Simple Watercolouring with Scrapbook Nerd

Hello crafty friends,

This week for the Scrapbook Nerd Design Team I created two cards using a technique that is not one of my strong suits but that I enjoy very much; watercolouring. I'm definitely no expert on creating shadows or even knowing where the shadows are supposed to be, but I let go of any notion of perfection and just did my own thing.

My card projects today feature this lovely stamp set called Folk Hummingbird by Pinkfresh Studios and Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers.

I started off by stamping the bird and floral image onto Strathmore Watercolour Paper. Using my Zig markers and a watercolour brush, I start applying colour to the areas I think should be the darkest. Then using the watercolour brush, I push the colour out until it becomes lighter and the image is fully coloured in. After it dries, I sometimes go back and apply more dark shadows until I'm happy with the result.

Once the images were dry, I die cut them with the coordinating dies. For my background panel, I trimmed a piece of white cardstock down to 4" x 5.5". I then used the Dotted Scales Debossing Cover die by Altenew to add a subtle pattern to an otherwise plain background. Next I die cut a heart shape in the center using the Lawn Fawn Outside In Stitched Heart Stackables dies.

I created an A2 sized card base out of Lawn Fawn Cilantro cardstock. I applied 3D foam tape to the back of the white panel and adhered it to the card base. I adhered the bird and the florals using Gina K Connect Glue. I stamped and heat embossed a sentiment from the Folk Hummingbird stamp set in the middle of the heart and added some Pinkfresh Studio Jewels to finish it off.

For my second card, I used Neenah Desert Storm cardstock for my card base. I used the Pinkfresh Studio Braided Oval dies to cut two oval shapes out of white cardstock. On the smaller oval, I ink blended the following Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks; Shaded Lilac, Dusty Concord and Wilted Violet. I then flicked some water droplets on it and dabbed it with a paper towel. I added 3-D foam tape to the back of the small oval and adhered it over the larger oval. I then glued them both down to the cardbase.

I adhered the bird and the floral images onto the card front and added some Studio Katia Iridescent Bubbles. For the sentiment, I die cut the Celebrate word from the Pinkfresh Studio Classic Words set from Tim Holtz Idea-ology Metallic Kraft-Stock (gold colour). I die cut it a second time from black fun foam. I adhered the two together to create dimension and glued it to the front of my card.

And that completes my two cards. Both cards did not take me that long to complete at all. The images were fairly simple to watercolour and they're so pretty on their own that you don't really need much to embellish the card.

Most of the products I used to create these cards are available in the Scrapbook Nerd shop.

Thank you so much for stopping by. As always, if you have any questions, please let me know.

Hope you're having a wonderful day! :)

Ink Blending through Stencils with Scrapbook Nerd

Hi friends!

Today's crafty post features a beautiful stencil by Gina K. Designs called Water Droplets that I recently acquired from the Scrapbook Nerd shop and some gorgeous Distress Oxide colour combos that I used to ink blend. I have two birthdays coming up this week, my husband and my BFF, who both happen to share the same birthday. By keeping the stamping to a minimum, I was able to create these two birthday cards in a jiffy.

For my first card, I started by securing the stencil to a Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb cardstock panel measuring 4" x 5.25". I love this cardstock for ink blending because of how smooth and bright white it is. Using the Picket Fence Studios Life Changing Blender Brushes, I ink blended Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks in Picked Raspberry, Spiced Marmalade and Squeezed Lemonade. With the stencil still on, I spritzed on some Sheer Shimmer Spritz in Frost by Imagine Crafts. I lifted the stencil away and set the panel aside to dry.

In the meantime, I stamped the bird image from the Gina K. Designs All You Need is Love stamp set and coloured it using my Copic markers. I embossed some glitter on the little heart, using a Lawn Fawn Embossing Ink Pen and Wow Clear Sparkle Embossing Glitter.

I stamped and embossed the "Wishes" from the Gina K. Designs Wishes stamp set and used the coordinating die to die cut it. I die cut another one from black fun foam and stacked the two together to create dimension. On the ink panel, I stamped and heat embossed the rest of the sentiment.

Next, I adhered the bird image with Gina K. Designs Foam Squares and glued the panel onto a black A2 sized card base. I added a few jewels from Pinkfresh Studio Essentials Jewel Mix to finish off this card.

