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Crafting Cues: Watercolor Powders and a Giveaway!!

8 Sep

Click the image above to visit Ruby’s post!ccues1

Good morning!  I am super excited to be introducing a new collaboration with my very good friend, Ruby, of A Rare Ruby Crafts!  A few months ago we were discussing our mutual love for various stamp companies and sets (#crafthoarders!) and were lamenting that there are a bunch of stamp sets that we both own but never have time to use.  So we thought it might be fun to do a collaboration using the same stamp set to see what we could learn from each other’s creations!  Ruby and I have similar design aesthetics but we usually express them in totally different ways!  We discussed various ideas and ways to collaborate and as the summer went by our original idea evolved into Crafting Cues with Ruby and Jess!  You can find Ruby’s post here!

If you don’t already know Ruby, you definitely should take the time to get to know her!  She’s a fabulous crafter with a heart of gold.  Truly, I have yet to meet a more generous, humble, and supportive crafter in this community!  I admired Ruby’s creations for many months on Instagram and was super excited to finally have a chance to talk to her when I joined the design team for The Ton Stamps…ha ha, she messaged me first, I was way too nervous and shy to talk to her! 😉  Anyway, she’s amazing, innovative, and ridiculously sweet and if you’re not already following her on instagram, facebook, or her blog you should stop reading, go follow her everywhere, and then come back!!

So, as I mentioned, our original idea evolved a bit and we decided to use Brusho watercolor powders for our first post!  Earlier this summer, we both fell in love with the Ken Oliver Color Burst powders but were looking for more colors (ha, or at least I was looking for more variety!) and decided to give the Brushos a try!  After looking at them online we decided to share an order and use a slightly different storage method!  Brushos normally come in a small plastic container and most people poke a hole in the top to shake the powder out.  However, I preferred the storage system of the color burst powders which is a small dropper bottle.  Since we knew we were going to have to divide the powders anyway we decided to tweak the storage system at the same time!  Ruby was kind enough to handle the funneling process and transferred all of the powders into these dropper bottles!

Since we were splitting the powder we used 10ml bottles but I’d recommend getting the 20ml if you’re not splitting them!  I like the dropper bottles because, similarly to the Color Burst powder, I feel like you have a little more control (that’s a relative term, ha!) in where the powder goes and how much comes out!  And just for reference, for those of you who have Color Burst powders, here’s a size comparison:

I labeled each powder and stuck a watercolored swatch on the bottom of the bottle for easy color identification.  My label is upside down on the bottle but that is so that it’s legible when in my storage unit!  I wanted to find something that would hold all of the bottles and this Artbin tray is perfect!  It’s intended for stickles or alcohol ink bottles so it’s a little bigger than my bottles; however they still fit nicely inside and the tray can be folded down and stored inside my Artbin container!!

So, now that you’ve seen how I keep my Brushos, let me show you what I did with them!  I decided to try a few different techniques and this is what I ended up with!

1. Sprinkled Background

My first card shows the most popular technique and probably the one I am most comfortable with!  I started off by stamping the elephant and sentiment from Ella and Friends (Mama Elephant) with versafine before heat-embossing them with clear powder.  I colored my elephant with copics and then covered her with rubber cement.  Once the rubber cement was dry I thoroughly wet the watercolor paper with water and then spritzed on several powders in shades of purple, blue, green, and red!  As soon as the powder hits the water the color immediately spreads.  For this card I simply tilted the paper around to let the colors move and blend.  Because I didn’t use a lot of water (or a paintbrush) you can still see some of the powder crystals…I kinda like the effect they give!

I let that dry naturally and then once it was totally dry I rubbed the rubber cement off of the elephant.  While it was drying I stamped and heat-embossed the little mouse from the same stamp set and cut him out with my Scan N Cut!  I also stamped, colored, and cut that little flower from a Lawn Fawn stamp set.  I die-cut the panel with the reverse scalloped edge and  then adhered the mouse and flower with foam mounting tape.  I added a little crystal embellishment to the center of the flower and then mounted the panel onto a white, scallop edged panel.  That panel was adhered to a dark purple cardstock base to finish the card!

