Autumn Floral Page

 Hello crafters! Today I have an autumn-themed art journal page to share. This is also the last day of STAMPtember® at Simon Says Stamp. 

Please note: this post has affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

I worked in my Stamperia Happiness Mixed Media journal and used various stamps by Simon Says Stamp. The images from Simon Says Stamp Big Botanicals were colored with pencils and the background is watercolored.

I started with a page that had been watercolored previously. Stamp the tulip and the dragonfly from Simon Says Stamp Big Botanicals with Archival Jet Black ink. 

I colored the images with Prismacolor Pencils.

Add some marks and texture with a black pen and draw a line for the ground.

Add some green to the grass.

Stamp sentiments with a mix of Simon Says Stamp and Tim Holtz stamp sets.

Stamp the grass with Simon Says Stamp Crackle Background and the sky with Simon Says Stamp Swiss Dots.

Splatter here and there with Winsor & Newton Permanent White Gouache.

I just love dragonflies. A few days ago there was a huge one outside my door.

This sentiment comes from Tim Holtz Simple Sayings.

I also added some marks with a white gel pen. Don't worry if some of the stamped lines disappear when you color.

Tulipa also comes from the Big Botanicals set and was stamped three times without reinking.

The white marks and splatters add highlights and texture.

Autumn Blessings comes from Simon Says Stamp Grateful Florals. 

Thank you so much for visiting today! 

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:

* Please note: the links are affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

Watercolor Pumpkins

Hello crafters! Today I have a card to share with a stamped and watercolored background, filled with pumpkins.

Please note: this post has affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

I took some freedom in the colors I used for this card, since I wanted pumpkin in different colors. The background stamp is Simon Says Stamp Pumpkin to Talk About, from last year's STAMPtember® release. I got the stamp too late and was already into winter stamping when it arrived. Now, it was time to ink it up. You can find this year's STAMPtember® release here. 

White emboss the Simon Says Stamp Pumpkin to Talk About on watercolor paper.

I colored one pumpkin at a time and paint with water first, for a wet-in-wet effect. After painting with water, drop in watercolor paint, making the pumpkin darker in some places. I used various Daniel Smith watercolors. 

Paint the stems in the same way. The embossing powder will resist the paint.

Add shadows with a darker mix of paint.

When dry, splatter the background with Winsor & Newton Permanent White gouache. 

The embossed lines will keep the paint from mixing in between the different areas of the pumpkins. The water tends to stay on the inside of the embossed lines. 

When you drop in a different shade into the previous layer of paint before it dries, the colors blend on the paper in sometimes unpredictable ways.

I had fun with the coloring. The purple paint is Amethyst Genuine. 

The sentiment comes from Simon Says Stamp Grateful Florals and was white embossed on left-over watercolored paper. I then inked the stamp with Black Soot Distress Ink, misted with water and stamped, off-setting it for a shadow effect. Matte on Simon Says Stamp Slate cardstock and adhere with foam tape.

Don't miss all the inspiration and daily surprises during STAMPtember®.

Thank you so much for visiting today! 

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:

* Please note: the links are affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

Autumn Banner Tag

 Hello friends! I hope you had a good weekend!

Please note: this post has affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

It is time for a new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and this week our theme is Sentiment as the Focus. I really like sentiments, large and small. During September Carol Gunn is our guest designer. I hope you will visit her blog and look at what she has created for the challenge.

I made a tag with a sentiment as the focus, framing the sentiment with an autumn ribbon banner. The sentiment and the coordinating ribbon comes from Simon Says Stamp Pumpkin Blessings, from the new STAMPtember® release. I didn't add much else to the tag, just gems and ribbons.

Start by stamping the ribbon image from Simon Says Stamp Pumpkin Blessings on a tag cut from watercolor paper.

Paint with watercolors. I used Daniel Smith watercolor paint.

Paint the background and drop in some darker shade. 

When dry, stamp the background with Simon Says Stamp Crackle Background.

Add some white highlights with a gel pen and ink the edges with Scorched Timber ink.

I also added Simon Says Stamp Pawsitively Dazzling Gunmetal gems to the tag.

Add dimension by making the shadow area of the ribbon darker.

Leave some of the paper showing for highlights, but if you forget, you can add highlights with a white gel pen too.

Don't miss all the inspiration and daily surprises during STAMPtember. 

Join us this week in our Sentiment as the Focus challenge! You have a chance to win a $25 gift voucher to do some fun shopping at Simon Says Stamp. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in.

Do you use Instagram? If so please add #sssmchallenge so we can see your entries there too.

Thank you so much for visiting today! 

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:

* Please note: the links are affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

Pumpkin Card Tutorial

Hello friends! Autumn is in the air and today I have a card filled with pumpkins and leaves to share. 

Please note: this post has affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

I used new Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember® products for the pumpkins and, leaves and sentiment. The pumpkins were made with one of my favorite techniques, coloring with colored pencils on patterned paper. The background is watercolored and dry embossed. 

Start by stamping the Simon Says Stamp Pumpkin Blessings on various Tim Holtz Backdrops papers.

Color the pumpkins with colored pencils. I used Prismacolors.

Cut them out. You can also use the coordinating Pumpkin Blessings dies.

Add shape with Tim Holtz Shaping Tools.

Die cut Simon Says Stamp Lively Leaf Corner from left-over watercolor paper, Simon Says Stamp gold glitter cardstock and Tim Holtz Gold kraft stock. 

Paint watercolor paper with water and then with Daniel Smith Cascade Green. 

Mist the back of the paper with water and then emboss in Simon Says Stamp Wistful Leaves.

Ink the edges. 

Adhere the pumpkins with Simon Says Stamp Pawsitively Perfect Foam Tape. I used two layers of tape under some of the pumpkins. Glue the leaves to the background. I also added Simon Says Stamp Pawsitively Dazzling Mandarin Gems. 

I like how the letters and lines are visible through the coloring on the pumpkins. 

The sentiment stamp also comes from Simon Says Stamp Pumpkin Blessings. 

Don't miss all the inspiration and daily surprises during STAMPtember.

Thank you so much for visiting today! 

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:

* Please note: the links are affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.