My next card features the exact same techniques but with an extra twist. I started out by masking off a circle in the middle of the card using the Taylored Expressions 6x6 Masking Stencil - Circles. Then I placed the Gina K. Water Droplets Stencil over top of the masked panel. I then proceeded to ink blend through the stencil using Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Inks in Shabby Shutters, Peacock Feathers and Faded Jeans.

Once my panel was dry, I used a Pinkfresh Studio Diagonal Stitched Rectangle die to trim down my card panel and to add the pretty faux stitching.

I stamped and coloured the little bird image and adhered him to the center of the circle. The sentiments were stamped and heat embossed and die cut as before. The panel was adhered to a white A2 sized cardbase and finally a few jewels from PFS were added to finish off this card very nicely.

Thank you so much for stopping by today. As always, the products I used in my card projects are all available from the Scrapbook Nerd online shop.

I hope you give ink blending through stencils a try on your next card project. Stencils are such a great way to jazz up your backgrounds in very little time and at minimal expense. If you have any questions at all, please let me know by commenting below.

Hope you're all having a great day and we'll see you next time!

Happy New Year with Scrapbook Nerd

Hello crafty friends,

Happy New Year! I'm excited to be back with another Design Team project after a nice, long holiday break. This one involves no stamping; just die cutting and some fun with stencils.

The two cards I'm sharing today feature the Pretty Pink Posh Fireworks Stencil as well as their Happy New Year Script Die. There are so many ways to create with stencils. For my first card, I wanted to try foiling. In order to accomplish that with a stencil, you need Deco Foil Transfer Gel by Therm O Web. This medium is a permanent foil transfer gel made for use with paper and cardstock. You will also need a Minc or any other laminator. Tip: It's best to use heavier weight cardstock when using any type of liquid medium through a stencil. It helps to minimize the warping of the cardstock.

I started by trimming 100 lb. black cardstock to 4" x 5.25". I secured the stencil over the black cardstock with purple tape. Using a palette knife, I applied the transfer gel evenly and smoothly over the stencil making sure I had good coverage in all the open spaces. I then scraped the excess off the stencil and returned it to the jar. I removed the stencil carefully and set the panel aside to dry for a few hours. The gel will eventually dry clear. Tip: Wash your stencil with mild soap and warm water immediately.

While my panel was drying, I die cut the HNY script die from Lawn Fawn Sparkle Cardstock "Holiday" and from white fun foam. Using liquid glue, I adhered the silver die cuts to the fun foam, which gave the words some really nice dimension.

Once the panel was dry, I warmed up my laminator to get it good and hot. I laid one of the foil sheets from the Therm O Web iCraft Deco Foil Rainbow tube over the panel and sandwiched it between parchment paper that I'd folded over. I then ran it through the laminator. Once it was cool enough, I removed the foil and the result was this gorgeous, shiny and colourful textured background. I then glued the scripty sentiment to the front of the card and adhered the panel to a white A2 sized cardbase. I then added a few enamel dots using Nuvo Crystal Drops Ivory Seashell just for fun.

My next card uses the same stencil only this time I used Gina K Designs/Therm O Web Glitz Glitter Gel in Turquoise Sea through the stencil. I absolutely love how this colour stands out on black cardstock!

While the panel was drying, I die cut the HNY scripty words from gold glitter cardstock once and from white cardstock three times. I stacked the die cuts for added dimension. This is an alternative way of creating dimension if you don't have fun foam on hand.

Next, I die cut a champagne glass from the My Favorite Things Birthday Cocktail die set. I cut it from white cardstock and used my Copic Markers to colour it in so that it wouldn't be stark white. I also trimmed out a little piece of gold glitter cardstock to attach to the glass to make it look like the glass was full of champagne.

Next, I trimmed a 2" strip of vellum, wrapped it around the card panel and adhered it to the back. I adhered the HNY words and the glass over the vellum with liquid glue. Finally, I adhered the completed panel to an A2 sized cardbase from Lawn Fawn Mermaid cardstock and called it done.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, stencils are such a great product to have in your crafty stash. They're so cost effective and very versatile. This fireworks stencil can be used for so many occasions such as Canada Day, Graduations, Birthdays. You can also try embossing through them or inking them up with distress inks. So many fun ways to use them! You are only limited by your imagination.

Thank you so much for stopping by today. As always, please leave a comment below if you have any questions. I'd be happy to answer them. :)

Hope you're having a wonderful day!