11 January 2011

Playing with colours - Part 2

Glad I've managed to do something with the experimental page from my last post. Didn't want to throw it away.....


From this experiment I have at least gained new ideas quite how to go about working with watercolours in a different way, another time.

I will definately wet the paper first, and dilute the watercolours some as I add them to the paper next time....


thinking that this then would allow for more instant spreading of the colours making for a softer, more muted effect.

Now I have four new cards in my stash!






09 January 2011

Playing with colours

I'd seen an idea of working with watercolours on watercolour paper and I wanted to give it a try for myself. Could make for quick and easy backgrounds I thought. Well I'm sure I worked on this what should have been a mini project way too long yesterday. I worked on it further to try and resurrect what was'nt happening for me. The result wasn't what I'd anticipated, but in the end I wasn't too displeased.


Started out with masking off each section.

Big dabs of colour that were expected to flow zen-like into flimsy balloonsy-type flowers the moment I dropped water into the middles of. Well it didn't quite happen like that! Not sure if I should've primed the paper with water first, but for anything much to happen I really had to work hard with adding lots of water.

Then I used metal mesh and rubbed silvery oil-pastels through the holes to fill in some blank areas; also overstamped with the flower outline. Also added my own little black dots with micro-pen and a white marker pen lines for others. A little gel or sparkling pen additions too, and here is the grand finale.




If I get to thinking quite what to do with them next I'll show them again, in another post. So at least, this weekend, I did try to get creative. Art itself isn't something I've learned, and to achieve anything that resembles art is one grand feat. I see others doodling and how it makes for wonderful backgrounds the way they combine it; those ideas just don't make it into my head at all. I wish there was a doodling school online to help make it happen.


02 January 2011

Cards: Handbag style

To start a new year, I wanted to make some cards working with a purchased card I'd admired from an art/craft show. The maker noted on the back only as Nancy.

Using some beautiful ribbon that had been gifted to me some time ago, hard to part with! Sakura punchouts from hand-coloured tissue that had been vliesofixed onto sturdy paper. and with a little bit of bling added to the centres. Basic Grey 'Blush' paper for the main part of the bag.

Got to use one of my newest embossing folders Wings, by Craft Concepts.

This is a beautiful embossed paper from PaperSource/Australia.



Perhaps templates for this or a similar handbag card is already available on the net somewhere. If you know where, please let me know so I might include it in this post for others.

They do open up from the bottom end, and have an insert with a Martha Stewart border punch edging.

Happy Ending: Diana Enns, blogger at Crafts and Adventures from the Enns, and moderator of The Scrapbook Lounge has forwarded me this link to Mirkwood Designs site, with another lovely "Purse" template here. Enjoy! Thanks to Diana; much appreciated.