April is only a few days away and this Easter card is ready for the mail.  This is also for the weekly Sketch Challenge from My Favorite Things-MFTWSC430.

I used the Peek A Boo die from My Favorite Things and stamped, Copic colored and die cut Easter set from Lawn Fawn.  Some gingham paper for the front and a blue inked background paper. And of course some Nuvo glitter and accent dots.  Hoppy Mail on its way.

I like to watercolor using paint or markers and these large flowers from Stampendous are the perfect match. The roses and the peony stamps are just the right match.  I stamped the flowers and heat embossed them with white embossing powder.  I then used two shades Crayola markers to paint the petals.  I scribbled ink from the markers onto an acrylic block, picked up the color with a water barrel brush and added the first color.  I let it dry for a bit and then added a darker color for the shading.  I did that for the leaves as well.  Controlling the amount of water you use is important,  I allowed the flowers to dry and then I die cut them or fussy cut them for three of the cards.  The last one on stamped in the corner of the card and then trimmed it for the front of the card.  A few gold paper accents, accent twine and some Nuvo drops finish the card sketches.  Already for my next April class at Scrapbook Cove, Mystic, CT.

Here is my submission for the February #Altenew Challenge  color challenge.  I watercolored the stamped image using Zig markers, then fussy cut, shaped the leaves, glossy accented them.  A few paper banners, gold thread, a paper doily inked resist background finish the card layout.

Sending Valentine cards for happy mail is one of my favorite  things to make and send.  I created these cards using Peerless water color sheets in shades of pink and purple.  A wash of water and then a splash of paint, moving the paper created the background.  The hearts were painted the same way and then die cut using My Favorite Things hearts.  I added textured embossing powder using Versamark ink.  The die cut hugs and and kisses word were from Simon Says stamps. A few Nuvo drops and a strip of Washi tape add a contrast.  I also created a spray accent with Pearl Ex powder and water. Adds a bit of sparkle.

Stamped butterfly images and watercoloring are the perfect match.  Stampendous stamps had a beautiful three piece set of butterflies and matching dies.  My challenge in preparing and completing this project was to watercolor the stamped images.  This was going to be a a February class at Scrapbook Cove and I wanted to teach the basics of using watercolors to beginners.  I bought a 8 paint pallete set from Dollar Tree to demonstrate that as a beginner there is no need to invest in an expensive set of paints.  It is about the technique of shading, blending and mixing colors.  I used a variety of techniques for each card and each image was embossed to accenutate the details in each image.

Stencils are such a versatile tool to use on cards and scrapbook layouts as well.  Stencils can be used with inks and or embossing pastes.  There are many wonderful resources to purchase stencils or discover stencils that you have in a drawer.  I taught a class today at Scrapbook Cove using stencils both for inking, and embossing.  Take another look at what you already have and start creating!

Tis the season to create holiday paper projects for sharing and mailing.  I created a gift card holder, a treat bag, a tag for a wine bottle and a cute holiday card.  I used a stamp and die set from Hero Arts that has critters, a pine tree, winter items like a mailbox, sled and more.  I created a background using watercolor paper using stamp pad ink and water to spray the paper and comb over the paper to create a canvas look.  Hope these projects inspire your holiday paper projects!