Sparkly Watercolor Celebration Card for Virginia's View Challenge #1

Hi everyone and happy Monday :)

Have you seen? My sweet and super talented friend and team mate Virginia Lu started a new challenge blog called "Virginia's View Challenge"! 

Her first inspiration challenge has to do with the super hot "watercolor" trend that you can see all around lately! Don't you love the watercolor effect? What are you waiting for? Just hop on over to Virigina's View Challenge blog and play along :)

To create the background I have used my muc loved (but recently much neglected) Lyra watercolor crayons. I scribbled four colors onto a non-stick mat, then spritzed it with Pssst! Sheer Shimmer Spritz Frost (instead of water) to not only get a watercolor but also a super sparkly and shimmery effect :)

If you don't know the "Sheer Shimmer Spritz" sprays from Tsukineko/Imagine Crafts, you can check out this short introduction video about these awesome sprays HERE

Here is a picture of my scribbles after spritzing it with the Sheer Shimmer Spritz spray and before dabbing my white cardstock onto it (please refer to the grey boxes below this post for detailed step-by-step instructions and a complete list of supplies):

Ohhh... look at the amazing shimmer effect the Shimmer Spritz spray creates... I hope you can properly see it in this closeup?! And I promise you, the sparkly and shimmer effect looks even more beautiful and spectacular IRL :-)

Ok, I have to admit, that I am not sure about all the enamel dots on the balloons. I originally wanted to do something totally different with the balloons (without enamel dots), but since it didn't work like I imagined, I just tried the enamel dots... oh well ;-)

Thanks so much for stopping by today and I hope to see you here on my blog again, soon :)

Sylvia xx

Instructions scribble with green, blue, red-violet and yellow watercolor crayons onto a non-stick craft mat generously spritz with Pssst! Sheer Shimmer Spritz Frost to make the colors move take a piece of white cardstock and dab it onto the spritzed colors, press down lightly and lift off let dry (you can speed up the process by using a heat gun) cut the watercolor panel to 3 1/4" x 4 3/8" size create a top folded 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" card base from 4 1/4" x 11" black cardstock attach watercolor panel to front cut small strip of black cardstock and stamp sentiment with Delicata Silvery Shimmer adhere to card front using dimensional foam pads die cut balloons once from vellum and once from white cardstock snip off the strings from the white cardstock die cut and adhere white die cuts behind vellum die cut using a special vellum adhesive embellish balloons with enamel dots mount balloons to card front using dimensional foam pads

Supplies stamps - Paper Smooches: "Birthday Sampler" coloring medium - Lyra watercolor crayons inks - IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko: Delicata Silvery Shimmer, Pssst! Sheer Shimmer Spritz Frost tools - Spellbinders die cutting machine, non-stick craft mat dies - Whimsy Stamps "Balloon Cluster Die" others - white cardstock; American Crafts: black cardstock; My Mind's Eye: enamel dots; Vellum adhesive, dimensional foam adhesive

Challenges Viriginas View Challenge #1 (watercoloring)

One Sketch: Two Cards in Two Styles!

Hi everyone and happy Monday - again :)

This is the second post for today! If you want to see my guest DT post for this weeks "Clean and Simple Cards Challenge" at Splitcoaststampers, please scroll down or **click here**


The cards I am showing you in this post are both made by following this weeks sketch at Seize the Sketch:

I started an experiment over the weekend: I wanted to create two cards - both with this sketch as a starting point but the results should be totally different in style!

Well, I think I was successful ;-)


The first card is a classy and elegant, yet clean card (despite the many layers) - all white on white with some hints of gold and silver.

Please refer to the grey boxes at the end of this post for step-by-step instructions and a complete list of supplies :)


Please take my appologies for the picture quality in this first picture! It is so hard to take good pictures of all white cards + silver metallic! It looks super pretty IRL (and I hope you can see the actual gorgeousness of the Delicata silver in the close-up) but like I said.. my photographer qualities aren't good enough to catch the beauty of it in a picture, properly *sigh*

For the second card I just wanted to be more "free" in my creative process and went a little crazy with all kinds of different "mediums", such as inks, pens, Gesso, wood, corrugated cardstock, patterned paper, ribbon, stickers.

