Watercolor for Cardmakers - Intermediate Techniques: Day 3

Hello!

Day 3 of Watercolor for Cardmakers: Intermediate Techniques was challenging! I haven't made any cards from my work yet, but I did create a postcard for my daughter from the scanned image of one of them.

I worked on two lessons at once.

Negative painting is about creating a background that brings your images to the front. I need a bit more practice on this one, but it was a really interesting process to play with.

I drew the heart outlines around a die because I had no heart outline stamps. Halfway through the process I lost my pencil lines, so I just used my imagination to keep the hearts in the picture. ;-)

Lifting is about lifting paint to leave highlights. One of the hardest things for me in watercolour is the inability to ADD highlights. As far as I can tell, you need to either leave the highlights from the beginning, or use lifting to remove some of the colour. VERY challenging for me, haha! For my first attempt I used Jane's Doodles Pretty Peonies stamp for the main flower. Again, I lost the stamped image partway through my painting, so I did my best without it. I really don't like the leaves and stems in this first effort, but as with all of these lessons, the more mistakes I make, the more I learn. I do like my freehand buds. :-)

For my second attempt, I drew my main rose (which looked so much better in pencil!). When I started lifting, I rounded the petals more than I wanted, but the lifting worked, so I can't complain. I'm getting there. Next time I want my ruffled petals AND lifting that works. I'm happier with the leaves and stems this time. I also made some mistakes that I successfully fixed, so I'm excited!

By this time I was running late with lessons, so I have paused in my day 3 practice so that I can move on. 

I printed the heart watercolour onto photo paper for my daughter. On glossy photo paper, it glows.

I'm running out of time for class homework. I'm back to work tomorrow (I had last week off to settle the kids into school), which means I'm back to night time crafting, which is rather difficult with my (getting old) eyes and limited time to allow watercolouring to dry. I hope to get some more done today, so that I just have fun practising to do this week.

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle

xxx

I'm being featured at Paper Crafter's Library!

Hello!

You could have knocked me down with a feather when I was invited to be the featured artist/designer at Paper Crafter's Library this week! What an honour!

The easy part was saying "yes!". The hard part was thinking what type of project would showcase my style. It had to be CAS, of course! Oh, how I agonised, lol! I ended up selecting the card and gift sets that I made for some of my daughter's school teachers and administrators when school finished a couple of weeks ago. I'm sharing two of them over at Paper Crafter's Library, plus an extra version.

Here is a sneaky peak at one of the sets. Inside those boxes, hidden by the bookmarks, are lovely handcreams.

You'll need to pop over to Paper Crafter's Library to see the rest!

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

Fusion - ombre peony

Hello!

This week has been crazy! Monday night my eldest had the Grade 6 Expo - the kids all presented on an aspect of a different country (100 kids!). My daughter presented on education in Iran. How's that for a topic for a 12 year old to explore? Last night (Wednesday night) my daughter had her Music Extension performance assessment (violin). Tonight she performed solo violin in the Middle School eisteddfod. Tomorrow night (Friday) she sings in the choir. Saturday morning is water polo, as always. Sunday morning, 6am, she leaves for a week-long school camp. I'll be sending her away exhausted. I can't imagine what she'll be like when she arrives home next Friday night! My little girl has only had her usual activities. She's still only 7, so school isn't quite as demanding on her. ;-)

The actual reason for this post is that it is time for another Fusion Challenge! And what a beauty it is! I have only used the inspiration photo, although the sketch is great, too!

Stamps are Jane's Doodles Pretty Peonies and Hero Arts Year Round Sentiments. I did a little ombre colouring with Copics.

One day I want to learn how to make a sugar flower like the one on this cake! It's amazing!

I cannot wait to see the gallery this time around. I love aqua, and I love flowers, and I love white embossing, and this inspiration has it all!

Edit: I'm also joining in at CASology where the theme this week is 'sea'. My card is made using sea colours. Thanks for the suggestion, Kimberly!

Thanks for coming by to visit!

Michelle
xxx

Watercolour for Card Makers - Days 4 and 8

Hello!