This is a fun technique because you’ll NEVER get the same results twice!  I actually created a few more backgrounds while I was working on this one and I’ll share some of those another time!

2. Swiped Background

For my second card I did a variation of acetate smooshing!  I sprinkled several powders onto my craft sheet, spritzed them with water, and then dragged a piece of glossy cardstock through the wet paint.  It swirled onto the cardstock in very pretty impressionistic patterns.  Because it was glossy cardstock the paint moved very smoothly across the panel so there were no hard lines anywhere on the page.  Once the panel dried I cut it down to a square and then die-cut the Memory Box Heart of Hearts die from a square of dark grey cardstock.  I glued a piece of acetate to the back of the grey cardstock and then filled the shaker with tiny iridescent hearts from The Ton!  I added a border of foam mounting tape and then closed up my shaker!

IMG_5159For visual interest I left a tiny border of the glossy cardstock visible around the edge of the shaker.  The sentiment was stamped in black and white pigment inks and heat-embossed in clear powder.  Finally I adhered the shaker to the white card base!  This was a fairly busy background and I like how the die-cut allows you to just see peeks of the watercolor background!  Of all the cards this was probably my least favorite but I’m not quite sure why…just didn’t grab me like the others did…

3.  Acetate Smooshing

If you’re a regular reader you’re used to seeing acetate smooshing around here and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try it with the Brushos!  This is also the card I made specifically with Ruby in mind!  For this background I started off by sprinkling various powders onto my craft mat and spritzing them thoroughly with water.  I wanted a softer background without visible crystals so I added a lot of water to the powders so they would dissolve completely.  I also decided to sprinkle in a little Pearl EX micropearl powder for a little more shimmer!  Once everything was totally dissolved I used a piece of acetate to transfer the paint to my watercolor paper.  I did a couple smooshes and then dried it with my heat gun.  I did this several times until I was happy with the coverage.

Once that was dry I stamped the Etched Flower background stamp from My Favorite Things with versafine and heat-embossed it with clear powder.  At the same time I also stamped and heat-embossed the sentiment from Altenew’s Label Love. I die-cut a stitched rectangle out of vellum and adhered it to the card front with vellum tape.  Next I swirled pink and silver thread on to the vellum and then adhered the fussy cut sentiment with foam mounting tape.  To finish the card I added a sprinkling of Glass Slippers sequins from The Ton and mounted the watercolor panel to a black cardstock base!  I really like how the Brusho background turned out on this card, especially with that gorgeous background stamp!  In fact I liked it so much that I used a similar idea and the same stamp for my next card!

4. Brush Blended Background

Of course there had to be another shaker! 😉  I wanted this card to be slightly darker than the previous card so I used darker shades and a little less water!  I thought about doing acetate smooshing again but then decided to try a different technique (just for the sake of experimentation)…so for this card I simply taped my watercolor paper down to my work surface and used a large paintbrush to paint the colors onto the dry paper.  Once the colors were dry I added a wash of Pearl Ex micropearl powder dissolved in water for a soft all-over shimmer.  Then I made a mistake…I was intending to heat-emboss the stamp in white embossing powder for a different look but I accidentally grabbed the clear powder and didn’t realize my mistake until I was in the process of heating the powder.  I thought about a tone on tone look and then decided it wouldn’t really stand out.  I was about to throw out the panel when I remembered the Joseph’s Coat technique!  If you’ve never done this…it’s a really fun technique to try!  I temporarily adhered my panel to my work surface and then smeared a Memento tuxedo black ink pad ALL across my background until it was totally covering the unembossed sections of my paper.  At this point the embossed sections will be pretty dreary looking, too but don’t despair!  Just take a dry paper towel and rub it over the panel…it won’t lift the ink off the paper but it will clean the ink off of the embossing!

Isn’t that a pretty look?!  And so different from the previous card!  It totally changes the effect of that stamp!!  Anyway, I die-cut a stitched frame and filled it with sequins and beads from The Ton to create my shaker.  I adhered that shaker directly to my card but left a border for more of that stamp to peek through!  I added a few cardstock frames behind the shaker and then die-cut the sentiment from Paper Smooches twice and adhered that to the front of the shaker to complete the card!