Of course, that is not what a real artist would call "Mixed Media", but well....not sure how to name this style. But one thing is for sure: it is not elegant and not clean and simple... so it's different and that's what I wanted to achieve *lol*

Please refer to the grey boxes at the end of this post for step-by-step instructions and a complete list of supplies :)

Now I am curious:
What style is YOUR style in cardmaking? Do you sometimes try to go out of your comfort zone and create something totally different?
Let me know in the comments form below this post and maybe you will also like to link to some of **your** style experiments? I would love to take the opportunity, visit your blog or gallery and take a look :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today and I hope to see you here on my blog again, soon :)

Sylvia xx

Instructions     Card 1 - You Are My Heart and Soul: make a 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" top folded card base from 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" white cardstock create "letter press" front by using an embossing folder "inside out" (so the raised parts are showing towards the inside of the card) cut two rectangles from white cardstock: 2 1/8" x 4 1/4" +  4 1/8" x 2 1/4" and spritz them with Pssst! Sheer Shimmer Spritz Gold; also create some random droplets and splotches all over the panels; let dry affix the (vertical) 2 1/8" x 4 1/4" panel to card front die cut small doily from double layered white tissue paper and adhere to card front cut another panel of 4 5/8" x 2 3/4" of white cardstock and adhere to card using dimensional foam tape create a pierced border around the remaining white panel with the gold spritz ( 4 1/8" x 2 1/4") stamp sentiment to the panel using Delicata Silvery Shimmer  adhere gold sequins mount panel to card front using dimensional foam tape     Card 2- You're So Good For My Heart: make a 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" top folded card base from 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" white cardstock cut 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" piece of chevron patterned paper and adhere to card front cut 1 3/4" x 4 1/4" piece of orange polka dot paper and create a faux stitching border all around the panel by using a paper piercing tool and a white gel pen; adhere to card front cut 4 5/8" x 3" piece of grey corrugated cardstock and randomly paint with white gesso; let dry and ahere to card front affix round sticker onto corrugated cardstock cut 4" x 2 1/2" piece of checkered paper and create a faux stitching border all around the panel by using a paper piercing tool and a white gel pen distress edges of the panel using an Ink Blusher tool loaded with Memento Cantaloupe ink stamp sentiment with Memento Bamboo Leaves onto panel wrap around a blue crinkled seam binding affix banner sticker right over the seam binding adhere panel to card front color wood veneer hearts using Ink Blushers to apply Memento Summer Sky and Tangelo inks embellish card front with colored hearts

Supplies     Card 1 - You Are My Heart and Soul: stamps - Whimsy Stamps: Key to my Heart inks - IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko: Delicata Silvery Shimmer, Pssst! Sheer Shimmer Spritz Gold tools -  IMAGINE Crafts: Craft Mat; Spellbinders: Grand Calibur die cutting machine; paper piercing tool dies - My Favorite Things: Die-Namics Dizzy Doily Duo embossing folders - Spellbinders: M-Bossabilities Enchanted others - white cardstock; white tissue; Jenni Bowlin: golden sequins mix; dimensional foam tape     Card 2- You're So Good For My Heart: stamps - My Favorite Things: You Make My Day inks - IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko: Memento "Cantaloupe", "Tangelo", "Summer Sky", "Bamboo Leaves" patterned papers + stickers - Fancy Pants: Collecting Moments collection tools - IMAGINE Crafts: Ink Blusher, Craft Mat; paper piercing tool others - white cardstock; white gesso; Studio Calico: wood veneer hearts; blue crinkled seam binding; white gel pen

Challenges Seize the Sketch #13 (sketch) - both cards Splitcoaststampers Mix-Abilities #54 (hearts) - second card