Well, continuing with my watercolor phase that I’m in right now, I had the not so bright idea to watercolor the image in Unity’s Cafe Delights stamp kit! Not that it can’t be done, but it’s a busy beautifully detailed stamp. Took me 4 days to finish it and quite a few hours! The videos I pieced together were sped up 7 times. (Search for Joyciel Creations in YouTube for better viewing or click on the YouTube icon under the video below).
I started by stamping the image using Fadeout No Line Coloring Detail ink on Arches Cold Pressed watercolor paper. I then used my Schmincke watercolors to paint the image. I left off the clouds from the stamp image and added my own background trees. I also used a variety of pens to add small details. When I was completed I made card frames from patterned paper on top and a Kraft layer underneath.
I stamped a sentiment from Unity’s Naturally Beautiful Kit that I thought appropriate for the current situation. We will survive and thrive again and enjoy our outings... maybe even cherish them, more than before!
If anyone needs this card for that assurance, let me know. Meanwhile, stay safe and take a crafting staycation!
Sorry I’ve been away for awhile... current events threw me as, I’m sure, they did everyone! I’m in a Shelter in Place county, and just recently slipped into the senior isolation group category too. My son and his family, bless his soul, has decided to quarantine me away from them! And my husband is working on the other side of the country and shouldn’t return anytime soon... given we are in a hot spot. Also, I have a very analytical mind with strong management tendencies (used to be in charge of large organizations), so until I learned everything I could and saw strong actions being kickstarted I couldn’t relax. But, I think all facets of this great and industrious country are going in the right direction, so I am finally relaxing. So... this card....
When I saw the woman stamp in Unity’s March 2020 SMAK kit, Growth is a Process, it first reminded me of the old McCall and Simplicity sewing pattern kits. So, going with that I realized I had the perfect paper to match with it, Authentique’s Stitches paper pad. For this card, I ended up using 3 papers from the pad. I stamped the woman using Archival Cornflower Blue ink onto the pink patterned paper and colored her in with my Prismacolor pencils. I wanted to complement the picture in the background, so I took advantage of the plaid pattern and augmented the shirt with blue squares and created a shadow. I then just had fun piecing everything together, cutting up a stitch pattern paper to make borders and backgrounds and liberally using a scallop scissors (I never pull that one out). I did use a darker blue scrap paper to back pieces. I added a metal ruler, twine, a button, enamel dots and pink fringe to add to the feel. Also fussy cut out “McCall” from the paper... so fun!
I stamped in 2 ink colors and clear embossed this sentiment from the kit, because a better day is coming! Meanwhile, if you sew... maybe this will inspire you to do some! Funny, I liked to try sewing clothes when I was young, but I invariably sewed backs to fronts and ended up pulling stitches out 9 times out of 10! But my Mom sewed many of her clothes, so I used to love going fabric and pattern shopping with her! Fun memory!
Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane, take good care, keep your distance and stay safe! Happy crafting (or sewing) till next time!
Watercolored the pretty irises from Unity’s March 2020, Spring & Things, Kit of the Month.
I first stamped the irises on Arches Cold Pressed watercolor paper using InkOn3 NoLine Fadeout ink. I then recorded painting the irises. From the video (besides at one point dunking my paper towel in the water), you can see I use the descriptive sheet from the kit to help in distinguishing features of the image. I think I got it mostly right.
Once I completed, I fixed a couple colored areas with white and blue pencil. I didn’t fuss with it much, because I wanted a fairly clean painting. I stamped a sentiment from the kit with Versafine black ink. Die cut the paper and backed it with plain blue card stock. I mounted it all on a silver card, added blue and yellow Gina K crystals and called this one done.
Hope you like this one! I love this image... so pretty, as is the rest of this kit. Well, I’ll sign off before the video... till next time, happy crafting!
Created another card using Unity’s March 2020 SMAK kit, Growth is a Process. This versatile kit can be used for many creations including tags, scrapbooking, art journaling and mixed media. Today, I decided to create a regular card using the butterflies stamp.
I started by stamping 4 Altenew pink and red inks onto my media mat, 2 at a time, spraying with water and pressing my watercolor paper into the ink, drying in between. I pulled out a butterfly stencil and using a brush added some butterflies randomly using the same inks. I then stamped in black ink and clear embossed the butterflies image. I took a Bo Bunny Washi tape kit and used it to create a frame around the image. I added Love from Lizi black strips, and strips of black and silver card stock. I added glitter inks and white pen to the butterflies.
