ThePowerOfACard: July 2025

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Using Re-inkers for Watercolor Backgrounds

I love to incorporate watercolor techniques in my card-making, so that's why I focused on watercolor backgrounds in my video. You don't need any watercolor paints because I'll show you how to use re-inkers (or the ink pads) to add colors. You will need a brush or two - I like to use a medium round and a flat (about 1/2" wide) brush, some water in a large container (also helpful to have some in a spritzer), and watercolor paper. I also like to work on a glass surface because it's easy to clean and you can get water all over it without harming anything.

Before getting into the different backgrounds, I want to mention some important tips.

You must use watercolor paper. I use the Fluid 100 paper which comes in a pack of ten 5" x 7" sheets. Watercolor paper is meant to handle the water needed to make the backgrounds. Regular cardstock may be able to handle a little addition of color, but will pill and warp with the amount I used to make my backgrounds.
Pigments in inks are quite a bit different than paint and may surprise you when you use them with water. You may see colors separate, or dry much differently than you expect. That is why it's a good idea to test your colors on scraps. I show one sample in the video where I was using Smoky Slate (and then Basic Gray) and the color looked more like Gray Granite (a warmer, more brown color than the cool gray I wanted).
When selecting colors that will be adjacent, make sure they will blend well together. I like to say that analogous colors (colors next to each other on the color wheel) make good choices, but so do triadic colors (such as magenta, cyan and yellow). If you use opposites together (like blue and orange), you may get some unwanted brown or gray tones where they mix.
It is always good to cut your watercolor paper a little larger than you want to use in the card project because edges can have uneven drying patterns where the water collected, as you can see on this piece.
Allow your paper to dry completely before trying to die cut or trim. You could use a heat tool to speed up the process, but I prefer to let my pieces dry naturally. It's hard to be patient, but it's worth it!

I have three basic styles of background and each can be done edge to edge on your paper, or with a border. My first example is the easiest - I'm using three colors with random placement and filling the entire panel (which is half a sheet of the Fluid 100 paper). When I'm covering the entire sheet, I like to spray down the glass mat and paper, then turn the paper over and the moisture will hold it in place while you paint. Before adding my pigments, I spray the paper surface to help the colors blend. I chose Garden Green, Granny Apple Green and Lemon Lime Twist so that I could use them to make die cut leaves. Place a drop of each on a clean block and add color as you please until the entire piece is covered, making sure that all three colors are visible individually as well as blended. I used the Unbounded Love bundle to make this card (and the Glass & Gardens Embossing folder) - I love how the variegated leaves look!

Next is the same style, but with the edges left uncolored. For this one, I used Poppy Parade, Pumpkin Pie and Daffodil Delight. Because I wasn't going edge to edge, I did not add water to the glass mat before starting. Instead, I used my brush to add plain water where I wanted color to be. Then I added the three colors in randomly. You will see how they spread and react with the water - you'll never get the same results twice! For this sample, I paired the background with the Beautiful Butterflies bundle because it reminded me of the colors of a monarch butterfly.

Another easy style is to make stripes. I like to make stripes diagonally (so much easier than trying to stay perfectly horizontal or vertical!) and while this could be made with a border, it is easiest to go edge to edge. For my sample, I selected Pumpkin Pie and Daffodil Delight to coordinate with the Spooky Sweet DSP, which has adorable punch-out designs! Originally, I had wanted to use Petunia Pop and Smoky Slate, but as you saw in the video, the colors just didn't work out as I wanted and didn't match the paper at all! This adorable Halloween card is a good example of using a background piece, cutting it up and showcasing it on the outside, inside and envelope!

The last style is to blend from one color to another and to yet another. This card went from Lemon Lime Twist to Summer Splash to Azure Afternoon. I cut my piece larger (3-3/4" x 5") to really fill up the card front. After it was dry, I stamped my sentiment (With You in Mind stamp set), then added flowers in the same colors of ink as the background around the words. It is such a simple layout, but the addition of the watercolor background makes it really pop!

