Watercoloring - Right as Rain

Penny Black | Happy Campers

Hello! Today I am sharing a card that features the adorable Penny Black stamp set – Happy Camper. I’ve brought to life a scene showing two furry friends sitting at a cozy campsite and roasting hot dogs. The Happy Camper stamp set was part of the Stamping with Scooter collection, introduced in 2021. As I have previously mentioned, I did not play enough with these products when they were introduced, and I am making up for that now.

I am a big fan of camping-themed cards, especially around this time of year. For me, camping symbolizes a sense of adventure and nostalgia.

- Stamp image from Happy Camper set in VersaFine on Arches Cold Press watercolor paper; heat set. Color with watercolor mediums. Once dry, fussy cut.
- With the Tall Trees die set, cut trees from Arches Cold Press watercolor paper; color with watercolor mediums. For additional color, add Distress inks to trees once they are dry.
- Stamp sentiment from Happy Camper set on cloud cut with Silver Linings die. Cut additional cloud.
- Create frame from white cardstock with the largest die in the MFT Rectangle Frame set.
- To create background, add Wild Honey and Blueprint Sketch Oxide ink to white cardstock panel.
- Add Rustic Wildnerness ink to cardstock and cut with the Rolling Hills die.
- Add Chipped Sapphire ink to cardstock and cut with the hill die in the Festive Family die set.
- Attach the two hill sections to back of frame and add to the background panel. Add to A2-size card base.
- Add image with dogs to center of card with foam adhesive. Place trees into scene with dot and foam adhesive.
- Add sentiment cloud with foam adhesive and additional cloud with dot adhesive.

You can see more Stamping with Scooter inspiration on the Penny Black blog HERE and view the catalog HERE.

Front Porch Garden Delight

Hello! Today I am sharing a card created with the Art Impressions Front Porch and Front Porch Garden stamp and die sets, which are part of the Front Porch Series. The front porch scene depicted is warm and inviting, complete with a welcome mat, a potted plant, and a watering can. Whether it’s for a birthday, thank you, or just because, this card is sure to bring a smile to the recipient’s face and make them feel appreciated. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to create the card.

Stamp Front Porch and Front Porch Garden with VersaFine ink on Arches Cold Press watercolor paper; heat set.
Color images with watercolor markers (Tombow and Zig) using the watercolor palette, No. 4, and No. 1 brushes. Once dry, cut with coordinating dies. Note: the Front Porch door die cuts the window panes. I chose to fussy-cut the door, as I had watercolored the window panes.
Add images to dry-embossed background (I used an older Stampin’ Up folder) with a strip of dark gray to represent the ground.

Lawn Fawn Delight: Cat-themed Birthday Card

Meow! Today I’m excited to share with you a birthday card, purrfect for cat lovers, featuring adorable cats and colorful balloons. I used Lawn Fawn products to create this cute design, which includes watercolored cats lounging on a cozy couch in front of a die-cut window.

- - Stamp Meow You Doin’ sentiment on patterned paper; add to A2-size card base.
  - Stamp Meow You Doin’ (cats), Window Scene Winter (couch), and Wild For You (hat) images with VersaFine on Arches Cold Press watercolor paper. Color with markers. When dry, cut with coordinating die sets.
  - Cut Party Balloons from Arches Cold Press watercolor paper and watercolor with markers. When dry, attach strings.
  - Cut Window Frame from white cardstock. Cut light-blue cardstock sized to go behind the window. Add balloons to background; attach window with foam adhesive.
  - Place window on card base. Add couch with cats attached.

Including a window in a card design creates a sense of perspective that draws the viewer into the scene. This can be especially effective if you’re creating cards with setting such as a cozy home. I often use windows on my cards such as this one featuring the Lawn Fawn Wonderful Window die set.