5.  Watercolor Painting with a Spritzed Watercolor Background

Okay, so I went back and forth about posting this card but finally decided to just go for it!  So please don’t laugh…this is my very first attempt at freehand watercoloring anything.

I recently bought that CAS-ual Fridays stamp set from Ruby’s destash sale and I knew I wanted to use it but I wasn’t quite sure how.  Then yesterday I flipping through the TV channels and stopped briefly on a show about jellyfish (random, I know…).  But there was a short clip of a jellyfish languidly drifting through the water and I immediately thought of that sentiment.  Ha ha, maybe it’s just me…it’s probably just me…but I couldn’t get it out of my head.  I have a jellyfish stamp that I love but it seemed too whimsical for the sentiment…so I decided to try painting!

I won’t go into all the details but basically I created a palette of purples and reds and one blue by sprinkling the powder onto my craft sheet and spritzing it with water.  I used a tiny paintbrush and just added lots of layers drying it with my heat gun between each color.  I also added a little bit of gold with my Finetec palette which really is probably my favorite part!  Once that was completely dry I covered it with rubber cement to mask and protect it while I worked on the background.  For the background I sprinkled on blue powder and then tilted my work surface before spritzing it with water so that the paint would run along the sides of the jellyfish.  I used a lot of water and did a little blending with my paintbrush so the background would be a little softer.  Then I added flecks of different colors and few sprinkles of powder for interest and depth.  I finished the background with a few spritzes of Hero Arts silver shimmer spray!  I let the whole panel dry and then rubbed off the rubber cement on my jellyfish.  I stamped the sentiment with versamark and heat-embossed it with silver powder before adhering the panel to a dark blue cardstock base.

I am happy that I made myself try a new technique but man was it stressful!  Ha ha…it’ll be awhile before I attempt that again!

Giveaway

Ha ha, you made it to the end (or you scrolled down to the bottom…ahem) and because you took the time to visit our blogs and read our super long posts, we are offering one lucky random commenter a $20 gift card to Jerry’s Artarama since they carry the Brusho Crystal Colours. If you’re a new customer, you can sign up for an extra 25% off coupon (free shipping on orders over $59!). The only requirement is that you leave a comment on both Ruby’s and my blog post to qualify to win.  We’d love feedback…what would you like to see us use?!  This first post was definitely a bit overambitious but we promise to work on that for next time. 🙂 We just get really excited….ha.  Thanks so much for visiting! We love you, too!

Supplies

Interested in the products I used?  To make them easy for you to find, I have listed them below. (Affiliate disclosure can be found here). Your purchases help keep my blog running and I thank you for the support!

Brusho Crystal Colours Set Of 24
Brusho Crystal Colours Set Of 8
AngelaKerry Dropper Bottle Squeezable LDPE Childproof Cap Liquid Ejuice Empty Wholesale Tip Multicol
C&T Publishing Art Bin Super Satchel Glitter Glue Tray, 12.25 by 6-Inch, Holds 32 Bottles
ArtBin Satchel Translucent Bottle Storage Tray, Clear
Fabriano Studio Watercolor Pad 9X12 HP 300G
Fabriano Studio WC Pad 9X12 HP 300G 50 Shts
Grafix Clear .005 Dura-Lar Film, 9-Inch by 12-Inch, 25 Sheets
Strathmore 598030 20-Sheet Strathmore Inkjet Translucent Vellum, 8.5 by 11-Inch
Brother Sewing ScanNCut Cutting Machine Draw CM250
Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White 80# Cover 8.5
3M Scotch 1/2-Inch by 36-Yard Double-Sided Foam Tape
Tsukineko Full-Size Memento Fade Resistant Inkpad, Tuxedo Black
Inkadinkado Embossing Magic
Finetec gold palette
Ranger Embossing Powder, 1-Ounce Jar, Super Fine Silver
Ranger Embossing Powder, 0.56-Ounce Jar, Super Fine Clear
Tsukineko Full-Size VersaFine Instant Dry Pigment Ink, Onyx Black
Tsukineko Full-Size VersaMark Pigment Inkpad, Clear
Ranger Multi Medium Bottle, 0.5-Ounce, Matte
Lawn Fawn 3.5
Aqualon Royal and Langnickel Short Handle Paint Brush Set, Detail, 10-Piece
Aqualon Royal and Langnickel Short Handle Paint Brush Set, Variety, 5-Piece
Aqualon Royal and Langnickel Short Handle Paint Brush Set, Round, 6-Piece
Elmer’s No-Wrinkle Rubber Cement, 8 Ounces, Clear (231)
Ranger 15-Inch-by-18-Inch Inkssentials Craft Sheet
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer, 2 oz
Jacquard Pearl EX Powder Pigments (32-Color Set)
Hero Arts Silver Shimmer Spray
MISTI
Mama Elephant Creative Cuts, Femme Frames
AllyDrew Crystal Diamond Sticker 3mm Adhesive Rhinestones, 1000 pieces, Silver
Gilding
Coats Thread & Zippers Cotton Covered Quilting and Piecing Thread, 250-Yard, Hot Pink
DMC 283Z Metallic Embroidery Thread, 43.7-Yard, Light Silver
Glass Slippers Sparkling Clear Sequins
CAS-ual Fridays Sands of Time
Mama Elephant Clear Stamps, Ella & Friends
Mini Hearts – Holo Clear
Memory Box (1-Pack) Memory Box Die Heart Of Hearts MB98781
Large Peony 1
Altenew Clear Stamps, Label Love
Stitched Mats: Rectangles
MFT Etched Flower BG
Hello Words Dies
InLinkz.com