I am WAY behind in Watercolour for Card Makers Online Card Class! This class will keep me busy for months, I think! Today I am bringing you cards I made for Day 4 - Watercolour Stamping and for Day 8 - Faux Hand Painting.

First off is my faux handpainting card. I watched the video by Tasnim Ahmed and just loved the results of her technique. I did notice during her video there were numerous "pauses" for drying time. What I did not realise was that it would take me days to finish my own card, because I was crafting after the kids' bedtimes on work nights, so I only had time for one set of painting per night! This technique does not lend itself to being dried by my heat gun because I would have sprayed my watercolour everywhere! I love the results so much that I am going to try this again, only I'll be more strategic about how I colour and I'll probably run multiple projects at once. ;-)  Enough of the back story. Here is my card.

I used Jane's Doodles Pretty Peonies flower stamp. The sentiment is PTI Meadow Greens. I hand drew the leaves. I used Winsor and Newton Cotman watercolours and Derwent Inktense pencils.

The next card I have stared at for several days wondering if I would share it. It didn't turn out how I had planned and I can't decide if I like it or not. I used all sorts of techniques in building that image. One was that while my first stamping of colour was still wet, I lay the stamp back down to draw the colour back to the leaves. This left the leafy pattern more clearly than the first stamping had. This card took me a couple of days while I pondered and added bits here and there. It was definitely an interesting experiment where I learned quite a bit.

I used PTI Meadow Greens stamps. The colour is a mixture of Cotman watercolour, Inktense Pencils, Distress Inks, and Stampin' Up! dye inks.

Thank-you for visiting! I hope I'll get a bit more watercolour time this week-end in between a crazy kid activity schedule.

Michelle
xxx

Runway Inspired Watercolour

Hello!

As promised, I'm back with some new cards. I have made two cards for Runway Inspired Challenge #52 where the inspiration is a gorgeous dress by Dennis Basso.

The dress made me think of watercolours. The first card I made was directly inspired by the splashes of pastels. This was a bit of an experiment. I quite like the effect of the black and white with splashes of colour.

Stamps are Janes Doodles Pretty Peonies and Simon Says Stamp Sketchy Banners. Colours are Distress Ink Worn Lipstick, Mustard Seed, Tumbled Glass, and Memento Tuxedo Black.

The inspiration is this gorgeous floaty dress. I would defnitely wear this dress myself, so pretty!

I then moved away from the direct inspiration to make my next card, which uses the same colours, but on watercolour paper and with much more saturation. The stamp set is PTI Meadow Greens.

This card was made for the rescuers of Coco. On that note, here is my Coco, with an extra 1.3kg added over the past 9 days. I think we can slow down the feeding now and work on building her muscle back up again. ;-)  Her back legs are half the size they were, but they'll come back with some exercise.

 Thanks for visiting.

Michelle
xxx

CASE Study 167

Hello!

CASE Study this month has Keisha Campbell as the muse. Keisha's cards are amazing, but they are in a style that I find a bit unattainable. Me being me, I can't resist a challenge. So I thought I'd give Keisha's style a go. I have a LONG way to go before I come anywhere near Keisha's style. With this card, I really just copied, not so much as following the muse as copying the muse... but at least I gave it a shot, and I'll try again, I'm sure!

My card is a mish-mash of stamps and dies. The feathers are Waltzing Mouse Fine Feathers, flowers are Jane's Doodles Pretty Peonies, zig zag is Hero Arts, the sentiment is Papertrey Ink Stylish Sentiments. The dies are Mama Elephant. I would love this card, if I hadn't accidentally stuck the feathers in slightly the wrong position (the glue stuck by accident while I was positioning, argh!). It's really different for me, but still reflects my style. This is one of the things I love about CASE Study, I get to stretch outside of my comfort zone. :-)

This is Keisha's beautiful original.

This morning my daughter attended her piano exam. She has decided to stop learning piano, even though she's very good at it, because she doesn't enjoy it. I'm sad. I'm hoping she goes back to it in the future. She will continue violin (which she loves) but, for now, the piano is to be sidelined. She's only 11, there's still time to return.