Here's another Halloween card that used a three color blend and a border. I wanted a evening sky with a little spooky feel to is, so I used Melon Mambo, Gorgeous Grape and Blueberry Bushel. Like with the butterfly card, I first applied a wash of plain water where I wanted my color to blend. I added my top and bottom colors first, then the middle and blended, but you can really add them in any order. As you can see, the uninked border does not have to be uniform - wherever your brush stops is fine. I used the Spooky Halloween set again and added a little Wink of Stella to my night sky.

My last sample of blending was done in two separate steps. Unlike the previous example, I did not wet my watercolor paper first. I wanted a distinct line where the yellow (Daffodil Delight) stopped. Then I blended in Melon Mambo and Azure Afternoon. As you can see with this triadic color scheme, you get lovely mixes of orange and purple to give a gorgeous sunset sky. Before adding the bottom portion of this sample, it must be completely dry. For the water, I used Night of Navy and Azure Afternoon and blended them to get the look of water I desired. I used the modern oval die cut from Impressions Abloom to cut out my evening sky and the Sunrise Sailing bundle for a stunning congratulations card. I love how the embossed background has the clouds and water and provides a perfect backdrop to the colorful panel.

I've only skimmed the surface with these examples today. You can add even more texture and interest by adding spritzes of water or other paint colors, water droplets or even salt. You don't have to be an artist so give yourself the freedom to explore making your own watercolor backgrounds. Each will be unique and take your card-making to the next level!

Karen

ThePowerOfACard@gmail.com

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Product List

Unbounded Love Bundle (English)

[163384]

$54.75

Glass & Gardens Embossing Folders

[165597]

$9.00

Stylish Shapes Dies

[159183]

$30.00

Iridescent Pearl Basic Jewels

[158987]

$7.50

Beautiful Butterflies Bundle (English)

[164615]

$59.25

Neutral Matte Dots

[165561]

$8.00

Spooky Halloween Bundle (English)

[166199]

$45.00

Spooky Sweet 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

[166191]

$16.50

Shimmer Star Foam Stickers

[166202]

$9.50

With You In Mind Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[164747]

$20.00

Sunrise Sailing Bundle (English)

[165497]

$50.25

Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper

[149612]

$9.00

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Bringing You the Floral Charm Suite

If you love florals, this suite is a must have! It was part of the July On-line Exclusive release and can be found in my store. The bundle has eight stamps and eight dies and the suite includes a ribbon (a woven ribbon in Petal Pink), some embellishments (Petal Pink, Petunia Pop and Night of Navy gems) and a gorgeous pack of Designer Series Paper (DSP). When I first got my order, I really had a hard time deciding which pattern to use first! Whoever was the artist at Stampin' Up! did a fantastic job and I know you are going to love it!

The card I'm making in the video features one of the dies - the single rose. I wanted to make a classic red rose, so I show you how to cut it out with two pieces of cardstock and piece it back together to give you a red flower on a green stem. I also show an easy way to ink blend on intricate die cut pieces - you won't want to miss that. If you have anyone who loves roses, this card will be a great birthday card for them!

Gather your supplies:

Cardstock: Basic Beige 8-1/2" x 5-1/2", 4" x 5-1/4"; Old Olive 2-1/2" x 5-1/2"; Real Red 1-3/4" square; Basic White 5/8" x 3-1/4", 1/2" x 2"; Floral Charm DSP 3" x 4-1/2"
Bundle: Charming Day
Stamp: Unbounded Love
Die: Textured Notes
Embossing Folder: Exposed Brick
Ink: Old Olive
Embellishment: Antique Pearls
Adhesive and Tools

Start by folding your card base in half and creasing the fold with a bone folder. Using the Stampin' Cut & Emboss machine, on the Old Olive piece, cut out the two different leaves and the bottom portion of the rose, but do not separate them from the background piece. Cut out just the rose petals portion on the Real Red and cut a decorative rectangle on the DSP. Lastly, emboss the panel of Basic Beige.

