Poppy”.  I started mixing and matching the stamps in the set as an experiment.  I actually kind of like it. 

    (PS – did you notice, this card base is the same as the card above?)

    If you look close up, you can see that the center of the poppy needed something, so I took an extra sequin and glued it down with a glue dot.  It still was missing something, so I added a little pearl and it suddenly was just right!

    So see, lots of different ideas and ways to spruce up these cards.  You have one more week to grab them – and 20 cards for $12.95 isn’t a bad deal at all!  See all the watercolor wonder coordinating supplies here.

    I have one more set of cards using these notecards that I’ll post tomorrow.  So you will have LOTS of ideas to play with with your supplies.

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    May Online Stamp Club Hostess Code – ZUBHUEK6
    Use this code to get free exclusive tutorials & project kit!Learn more

    Stampin’ Up! Supplies Used
    Stamps – Happy Watercolor
    Ink – Stazon, Gumball Green, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Crushed Curry
    Paper –Watercolor Wonder Notecards, Whisper White
    Accessories – Scallop Tag Topper punch, Pearls, Gold Sequins, Aqua Pen

  • Lots of Ideas for Rainbow Cards with Happy Watercolor

    Lots of Ideas for Rainbow Cards with Happy Watercolor

    Ok, as promised, I’m FINALLY posting those pictures from Stamp Club with all the variations of my Rainbow Happy Watercolor card (over on the right of this post).  Smile

    I have to admit, one of the things I love about stamping with other people in my classes is that I get to see some awesome ideas that I would NEVER have thought of on my own.  I have some folks who love making exactly the card I created, and that makes me happy because I know they liked the card and enjoy it.  But then, there are some folks (Elise and Tanya – I’m looking at you!) who make it their mission to make it somehow different than the sample.  And I think it is fun to see what they come up with as well.  I know they like the inspiration and sometimes I end up loving their card so much more than mine!

    Anyway, lets start the show with the card that I originally created for class but just wasn’t happy enough with it to have it be the official card.

    I liked the idea of letting everyone play with the Gumball Green stitched satin ribbon (another item retiring at the end of the month) and the new Scallop Tag Topper punch (which IS carrying over into the new catalog, yay!)  But when I put it all together, it just didn’t feel right to me.  So, I mixed it up.

    The funny thing, I showed them this card first and most of the gals in club LOVED it!  Guess that goes to show just because something isn’t your style, doesn’t mean it isn’t theirs. : ) 

    But see, this card used one of the flowers and I wanted to prove I could make a card with this set without the flowers!

    Now, lets see what everyone else made, shall we?

    This was a fun lemon-lime card made by Janine S.  Isn’t that fun how she did the hearts in the corner?!

    And this was another glittery version by Saundra W!  She totally went outside the box, which I thought was great.  But I really liked how she mixed and matched the hearts with the splotches.

    And, finally this version by Shannon L.  Mostly the same as the original with a fun variation on the hearts. 

    There was one more that didn’t use the hearts or that sentiment (it used the “psst…” sentiment on the outside and the happy on the inside), and she had the rainbow splotches not quite in a line along the bottom.  It looked AWESOME but I totally forgot to grab a photo of it before she left for the night.  Oh well.  But hopefully you had fun with the cards I DID get posted.

    And if you are local to the Seattle area and would like to join me for my monthly Stamp Club, shoot me an email at jennifer@nwstamper.com!  It’s a great group and one of my favorite classes each month.

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    May Online Stamp Club Hostess Code – ZUBHUEK6
    Use this code to get free exclusive tutorials & project kit!Learn more

    Retiring Items featured in this project that you don’t want to miss out on!
    (available while supplies last or through June 1)

  • Rainbow Fun Card with Happy Watercolor

    Rainbow Fun Card with Happy Watercolor

    Alright, I spent most of yesterday editing photos and so I’m excited to have some new projects to share with you!  Today the skies are a little gray here in Seattle, so how about something bright and cheery?

    Whabam!

    I have been having a mini love affair lately with the Happy Watercolor stamp set.  I always liked it, but once I knew it was going away at the end of the month, I’ve been having a last fling.

    This card was for my stamp club this month (and virtual club if you order $40 or more with the hostess code).  I wanted to share an idea for using this stamp set without using the flowers.  So I started with the large “splotch” from the set and stamped in rainbow colors.

