Watercolored Vivid Vases

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Hi Stamping Friends!

I've been trying to go back and blog about some of the class cards that I haven't yet talked about from last month. Today, I'm featuring the final card from my January "Last Thursdays" monthly card class. I've got to get that one in before I show you what we're creating at February's "Last Thursdays" class, coming up next week on February 27!

The Vivid Vases single stamp makes a delightful focal point, and it looks especially pretty when it's watercolored! The best part is that it looks great on just about any background you put it on…even that crazy black background from the Sweet Sorbet Sale-A-Bration Designer Series Paper! LOL!

CASEd from Lynn Starzl at Stamping With Lynn.

Card Base—I started with a Pool Party card base, and added a 2" x 5-1/2" piece of that crazy patterned paper to the bottom. Although lots of people have been very outspoken about their dislike for this paper pattern because it seems to not fit in with the other softer colors, I think it's contrast looks great when used sparingly. These two cool cards are the perfect example.

Ribbon—I adhered a line of Sticky Strip along the top edge of the patterned paper, then laid down some Summer Starfruit Stitched Satin Ribbon on top. TIP: Always apply the Sticky Strip to the paper, not the ribbon, or you'll have one doozy of a time getting that red liner backing off.

Watercolored Vases—Although you can get a watercolor look on Whisper White or Very Vanilla card stock using inks and a Blender Pen, nothing beats the true watercolor effect you can achieve with an Aqua Painter on actual Watercolor Paper.

I stamped my image in StazOn Black onto a 3-3/8" x 2-3/4" piece of Watercolor Paper for a permanent, non-bleeding image. TIP: Be sure to ink your stamp really well in StazOn for a clean image. I found that if my pad was a bit dry, I didn't get a nice image on the textured surface of the watercolor paper. Re-ink your pad for best results.

Aqua Painters—These handy brushes hold water in the barrel, so there's no need for a water cup. You get two painters in a package: one medium tip and one large tip.

I used my ink pad lids as a palette to pick up the color with my Aqua Painter. The vases are colored in Pool Party and the flowers are colored in Calypso Coral, Marina Mist and Summer Starfruit.

No Perfection Necessary—If you've never tried watercoloring, don't be intimidated. The Aqua Painters make it easy! You can see in my close-up that my vases are a little more shaded on one side, but my flowers are colored in completely. Either way, they look amazing without doing anything special! The color blends and moves easily on the Watercolor Paper, so expect it to flow outside of the lines sometimes. That's exactly the look you want!

TIP: Practice the feel of watercoloring with Aqua Painters on scrap paper and experiment with the differences in color intensities depending on how much water you squeeze out.