Poinsettia Watercolor Tag Tutorial

Hi stampers! Time flies and I am in full Christmas crafting mode now. Today I have a tag to share with stamped and watercolored poinsettias. 

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.

Our theme this week at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog is Tag It. As you probably know, I love to work on the shape of a tag. I hope you will join us! Don't miss the gorgeous tag by Anita Rao who is our guest designer during November.  

This week I made a one layer tag with poinsettias. They come in different shades, but here I went with pink and red, combined with a neutral background, bits of gold embossing and script stamping. I really like poinsettias and we always have one or two at home during Christmas. 

Start by die cutting a tag from watercolor paper and stamp the poinsettia from Tim Holtz The Poinsettia twice. 

Watercolor the flowers in a loose style, starting with the lighter shades. I used Zig Kuretake Gansa Tambi watercolor paint.

For the background, I tested different colors on a scrap paper first and the one I liked the most was a combination of a greyish blue and light brown/beige. Add shadows to the flowers.

Let dry and then stamp sentiments. I also stamped and gold embossed the swirl from The Poinsettia. 

Next, I stamped a script stamp with Simon Says Stamp Pawsitively Saturated Morning ink.

Bits of gold embossing powder ended up in the wrong places. I like the effect, since it adds shine and texture. 

I used yellow for the dots first, but then added Gansai Tambi metallic gold instead.

The gold adds a touch of shine and grace without being overwhelming.

This sentiment didn't fit and was stamped twice instead, masking out the words that weren't supposed to be stamped.

The Faux Silk ribbon was dyed with Simon Says Stamp Morning ink and Candied Apple and Saltwater Taffy Distress Ink.

For variation, paint the flowers in different colors.

I hope you will join us this week in our Tag It 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 stopping by here 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.

Thankful Gift Tags

Hello friends! It is a new week and in the middle of November we need some color and shine. 

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.

Our theme this week at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog is Thanks/Thanksgiving. I hope you will join us! Don't miss the gorgeous project by Anita Rao who is our guest designer during November.  

I made four gift tags this week, with a thanks/thankful theme. The backgrounds are both dry and heat embossed, creating a textured resist effect which works very well for autumn. I used bright and warm autumn colors and gold details. The Simon Says Stamp Label Tags and Wistful Leaves embossing folder are from the Cozy Autumn Hugs November Card Kit, but can also be bought separately. 

Start by applying Distress Ink on a non-stick craft sheet, mist with water and press watercolor paper into the ink. Let dry and then die cut tags using the Simon Says Stamp Label Tags die. 

Apply embossing ink to the Simon Says Stamp Wistful Leaves folder and emboss the tags one at a time. Add more ink before embossing a new tag. Sprinkle with clear embossing powder, flick to remove some of the powder and melt. Always be careful when using a heat tool and do not touch the melted powder until it has cooled down completely. I placed one of the tags the wrong way around in the folder, so that tag has a white background.

Mist the tags with Distress Spray Stains. 

Die cut Simon Says Stamp Acorn Trio and Berry Stems from gold and brown kraft stock paper. Shape with a shape tool on Simon Says Stamp new Pawsitively Perfect Craft Pad.

Stamp sentiments on left-over inky paper and glue sentiments, gold elements, sequins and pearls to the tags.

This is the tag that I embossed the wrong way around, so that the embossing ink ended up on the side that had no Distress Ink. That's why this tag has a brighter look. 

I used golden branches from the Berry Stems set on this tag, combined with pearls.

The sentiment comes from the Simon Says Stamp Cozy Autumn Hugs set, also from the November Card Kit.

Since the background isn't completely covered with clear embossing powder, you get a whole lot of texture.

The second tag is orange at the top and brown/green at the bottom. 

The sentiment is a mix words from Simon Says Stamp Real Leaves and Cozy Autumn Hugs. It was adhered with foam tape. I used a mix of leaves and branches. All the gold elements were die cut from Tim Holtz Metallic Kraft Stock.

The sentiment on the third tag also comes from Cozy Autumn Hugs. I also added a small piece of lace which I found on my desk.

This part is my favorite of all the tags. I really like the combined texture of the ink in the background, the embossing powder and the ink spray.

Giving the acorns some shape adds dimension and interest. Adhere them with foam tape.

The fourth tag has a small Label Tag die cut from the American Crafts Farmstead Harvest patterned paper, also from the Card Kit. The tag was misted only with shades of brown.

I sanded and inked the edges of the small tag. The ribbons were all dyed with Distress Ink.

Sand the top of the acorns slightly to reveal the kraft core.

You can use this technique for other projects too, such as the entire background of a card.

I hope you will join us this week in our Thanksgiving/Thanks 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 stopping by here 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.

Curiosity Artist Trading Card

Hello crafters! I hope your weekend was good and that you got some crafty time. We did an outing and manage to avoid rain. 

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.

This week we have a Grunge It Up theme at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog. Since it is the first Monday of a new month, the team is showcasing products by a specific company/designer and this week it is Carabelle Studio. You can find their range of stamps and stencils here. You don't have to use their products to join, but it is fun if you do. 

We also have a new guest designer and during November Anita Rao is joining us. Visit her blog Beads, Charms and Wire to see what she has created for the challenge.

I started out making an Artist Trading Card, but then I didn't want to add too much grunge to the card, since I wanted the look of still water, so instead I made a grungy embossed background and used the ATC as a part of a card. The cute Carabelle Studio stamp that I used is called Raton Laveur. The racoon made me think of curiosity and how important it is to be curious and that became the theme of my card.

Cut heavystock paper into an ATC (2.5 x 3.5 in) and stamp the Carabelle Studios Raton Laveur with black ink.

Color with colored pencils. I used Prismacolors. Use a gold metallic pen for the crown.

Stamp on Simon Says Stamp Masking Paper and cut a mask. Ink the water with Salvaged Patina.

Next, ink with Peacock Feathers.

Ink with Mermaid Lagoon.

Apply Salvaged Patina Distress Oxide ink with an ink-blending tool through Simon Says Stamp Snowfall & Banks stencil. Remove the stencil and place it back, but not in the same position. Ink with Peacock Feathers Oxide ink. Spray lightly with water.

When dry, repeat the process with Sparkle Texture Paste.

Remove the mask and make a new mask.

Place the new mask like this, masking out the water. Ink with shades of beige and brown.

Stamp with the Curiosity definition stamp from Tim Holtz Curiosities set. Remove the mask.

Apply embossing ink to Tim Holtz 3-D Mosaic folder and emboss watercolor paper. Sprinkle white embossing powder on top and emboss. 

Mist the paper with Distress Spray Stains and homemade Perfect Pearls mist. Mix a little Perfect Pearls into a Mini Mister and fill with water.

I added Glossy Accents to the eyes and the jewels on the crown.

The main sentiment was stamped with Tim Holtz Tiny Text on a Journal Card and cut into a strip.

The mix of oxide ink dots and Sparkle Texture Paste dots adds interest to the water without making the water appear wild.

The dry and heat embossed background gives a grungy and textured look very quickly and easily. Mount the ATC on black cardstock and the dry embossed background on kraft cardstock.

The Perfect Pearls mist adds sparkle to the background. The two sentiment stickers come from Tim's Small Talk.

I hope you will join us this week in our Grunge It Up 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 stopping by here 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.