I love watercoloring and watercolor techniques! The new Watercolor Shapes stamp set is perfect for doing a little faux watercoloring. By using a Stampin' Spritzer to mist a little water onto an inked stamp, you can kick these watercolor images up a notch to get some fabulous watercolor looks! Check out the video on how to do it and then see all the dimensions and supply lists below. On y go! Let's get stamping.

Here, I stacked five rectangles in five different colors to create a rainbow background for my wild flowers from the Quiet Meadow stamp set.

The stamped image is a piece of 2 1/4" x 3 3/4" Basic White cardstock mounted on a piece of 2 7/16" x 3 15/16" Basic Black cardstock.

I tied a piece of Blushing Bride Bakers twine around the front of this card from the Snail Mail Baker's Twine Combo Pack.

I think this background looks a little like a sunset or a sunrise. What do you think? 

The Basic White cardstock is 2 1/8" x 3 1/2" layered on a piece of Basic Black cardstock which is 2 5/16" x 3 11/16".

​I tied a piece of the new Pale Papaya and white ribbon around this card. 

For this card, I didn't use any water, This is what the stamps will look like when inked and applied directly to the paper. They are designed to have a watercolor look already.

The stamped layer on this card design is 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" layered on a piece of Basic Black cardstock which is 2 11/16" x 3 11/16".

I used a piece of black Baker's Twine from the new Baker's Twine Essentials pack.

For each of these cards, I created the background on Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper and used Granny Apple Green and Pacific Point re-inkers. 

My first sample uses the Forever Fern stamp set and dies. After stamping the leaves in Shaded Spruce and Night of Navy ink, I sent over them with a Water Painter to pull the color through the whole leaf. The Granny Apple Green card base is embossed with the Tasteful Textile 3D embossing folder.

My second sample uses the Rooted in Nature stamp set. I added a few branches at the top with Night of Navy ink. I stamped the greeting with Pacific Point ink and cut it into three pieces. I mounted the pieces to the front with Mini Stampin' Dimensionals. The Pacific Point card front is embossed with the Brick & Mortar 3D embossing folder.

For the last card, I stamped the stripes from the Pattern Play stamp set with Shaded Spruce ink. I attached a piece of Foam Adhesive Sheet to a piece of Granny Apple Green cardstock. I cut the letters using the Playful Alphabet and then adhered the negative image to my card front. The smooshed backgound is mounted on Shaded Spruce and Granny Apple Green cardstocks. 

Have you tried the new Water Painters from Stampin' Up!? These replace the Aqua Painters that we used to carry, are $5 cheaper, include 3 brushes instead of two, and have a wide tip brush. What's not to love?!? You can watch the video below that shows them in more detail and then check out the samples I made with some fun and easy water-colored backgrounds. On y go! Let's get stamping.

For my first sample, I made a wavy background using Petal Pink, Flirty Flamingo, and Melon Mambo inks. Then I added some fruit from the Cute Fruit stamp set, some texture on the background with the Tasteful Textile 3D embossing folder, and a few self-adhesive sequins. (Have I mentioned how much I love those things? Probably a dozen or so times!)

My second sample also uses the Cute Fruit stamp set. I created stripes using the Water Painters and Petal Pink, Melon Mambo, and Coastal Cabana ink. I stamped slices of grapefruit in the background and used the stamps to create what I hope look like slices of grapefruit. The ribbon is Whisper White crinkled Seam binding that I colored with the light Bermuda Bay Stampin' Blend.

My third sample uses the Nothing's Better Than stamp set and coordinating dies. I stamped the cocktails with Jet Black Stazon ink. Then, I stamped the insides with Coastal Cabana on one end and Granny Apple Green on the other. I filled the umbrella with Bermuda Bay and the lime with Granny Apple Green. To add a little shine, I used Shimmery Crystal Effects over the drinks. The greeting is made using the Playful Alphabet dies. I mounted the Granny Apple Green cardstock on a piece of the Foam Adhesive Sheets before cutting the letters.
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For my last sample, I created a fun plaid background using Mango Melody, Pumpkin Pie, and Melon Mambo ink. I added a greeting from the Country Home stamp set and a sunflower and leaves from the Celebrate Sunflowers stamp set. I colored the images with Daffodil Delight, Mango Melody, Old Olive, Crumb Cake, and Soft Suede Stampin' Blends. 

Instead of walking you through the steps on the blog, I have a video to share with you. A few days ago, I shared how to create this amazing card as a Facebook Live in my Catalog Launch Party Group. I also, posted the video to YouTube, where you can pop over and watch it. I apologize for the low quality. I am still working on the best place to video demonstrations, and this spot was clearly not it. 

As you can see, I did a few different variations of this card. Including this one using a larger clear block so that the watercolor background takes up more of the card. 

The Forever Fern set is an awesome set. And wait until you see the match Designer Series Paper! *drool* Plus, this set may contain my new favorite stamp. Can you guess what it is? Leave your guess as a comment below!
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For this technique, I began by embossing the outline stamp from the To a Wild Rose stamp set in either white or gold. (For more directions about embossing, check out this blog post.) 

Then, I used my Whisper White craft ink pad to put some ink on a clear acrylic block. I used the clear block as a palette to do the watercoloring. Using an aqua painter, I picked up some of the white ink and colored in the flowers and leaves.

​If you've never used an aqua painter before, it is like a watercolor brush with a built-in water reservoir. You fill the end with water and then, give it a little squeeze to get the water flowing to the brush tip. You swish your brush in the ink just like you would a watercolor brush. When the ink is gone, you pick up some more. When you're done with a color, wipe the aqua painter on some scrap paper to get the white ink out of the tip. All the fun of watercolor, with a lot less mess. I used to give these to my kids when they were in upper elementary/middle school so I didn't have to worry about them knocking over glasses of water while painting.

Next, I put Gorgeous Grape and Granny Apple Green ink on clear blocks as well. I then scooped up some ink with my aquapainter and colored in the flowers and leaves. I put down more color in the areas that I wanted to be darker, like the centers of the flowers and along the stems of the leaves. 

I let everything dry and then finished off my cards. (Well, I finished off the cards months later.)