Avery Elle's June AEI♥U Challenge Part No. 2

Happy Sunday!  As I am on a crafting/blogging roll, Thursday night I made a second attempt at the Avery Elle's June AEI♥U Challenge.   You can find my first attempt HERE. 

 

 

This time around I began with the adorable smaller tag from the Simply Tags: Everyday die designed by uber talented Nina Yang (yes she created the sketch above too).  I cut 4 tags out of the My Girl 6x6 paper pad by American Crafts...such a sweet collection with pretty summery colors.  I added some grey and white baker's twine to each tag.  Now this is when things got dicey.  I ended up playing around with these four tags a lot.  And I mean a lot.  Some cards come together quickly and easily and others just don't.  This one was hard fought.

Here's the great sketch by Nina Yang again:

I decided to emboss the white panel with a nifty honeycomb embossing folder which mimics the hexagons found on the multi-colored hexagon patterned paper.  I pulled out the yellow from the hexagon patterned paper and stamped the sentiment from Air Mail and then die cut it out. 

A little digression, if I may.  Mail and travel themes go for my jugular.  They slay me.  I can't resist them.  Seriously, can...not...resist.  So imagine how thrilled I was with Air Mail.  More thrilled than the camel on hump day.  Watch out as I have a We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board coming my way and I have not even scratched the surface on this baby!  End of my little digression.

After placing the tags on the panel I figured what it needed was a central image.  I went through chipboard, pages of stickers, cabochons and diecuts until I found a lovely diecut from the Amy Tangerine/American Crafts' Yes, Please collection Bits (die cut cardstock shapes).  It was adorable, but not the right colors and a tad big for what I needed.  Still it was a jumping off point.  (Note to self: next Avery Elle order add Petals and Stems).

Here's my inspiration by Amy Tangerine/American Crafts from the Yes, Please collection:

I got out a pencil and drew a rose and some leaves in a similar fashion, painted it in with watered down Distress Markers and to get the right tone distressed the flower with Distress Inks.  Now I was getting somewhere!

I adhered everything down onto the white panel.  Then I added some aqua blue sequins (needed some sequins!) and some stickles to the flower and leaves just for something extra.  Last I adhered the white panel to a yellow card base.

Voila!  The tale of a challenging card.  I hope you enjoy it and thank you for staying with me during my rambling.

Happy creating,
Shay.

Supplies:
Stamp: Air Mail, Avery Elle
Ink: harvest gold, Papertrey Ink; antique linen and scattered straw, Tim Holtz Distress Ink by Ranger
Cardstock: stampers select white, Papertrey Ink; yellow, stash
Patterned Paper: My Girl 6x6 paper pad, American Crafts
Die: Simply Tags: Everyday die, Avery Elle
Other: Cuttlebug, Provo Craft; Honeycomb embossing folders, Lifestyle Crafts; circle nestabilities dies, Spellbinders; baker's twine, Whisker Graphics; pencil; worn lipstick, spiced marmalade and barn door, Tim Holtz Distress Markers, by Ranger; paint brush; water; Inkssentials ink blending tool, Ranger; aqua sequins, Studio Calico; star dust stickles, Ranger;dimensional adhesive

Papertrey Ink's May 2013 Blog Hop | Bouquet Builder

Happy Saturday!  I am so happy to join in on this month's blog hop (wasn't sure if I would make it this time around...whew!).  To see the details and the *amazing* projects created for Papertrey Ink's Bouquet Builder May Blog Hop, go HERE. 

I went with an ombre card inspired by the following picture:

I was really drawn to the very verdant color scheme and this is the card I created:

 

I am going to leave it at that today.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.  It is an honor to have you visit and to be among the uber-talented Papertrey Ink fans!

Happy creating,
Shay.

