Technique Time - Watercolor with a waterbrush

Watercolor Techniques with a Waterbrush

We have a special treat in store today! Our Creative Arts Manager, Karen Pedersen, is showing us a few creative and easy watercolor techniques using our small round and medium roundwaterbrushes!

Unlike a traditional paintbrush, the handle of a waterbrush is made up of a water reservoir, eliminating the need for a water cup. The light colored bristles allow the painter to easily determine their color load and paint concentration, and the included cap protects the bristles and brush head while also sealing the water inside.

If you are accustomed to using traditional paintbrushes, you will notice that controlling a waterbrush is quite different. With a little practice, however, you too will find your groove and discovery why we love them!

Follow along with Karen, below, and pick up a few tips and tricks for making a waterbrush work for you!

Here’s a closer look at the artwork examples from the video:

The first watercolor technique you saw teaches how to create a colorful background like the one on this page. Using a medium round waterbrush, lay down watercolor paint onto an all-purpose mat. Then, lay the paper you want to add the color to facedown onto the paint and allow it to soak up for a few seconds. Turn your paper right side up and let it dry before continuing with your project.

If you look closely, you’ll see that in this Welcome card, we have two different watercolor techniques to talk through. The first, is the stenciled background. Using a stencil we created out of a stencil sheet and a Cricut® shape, we were able to paint a beautiful watercolor textured background with a medium round waterbrush. The second technique Karen talks through is how to achieve the detail and color variation seen in the plants of this card using the small round waterbrush.

The last technique we share can easily make any of us look like watercolor experts! Instead of ink, add watercolor paint to a raised stamp and use it to create the image on your artwork! Look how beautiful those leaves turned out on this card! Make sure not to add too much water to avoid ending up with a blobby image. (In the video above, Karen shows you how!)

Happy painting!

Shop my website to find your supplies

Mystery Hostess rewards for July orders

Have you had a chance to check out the new fun products for July and August from Close To My Heart?  

Grab your favorite beverage and take a few minutes 

to browse the new idea book here.

I am offering the hostess rewards for the orders this month 

to one lucky mystery hostess.

For every $25 worth of product you order, your name goes into the drawing -- so a $50 order puts your name in twice 

(and and makes you eligible for the stamp of the month for only $5)  

$75 - 3 chances and so on.  

So far, the rewards are up to $40 and 1 half price item, 

but we're close to $60 of free product, 

so place your order by July 31 and get your name into the drawing. 

If I have internet connection while in the northwoods, I will announce the mystery hostess winner on August 1.   If not, I will be able to connect on August 2, 

and will do it then.  GOOD LUCK!

 Here are a few of my favorites!

Joyful Sunflower

Treasured Memories

Gnome Matter 

This one is so popular that only the stamp set is available now; however the 

combo set including the stamp set and thin cuts will be available in August.

Timber 

Summer Vibes

And there is so much more -- even some Disney inspired papers and stamps.

And then don't forget, there's always a stamp of the month.

Here's the one for July.

For My Beautiful Friend

So place your order on my website by midnight July 31 and have your name added 

to the mystery hostess drawing.

What's new for July and August at Close To My Heart?

New idea book for July and August

visit my website to take a walk through this new catalog fun summer, masculine, and Disney-inspired paper packs and stamps are featured Two exclusive stamp sets now available for individual purchase It has been a few months since the My Acrylix Forever Grateful and Through Thick and Thin stamp sets made their debut as part of our National Scrapbooking Day event. Ever since their first offering, they have only been available as part of the project bundles for that event, but, due to popular demand, we have now made these two popular sets available for individual purchase! The Forever Grateful stamp set features icons and phrases designed to express appreciation for the essential workers in your community. The Through Thick and Thin stamp set features icons and phrases designed to help spread messages of good cheer and add more positive feelings to our memories of these difficult times. As the world continues to slowly recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, we are continuing to provide these and other items to help crafters everywhere capture the realities we have been facing together. Stay safe and keep crafting! See more stamp sets

July Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - For My Beautiful Friend

Welcome!

Glad you could join us today!  A blog hop is just one big loop of fun and creative ideas. So if you're joining me here, grab your beverage of choice, and sit back ready to be inspired by creative ideas for using this new Close To My Heart stamp of the month.  If you are coming here from Becca's blog , you are on the right path.  At the end of this post you will see a link to Krista's blog for you to continue following the hop.  

The stamp of the month, For My Beautiful Friend, is a set of 20 stamps that will be wonderful for designing cards, tags, bookmarks, or scrapbook page embellishments.  As you go through this hop, you'll see lots of creative and fun ideas for using this stamp set.  

I belong to a group of card makers who come together once a month the share different materials, techniques, or tools to use in designing cards.  We were finally able to get together in person with social distancing by setting up tables in a big square in my garage.  Where there's a will, there's a way!   Prior to that we were meeting on Zoom and sending each other packets in the mail.  

One of my friends brought a wreath builder tool to last month's meeting, so I decided to try the stamps from this set to create 3 of the 4 cards I made using this set.  For coloring the flowers I used the Tri-Blend Alcohol Markers.  

