My card from yesterday came together in a lickety split; happily stamping away and liking things as they came together. I’ve been meaning to do more videos for my blog but never get around to it. So I thought, you know what, lets just set the video camera up and film my next card for better or worse. No preparation as I do for classes, just sit down and see how things go. And yup, you guessed it, I jinxed myself LOL. My original plan was to try a technique demonstrated by the fabulous Jen Rzasa in the last Online Card Class, Watercolor for Card Makers – water colouring a panel and then laying a stencil over, weighting it down and leaving to dry. I loved the example Jen showed in class where the watercolours pool in the gaps in the stencil and leave a cool pattern.

I knew the stencil I wanted to use, I had been dying to use the gorgeous Ledger Drops since I saw the This Is The Life release from Simon Says Stamp. I really wanted to create a soft water coloured rain drop look with it. I also knew that it was perhaps a bit too ‘open’ for the technique I was going to try but hey I didn’t let that stop me! I set to and with stops for letting things dry … stops for family stuff … stops for house stuff … more stops for letting things dry … a bit of lunch thrown in there somewhere … reworking things as I went along … well you get the drift! So for a ‘real life’ view of making a card and perhaps gives you a good look at why I can be such a slow crafter here’s the video :D

I used Winsor & Newton watercolours on Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor card and then placed the Ledger Drops stencil on top and weighted it down. The result was a subtle but rather too indistinct pattern. So I replaced the stencil and splattered some paint with a paint brush. I was really starting to like the watercolour at this point but you wouldn’t really say there were any raindrops. I started with a fresh piece of card and water coloured through the stencil. OK, I didn’t like this one so much but the smudgy raindrops were cool looking. So I reverted to my original water coloured piece and painted through the stencil in blue, then white then squirted some Shimmer Spritz because, well, why not LOL. At last I was beginning to feel this had the look I was going for. Finally I drew around the edge of a couple of the drops with a Weathered Wood Distress Marker and softened the lines with a damp brush. In the end the watercolour did have a very layered and soft watercolour raindrop look so I suppose I got there in the end just in a rather round about way!

I die cut a Tag from the piece, strung with Grey Twine and layered Vellum clouds cut and embossed with the Chevron Clouds die (another of the new products which was top of my hit list), a second Tag stamped with a partial sentiment from Bring The Sunshine and some Silver Glitter Card die cut Hearts. A few Sparkling Clear sequins added to the raindrop look and everything was mounted onto a Fog panel and then onto a White card base.

Phew! OK, so if this hasn’t put me off doing more videos, I do plan to set up the camera every now and then and make these ‘hey this is how it rolled’ type of videos. I’m all for keeping it real!

Giveaway

I mentioned Online Card Classes above, well the next class is almost here and I am so honoured that Kristina & Jennifer asked me to join in the fun! Having seen peeks from the other class participants it really is jam-packed full with awesomeness!

Look at your stamps in a whole new way! Back by popular demand, join Online Card Classes for another great installment of Stretch Your Stamps!

Join instructors Kristina Werner, Jennifer McGuire, Debby Hughes, and friends, to discover just how far you can stretch your stamps—whether you’re an expert stamper or just getting started. In Stretch Your Stamps 2, you’ll learn how particular styles of stamps can be used in a variety of creative ways to expand your card-making skills. Over the course of this two-week session, you’ll be introduced to techniques and concepts through expert instructor videos, and then build on your new knowledge with the help of inspiring guest artist examples. Stretch Your Stamps 2 includes over 30 videos and 40 card ideas, along with instructional PDFs, a forum, galleries, shopping discounts, prizes and more.

For more information Stretch Your Stamps 2 from Online Card Classes, click HERE. Class starts August 4, 2014, but you will have lifetime access to the content and can view it anytime. It is not necessary to take Stretch Your Stamps 1 first.

I have 3 spots in the class to giveaway! Leave a comment here by Friday 11:59pm EST for a chance to win :D  This giveaway is now closed.

Supplies

InLinkz.com

Stamps – Simon Says Stamp bring the sunshine; Stencil – Simon Says Stamp ledger drops; Dies – Simon Says Stamp chevron clouds, frames, medium tag, large holiday shapes, Wplus9 timeless tags 2; Ink – Simon Says Stamp smoke; Card – Simon Says Stamp fog, Tim Holtz distress watercolor, Bazzill vellum, Neenah solar white, DCWV glitter; Twine – Lawn Fawn cloudy; Sequins – Pretty Pink Posh sparkling clear; Distress Marker weathered wood; Shimmer Spritz – Imagine Crafts silver; Brushes – Claudine Hellmuth; Watercolours – Winsor & Newton