World Cardmaking Day 2015 with Illustrated Faith

Happy World Making Day to all my card-making friends wherever you are! Today is specially dedicated for you all, cardmakers!

I am celebrating World Card Making Day with this Bible Journaling free printable from Illustrated Faith. It is packed with wonderful encouraging words on that you can use for journaling and also I thought would make great cards to bless others, don’t you think? You can download the free printable here. While you are there, check the wonderful posts about Bible Journaling and how the Illustrated Faith team has shared their love of God and His word through their creativity. I am blessed by them and I believe you will be too!

I spent the morning at my oldest daughter’s soccer game although it was super cold and raining, but this afternoon I had a chance to create these cards:

World Cardmaking Day 2015 - Encouraging Cards with Illustrated Faith | http://helengullett.com/?p=7602 | #wcmd #wcmd2015 #illustratedfaith #handmadecard #creatingjoyfully

World Cardmaking Day 2015 - Encouraging Cards with Illustrated Faith | http://helengullett.com/?p=7602 | #wcmd #wcmd2015 #illustratedfaith #handmadecard #creatingjoyfully

World Cardmaking Day 2015 - Encouraging Cards with Illustrated Faith | http://helengullett.com/?p=7602 | #wcmd #wcmd2015 #illustratedfaith #handmadecard #creatingjoyfully

I hope you have great time making cards today and have fun weekend!

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Supplies:

  • Illustrated Faith Bible Journaling Printable
  • Ariana Paper Packet (CTMH, retired)
  • Heartstring Paper Packet (CTMH, retired)
  • Mini Stapler (CTMH)
  • Pearlescent Watercolor Paint
  • Musical notes washi tape
  • Arrow wood veneer
  • Gold Thread
  • 3D foam tape
  • Glue runner

DIY Wavy Blooms Watercolor Muslin Bag

Handmade gift is one of the best way of giving gifts to family and friends. This is one of our favorite way of giving gifts for any special occasions. My daughters and I love creating gifts together for special occasions, like birthdays, holidays, anniversaries and gifts for their teachers.

What is your way of giving?

Today, I’d like to share with you a watercolor muslin bag I made which can be used as a gift bag or storage bag. I learned how to make this bag is from Big Picture Classes.

For this project, you will need these supplies:

  • a muslin bag (you can sew it or use the premade one)
  • a piece of cardboard or cardstock as insert inside the bag
  • watercolor paint (or fabric paint, or fabric markers)
  • watercolor brushes (or Aquash water brushes)
  • some water
  • your choice of stamp set
  • stamping blocks if you use acrylic clear stamps
  • Staz-On ink pad (or any ink pad that won’t face away when it interacts with water while coloring)

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For my bag, I used pre-made 6″ x 8″ muslin bag. I stamped some of the flowers from Wavy Blooms stamp set from Close To My Heart using Black StazOn™ Ink Pad. And then, add the piece of cardboard or cardstock inside the bag to avoid bleeding through on the back of the bag. The next step is to color them with Watercolor Paints. Pick the color one by one with the paint brushes. I used Pentel Aquash water brushes medium and small sizes.

A tip for you, if it is too much color on your images, you can use paper towel to take some away while it is still wet. You can simply dub them away. Do not wipe them off because it will smear them all over.

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You can see there some colors bleed out of the stamped images, that’s okay. But if you do not like that, you can use Craft Heater to dry them quickly rather then leave it air-dry slowly. Some images that do no have colors out side of the images are the ones I dried using my Craft Heater.

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This watercolor bag cannot be washed. I would suggest to paint the flowers using acrylic paint or fabric paint for washable bag. I use this bag as gift bag with some watercolor cards inside. Cards that fit perfectly inside this 6″ x 8″ bag are 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ cards and 5″ x 7″ cards with envelopes.

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Project is done and I hope this project can inspire you to make some pretty things today! THANK YOU for visiting!

Happy Everything – Watercolor Note Card Set

I love making handmade cards. I always love stamping technique. Also, I like watercoloring the images using watercolor pencils because I can just color them like regular pencil colors, wet it with some water, and done. But I still do not have enough confidence to do more with watercolor paints.

