DT Tips: Achieving a Watercolored Look with Stamped Images...

Welcome! I've had some questions on this previous post of mine on how I blended the bird to get the watercolor look, so I created a video for you today with a new card and the technique of stamping images and blending them to make them look watercolored. I hope you enjoy watching it, and please let me know if you have any questions!

Here is the video tutorial, and I apologize that the video is so small! I can't seem to figure out how to make it bigger on my blog. Please click HERE to watch it at over at Papertrey Ink's YouTube channel! Thanks!

The stamps used on this card are The Sweet Life, Spring Woods stamps and dies (bird and branch) and Bold Blossoms (sentiment). Have a creative day!

New releases for March!

We have been counting down to the 15th (when all of the new stamps and dies are released at Papertrey Ink), and today I have a few more things to show you. Everything will be up for sale tonight at 10pm EST.

First is Gatsby Glamour. I used the gorgeous frame and embossed it in white on vellum and die cut it with the coordinating die. I also cut it with Soft Stone cardstock again and inserted the Soft Stone center into the middle. The background is stamped with Background Basics: Art Deco. And yes, if you are wondering, I did put the frame upside down on purpose! It think it looks like a tag this way, don't you? I like it a lot.

The "thank you" if from a new stamp set called Keep It Simple: Thank You.

Thank You card:

STAMPS: Gatsby Glamour, Keep It Simple: Thank You, Background Basics: Art Deco, The Sweet Life

INK: Aqua Mist, Tropical Teal and True Black by PTI; Soft Granite by Hero Arts

PAPER: White and Soft Stone

DIES: Gatsby Glamour, The Sweet Life

OTHER: pearl by Melissa Frances.
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The swirls on this card are from the Putting Down Roots set. I wanted to use them in a different and unique way. The spiky cactus would look great as a sun ray too! I tried that at first, but ended up with this instead. You can use so many unique things to create a frame for your focal point. Try looking at your stamps differently to see what would make a cute frame! It's heat embossed on vellum. 

Behind the vellum is a stamped background made with Background Basics: Art Deco. I love these little diamonds that look almost like raindrops! The flowers are from Just Smile, the banner and sentiment is from Stitched Sentiments, and the "you" letters were cut with Script Alphabet dies. I cut the banner in white cardstock and just dipped my finger in Sweet Blush ink and rubbed it across the banner to color it. Creates a soft effect.

You Always Make My Heart Smile card:

STAMPS: Putting Down Roots, Just Smile, Background Basics: Art Deco, Stitched Sentiments

INK: Harvest Gold, Sweet Blush, Raspberry Fizz, Tropical Teal, Versamark

PAPER: Aqua Mist, white, vellum, Harvest Gold Pattern Pack

DIES: Just Smile, In Stitches

OTHER: white embossing powder; pearls by Melissa Frances.
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Next is Just Smile. I made some little cookie bags and stamped the background, folded the edge up to create a ledge to hold the cookies in place and wrapped it up with acetate, then a coordinating tag finishes it off!

To make these, I cut a piece of white cardstock 5 1/2" x 3". Then I scored it at 1/2" from the end and 1 1/2" from the end and folded the paper to create a little nook for the cookies. This allows you a little more than an inch to slide the cookies in. I used 3 cookies. (No, I didn't bake them, they are Chips Ahoy! HA!)  Here is a little peek at my process. You can stamp the backgrounds, or just use patterned paper. I stamped the pink and aqua floral ones.

Clear cellophane bags would have worked better than the cellophane on the roll, not so much bulk at the top when you tie them. But the roll of cellophane worked ok! Measure out how thick the cookies are and make sure the bottom of the holder will fit your cookies.

Cookie Bags:

STAMPS: Just Smile

INK: Harvest Gold, Sweet Blush, Raspberry Fizz, Tropical Teal, Aqua Mist

PAPER: Harvest Gold Pattern Pack, Sweet Blush Pattern Pack, white

DIES: Just Smile

OTHER: pearls by Melissa Frances.
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Last is Wet Paint. I painted some backgrounds with my watercolors and added these cute brush stroke stamp sayings on top! To get the drip look, I used a lot of water and held the card up, let the paint drip down and let it dry. Artsy!

Thanks for Everything card:

STAMPS: Wet Paint

INK: True Black by PTI, Soft Granite by Hero Arts

PAPER: white, watercolor paper

DIES: none

OTHER: sequins by Pretty Pink Posh.
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The other Papertrey Ink team members have a ton to show you also, so stop by and say hello!
Betsy Veldman
Dawn McVey
Erin Lincoln
Heather Nichols
Laura Bassen
Laurie Willison
Maile Belles
Melissa Phillips
Nichole Heady

10pm EST: "Recipe remix"

Earlier in the week, Papertrey Ink customers posted projects they have created in the past that they felt needed just a *little* something. Each design team member will select a project to remix to and re-make the project, making changes that they feel benefit the project. We'll discuss what design "rules" we used or why we made the changes we did. 

Here is the card I chose to remix... #27 by Kim Heggins.

The reason I chose this card to work with is because I love, love the products she chose to put together! The Sweet Life flowers are one of my favorites, combined with the Bountiful Banners and the Mat Stack 6 dies, she did a really nice job combining these products! And the colors too - really, really pretty color combo. Love it!

So, I took out my dies and stamps...all of the same dies and stamps she used on her card. I was already inspired! I went to work and this is what I came up with:

I decided first that I wanted my flowers and leaves to be the focal point of the card. I really wanted them to stand out from the background. So I changed the leaves to green, that was my first step...stamping three of the large leaves in New Leaf ink and Ripe Avocado ink for the leaves' centers. 

Next, I changed the color of the flowers to Harvest Gold ink and accented them with Canyon Clay ink. I love the yellow and orange with the darker green! The darker leaves with the lighter flowers adds a lot of contrast to the card. Contrast adds more interest to the eye. 

I decided to do two flowers instead of three, and make one flower smaller and one larger. Again to add more interest. If they are not all the same size, shape and color, it's a little more pleasing and exciting to the eye. Adding different heights and shapes helps the design become more exciting! Then placing the leaves in a triangle brings your eye around the pretty focal point.

Another thing I wanted to try a little differently is change the position of the card to vertical instead of horizontal. The reason for this is because the frame is very horizontal. To break up the horizontal lines and add another interesting detail, I wanted to create a vertical line also. Making the card base vertical helps break up those horizontal lines. (Here's a quick tip: this is how I score my cards for folding - with my paper trimmer and scoring tool.) 

I changed the frame to Soft Stone cardstock (gray). I thought we needed one more color that went with green, yellow and orange. I'm loving gray with yellow and orange right now. I decided to add another layer onto the frame. I felt like the big frame just needed a little something, but adding another layer just smaller grounded the flowers a bit. 

Speaking of "grounding", I brought the banner up and adhered it closer to the frame to keep it grounded to the rest of the design also.

A huge thank you to Kim for letting me work with her card! I appreciate it so much, and I hope she likes what I did.

Happy Birthday card:
STAMPS: The Sweet Life, Bountiful Banners
INK: Harvest Gold, Canyon Clay, New Leaf, Ripe Avocado, True Black inks
PAPER: Canyon Clay, Soft Stone, White
DIES: The Sweet Life, Bountiful Banners, Mat Stack 6
OTHER: pearls by Melissa Frances.