I pulled out a vellum scrap, added glitter ink to one side and stamped the small butterfly on the other side of the paper, embossing with black powder. I fussy cut out the butterfly. I stamped and white embossed one of the sentiments on black paper, and clear embossed another onto white scrap paper. I die cut and fussy cut out the sentiments. I assembled the card, outlined with grey ink the sentiment on white and added crystal dots.
I like how this card turned out and the encouraging message. It’s fun to create these random hodgepodge cards and, I believe, also to receive them. Hope you like it as well! Till next time happy crafting!
Had fun today making this bunny card using 3 stamps from Unity Stamp Co.’s new March 2020 Growth is a Process SMAK Kit. This bunny... oh, my gosh! Made another video showing how I created the background garden which I’ll show at the bottom of the post.
I started with a piece of Bee watercolor paper, and using my Schmincke’s watercolors I laid down a wet on wet background and added leaf brushstrokes while the paper was damp. I added regular table salt while wet to pick up some of the pigment. I then dried the paper. After positioning the 2 tulip stalk stamps, I added my own hints of background tulips using muted colors. If you take a straight pigment and add the complementary color, it will muddy the color a bit which is what I wanted for the background flowers.
I then stamped the flowers from the kit using archival inks in reds and greens. I also used the grunge stamp to add the impression of grass. I added Gansai Tambi watercolors to the flowers as they are more opaque to bring those flowers forward and a little glitter ink, as I was already in the palette. Finally, I used gray, black and white pens for more definition. I stamped a sentiment from this kit and die cut the paper (and, no, it’s not a standard size). I wanted to make a collage card. I stamped and lightly added coordinating color to the bunny and then fussy cut it out. That bunny is perfect!
I used a new paper pack called Preserved Paper from DCWV for the top and bottom base layers. I then pulled out random papers, ephemera, Washi tape and twine. Everything is layered flat with the exception of the bunny, which has the twine behind it. I finished the card with more twine and coordinating enamel dots.
Must be my artsy background, but I I love interesting layered depths in cards. Unity’s SMAK kits are absolutely perfect for this as they usually contain multiple images, background stamps and a variety of sentiments you can pull from. What’s great about their memberships is the ability to buy older kits at half the price, plus the flat discount you get on every order. A truly great deal!
Well, done for the day, hope you like this card, and till next time, happy crafting! Now for the, again, very amateurish video (I will get better) - oh, oh, I redid the video editing! Hopefully it’s a bit better!
I’ve been intimidated by this stamp kit, but I thought I’d give it a try anyways! I cut down a piece of Arches cold pressed watercolor paper and stamped the image from Unity’s ...realize kit using Distress Antique Linen ink.
I used my Schmincke’s watercolors on this and took artistic license with the image (note her hands are positioned in front on mine). Partly error and partly how everything flowed. I also made a rockier coastline, added my own clouds and birds are moved around. A techniques I tried on this one is scraping with a palette knife while wet (parts of the sea... leaves dark and white impressions in the paper depending how wet the paper is when you do it). I’m still learning and playing with watercolors but I think the painting turned out fairly okay. After I finished I also took some pencils and added texture and color and used pens for added definition. (UPDATE: added details shots per request).
To put the card together I found a wood grain patterned paper and cut down my own “frame” around the painting. To do this I cut the 2 longest horizontal pieced edges identically, the right size, with right angles at each end and lined up the other two pieces underneath those two. Then I glued them all together and trimmed the vertical pieced edges. To make sure my picture stood out, I decided to use a square card base. I found another watercolor looking striped paper I could use underneath and another darker blue paper I could use as the foundation and to back the sentiment. To finish the already busy card, I just added cream twine at the top.
This stamp set really has a beautiful image and is the result of Phyllis Harris’s work. Her stamps are usually children, but I think, with how I painted this, it doesn’t have to be interpreted that way. Hope you like this one. Be back soon with another card I worked on at the same time as this one! Till then, happy crafting!
Welcome back to another Friends of Unity blog hop with March’s theme, Designer Choice. This month I went back to one I hadn’t done in awhile, paper piecing with Angie girls! It always reminds me of my youth as I loved my paper dolls and making clothes for them!