    Tip:  If you line up the bottom of your stamp block with the bottom of your white paper, each time you stamp, your image will be the same distance from the bottom of the paper giving you a straight line!  Oh, and start with your yellow first to give yourself a midpoint and then stamp the other colors on each side of the yellow.

    We used the polka dot stamp from the set to stamp the edge of the Daffodil Delight cardbase to keep it interesting and keep it from being so bright yellow on the edges.

    And then there is the heart…. isn’t he cute?

    We punched out 5 hearts in the same colors as our ink using the small heart punch and glued them in a stack so that you could just see the edges of each color.  Add some glitter to the top heart and a little sparkle goes a long way!

    And, can you believe this heart punch is retiring??  There will be new heart punches in the new catalog, but I like the simple, traditional shape and size of this one.

    So, I hope you enjoyed this idea.  I’ll be back tomorrow to share all the fun ideas that everyone in club did to mix and match this idea with their own styles. 🙂

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    May Online Stamp Club Hostess Code – ZUBHUEK6

  • More Watercolor Wonder Fun!

    More Watercolor Wonder Fun!

    Last night was my Watercolor Wonder Fun class… and aside from the major OOPS of forgetting my Stazon Ink at home (thank goodness I lived really close to where I held the class and could get it fast), it was another great night with lots of good conversation and creating!

    Yesterday I shared a few of the cards we made and I thought today I’d share a few more ideas with you.

    Because these notecards come pre-printed and are made with watercolor paper, it makes it really easy to focus on adding a few little touches to make a great card!

    Oh, and if I had been smart, I would have taken a picture of the cards the ladies made yesterday, because one of them had the BRILLIANT IDEA to use the Watercolor Wonder washi tape on the card above instead of stamping the dots and it looked fabulous.  So, instead look at that card and then imagine this washi tape instead. Smile

    image

    Watercolor Wonder Washi Tape

    Seriously, one of the best things for me about going to class is seeing the fabulous ways people change up the cards into different and often better designs!

    Or just keep it simple and let the design of the notecards do most of the work and do a little stamping and coloring and you are done!

    Did I mention it is 20 notecards and envelopes for only $12.95?  Um, talk about a deal!!

    Watercolor Wonder Note Cards

    Just make sure you grab them before they retire at the end of the month!

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    May Online Stamp Club Hostess Code – ZUBHUEK6
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  • Have I mentioned I Love Happy Watercolor?

    Have I mentioned I Love Happy Watercolor?

    Last September when I was at Stampin’ Up’s Founder’s Circle retreat (seriously, I was so blessed with amazing downline and customers to help get me there!), they gave us the Happy Watercolor stamp set.  When I saw it, I wasn’t quite convinced, but after looking at samples and then playing with it, I was hooked!

    The thing that is awesome is that you can use each little piece in different ways to suit your style and then mix it up for a new-to-you look. 

    In this case, I was playing around with a few ideas including sponging the flower head using a sponge dauber!

    I also busted out my surprise favorite from the catalog, the Gold Baker’s twine to hold down my folded lace doily.

    I’ll be honest, this gold baker’s twine seems to be something people either love or don’t…. mainly because the gold foil bits like to unwind from your cut end of the twine.  But since I usually tack down my ends or only have a little bit of tail for my knots, it doesn’t bother me and it adds just the right amount of glitz.

    Either way, I am so sad this stamp set doesn’t seem to be carrying over into the new catalog.  Guess I need to give it lots of love in the next few weeks! Smile 

     

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  • Create a Flower with Petal Parade

    Create a Flower with Petal Parade

    Turns out I’m the queen of last minute!  I knew that I was on-deck for a card for the Stylin’ Stampin’ Inkspiration design team this week and I really did keep meaning to create some fun flower for our “Create a Flower” theme today.  But next thing I know, it is 9:15 last night and I’m working away on a card for a workshop this weekend when I suddenly get the reminder to have my card posted.  Oops!

    Well, the card I was working on had a stamped flower, but it wasn’t a particularly unique use of the stamp.  So, I quickly put my thinking cap on for what was some flower I could create that was different than just the typical stamped flowers that you punch out.  (Don’t ask me why I didn’t think of using my new spiral flower die!)  But a hare-brained idea to create a layered punch art flower with the Petal Parade stamp set came to me and this is what turned out:

    petal parade punch art flower

    So, aside from the sentiment, all the stamping for this came from the Petal Parade stamp set!  Some mixing and matching of ink, stamps, and punches and it came together.