Welcome to my garden and fairy gardens to see my cards today.

 For my last card I used the CTMH Multi Square Windows Thin Cuts 

as my tool for designing.

The For My Beautiful Friend stamp of the month set is available only through the 

month of July.  After seeing all the great ideas in this blog hop, you're going to 

want to add this to your stamp collection.

You can purchase this set for $18.95, or get it for only $5 with a qualifying order of $50 (US) through your Close To My Heart consultant or find it here .

Thanks for stopping by today. 

Join me as we hop on to see the creative ideas using this stamp set on

Krista's Crafty Corner

Be sure to visit the other consultants who have joined in on this

 blog hop for lots of inspiration. If for some reason you get lost along the way, you can find the entire list of participating consultants on Melinda's blog to get back on track.

Combination blog hop - Father's Day/Let's Stay Home

Glad you could join us today!  

Welcome to our combination FATHER'S DAY - LET'S STAY HOME blog hop.

A blog hop is just one big loop of fun and creative ideas. So if you're joining me here, grab your beverage of choice, and sit back ready to be inspired by creative ideas for using all the new Close To My Heart Father's Day and  Corona Virus Inspired Specials.  If you are coming from Brandi's blog, you are on the right path.  At the end of this post you will see a link to Krista"s blog for you to continue following the hop.   

Here are links to see the various products you may see featured in this hop:

Legendary Father's Day - see three stamp sets

Let's Stay Home   - see three stamp sets and 3 SVG files

For my project I am featuring the Let's Stay Home Stamp set in a 2 page 

scrapbook layout for my grandson's scrapbook.  

(You can click on the pictures to get a closer view.)

Here's a closer view of some of the stamping and coloring I did.   I stamped the houses with CTMH intense black ink and colored them in with the Tri-color Spectrum markers.

Another detail shot - lots to journal about this historic time in his life.  

We talked about how life changed for him when we met each day for an online visit.

After seeing all the great ideas in this blog hop, hopefully you'll be inspired for some of your own projects.  All these products are available through your Close To My Heart consultant or find them in these links.

Legendary Father's Day - see three stamp sets

Let's Stay Home   - see three stamp sets and 3 SVG files

Thanks for stopping by today.  

Join me as we hop on to see the creative ideas on 

 Krista's blog

Be sure to visit the other consultants who have joined in on this

 blog hop for lots of inspiration.  If for some reason you get lost along the way, you can find the entire list of participating consultants on Melinda's blog to get back on track.

June Stamp of the Month blog hop - Garden Tags

Welcome!

Glad you could join us today!  A blog hop is just one big loop of fun and creative ideas. So if you're joining me here, grab your beverage of choice, and sit back ready to be inspired by creative ideas for using this new Close To My Heart stamp of the month.  If you are coming here from Lauren's blog , you are on the right path.  At the end of this post you will see a link to Miss Carrie's blog for you to continue following the hop.  

The stamp of the month, Garden Tags, is a set of 8 stamps that will be wonderful for designing cards, tags, bookmarks, or scrapbook page embellishments.  As you go through this hop, you'll see lots of creative and fun ideas for using this stamp set.  

The Garden Tags set is available only through the month of June.  After seeing all the great ideas in this blog hop, you're going to want to add this to your stamp collection.  You can purchase this set for $18.95, or get it for only $5 with a qualifying order of $50 (US) through your Close To My Heart consultant or find it here .

For my project I made several cards using a design I found on pinterest.  Some people call it a bare midriff card, others call it a split middle card.

The verse on this card is from C1835 -Sentiments and Stitches.

The yellow enamel dot is actually a white enamel dot 

that I colored with a Tri-Blend marker.

Just wanted you to see how the card looks standing.

The sentiment on this card is from D1920 You Make Me Happy.
The shimmer on the dragon fly doesn't show,
but I used a clear shimmer brush over the coloring I
did with the the Trip-Blend markers.  To get the glitter gems to
match, I again colored them with a Tri-Blend marker.

The sentiment is from D1920.
To get the color of twine I wanted for this, I used Mink twine
and colored it by rubbing it across a Peacock ink pad.

Thanks for stopping by today. 

Join me as we hop on to see the creative ideas using this stamp set on

Miss Carrie's Creations

Be sure to visit the other consultants who have joined in on this

 blog hop for lots of inspiration. If for some reason you get lost along the way, you can find the entire list of participating consultants on Melinda's blog to get back on track.

CTMH Special Sale - Memorial Day Weekend - up to 30% off

As a special treat for Memorial Day, CTMH is celebrating 

with a special sale! 

Find great deals up to 30% off on select items in this online only sale while supplies last.

What a great opportunity to prepare for a 

new season of crafting. 

The sale will begin on Friday, May 22, at 4:00 pm (CDT) and will end at 11:59 pm on Monday, May 25.

Shop my website - click on the promotions tab.

While you're there, don't forget to check the online 

only and clearance tabs.  

Wishing you a bright, safe, and healthy holiday weekend.