Before I start, wanted to remind you that several friends are doing giveaways. All you need to do to win is comment on every blog in the hop... easy peasy! Names are drawn randomly and winners announced the following month. At this time, I’d like to congratulate
Glennis F
for her win from last month’s blog. Please PM me with your full address so I can send out some Unity goodness! My thanks for stopping by!
So, I used Unity’s Just... sorry kit and a retired Simple Stories Vintage Bliss paper pad. I love this image and I was in need of a get well type card. I think this kit is so dang adorable and the colors in this pad so light, I was hoping for a cheerful card. Using papers from a paper pad ensures color coordination amongst the pieces. After stamping, I, basically, cut out each of the particulars areas. I stamped the image, again, on plain Bristol and used my pens and pencils for her hair and face. And this became the base for the rest of the pieces. I created a frame for the image and stamped the sentiment, using the same paper to frame it. I finished the card with crystals.
For the second card, I wanted to herald the arrival of spring with the tulips in the Tulia Girl kit. This time I used some paper scraps, a pretty violet blue check, a plain yellow and a very light patterned green. I painted the image on Bristol paper and fussy cut out the jumpsuit on the green paper. Not liking how busy and overpowering my flowers became, I decided to “mute” them by just using plain stamping on plain colored cardstock. I fussy cut the flower heads out and adhered them. I then decided I wanted a patterned jumpsuit, so using a pencil, I added a check pattern. I cut the piece down letting flowers and shoes hang off the edges a little and used a dark purplish blue and violet papers as backing. To pull this card together, I added a yellow doily and dots and split the sentiment into 2 pieces.
So fun, returning to childhood! And I now have 2 cute cards perfect for the season! I love both of these kits and I encourage you to pick them up if you haven’t already.
Now, I should be your last stop in the hop this month, but if you haven’t hopped yet, might as well start at the beginning with Crystal’s blog! Reminder, we are not sponsored by Unity, rather we are just big fans! We use our own funds for prizes. Remember, comment below for a chance to win a prize!
So, last month’s ATCS were inspired by paper contained in the most recent Somerset Studio magazine and dotted paper included in an old paper crafting magazine paper. In one case, I used one of the magazine included papers as the foundation of the ATC’s and in the other I stamped on and cut up some of the pages! Note... I haven’t even read it yet..l was just inspired by the colors!
My failed ATC... the first I’ll talk about used the included designer papers as the base. I cut down the ATCs using the papers. One of my swap group members sent papers with their’s - used one and cut it into strips along with the paper craft magazine and adhered them to the ATCs. I gold embossed the flower image from Unity’s Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful 1/14 kit and first painted white gesso in the flower centers and then added glitter inks.
Because they didn’t stand out, I then took pens and chalk pastel and muted the backgrounds trying to emphasize the flowers and added white Posca pen. I stamped the sentiment from Imperfection is Beauty Kit using Gina k’s Ivory ink (just picked up... love it!) on black card stock, fussy cut and adhered it. I then stamped a Unity butterfly from the Eyes of the Beholder 4/18 KOM on separate paper, used a white applied the same process, fussy cut it and adhered it with black string behind it and called this one (imperfectly) done!
The second one started on a DCWV paper, from a pack called Preserved Paper. I actually used about 10 different papers from various sources, paper packs and the 2 magazines mentioned above. I tore up pieces and collaged the design, stamping and in one case embossing images at various points. The Unity stamps I used came from the following kits: the Normal is Boring 3/18 SMAK, Wildflower and Wings 4/14 SMAK and the Straight Laced Kit. I added vintage Raw Charms and fine jute I picked up from Unity. I added color to the dress frame using oxides and inked the edges and called this one done. I used a brown pen to outline the paper printed dress frames and the sentiment. Now, this one speaks to me!
Anyways, another month of playing was done and, in return, I’m receiving wonderful goodies from my crafty friends! Till next month, happy crafting!
Magnolias have started to bloom here in California and as I was passing by a shrub yesterday, I remembered I picked up the Powerpoppy Planning for Magnolias stamp set (which also comes in a digital format) recently. So, I stamped out the image using InkOn 3 Fadeout Noline ink onto Bee watercolor paper, set up my waters, my Schmincke paints, my iPhone for recording and proceeded to watercolor the image. I must admit, even with a strong Ott light, it is sometimes difficult for me to clearly make out the image, so at one point, I fetched the black inked image from the acetate packaging to help me. Even then, I sometimes have to make up the image as I go along.