Sending Hedgehugs with Penny Black

Spring has sprung on this sweet watercolored card that shows two hedgehogs watering a daisy. Featuring the Penny Black Grown with Love stamp set, this card is suitable for sending a message of love, friendship, or just a simple hello! But there’s a twist – instead of using the flower in the original Penny Black Grown with Love stamp, I masked it and added a die-cut daisy. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how I created the card.

- Stamp hedgehog image on Arches Cold Press watercolor paper with VersaFine ink, masking the flower image so that it does not stamp; heat set.
- Watercolor image. I used Zig markers in Medium Beige, Oatmeal, and Light Pink for the hedgehog faces and bodies. I used Zig Gray Brown for the hedgehog needles. For the watering can and metal portion of the spade, I used Zig Gray. I used Tombow Poppy Red for the spade handle and Zig Light Blue for the pond.
- Stamp hedgehogs on Gina K Masking Magic. Fussy-cut hedgehogs and pond and cover watercolored portions with the masks. Apply Tumbled Glass Oxide ink for the sky and Mowed Lawn Oxide and Rustic Wilderness Oxide for the grass.
- Stamp Grown with Love sentiment on to white cardstock and cut with large cloud die in the Silver Linings set. Cut two small clouds with the same set.
- Use the Daisy Delight die to cut the daisy from white cardstock. Color with Copic markers. I used Pale Yellow and Cadmium Yellow for the flower center and Moss Green for the stem.
- Trim stamped panel to 4 x 5 1/4 inches and add to yellow card base. Add clouds and daisy to scene.

This stamp set was part of the Refreshing release three years ago. You can see the release video here.

Lawn Fawn | Watercolored Whimsical Tea Party Scene

Get ready to be transported to a charming tea party scene featuring adorable animal attendees! I created this whimsical scene by watercoloring images from Lawn Fawn’s Tea-rrific Day stamp set, which includes a fox, hedgehog, and squirrel gathered around a tree stump for tea. The resulting card is a perfect way to send warm wishes for many occasions including birthdays, thank you, or “just because.” Read on for step-by-step instructions on how I created the watercolored tea party card.

I had so much fun bringing these adorable animal characters to life, dressed in fancy hats for the tea party gathering.

- Stamp Tea-rrific Day animals, tree stump, and tea accessories on Arches Cold Press watercolor paper in VersaFine black ink; heat set.
- Color items with watercolor markers using a size 4 brush:
  Fox: Sketchmarker Aqua Red Panda, Sketchmarker Aqua Flesh, Zig Persian Blue, Zig Pink, Zig Turquoise Green, Tombow Blush (Dusty Rose)
  
  Hedgehog: Tombow Redwood, Zig Medium Beige, Tombow Blush (Dusty Rose), Zig Violet, Zig Yellow, Zig Pink
  
  Squirrel: Tombow Saddle Brown, Tombow Blush (Dusty Rose), Zig Purple
  
  Tree Stump: Sketchmarker Aqua Brown, Zig Turquoise Green, Zig Pink, Zig Violet
  
  Mushrooms: Tombow Warm Red, Tombow Tan (Cappuccino)
  
  Tea Party Tablescape: Zig Sugar Almond Pink, Zig Lemon Yellow, Zig Light Blue, Zig Light Gray, Zig Turquoise Green, Zig Pink
- Once dry, cut the images with their corresponding dies.
- Cut Sea Glass cardstock with the Quilted Backdrop die to create background. Add to white cardstock card base.
- Stamp sentiment on green cardstock, trim, and cut with Simple Stitched Hillside Borders die. Add to card background.
- Add animals, tree stump, and tea party accessories to scene with dot and foam adhesive.

Tea parties invite us to slow down and appreciate the simple pleasures in life. In our fast-paced world, taking the time to sit down and savor a cup of tea and a slice of cake can be a refreshing break from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Looking for inspiration to host a tea party? I have mentioned the lifestyle blogger Home is Where the Boat Is in previous posts. She posted a fun tea party here and shares additional tea-themed ideas here.