Now it is time for my beauty sleep. It's been a busy few weeks. Only a week and a half left of school, and I don't have the teacher gifts done yet, eek!

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

Happy Birthday, Anne Marie!

Hello!

It's Anne Marie's birthday! Our mutual friend, Lesley, has organised a super birthday party to celebrate over on the Dynamic Duos Challenge blog! I may be a little late to the linky party - it is the middle of the night in Australia right now, and I'm in Canberra for work, so no access to my computer for blogging. Never-the-less, I'm still here partying on my blog, and will link up as soon as I'm able. :-)

For those of you who don't know, Anne Marie is one of the sweetest people in the world. Not only is she a talented card artist, but she is the best animal foster carer in the world. If you pop over to her blog, you're sure to find photos of her foster pups and kitties, and they are ALL SO CUTE! Her own pets are gorgeous, too! Anne Marie's tireless efforts to find homes for homeless animals is a small indication of her BIG HEART.

Happy Birthday, Anne Marie! I hope your day is fabulous! Your card will probably still in the mail on its way to you at this stage, but at least it is on its way. ;-)

Knowing that Anne Marie likes pink, I went VERY pink on my card. The card base is Soft Stone, the watercolour panel down the bottom is Jane's Doodles Pretty Peonies white embossed and watercoloured with Melon Berry and Berry Sorbet, and then a little Perfect Pearls added for shimmer.

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

Dynamic Duos Challenge #74

Hello!

It's Dynamic Duos time! This week we have So Saffron and Calypso Coral. I immediately thought FLOWERS.

Here is my card.

I used Janes Doodles Pretty Peonies, and Simon Says Stamp Sketchy Banners (sentiment & die). 

The team have rocked the colours this week.

Alison Barclay

Anne Marie Hile

Debbie Henderson

Hayley Kew

Janet Bagnall

Janet Zeppa

Lori Turner

Susie Wittwer

Tara Bourgoin

Tracey McNeely

My 11 year old daughter is doing a project at school as a part of their "acts of service". The project is to make possum pouches for orphaned possums. My daughter needed to learn how to cast on her knitting, and after we did that yesterday, we have both been knitting together today. It is a simple knitting project - garter stitch 17cm x 48cm - and perfect for learning and practising knitting. :-) What I learned is this - knitting is the perfect pastime for a mother and daughter. The quiet concentration aids quiet conversation. I'm happy! And I think she is too.

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

CASE Study #142

Hello!

And we're back to Monday again!

Over at CASE Study, they still have Maile Belles as our muse. You know I can't resist CASEing Maile! So I made this card.

I used Jane's Doodles Pretty Peonies and PTI Turning a New Leaf and Stylish Sentiments: Birthday. Patterned paper is PTI Hibiscus Burst. Leaves are stamped in SU! Old Olive. 

Case Study #142 brings us this beautiful card.

I think I may have CAS-ified Maile's design! There are foam dimensionals under the flowers. And the centre of the top flower is also popped up. For a basically one-layer card, this has quite a satisfying amount of dimension! Big smile from me. :-)

Thanks for dropping by!

Michelle
xxx

For Your Inspiration #44

Hello!

It's time for For Your Inspiration Challenge #44!

When I first saw the inspiration photo, I was a little stuck. That happens sometimes. So I walked away and let it bubble away at the back of my brain for a while. The inspiration struck - white embossing on grey for the grey skies! I love the subtle effect it creates.

I used Jane's Doodles Pretty Peonies and Mama Elephant So Breezy stamps. The patterned paper is Studio Calico Snippets. Card base is PTI Soft Stone.

How does the inspiration photo inspire you? It's an amazing view! Stormy weather? Sunset? Grey, black, orange, and yellow? I'd love to see your interpretation!

The rest of the design team has been hard at work, too. Why don't you pay them a visit?
Debbie
Karen
Mynnette
Rochelle
Rudlis
Sara


Thanks for coming by!