After I was done painting, I pulled out some Prismacolor pencils to even out the brushstrokes as needed in the end. During this process, I smeared a pencil bit across the watercolor paper. You’ll see in the video I tried to lift it with erasers, but that wasn’t happening. I. The end I decided to fussy cut it out. Where white spots were left I ended up adding a soft blue wash to coordinate with the paper I selected.
The paper I selected to use as backing was Kaisercraft’s Rose Avenue paper. Kaisercraft used to make these papers where the image was replicated twice on a 6 1/2” x 6 1/2” page. I took one of those images and decided I could have this branch be a continuation of the flowers on the left. I used another paper as the base foundation and added silver sticky strips to frame the papers. I stamped the sentiment out and backed it with sparkly silver paper, added enamel dots and called the card done.
To me, this is a very traditional card with soft colors. As usual, I loved painting this very detailed pretty stamp by Powerpoppy. Although it’s perfect timing for me, I hope this card reminds you that Spring is just around the corner!
As usual, I’ve appended the video at the end or you can just do a search for Joyce Verdon in Youtube. It runs about 13 minutes and 2 of those are adding pencil and a little pen at the end. Subscribe by adding your email or hitting the follow button to the right. And be sure to give my videos likes if you want me to continue recording them. Thanks and have a great day!
Loving the March 2020 Unity SMAK kit, called Growth is a Process! So many great images and sentiments, making it perfect for a variety of endeavors including mixed media and regular cards. Had a chance to start playing with it, as a new design team member, and decided a tag was calling me!
I used distress oxides in Worn Lipstick, Tattered Rose and Aged Mahogany combined with a Perfect Pearls water mixture to add color to the tag. I used 2 stencils, a diamond and a rose flower stencil, and several of the oxides, plus a white gesso, to add patterns and texture to the tag.
I decided to use the flower urn from the kit and collage flowers into it. I found the perfect flowers in Unity’s Pink and Blue Watercolor paper pack and fussy cut a few flowers and leaves out of the paper. On a separate sheet, I added watercolor to the urn and fussy cut that out.
Once the tag was dry, I first added torn bits from the same paper pack to the background using gel medium. I then added the urn and flowers, again using gel medium. Finally, after adding the sentiment and postage images from the SMAK kit onto tissue paper, I adhered those onto the tag as well using gel medium.
To complete the tag, I used charcoal pencil to outline everything, white gel pen on the sentiment, and Ground Espresso oxide on the edges. I added ribbon and a silver charm bug and called the tag done!
I am so pleased with how this turned out; just loving Unity’s SMAK kits. What’s fun about being a member is the ability to use past kits to complement new. SMAK kits offer so many wonderful background images to take advantage of and with a membership, you can easily pick up any past kit for half the price! A great deal!
Here’s hoping you have a great week! Be sure to check out all of Unity’s wonderful March membership kits! Till next time, happy crafting!
Watercoloring a flower again without drawing out ahead of time... well, practice makes... me, hmmm, better, I think! So, while out walking the dogs, I took this pic and decided to try painting it. I guess comparing the two in this blog post will tell me how close I came to matching this gorgeous color (or what I need to change next time ;) ). It is a Vinca Minor or Periwinkle flower, a perennial ground cover. I guess I never noticed the middle of the flower before, so pretty and delicate.
Anyway, this time I pulled out a Bee paper cotton watercolor sheet. I used my Schmincke watercolors and an Escoda Reserva Kolinsky 6 and the Silver Black Velvet 4 brushes. I took a video under just an hour long, which I ended up speeding up 4.5 times, resulting in about 12 minutes of footage, included below.
After I was done painting, I spattered dark green and magenta tone paints all over the background, covering the flower. I then spattered white gouache all over. I die cut the sheet and backed it with solid paper. I decided to add a Unity sentiment from the Just... sorry kit. I took pretty light colored Kraft card stock I picked from Unity and added coordinating Washi tape to the corners. Finally, I added dots to the card and called it done.
I know these are not great paintings, but I think they make special cards, being painted by hand. At least, I know they are not stuck away in a pile of mine but are being put to use! Hope you enjoy what appears to be an ongoing painting series. Hopefully, my skills improve! Again, thanks for stopping by and subscribe to this blog or my YouTube channel if you are enjoying my efforts. Happy crafting, till next time!
