Two Watercolor Expiraments

Happy Memorial Day friends!!

It's a truly beautiful day here in Wisconsin (75 degrees and sunny)  and I'm being very lazy today after 2 days of fun swimming in the pool, a nite watching dirt track car racing, and hanging out with friends and having many cocktails!

Today I finallly sat down and tried playing with a new technique that was shared by the very talented Joy- one of my favorite Hero Arts Flicker freinds (her cards are really amazing) ! She has a wonderful watercolor and distress ink tutorial that you have to try!

The first card I tried I used my favorite distress inks in the colors barn door and wild honey. I selected a very pale yellow cardstock to stamp on and a rich dark brown paper to go with it. I just love these colors and can't seem to get enough of them. The flower stamp for the background  is from Stampin Up (Greenhouse Garden), the sentiment is SU as well, the frame stamp is from WaltzingMouse Stamps. I honestly forget I have this whole set of assorted frames that match the fun Nestabilites dies.....must remember to use them more-duh! Grabbed a vanilla colored Prima flower, added an orange gem to the center and the card was done. So easy and very fun to make!

The next card is a totally different color family and I got really inky fingers playing with this one!

I grabbed my Hero Arts "Long stem Blossom" stamp and started playing using the colors dusty concord and tumbled glass. I didn't use quite as much water this time as I wanted to really see the shape and design of the stamp. Grabbed another Hero Arts sentiment and embossed that after stamping. Now, on to the part where I got the really inky fingers!! I had a long piece of plain white satin ribbon and I wondered if the distress inks would dye the ribbon? I've never tried it so why not give it a go!

I layed my ribbon on my Ranger craft sheet and just pounced the 2 ink pads on the ribbon in various spots, then sprayed the whole thing with a light misting of water. I picked up the ribbon and just rubbed the ink around- getting my ribbon all good and wet, blending the colors together and soaking up more water from the craft sheet. Who knew you could dye your ribbon this way-  I didn't?

I went and laid my ribbon in the sun to dry (took about 5 minutes) and tied it to the card!

It actually looked much prettier laying flat, has kind of a tie died look to it. Lastly I added a few blue and regular colored pearl gems on a few of the flowers! I love the colors of this card - not colors that I usually play with.

Here are a few more pictures of other expiraments using different stamps that I have not made into cards yet.

(click on the picture for a larger view)

Hero Arts hydrangea on the left, another Stampin up flower on the right.

Both of these stamps are by Rubbernecker Stamps.

Not sure that I'm really liking these 2, they may go in  the trash....

I hope you all had a safe and fun holiday weekend and thanks for stopping by!

 I'm going to go hop in the pool now and play with my son- going to try blast him good with the water pistol since he always gets me before I even get to the pool!

Inky Hugs, Anne