Michelle
xxx

One card, three challenges

Hello!

Just a quick hello today. I have snuck to my craft desk in between housework and going out for a friend's birthday. I might start running late any moment now... depending how fast I can type!! ;-)

I made this card.

I used Jane's Doodles Pretty Peonies and Mama Elephant So Breezy stamps. Colours are Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, Cameo Coral, Early Espresso, Primrose Petals (I don't have Cherry Cobbler or anything like it), and PTI Fresh Snow.

I entered into three challenges.
The colour scheme comes from ColourQ #179.

The card design comes from two different inspirations. Julie Ebersole's card at CASE Study #131

and Laurie Willison's card at MUSE #7.

I love both Julie and Laurie, so I couldn't resist joining in!

Thanks for coming by to visit! I hope to be back tomorrow with more cards to share. :-)

Michelle
xxx

Mobile Blogging...

Hello!

It's been a few days without home Internet, and I'm becoming quite frustrated, like most blogging addicts would! Here in Brisbane, and Queensland generally, we have experienced some wild weather. Unfortunately that has left about 260000 without power and about 400000 without phone or Internet services. We've been lucky - we won't flood (although many are), we still have power, and my mobile phone has had service most of the time. But, we don't have home Internet, and the whole family are feeling it - modern day problems, LOL!

This brings me to today's attempt at mobile blogging. I've added my photos, but I'm not sure how they'll show up in the post because they aren't inline with the text, so confusing.

One card is for this week's Dynamic Duos where we've been asked to use Soft Suede and Crumb Cake. My other card is one I made yesterday to while away the time stuck at home while the wind and rain howled outside.

Hopefully this works. If it doesn't, I'll be back to fix it when my Internet service returns. :-)

Michelle
xxx

The ridiculous ways of a perfectionist crafter...

Hello!

I am a perfectionist. BUT, I make big attempts to crush my perfectionism down to a manageable level, because (as it turns out) it is very difficult to actually ACHIEVE perfection. It also makes it difficult on those I live with when I let my inner-perfectionist have full-reign. I have made a discovery over the years - people still like my creations in which I can see multiple flaws.

Today, the perfectionist came out to play! Argh!

Here is the card that I THINK is the one I want to put forward (and I'll show you the others anyway, so you can have a giggle at my craziness).

The flowers are Jane's Doodles Pretty Peonies. The colours are SU! Real Red and Memento Tuxedo Black. The card base is PTI Basic White. The black line is made using a Copic Multiliner.

This card (and the others) was made for Retro Sketches #47 and Dynamic Duos #36.

I was determined to respond to this Retro Sketches challenge, because the last time I attempted the "framed sentiment" technique I couldn't quite get it.

Dynamic Duos has the dessert option of a Valentine Theme. Here was my attempt that included the theme. This one was actually my most technically perfect for the stamping and masking, but I felt I had misplaced the flowers at the top of the frame, they were too even, sigh! And now I'm getting the urge to go and make another to get it REALLY perfect, LOL!

This was my other version, which was almost right, but didn't quite do it for me. Maybe if I'd used the outline flower on the bottom frame?

Thanks for coming to visit. You now know me a little better!

Michelle
xxx

Blue Birthday

Hello!

A couple of quick posts today. I have to get my little one to her ballet concert and am still yet to do hair and make-up or get myself ready, eek!

This card is my entry to CAS(E) This Sketch #8 and Play Date Cafe Challenge #160.

I used Jane's Doodles Pretty Peonies, and PTI Strawberry Sentiments, and Hero Arts Envelope Pattern Background stamp. Colours are SU! Not Quite Navy and Bashful Blue, and PTI Fresh Linen.

The sketch over at CAS(E) this sketch is this one.

And the colour scheme at The Play Date Cafe is this one.

Thanks for coming to visit!

Michelle
xxx

iSpy Sketches 26

Hello!