(Looks like the color tones were right just not dark enough... interesting!)
Couldn’t wait to try another, what I’m calling, free hand painted flower. This is where I’m painting directly on paper without drawing or sketching an image out first. I usually get into serious trouble doing this as you can’t undo watercolors. But, it’s fun to do, so I thought I’d give it a try again, especially after my first attempt gained support.
For this image, I cased the internet for poppy photos and found one to use. Clearly, if I had drawn a poppy, I think the dimensions and orientation would have been much better. But, seeing as it didn’t turn out terrible I ended up turning it into a card. I think this is a good exercise to build skills. Anyway, I picked a poppy, because these also are a fav of my husband’s (he may be my muse). Here’s the image I loosely used as a reference flower (number of petals, look of stem, posture of flower...).
I started with a piece of Arches Cold Pressed Watercolor paper and used my Schmincke watercolors. The video which begins right at a clean slate, is again attached at the end of this post, and, is in Youtube. To see a bigger version, just click on the word Youtube and expand that. I pretty much completed the painting on the video, which is sped up 4xs. However, I did add a final second coat of red orange to bolden the colors off cameras and deepened the black area. I also added white Posca pen marks.
I used the SimonSaysStamp! Love Always Kit for the sentiment and a Kaisercraft In the Attic paper pad for the background, as well as black card stock. I added black string and black enamel dots to complete the card. Will need to try this again!
The video is 9 minutes long FYI. Let me know what you think... should I ditch the free hand painting? Would you prefer to see more stamped images? Are the videos useful? Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to subscribe if you like my creative endeavors!
DISCLAIMER: Oh, my... took me long enough to get blogging to come naturally... well, now, I’ve just uploaded my first sped up, shaky, no sound video! Yes! (It’ll only take me another year to get this down pat.) In the process, I managed to drop my phone into my water, saturate my half painted card, flood the floor, and upend my Altenew watercolors, not once, not twice, but 3 times.... YIKES (although that is NOT what I shouted about 20 times)! And when I mean upended... I mean wet gooey pans came flying out all over the floor, paints separated from their labeled pans, and paint went flying.... needless to say... if you seeing me looking all over for a color while painting in the video, it’s because it no longer is where it should be! Anyways, I persevered and mostly finished painting in the video.
To begin all over... I decided to try to paint one of the provided pre-stamped Suzy Plantamura cards in the March 2020 Simon Says Stamp Stronger Together Card Kit. I’ve been wanting to paint Blanket flowers (Gaillardia), for awhile, for my husband. After getting into gardening many moons ago, my husband started enjoying flowers, but he always wanted the bright orange and reds, where I went for the more dusty, paler colored flowers. So, I finally gave up and planted these very vibrant, but straggly, sometimes, perennials. He LOVES them and we always need a patch of them somewhere. Have tried painting them by scratch without success or patience, and decided, although the petals are not right, I’d make these flowers do and try painting them. Since they are mostly primary colors, I decided the Altenew palette would work. So, I began painting the first layer trying to get in all the shading needed. I used primarily a Silver Black Velvet 4 brush and sometimes a Mimic Kolinsky 6 brush. I had the lightbulb idea, as it was turning out not too bad, to try videoing my effort... hence the disclaimer above! [I’ve attached the video at the end, in case those of you who get emails of this post end up with a truncated post.] Note, nice neat Altenew set!
After paint set:
After the video, you’ll notice I got some splotches of paint here and there, plus when the card got wet, paint moved. So, I tried to create a background, but the paper is not the best quality and the paints didn’t move great, so I ended up deepening the background color and cutting out the background on the right side. I also decided to use scrap patterned papers from K&C Company and try to emulate the patterns in the paper using various stamps and a stencil. So, I adhered the watercolor card to the paper using strong 2 sided tape... best for straightening out curled paper and then die cutting that. I backed that with a lighter paper and then added another layer for the card front. I stamped the sentiment on the light green patterned paper, adhered those, and added red enamel dots. This kit is perfect for me as my “besties” and family are across the country and my husband is currently working out of state!
Well, let me know, do I have a directing career in my future? Should I continue trying this? Hope you got a chuckle from this! Let me know your thoughts! Thanks for stopping by... and if you aren’t subscribed... feel free to do so! Video... action, take 500:
