Unintentional Watercolour

Hello Friends

The (wet) card, just in from its spot in a puddle on my driveway

Just a quick post today to show you what Mother Nature does to our water-soluble inks!


You might remember the Fox card I made as a Thank You and gave to my customers for their June orders (see it HERE).  


Well, yesterday one friend came to pick up her order and admired the attached card.  I guess when she left, the card (in one of our SU!  clear cello envelopes) fell onto my driveway.  And lay in a puddle in the pouring rain for much of the day.

One of the original cards, vs the soaked (now dried) card

She sent me an e-mail later in the day asking me if she had dropped it so I went and found it and you can see that the water had seeped in at the open edge of the clear envelope and soaked the card, making all the ink run.

The Final/Dried Unintentional Watercoloured Fox Card

I dried it anyhow.  And although it is not the "original card", it is a pretty cool, if unintentional, watercolour effect.  I think the Fox has a sort of a poignant, wistful look now.  As if he is looking through a misted (or frosty) window into a nice, warm, cozy living room.

I like it!

So now I get to try to re-create this effect - on purpose - with a different stamp set for tomorrow's card.  Tune in and see how my little experiment goes.....

And don't forget about BONUS DAYS.  Get a $6 coupon for every $60 you spend.  All the details are at the bottom of this post HERE and you can contact me to send in your order, or go directly online to order for yoruself.

Have a wonderful day and God Bless,    ~Cynthia    <><

GV Achievers Blog Hop - Remember to Give Thanks (Stamped Embossing Folders and a video)

Hello Friends 

This month we are focusing on giving thanks.  If you are like me, you know you have a multitude of people and things to be thankful for, and one posting on a blog just isn't enough.  But we do what we can and we try to say Thank you on a regular basis, right?

For instance - this month I am thankful to the Australians - Kylie Bertucci and Louise Sharp - for managing this blog hop so well (and providing easy instructions for all of us to participate), and to Ann Craig for posting a card on FB yesterday that inspired me to design this easy but "WOW-factor card!

Close up of Pine images "behind" the Birch trees

Closeup of watercolor effect observed using this technique.

As soon as I saw Ann's card, my brain started working overtime to figure out how she did it, and how I could achieve something similar.  I came home from work and designed this and my club members for the past 2 days have been thrilled beyond belief at how cute it is, and how easy it is to reproduce. 

The close-up shots show you what an amazing watercolour effect this technique provides.  Soft, smudgy edges and muted colours.

So thank you Ann.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

The video shows you just how easy it is to create this card.

You merely ink up the inside of an embossing folder with one colour (here, Soft Sky), then stamp directly onto this inked surface using a darker colour and an appropriate stamp (Here, Wonderland).  Insert your cardstock and run the proper sandwich through the Big Shot.  What you end up with looks decidedly like a watercolour painting and is absolutely gorgeous!    Watch the video to see for yourself how quick and easy it is!

I have more club and class members to teach this to this week and I cannot wait.  Everyone who has made this card so far has been thrilled with their creations.  Thanks so much Ann for inspiring such a cool card - that I can use to bless my friends and customers!

I know all the other blog hop participants have posted equally fabulous card ideas.  The list and links for participants is listed at the bottom of this post.  You really will want to wander through all of them to see what kinds of gorgeous creations they have made.  And do leave comments for them so they know they were appreciated!

Have a wonderful time hopping through the blogs.  Find some inspiration.  Spread some joy.  And remember to always give thanks!!

God Bless,    ~Cynthia   <><

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Fast & Fabulous Friday - Reason To Smile

Welcome to my Fast and Fabulous Friday feature.  And as I promised you, today I will give you yet another Reason To Smile.

I will warn you, I am having a brief love affair with this particular image from the Reason To Smile stamp set so you can expect to see a few more cards coming your way using this image.  In addition, since I always have a multitude of people to say thank you to (not the least of whom are my wonderful customers) -  well, suffice it to say that you will see your share of Thank You cards on this blog in the next little while.

Onwards then.  Today's card is another very fast sample that uses the single "daisy" outline image and an aquapainter for quick watercolouring using some 2010-2012 In Colours.  I love, love, LOVE this quick and easy watercolour technique!

Supply List
Stamps - Reason To Smile (available July ONLY), Lacy & Lovely
Paper - Whisper White
Ink - Black StazOn, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade
Tools and Accessories - Aquapainter

How easy is that?  It may be a short supply list and a quick card, but the results are still gorgeous, simple and appealing.  And your recipient will never know that it took a mere 5 minutes to whip up the card!

Trust me - you really don't want to let July pass without taking the opportunity to buy this exclusive stamp set for a mere $5 !  Contact me to find out how you can purchase this stamp set.  You'll even receive a lovely sample from me to start your creative juices flowing.

Check back tomorrow when I'll show you how you can use this same simple design and technique with only slight variations, to produce a variety of matching but non-identical cards!     Until then, have a wonderful day and God Bless,          ~Cynthia              <><