Watercolor Resist Tutorial

Hello sweet friends…it's Monday and that means it's time for a Design Diva Demo over at the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog!  It's my turn to share so I thought I would share here as well.   At the end of this month our church is having a women's retreat.  I'll be rooming with two precious ladies from our church, so I decided to make a set of notecards for each of them.  
  I love trying new techniques and the one I'm going to share with you today is the watercolor resist technique I used to make my set of notecards.

Start by gathering the supplies you need to make the notecards.  Choose colors and papers that coordinate.  I'm using Bo Bunny papers and the rose image from the new Parisian Postcard stamp set by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps.

Supplies: Neenah Solar Crest Card Stock, Watercolor Paper, Designer Paper,
Matching Card Stock, Stamp Sets, VersaMark Ink Pad, Black Stamp Pad,
White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool,Watercolors or Ink Refills, Border Die,
paint brushes, twine
(Optional: Sewing Machine, Embossing Folder, Iron)

To prepare the card bases cut Neenah Solar Crest card stock to 4 1/4" x 11" and score at 5 1/2".

Cut watercolor paper into panels measuring 4" x 5 1/4".  I used Strathmore Cold Press Watercolor Paper for my project which has a smooth side and a textured side, but any watercolor paper or mixed media paper would work for this technique.

Stamp the rose from the Parisian Postcard stamp set on the smooth side of the watercolor paper with VersaMark ink and emboss with white embossing powder.  You could also use clear powder if you don't have white.  I plan where I want the stamping to go on a scrap piece of paper and use a stamp positioner to make sure the image is in the same place on all four cards.  Rub an embossing buddy over the watercolor paper before stamping to make sure the embossing powder sticks only where you want it to stick.  Click on any of the pictures to see a close up of the details.

Since these watercolors are new to me, I wanted to test the colors on scrap pieces of watercolor paper to make sure they would match my papers.

Now comes the fun part.  Use plain water to wet the areas where you want the color to be and drop the color you are using onto the wet area using a paint brush.  The water and the paint do all the work.  Start with the lightest color and keep adding darker layers for shading.  I am using a set of Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolors, but you can use any watercolor set, distress inks, or stamp pad refills to do this step.  The embossing will resist the watercolor.  Don't be afraid to go outside the lines for a softer look.

Wait until each area is dry before moving onto the next part.  The flowers were dry before moving onto the leaves, and the background and splatters were added last.  Too much water can be dabbed off with a paper towel.  Remember…watercolors will dry lighter than they look while wet.  Each of my cards will be a different color.

I put my panels between two pieces of copy paper and ironed off some of the embossing to cut down on the shine.  If you decide to do this step, be sure to turn off the steam on your iron.  At this point, you can dry emboss your watercolored panels for extra texture if you want.  I used a Canvas Impression Plate on mine.  Now it's time to assemble the cards...I used one of my favorite layouts.  Cut border strips of DP to 1 1/4" x 5 1/4" and die cut matching pieces of card stock using the 

Doily Border Die.

Attach the Doily Border to the DP strip and mount this to the left side of the watercolored panels.  I decided to stitch mine on since I love to sew on cards.

Now it's time for the finishing touches.  Sponge your edges.  Wrap some twine twice around the watercolor panel before attaching it to your card base.  The sentiments I used came from the fabulous Keep in Touch, Too stamp set which has tons of greetings perfect for any occasion.  The really cool thing about this sentiment set is that all the sentiments fit on one of the new Banner Dies!  Add a little twine bow and the cards are finished!

Wrap the finished cards in ribbon or package them however you want to give as a gift.  I made a little card purse to put mine in, but that is another tutorial for another time!  LOL!

Here are the supplies from the Sweet 'n Sassy Store that were used to 

make these cards:

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial.

Thanks so much for stopping by…have a marvelous Monday!

Hugs,

Cathymac

Look What's New at SNSS

Hello friends!  Welcome to the first new release by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps for the new year!  There's something for everyone...something sweet, something sassy, and something elegant as well as a die set you will reach for over and over again!

First, let me tell you about our 

Something New Challenge.  

Just make a card or project using something new…a new stamp set, a new tool, a new paper pad…anything as long as it is new.  Be sure to tell us in your description what you used that was new.  Link up your project using the Linky Tool at the bottom of this post.  Of course there will be a PRIZE…one lucky participant will be randomly selected to receive a $10 Gift Code to be used toward any item at the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Store!  Make sure your project is uploaded by Thursday, January 15th.  The winner will be announced on the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog on Friday, January 16th.  

Now…Let's see what's new!

My first two projects were made using the new Parisian Postcard stamp set designed by Graciellie Designs.

Creative Nugget:  A background was created using several of the images from Parisian Postcard and the Typewriter Text Background.  Gathered Twigs and Victorian Velvet distress inks were sponged, dabbed, and stenciled on for a vintage finish. Copic Markers were used to add a little more color to the rose on the postcard and the stamp was popped up for dimension.  The postcard was all tied up with twine and the sentiment on a Mini Tag die cut was tied on as well to finish the card.

Creative Nugget:  The rose and the butterfly images from the Parisian Postcard stamp set were perfect for making this get well card.  The rose was randomly stamped on a piece of Neenah Solar Crest card stock and sponging added for a aged look.  A piece of mixed media paper was smooshed onto watered down Worn Lipstick distress ink to create a very light background.  Next, the sentiment from Flower Blocks 3 was stamped, and the roses were stamped around the sentiment.  The Worn Lipstick distress ink was watercolored on and around the roses in layers to add more color.  The butterfly was also watercolored, fussy cut, and popped onto the card.  A wrinkled seam binding bow and pearls were added to finish the card.

The gorgeous stamp set that was used to create both of these cards is 
Parisian Postcard:

Stamp set includes 11 images and 2 sentiments Stamp set measures 4" x 6" Eiffel Tower measures approximately 1 7/8" x 3 7/8" Designed by Graciellie Designs $15 My next project is a little bit SWEET and a little bit SASSY!

Creative Nugget:  I enjoyed using both the Sweet Sarah and Sassy Cindy stamp sets to create this card…Sarah and Cindy are Besties after all!  The images were colored with Copic Markers and paper pieced.  Of course they are wearing their best jewelry! Bright colors and a scattering of pearls and rhinestones make this a fun card.  The sentiment on the inside says, "That's because the BEST ones are already mine!

Stamp set includes 1 image and 13 sentiments Stamp set measures 4" x 6" Sarah image measures approximately 1 1/2" x 2 1/8" Designed by Diane Zechman $15

Stamp set includes 1 image and 11 sentiments Stamp set measures 4" x 6" Cindy image measures approximately 1 3/8" x 2 1/8" Designed by Diane Zechman $15 To see the whole release, be sure to stop by the  Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog.  The Design Divas have created  some gorgeous cards for your inspiration, so be  sure to hop on over to each blog in the link up to see all the details! Thanks so much for stopping by.  Enjoy the the hop and don't forget  about our "Use Something New" challenge…We can't wait to see  your creations in the gallery! Hugs, Cathymac