My daughters are my inspirations to step out of my comfort zone about painting. I love seeing them just paint whatever on their papers and pouring out their imaginations on the paper. They just do it. And as always I LOVE their arts!

Watercolor Note Card Set by Helen Gullett | www.helengullett.com

Today I found out that makingn cards with watercoloring with watercolor paint directly on watercolor paper is fun. This is because I am taking classes at Big Picture Classes, one of them is where I learned to make these cards. The class is actually about making gifts for Mother’s Day but I think it is more than just a gift for Moms. They are great gifts for anyone 🙂 What I like with all the classes at BPC is that the teachers will walk you step by step with video and also they are very helpful.

At this class, the teacher showed how to paint the cards and adding some extra on them with stamping and letterpressing technique.

Supplies I used to make these cards are:

  • Happy Everything stamp set (CTMH)
  • Feathers stamp set (CTMH)
  • Finding the Words (CTMH)
  • Black Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad (CTMH)
  • My Acrylix Stamping blocks (CTMH)
  • Heavy weight Watercolor paper (Handmade Modern, Target) or you also can use watercolor cards
  • Pearlescent Watercolor
  • Big and Wide Flat brushes
  • Water.

What I learn this week is that fear won’t get you and me anywhere, but willing to try and taking the first step forward will get us somewhere.

Did you try something new today? Share with me in the comment box, I’d love to know!

Have an amazing weekend!

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This post I link up at Friendship Friday Blog Party  & Social Media Boost Week 186.

Exotic Flower Mini Wall Decor

We are packing now for our 2 months mission trip to Southeast Asia, to a tropical country where we will meet lots of people, working on some projects with the local missionaris and hoping to enjoy the special creations of God. In one of the small towns we will be visiting, they have lots of exotic flowers!

Today, I would love to share with you a project I made on request of my sweet friend 🙂 She asked me to make her a mini wall decor for her home.

First, prepare a piece of watercolor paper. Cut in square 4 x 4 inch. Use a sturdy flat base to keep the paper flat. Use Blue Painter Tape to keep the paper in place when you work.

Then stamp the Exotic Flower Hostess Reward Stamp using VersaMark ink pad, add Ranger White Fine embossing powder, heat set using Craft Heater.

Using Aqua brush, watercolor using Exclusive Inks Stamp Pads: Lagoon, Juniper and Pear.

Fussy cut and use 3D foam tape for each layer.

For the base I cut 1 piece of Black cardstock and 2 pieces of White cardstock for sturdiness. Finish it with a Silver Glitter Gem.

All done 🙂 I would suggest to use the Scotch wall picture that has double sided adhesive to put it on the wall.

I am thinking to make one for me when we come back from the trip 🙂

Thanks for visiting today!

Watercolored Exotic Flower

I have been having fun making with with embossing and watercoloring lately 🙂 They give something more to your handmade card.

This card, I add the watercolor directly to the embossed watercolor paper instead of adding the ink on the craft paper first, then card like I did with this “Batik” background card.

First I add the lightest color starting the outer card, then second color, then third color. My plan was rainbow color, but my card was too small for it 🙂 The size of my card is 3.5″ x 3.5″

Adding the color directly to the card give me more control of how I want to gradient of the color to go, like here I kindda make like circles inward. Hopefully that makes sense. Or if you like you can make look like diagonal, or horizontal, or vertical. Up to you 🙂

Once it dries completely, add the watercolor background paper on a piece of darker cardstock mat. I used a lot of adhesive at the back to make sure it stick good and also help to straighten the watercolor on the card.

On a piece of velum I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment, and then added to the watercolor background. Final step is to add all of them on the card. Again, I covered the whole background of the front panel, just to make sure it stick good 🙂

I love this stamp background! It is very pretty for background stamping from one of the Hostess Reward Stamp sets from Seasonal Expressions Book 2 (April – August 2015). And the sentiment is one of the Thank You set from Seasonal Expressions Book 1 (Dec 2014 – March 2015). Hostess Reward stamp sets are  only can be bought using your Hostess Rewards. How to earn Hostess Reward? Simply host a home gathering party or an online gathering party with me.

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If you are interested in knowing more or want to host a party, please feel free to contact me at any time 🙂

THANKS for visiting today!