Watercoloring - Right as Rain

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.

Watercolored Home Filled with Cats using Art Impressions Stamps

Hello! Today, I am sharing a project created with the Art Impressions matchbook set – Cats. I enjoyed watercoloring a cozy scene with twelve feline friends cuddled up keeping one another company. I provide details below on how I created the scene.

The Art Impressions Matchbook series has many different options. You can see an intro video here. I recently created a card with the Tool Shed Matchbook set – you can see that scene here.

Stamp Cats images in VersaFine ink on Arches Cold Press watercolor paper; heat set.
Watercolor the images with watercolor markers using the No. 4 brush and palette. I used a combination of Tombow and Zig markers. I appreciate the opportunity to learn more about my watercolor marker palette.
Once dry, cut the images with the coordinating dies included with the Cats set.
Cut matchbook from patterned paper with the MB Template. Add watercolored Cats elements.
Stamp Cats sentiment on white cardstock and cut with the MB Template die; trim and add to the top flap.

Do you have cat lovers or cat owners to whom you send cards? My list of recipients is split 50/50 with cat and dog owners. Looking for more cat card inspiration? Check out this card and this one.