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Comments:
54 Comments
Categories:
card-making, crafting, crafting cues
Tags:
altenew, brushos, cas-ual friday stamps, crafting cues, hero arts, lawn fawn, mama elephant, paper smooches, shaker

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Comments

  1. Nana says

    September 8, 2015 at 2:41 pm

    I love backgrounds and enjoyed seeing how you used the powders. Looking forward to visiting Ruby’s blog.

    Reply
  2. Elle H says

    September 8, 2015 at 2:52 pm

    Love, Love, Love all of your beautiful masterpieces!!!! So very happy that you included the jellyfish one…….it is gorgeous!!!! Can’t wait to see more of your collaborations!! You are so very talented:)

    Reply
  3. Maggie B says

    September 8, 2015 at 3:29 pm

    Hi Jessica ~ You’ve chosen someone incredibly talented to team up with….way to go!!! I am a sucker for elephants AND shaker cards and love both of these. Not sure why the heart shaker doesn’t speak to you…..I love it (but I guess that’s what makes the world a better place…..we all love different things). All of your cards are spectacular!!!!

    Reply
  4. Taunya Butler says

    September 8, 2015 at 4:06 pm

    Jessica – FIRST OF ALL – HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Your card is going in the mail today – a little later than I wanted it too – but so life goes sometimes!!! Anyways, I am amazed, inspired and overwhelmed with AWE at what you have created – shows SO MUCH TALENT!!!! Love this and both you and Ruby delight me!!!! THANKS for this awesome post!!!

    Reply
  5. Sue D says

    September 8, 2015 at 5:34 pm

    Wonderful cards. thanks for showing so many techniques with these powders.

    Reply
  6. Jill says

    September 8, 2015 at 5:48 pm

    Beautiful cards!! Especially love the jellyfish one..searched through your supply list but can’t figure out where the sentiment came from..could you please share the maker?? Thanks!! Jill

    Reply
  7. karenladd says

    September 8, 2015 at 6:46 pm

    I have only recently discovered Brusho’s and am loving all the ways you used them! My favorites are the elephant card, and the amazing Joseph’s Coat technique that you used on the shaker card!! I follow your blog and Ruby’s already and can’t wait to check out her projects!

    Reply
  8. Amber Milone says

    September 8, 2015 at 6:55 pm

    i love your cards so much! They are beautiful with all those colors. I really like how you showed all the different ways to use a single product. Best of luck with your new venture!

    Reply
  9. Sarah G says

    September 9, 2015 at 2:20 am

    So glad you both featured brushes for this post as I keep hearing about them but it is great to see them showcased like this! Your cards are amazing. Love how you have got really interesting but gentle looks with the brushos which enhance the design and don’t overwhelm the stamped images. Can’t wait to see your next collaboration with Ruby!