    For reference, here is what the stamp set looks like:

    petal parade SAB 2014

    First was the base layer of the flower – I stamped the half flower image from the stamp set onto white paper in a random pattern.  I actually tried to make a triangle out of the flower image and then fill in the gaps with random stamping to fill it out.

    Petal Parade flowers

    Then for the subsequent layers it was straight forward stamping and then punching it out.

    Top layer – The larger round flower in Strawberry Slush
    Layer 2 –  The daisy like flower in Crushed Curry
    Layer 3 –  The larger round flower in Calypso Coral
    Base layer – Random stamping of the half flower in Strawberry Slush

    petal parade punch art flower

    I to a white piece of paper and cut out of the middle a flower shape using the Floral Frames Framelit and sponged both the outside edge and the inner cut-out edge of the flower with some Crumb Cake ink.  Then I could just glue that to a Crushed Curry card base and glue down my flower punchouts to the middle of the flower.

    I made a couple leaves out of the artsy chevrons from the stamp set and cut them out and adhered them to the sides of the flowers.

    Then just add a few pearls, a sentiment, and some really bad random stamping (seriously, don’t look too close! 🙂 ) and you have yourself a card!

    So what do you think?  Ok for a last minute idea for a punch art flower?  Hopefully it at least gave you some ideas to try at home!

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    Supplies Used:

    133602s
    127012s
    118874s
    119850s
    119861s
    129404s
    133188s
    119247s
    113439s
  • Sweet & Simple No-Layer Card

    Sweet & Simple No-Layer Card

    Well, I totally forgot that today was Oscars day…. but given that my son has given me another head cold, today seems like the perfect day for laying on the couch and watching some TV.  So, if you are following along with the Oscars with me, don’t miss out on my Winners Predictions Contest over on my Northwest Stamper facebook page for a chance to win some prizes!

    In the meantime, I thought I’d share a very quick and easy card that is perfect when you don’t have a lot of time or are just feeling a bit icky like I am today.  Look…. no layers at all!

    All I needed was a couple stamp sets:  Happy Watercolor and Perfect Pennants, two ink pads, a marker, and my Simply Scored.

    After stamping each of the flower images, I went back over them and added some yellow to the centers of the flowers for an extra sweet touch.

    Also, I used my favorite trick for keeping no-layer cards interesting…. SCORING!

    Sometimes I make scored lines in a box shape to frame my image, but in this case I kept it even simpler than that and scored two lines along the top of my card.  The first link is about 3/8” from the crease of the card, then I scored a second line 1/8” further down from the first line to add emphasis.

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    March Online Stamp Club Hostess Code – XEWP4DFD
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  • Happy Watercolor Leadership Swap Card

    I’m trying to get back in the swing of things and thought I’d share the card I created for a couple swaps I’m in.  I loved this Happy Watercolor stamp set and thought I’d experiment with some different color combinations. 

    What I used:  Summer Starfruit, Pool Party, Early Espresso, Sahara Sand, and Real Red
    image

    So, what do you think?

    I think they work surprisingly well together!

    For the flower, I did a different type of coloring… I used my sponge dauber!  I just dabbed it in the Real Red ink pad and then swirled it over the flower to color it it in.  It make for an imprecise coloring effect but I think it works great with this particular set.

    Card supplies used

    Stamps – Happy Watercolor
    Ink – Early Espresso, Real Red, Old Olive, Pool Party
    Paper – Summer Starfruit, Pool Party, Early Espresso core’dinations cardstock, Sahara Sand, Whisper White, Real Red
    Accessories – Decorative Label punch, Sanding Block, Rhinestones, Sponge Daubers, Stampin’ Dimensionals

    I had fun making it and think we’ll make it as a group at club this month!  So, I hope my club gals love it too!

    Interested in joining a stamp club?  I am kicking off some new clubs this year including long distance/virtual clubs and local stamp clubs.  Get project instructions and completed cards sent to you each month or get the kit to complete with me or at home!  You just commit to ordering $25 each month you are in the club and have the opportunity to be “hostess” for one month and get the hostess benefits too!

    Email me at jennifer@nwstamper.com for more details if you are interested!

    Did you catch the weekly deals? Yep, they are still going!  See the latest specials here.

     

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