Just a quick one, it's past my bedtime. The new iSpy Sketches Challenge was released today with a sketch based on Therese Calvird's card. I fell in love with the card straight away and I had already seen Danielle Daws' card using the sketch (a gorgeous card), which had me excited about the idea of using my pencils today. In the end I pretty much exactly CASEd Therese's card, just because it was so beautiful, and I wanted to see if I could come anywhere close to the prettiness using my Derwent Inktense pencils. I didn't come close, but it turned out okay anyway. :-)  I definitely need more practice using pencils.

I used Jane's Doodles Pretty Peonies (flower) and PTI Think Big Favorites #16 (sentiment). I stamped the image in versamark, and then drew over it and coloured with Inktense pencils. Card base is PTI Fine Linen, and panel is SU! Soft Suede. Ink is Soft Suede. The string is kitchen string.

I love this sketch. I think I might need to make another card (or five) using it!

See you later! Thanks for stopping by to visit me. :-)

Michelle
xxx

For Your Inspiration #33

Hello!

It's time for another For Your Inspiration challenge! The entries into challenge #32 were awesome, I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with this time around. :-)

This is the photo.

Beautiful, yes? I looked at this scene for a while, thinking about how it made me feel. It feels peaceful to me. A place of reflection. From the photo I took the colours blue, green, and white, and attempted to give them a soft feel that portrayed the feeling it gave me.

This is my card.

Colours are SU! Almost Amethyst (retired) and Certainly Celery. The stamps are Jane's Doodles Pretty Peonies, PTI Turning a New Leaf, and Hero Arts Say It All.

I used a sketch from My Favorite Things to get my layout.

I have to say, it is very dangerous going over to the MFT blog, especially at release time!  My wishlist just got a lot longer, sigh!

Now, why don't you take a little tour of what the rest of the design team came up with before creating your own beauty to enter into the challenge. :-)

Debbie

Debby
Rudlis
Karen

Rochelle

Sara

Steph
Sylvia

Vicki

Thanks for dropping by!

Michelle
xxx

For Your Inspiration #27

Hello!

Oops! I'm late! It's time for a new For Your Inspiration challenge - challenge number #27! Our sponsor for this challenge is The Cutting Cafe, and they have donated three stamp sets for one of our lucky participants. The design team has used some of the sentiments on offer, but there is so much more to choose from.

This week's photo is an interesting inspiration. I love the lighthouse, I love those stormy skies, I love all that grey. And there is that little patch of yellow on the buoy in the foreground. Take a look.

What came to mind straight away was a sympathy card. And here is what I created.

For some reason the photo has come out all fuzzy. It isn't a fuzzy card in real life!

I used Jane's Doodles Pretty Peonies, PTI Pretty Peonies, Hero Arts Say It All, and The Cutting Cafe sentiment. The dies are PTI Mat Stack #1 and Layerz Mat Stack #1. Card is Stampin'Up!

The team have come up with some wonderful cards this challenge. Why don't you visit them and take a look?

Debbie

Debby
Irena
Karen

Rochelle

Sara

Steph
Sylvia

Vicki

Thanks for stopping by to visit. If you leave me a comment, I'll be sure to visit you in return. :-)

Michelle
xxx

For Your Inspiration #26 - Get Well

Hello!

It's time for another For Your Inspiration challenge!  The inspiration photo this week is full of rich colours and so much inspiration. You could take the colour theme, the asian influence, the bridge, the trees...and so much more.

I liked that cream bridge hiding in all those red leaves. The colours are so rich.

I used PTI vintage cream card, and Stampin'Up! Ruby Red (retired). The flower is Jane's Doodles Pretty Peonies stamped onto patterned paper and vellum, fussy cut, layered and glued together. The sentiment is Hero Arts Say It All. I stamped on the vellum with Stayz On ink, the other stamping is Memento Tuxedo Black.  I did use the PTI canvas/linen impression plate on the red panel, but it doesn't show so well in this photo. Try this other photo (taken at night, so not so great).

I do hope you join us at FYI for this challenge. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Why don't you pop over to visit the other DT members, they have some awesome cards for this challenge.

Debbie

Debby
Irena
Karen

Rochelle

Sara

Steph
Sylvia

Vicki

Michelle
xxx