Playing Cards with Friends - July 2023

Hello my friends!  I have a very sweet and generous card maker who graciously accepted my invitation to Play Cards this month.  Here's our back story...

I meet lots of fabulous and talented card makers over on Instagram, and through the many challenges where I play.  Katinka - or Kat as she likes to be called - is one of them.  Kat won the December 2022 Altenew Inspiration Challenge [you can see her darling snowdrops card HERE] and with the win comes a gift card.  Kat DM'd me asking for my email address then sent me an email and with it, her prize.  I don't know the answer to 'why me?' but I am blown away by her kindness!  

I won't be using the product I purchased for my card today, but I did send a thank you note using it!    

Alright are you ready for our assignment?  July is World Watercolor Month - did you know that??  So of course, we are water coloring!  There's more:

•     Any image may be used, but it must be heat embossed!  and 
•    Let's make it a birthday card - because I have a long list of birthdays in July!

For today's card I once again used the Rosa Gallica set from Altenew.  - it was a dream to watercolor!  Hope you like it, Kat!

I found I could achieve a 'no-line' coloring look by using clear embossing powder!

Taping my card panel to a palette made it easier to see the lines by tipping it

toward the light from my window.

Zigs are not my go-to for water coloring, but today they behaved well because

I used a really good paper from Fabriano.  I scribbled each onto my glass mat, add a drop of water, and picked the color up with a wet brush to achieve this water-y loose effect.  I allowed each layer to dry before adding another.

I die cut my finished piece and sent the corner remnant through my Big Shot with that favorite Stampin' Up Subtle Texture folder ... here's a little closeup ... 

I ink-matched my sentiment from PTI to the little 'Forget-me-Nots' I 

imagined in this pretty bouquet.

Kat, I am inviting all of my wonderful friends to follow me right to you right NOW, because I can't wait another moment to see how you've added water coloring to your birthday card today!  Thanks so much for Playing Cards with me sweet friend!

=] Michele

BTW you can follow Kat @megustazellulose on Instagram, too!

Double D Hot Beverages

 

Darlene and Diane have the most wonderful inspiration for their 

Double D Challenge this month - 

HOT Beverages are the way to go here in Michigan at the moment!

This little marshmallow fellow couldn't agree more!

I've combined the bottom two photos to design my card...

An older set from Elizabeth Craft Designs comes out to play each year.

Marshmallow Snowmen - CS0104 and dies 1578

He's balancing on my Hot Tub Mug of chocolate - the Casual Friday die again.

All these sweet little characters were stamped in CP icing on the cake ink 

and clear heat-embossed.

Very simple water coloring with distress inks and they were ready for my card.

That darling scalloped base is from PTI - Altenew Snowflakes - MFT whip cream card [no longer available - drat!]

I am not a hot tub gal - but cocoa is sounding pretty tempting right now!

=] Michele

CAS Mix Up and Pinkfresh Studio Challenges - keeping it loose!

It's fun to find a little inspiration to get over one's slump by playing in a few favorite Challenges.  Today two such challenges came together - CAS Mix Up and Pinkfresh Studio for a little 'loose' water coloring!

I added this pretty Cosmos Bunch stamp and coordinating dies were one of my purchases in December while sale shopping.  I did not however get the stencils - I thought I'd have remorse about that until I watched one of my friend Channin's videos and had a 'light bulb' moment!  Why not try it without the stencils, but use the blending brushes for a 'loose' water colored look?  Here's how I did it, using a clear heat embossed image...

I have a set of 'inexpensive' makeup brushes from Amazon that included this tiny little round brush - perfect to get into those tiny flowers and leaves.  Then a larger brush [from Big Lots] for the main flowers.

Then a good spritzing of clean water to get those inks flowing.

A quick dry, and press under a heavy book, and it was ready to 

die cut, and mount on my card!

I've taken this sentiment to heart - slowly, I'm coming back my friends!  

Thanks for your patience!

As for my CAS Mix Up card?  I kept it much cleaner, and simpler by white heat embossing, and loose water coloring - it's amazing how easy it is with a little ink, and a lot of water!

Thanks for stopping by - now off I go to get these into those galleries!  

=] Michele

March Flowers