Showing posts with label Relaxing Waterside Bundle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Relaxing Waterside Bundle. Show all posts

Thursday, August 27, 2026

WATERSIDE RETREAT

Today's card was created using one of my favorite techniques -- water coloring.

I created this beach scene with watercolor paper, Water Painters and ink.  If you can "scribble", you can watercolor this scene, also.

Watch the video to see how I did it.  Yours will look different than mine, but it will still be beautiful.   I've never had two "paintings" look exactly the same.  That's part of the fun.  You'll see in the video that my 2nd card has its own vibe.

For today's card I used the two-piece chair.  I've gotten in the habit of using the Adirondack Chair from the Relaxing Waterside bundle so for today's card I wanted to get out of my rut and try this other chair.  I like it, but I think it looks a little more formal than the Adirondack.

In the video I used the Adirondack.  Which do you prefer?

My Seagulls were stamped with Smokey Slate ink.  You may need to stamp a couple of "test" birds -- I did.  My ink pad was pretty juicy, so the birds were darker than I wanted.  I tried stamping-off, but then they were too light.  So I ended up using a plastic spoon to push some ink on my ink pad away from one area so I could ink my stamp in that area.  Watch the video to see how I did that.  It's a good trick to use when you have a very juicy ink pad, or when you want a lighter image, but stamping-off makes it too light.

As I mention in the video leaving white space when you are "painting" a scene is also a tip.  It helps to provide depth to your "painting".  Remember, you can always add more ink, but it is not as easy to lighten the color and even more difficult to get back to white space.  Watch the video for more tips.

Don't forget to add a light color wash with Gray Granite below the seagull to "ground" it.  Unless your bird is flying, you don't want it to look like it is floating in space.

The inside sentiment is from the Banner Sayings Stamp Set.  

Use this link to download a FREE TUTORIAL with all the dimensional information and step-by-step directions.  But be sure to watch the video if you want to learn how I did the water coloring.

A list of the products used is shown below.

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Location: Commerce Township, MI, USA

Thursday, July 9, 2026

TWISTED RIBBON WITH WATERSIDE RETREAT

I have another technique today that will help you use up some of those "scrap" strips of Designer Series Paper (DSP).  For today's card I used products from the Waterside Retreat Suite Collection.

This card is for the lake life-lover in your life.  Maybe they love to fish.  Maybe they love to paddle around the lake in a canoe or kayak.  Or maybe they just like to sit in an old worn chair and enjoy the beauty of the lake.

The left panel of the card was made using the Twisted Ribbon Technique and the fish & waves DSP patterns from the Waterside Retreat DSP.  

I planned to make a video showing you how the Twisted Ribbon Technique is done, but then I got so busy over the holiday that I decided to do a bit of relaxing myself.  So, I found this older video that I created some time ago showing the technique.  If the technique is new to you, this video will show you how to do it.


The video is old, but the technique hasn't changed.  However, I sure have! I've acquired a lot more wrinkles since then!  But I kind of like my hair color.  I may have to try that again!  


After backing the Country Woods DSP with Early Espresso Cardstock for stiffness, the chair was die cut with a Relaxing Waterside Die.  The Life Ring and Paddle were also backed with Basic White cardstock for stiffness before they were fussy cut from the Waterside Retreat DSP.


The decoration and coordination for the inside of the card also came by using a strip of the water design and a fussy cut fish from the Waterside Retreat DSP.

All sentiments are from the Relaxing Waterside Stamp Set.  I chose "generic" greetings from the set,  so I can personalize it later when the specific occasion is known.


A list of the products used is shown below.

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If you are wondering, the embossing folder that I used on the Petal Pink background is called High Seas, but it is retired.  Use any embossing folder you have!
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Location: Commerce Township, MI, USA

Thursday, May 21, 2026

RELAX AT THE WATERSIDE AFTER FISHING

Do you ever want to just tell someone to Relax or Chill Out?  I need someone to tell me to do that once in a while.  I tell it to myself, but I've determined that I'm not a very good listener.


Is fishing relaxing?  Probably not for someone that does it for a living, but for many who do it as a hobby, I think they would tell us it is.  I'm not a fisherman, but I would love to just sit in this chair with a cup of tea and watch the fishermen on my lake.  My problem is that my TO-DO list gets in my way.


When I chose the two designs from the Waterside Retreat Designer Series Paper for this card, I purposely selected the two with colors that felt calming.


The chair was stamped with Black Memento on Basic White cardstock and then colored with Gray Granite Stampin' Blends.  I receive a lot of questions about coloring, but probably none as often as coloring with Stampin' Blends.  So, I thought I would use this card to share my tips and tricks of coloring with Stampin' Blends.


I personally love coloring with Stampin' Blends.  But I know some people struggle with using them and getting the colors to blend like they want them to.  If you are one of those, I hope the tips help.  But my biggest tip is -- PRACTICE!   And don't forget -- the Color Lifter is your friend!


I used a couple of the grass stamps to decorate the inside of the card.  


A list of the products I used is shown below.

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Location: Commerce Township, MI, USA
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