Watercoloring - Right as Rain

Purr-fect Handmade Cat Cards

Hello! Cats have a timeless charm that makes them the purr-fect subject for handmade cards. Whether playful or cozy, feline friends bring personality and warmth to your designs. These cards make wonderful choices for occasions like birthdays, Halloween, thank-yous, or just-because moments. Join me as I share a roundup of cat-themed creations from my blog archive. Click on the card image to be taken to the original post for additional details.

These two birthday cards feature stamped and watercolored cats, complemented by die-cut elements for a fun and whimsical celebration.

This larger birthday card showcases a die-cut cat wearing sunglasses with a “Happy Birthday” message, making it the perfect statement piece for any cat lover.

This “just because” card features a delightful small watercolored scene of cats, created with the Art Impressions Matchbox series.

These Halloween cards feature cats in their spooky best—one with die-cut elements to create a playful cat and pumpkin scene, and the other showcasing a watercolored cat ready for the season.

These two stamped and watercolored cat cards feature playful scenes, both created using Newton’s Nook stamps, known for their charming cat imagery. One captures a relaxed beach scene, while the other sets the stage in a cozy library.

There’s something irresistibly charming about cats on cards. They bring a playful and timeless appeal to any design! I hope this roundup has inspired you to use cats as a theme in your own creations. While putting this roundup together, I realized that many of my cat cards feature stamped images that I’ve colored. I own several silhouette cat dies and have used them on a number of cards (although none are included in this roundup). While silhouettes create a bold and classic design, most cats aren’t a solid color, so stamping and coloring allow for more variety and detail. Do you have favorite cat stamps or dies? Is there a cat-themed set on your wish list?

Charming House-Themed Cards

Hello! Depictions of houses on cards evoke a sense of comfort, nostalgia, and storytelling, inviting the viewer into a miniature world of charm and personality. My fascination with houses began in childhood, sparked by the illustration of the “Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe” in Mother Goose. In this post, I’m sharing a roundup of cards from my blog archive where houses take center stage. Click on the card image to be taken to the original post for additional details.

Of all the dies in my collection, I’ve used the Lawn Fawn Build-a-House die set and its add-ons more than any other. It’s perfect for crafting scenes that suit a variety of seasons and occasions, from Halloween haunts to cozy Christmas cottages.

Mushroom houses bring a touch of whimsy to handmade cards. Here are two cards that showcase these charming homes: one with a stamped and watercolored design and another with a die-cut mushroom house. Both cards include playful gnomes adding to the magical and storybook-like feel of these creations.

The cards below feature beach huts (day-use structures perfect for seaside relaxation). These designs are perfect for sending warm and sunny wishes, no matter the season.

Smaller customizable house die sets offer possibilities for creating charming scenes. The card below shows two homes crafted from the same set, complete with trees and a picket fence for a picture-perfect neighborhood feel.

While I do have cards featuring birdhouses, lighthouses, dog houses, garden sheds, and garages, this roundup focuses on traditional and whimsical homes leaving the others for another time.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this roundup of house-themed cards! Revisiting these designs has inspired me to pull out my house-themed products and start creating more scenes! Do you use the house motif in your own cardmaking? What stamps and/or dies do you own that feature houses? Do you have any on your wishlist?

Trio of Flying Mice Halloween Card

Hello! Today I am sharing a whimsical Halloween card that showcases three mice soaring on a broomstick above a gate that spells out “Happy Halloween.” The mice were stamped with a Penny Black stamp and watercolored. Beneath the gate, pumpkins enhance the festive spirit.

- Stamp Penny Black Bewitched image in VersaFine ink on Cold Press watercolor paper. Heat set. Color with watercolor mediums of choice. I used Distress inks. Once dry, fussy-cut the image. I cut off the tails of the mice, as I was unable to fussy-cut them. Read ahead for what I did to stamp and color the tails.
- Cut a circle from vellum and position on card base for moon. Apply yellow ink to the negative area of the vellum mask.
- Cover the moon with a circle cut from masking paper. Apply Tumbled Glass ink for the sky and Hickory Smoke for the base.
- Now, stamp the Bewitched image on to the panel in the desired position. Color in the tails of the mice. Adhere the watercolored, fussy-cut mice to the card over this stamped image, lining up the bodies to the tails.
- Cut the Halloween Gate from black cardstock and add to the panel.
- Add pumpkins cut with dies in the Carved Cuties and Pumpkins & Leaves set.

The Penny Black Bewitched stamp has been around at lease since 2015. In 2015, I created two cards with the same image as on the card above for my blog and for the Penny Black Simplicity site, which is now defunct. I have included those cards below. On the first one, I used Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens on watercolor paper and on the second, I used watercolor pencils on watercolor paper.

Supplies: 30-318 Bewitched, 30-240 Textures, 51-077 Eeek!

Watercolored Teacup with Holiday Greenery

Hello! Today I’m sharing a Christmas card that features the charming designs of Penny Black. This card highlights a watercolored teacup filled with festive greenery, perfect for spreading holiday cheer. The details and colors give the card a cozy yet elegant feel.

- Stamp Penny Black Brew-Tea-Ful image in VersaFine ink on Cold Press watercolor paper. Heat set. Color with watercolor mediums of choice. I used Distress ink. Once dry, fussy-cut image with its coordinating die.
- Stamp Season to Believe sentiment in black ink on Bristol cardstock. Apply Distress inks for the sky and ground. Trim panel and add to A2-size card base.
- Cut Festive Finesse foliage several times and color with Distress ink.
- Add teacup to card background with foam adhesive. Trim foliage and add to the inside of the teacup.

Penny Black | Watercolored Halloween Card

Hello! As we are more than halfway into the month of September, I’m excited to share a playful Halloween card featuring Penny Black supplies that showcases a watercolored cat. More adorable than scary, it’s the perfect handmade creation for cat lovers and Halloween enthusiasts alike.

- Stamp Penny Black Bewitched image in VersaFine ink on Cold Press watercolor paper. Heat set. Color with watercolor mediums of choice. I used Distress inks. Once dry, fussy-cut image. I shared another watercolored image from the Bewitched stamp set HERE.
- Stamp Halloween Builder sentiment in black ink on white cardstock. Cut with a banner die (I used one that was part of a Spellbinders Glimmer Foil set).
- Cut a panel of Purple Mist cardstock with a square die (measuring 4 1/2″) in the Penny Black Stitched Squares & Circles set. Dry-emboss with the Encircle folder. Add to card base.
- Cut vellum with die in the Hexagon Frames set. Add to the center of the card background.
- Add watercolored cat and sentiment to the card with foam adhesive.
- For leaves, color cardstock with a variety of Distress inks and cut with dies in the Pumpkin Parade and Pumpkins & Leaves sets. Tuck under other elements.