Sketch 127

The OWH sketch challenge for this week is super simple.  Simple layouts are my favorite.

Paper-Provo Craft and My Mind's Eye, Image-The Saturated Canary, Sentiment-Melonheadz

Isn't that little girl adorable?  Her frizzy hair reminds me of mine-summer's making it go out of control!  When I thought about what to put with it, I thought of that cute sentiment from Melonheadz, because this girly's unique and beautiful.

Linking up:

Operation Write Home-Sketch 127

The Saturated Canary-use red, white, and blue

Crafting for All Seasons-patriotic

Paper Pretties-red, white, and blue

Simon Says Stamp-patriotic

Forever Friends-inspired by the USA

Bonus Sketch Card:

Paper-Provo Craft, Ribbon-Offay, Image-Digital Delights

Love that snuggly bunny and the sparkly ribbon.  I guess since glitter is off limits for OWH cards, I love when I can add a bit of safe bling for the troops.

I used a fork tying bow technique that I found on Pinterest.  You can find the tutorial HERE.  Thanks for stopping by.  Ciao!

Blushing Bride

I rarely make wedding cards.  They don't do a whole lot of good for OWH-soldiers rarely need specific wedding cards, and even if they do, a generic love or thinking of you card can also work for the occasion.  Generally, if I'm going to a wedding I *GASP* buy a card from the store.  But my husband's cousin is tying the knot and she comes from a super crafty family, so I figured I'd better step up and make a wedding card.

Paper-All My Memories, Image-Beary Wishes, Sentiment-Hero Arts

I really like how simple the layout is.  I also like how the bride's face directs your eye to the sentiment.  I think Jackie will like receiving this card.

Linking up to:

Creative Inspirations Paint-wedding cards

CASual Fridays-use pink

Marker Painting

This week's Hambo Hoedown challenge is to use a technique from Splitcoast Stampers.  After trying to make a pull tab flip card and failing horribly, I decided to try something else.  I've heard of watercolor crayons and watercolor pencils before, but I'd never heard of watercoloring with markers.  Splitcoast Stampers explains that using water based markers and an aquapainter or brush, you can make a watercolor look on stamped images.  It actually works!

Cardstock-Provo Craft, Image-Hambo Stamps, Sentiment-K&Co

I love watercolor painting.  It astounded me that the marker ink acted exactly the same as paint.  You can use the same techniques for this.  I really like the splotchy faded look that I painted on the pond and the grass.

I do have some tips if you are going to try this out.  Splitcoast Stampers recommends using watercolor paper.  Since the image I was using is a digi, I printed on really heavy cardstock since I didn't want to run watercolor paper through it.  It bubbled a lot when I got it wet, but it dried relatively flat.  If I do this again, I'll probably stick with the watercolor paper.  I'd also use a less detailed image.   This cute one is "Wee Henry Fishing" by Hambo Stamps, but it has lots of little details, and the colors bled a bit.  It also worked best to wet the section I was painting first and then added the marker.  Then I spread and blended the color with the brush.

Watercoloring with markers is a fun technique that I probably wouldn't have tried without this challenge.  But it's fun and freeing-definitely worth trying out.

Linking up:

Hambo Hoedown-Use resources from Splitcoast Stampers

Creative Inspirations Paint-Inspired by Father's Day

Crafting for all Seasons-Masculine Cards