Since we are layering the green leaves on a green background, I wanted to add some ink blending to the leaves to give some variation in the shades. Because they are intricate die cuts, if you leave them with the background piece, it is much easier to add color with a blending brush. Trim the green stem and layer it on the bottom of the rose petals. Then cut the large leave die cut into two pieces and glue them behind the stem. Add dimensionals behind the rose and upper leaf, and glue to the rest of the stem and leaves, to adhere the flower to the die cut rectangle. Stamp the sentiment in Old Olive ink on the strip of Basic White and flag the ends.

For the final assembly, glue the embossed panel to the card front. Pop up the DSP/rose piece with Dimensionals and add the sentiment over the stem with even more Dimensionals. Embellish with the Antique Pearls. For the inside, stamp the sentiment off center and adhere the remaining leaf die cut nest to it. Stamp a few leaves on the corner of the envelope to complete this card.

Because the paper is such a shining star, many of my layouts feature the DSP. These first two are simple cards using strips of paper. I added a ribbon of Timid Tiger over my three strips (1-1/4" x 3-1/2") which were placed on a panel of Basic White. It's such a great layout because it leaves the space for the sentiment and really shows off three different patterns. To coordinate, I used a sentiment from Beautiful Butterflies on the inside.

The next one has five strips (1" x 3-1/2") scattered on a piece of Early Expresso. I stamped and colored the small flower with Blends - who would have thought to put Early Expresso, Pecan Pie and Petunia Pop together? I don't know but it sure does work!

For this card, I used the Regals 6" x 6" pack of paper and selected two patterns of Old Olive. I cut the label shapes from the Nested Essentials dies and popped them up over a length of the Petal Pink ribbon from the suite. I colored the rose/leave cluster with shades of Petal Pink and Old Olive Blends and added it to the label with Dimensionals. I stamped the sentiment with Calypso Coral (which I love paired with Petal Pink!) and finished with Antique Pearls (but I certainly could have used the gems from this suite).

Here are two more easy layouts to feature DSP. I love how the first one has the smallest mat of Blackberry Bliss to make the DSP pop! My label is from Unbounded Love dies and the ribbon is the Petunia Pop Bordered ribbon. The little flower is just fussy cut from a scrap of the DSP. For the next card, I used Nested Essentials dies for the label and fussy cut the sentiment to add on top. I embellished with Petal Pink and White Combo Pack ribbon and Low Profile Dots. My inside sentiment is from Tags of Thanks.

My next card uses a rectangle of DSP cut on the diagonal. But because it's a rectangle and not a square, you need two pieces of the DSP. Turn one of them over and cut both the same way on the diagonal. Now you'll have the pieces for two cards. Before adding the two rectangles to the Night of Navy panel, cut out the larger leaf from the center. From the layer of Basic White, you can cut the label (To the Point punch). Then you'll only need a small scrap of Pretty Peacock for the small leaves. I used Iridescent Faceted Gems (but the ones in the suite are great too!).

For my last sample, I cut the large die cut with the flowers and leaves out of Basic White. On a panel of Basic White, I used a blending brush to add Granny Apple Green, Daffodil Delight and finally Pretty in Pink. (While you are ink blending, do so on a 1/2" strip of Basic White to add on the inside.) Then I lightly sprinkled water on top which gives a subtle but noticeable texture to the background. Pop up the flowers and stamp the sentiment with Basic Black. Finish by adding Iridescent Faceted Gems. On the inside, tuck a white rose under the ink blended strip and decorate the envelope with the large rose stamp.

I adore this suite and can't wait to hear how much you like it too! I'm using it at my card class this month and I have shown additional cards with this suite on my Facebook page. I think it's clear to say I've been charmed!