    Reply
  10. Rosali says

    September 9, 2015 at 4:42 am

    What a fun collaboration! And I love both of your work! 🙂
    That watercolor painting is amazing, Jessica!

    Reply
  11. Shari Arbogast says

    September 9, 2015 at 5:47 am

    Gorgeous cards! Love that you put brushos in a bottle. I have been thinking about getting some myself; but since I have only played with the color burst a few times, since I bought them, I decided to hold off a bit until my craft room is finished. Thanks so much for all the wonderful ideas. I can’t wait to play more.

    Reply
  12. Kay says

    September 9, 2015 at 7:07 am

    I am loving these brushos watercolor powders. Have thought about buying them recently and after seeing what you were able to do my mind is made up. Such lovely and fun cards you made.
    Awesome giveaway too. I am bookmarking your site so I can come back often!

    Reply
  13. Jennifer says

    September 9, 2015 at 9:52 am

    Wow, I guess you are excited, amazing post! I love to see new techniques the most and ways to stretch all of our supplies!! Thanks!!

    Reply
  14. Karen A says

    September 9, 2015 at 10:04 am

    Your jellyfish card was truly beautiful! Thanks so much for trying that and explaining it all!

    Reply
  15. Lee Cockrum says

    September 9, 2015 at 11:32 am

    The jellyfish card is amazing!!! Definitely worth framing!!!

    Reply
  16. Lisaerica says

    September 10, 2015 at 6:06 am

    Jess, I actually love all the cards, as always you put your magic little touch on them. They all have such a different look. Well If I had to pick one it’s the Jelly, is whimsical, even though I hate the darn things. I live down the jersey shore and for some reason they like my little man and get him ever year, arrrrr! I love both you and Ruby’s work, you make a dynamite duo! Happy Belated birthday.

    Reply
  17. ann says

    September 11, 2015 at 3:51 am

    Super cards love the colours that you use

    Reply
  18. Effie says

    September 11, 2015 at 10:26 am

    So much beautiful inspiration here! I need some brushos now!!

    Reply
  19. Kristie G. says

    September 11, 2015 at 12:43 pm

    Awesome cards, Jess!!! Love them all.

    Reply
  20. Liz Sarkisyan says

    September 11, 2015 at 9:24 pm

    First off Happy Birthday although I’m a little late! I wanted to say that I think this collaboration both you and Ruby did is awesome and love all of the beautiful cards you both made using the brusho. Fabulous backgrounds and just amazing cards.

    Reply
  21. Darnell says

    September 12, 2015 at 4:57 pm

    How lovely that you and Ruby are doing this collaboration! Your Brusho cards are marvelous, Jess!! I enjoyed the long post and I learned a lot! And I’m liking that bottle storage! Hugs, Darnell (Oh, please don’t include me in the generous giveaway. As Ruby knows I already have product (a lot of it NBUS!) bursting at the seams of my Playhouse so I’d rather have someone else win! xxoo)

    Reply
  22. Mary-Anne V. says

    September 12, 2015 at 11:48 pm

    Really pretty effects you created with these powders…love all the things you can do with it.

    Reply
  23. D.Ann C says

    September 13, 2015 at 10:49 am

    These colors are AMAZING and I love all the different techniques you showed with ’em!

    Reply
  24. Kim P says

    September 13, 2015 at 7:13 pm

    I have some of the Ken Oliver Colrbursts but REALLY want more colors. The jelly fish card is my favorite, the sentiment is perfect for it. Your water coloring is lovely too

    Reply
  25. Sandra F says

    September 13, 2015 at 7:46 pm

    Love this collaboration between you and Ruby..Happy Birthday! Love all of the cards and your different perspectives. …I think we will like anything you guys come up with…

    Reply
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Hi, I'm Jess! Thanks for visiting my blog where I share my adventures in cardmaking and papercrafting! I hope I can inspire you to craft with a little extra sparkle!

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I design for several companies because I truly love their products! Anything I recommend on my blog is something that I genuinely love and regularly use. I do not get paid for product reviews and I will never recommend a product that I do not like or would not use.

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