Supplies:
Stamp: Natural Beauties (limited edition), Papertrey Ink
Inks: limeade ice, Papertrey Ink; Versamark, Tsukineko; peeled paint and pine needles, Tim Holtz Distress Inks by Ranger
Cardstock: Vintage Cream, Papertrey Ink
Paper: watercolor paper, Strathmore
Other: Wonderful Words Die Collection (set of 4), Papertrey Ink; Cuttlebug, Provo Craft; Inkssentials ink blending tool, Ranger; Peeled Paint, Tim Holtz Distress Marker by Ranger; opaque white embossing powder, JudiKins; heat gun; 2 Way Glue Pen, Zig; dimensional adhesive; water; paint brush; Inkssentials Non Stick Sheet, Ranger

Papertrey Ink's 6th Anniversary: Watercolor Challenge

Dear Reader,

How are you this Tuesday night/Wednesday morning?  I happily spent a few hours playing with ways to watercolor thanks to the watercolor challenge on Nichole Heady's blog for Papertrey Ink.

My first card uses emboss resist which I have always loved and watercoloring using Tim Holtz Distress Markers, water and a paint brush:

I cut a panel from watercolor paper and embossed the largest image from Stitches & Swirls.  As I mentioned I used Distress Markers, water and paint brushes to paint in the image.  I scribbled onto my crafting mat and then picked up the color using my brush, adding water as needed.  When I finished painting in the image, I was worried that it read as being outdated so I tried to be more edgy or trendy with the rest of the card.  I stamped that lovely sentiment from Happy Trails.  I added a little stitched tail after the sentiment with a black soot Distress Marker.  You notice the little melon berry banner with the pearl?  That was used to cover up a mess up on my part.  I added the kraft photo corners for interest.  I adhered the watercolor panel to a distressed piece of melon berry cardstock and then to a piece of smokey shadow cardstock at a slight angle.  Everything was then placed on a kraft card base using dimensional adhesive.  I am pretty happy with the finished card and I adore melon berry, smokey shadow and kraft together...how about you?

For my next two cards I wanted to do a different watercolor technique in really bold colors and images.  I pulled out the Funky Florals stamp set and Tim Holtz Distress Inks and went to town: 

 

 

 

 

 

Each time I stamped a flower I first inked up the image in the lighter hue and then added a little of the darker hue (for instance first worn lipstick and second picked raspberry) Next I lightly spritzed water on the stamp before stamping it on a piece of watercolor paper.  I covered the whole piece with flowers in 3 sizes and 3 colors.  Then I stamped in the burst centers.  The watercolor panel was large enough to cut in half once I finished to make two cards.  I adhered each watercolor panel to a piece of black bitty dot patterned paper.  I cut out one of the half & half die collection using vellum twice which I embossed with black embossing powder using a sentiment from Funky Florals and Half & Half.  I added enamel dots and gems to the vellum and adhered it to the watercolor panel which I then adhered to a white card base. 

There you have it.  I had a blast (people still say that right?) playing with watercolor techniques and need to remember to revisit it to try even more.

Thank you so much for joining me and I hope you have a bright and happy day!

Happy creating,
Shay.

a note of thanks card
Supplies:
Stamps: Stitches & Swirls and Happy Trails, Papertrey Ink
Ink: VersaMark, Tsukineko; basic gray, Stampin' Up!
Cardstock: melon berry, smokey shadow & kraft, Papertrey Ink
Paper: cold press watercolor 400 series, Strathmore
Other: double-ended banner die, Papertrey Ink; Cuttlebug, Provo Craft; Tim Holtz Distress Markers, Ranger; opaque white embossing powder, JudiKins; dimensional adhesive; kraft photo corners; pearl; paint brush, water

bold and funky cards
Stamps: Funky Florals and Half & Half, Papertrey Ink
Ink: worn lipstick, picked raspberry, shabby shutters, mowed lawn, tumbled glass, salty ocean, Tim Holtz Distress Ink by Ranger; VersaMark, Tsukineko
Cardstock: white, Georgia Pacific
Paper: cold press watercolor 400 series, Strathmore; vellum
Patterned paper: black from 2008 Bitty Dot Basics Patterned Paper 8x8, Papertrey Ink
Other: half & half die collection, Papertrey Ink; Cuttlebug, Provo Craft; detail black embossing powder, JudiKins; Lost & Found 3 Ruby enamel dots, My Mind's Eye; opaque gems, Studio Calico; dimensional adhesive, spray bottle, water