Hi everyone, today I have three Valentine’s day cards for you and one of them does not have any pink / red colors on it!
All of these follow a simple but interesting technique of heat embossing an image and then watercoloring on top to add interesting effect.
To make all these cards, I used watercolor panels which are slightly smaller than the standard size card front. I used Strathmore watercolor paper for these panels and die cut each of them out using the largest Stitched rectangle dies by Simon Says Stamp.
For watercoloring, I simply pressed a mini distress ink pad directly onto some acrylic blocks and picked up color using my waterbrush. I alternated working on these three panels to let each color layer settle before I went back again and added some more color or some more water to them. I wanted to add some color splatters too, but chickened out this time. Will definitely try on a card soon :-)
Card 1
On one of the watercolor panels, I heat embossed a large heart image from the Music 2 My Ears stamp set by Simon Says Stamp. I used Wow Silver embossing powder. I wanted to make it in non-traditional Valentine’s day colors, so gave it a wash of Cracked Pistachio and Mermaid Lagoon distress inks. I also added a sentiment from Label Love stamp set by Simon Says Stamp with the same silver embossing powder.
Next I punched out some small flowers and leaves using my old craft punches*. I layered two of the flower cut outs to make one flower and adhered a sequin in their center.
I added score lines around the sentiment banner on this card and also on the watercolor panel itself to give it added interest. I finished by assembling everything and mounting on a card base.
Card 2
I used the same heart stamp as above and heat embossed it with Martha Stewart antique gold embossing powder. Then I laid down a rainbow of colors with Mermaid Lagoon, Cracked Pistachio, Fossilized Amber and Abandoned Coral.
In place of sentiment + embellishment, I used a couple borders. The sentiment one is from Martha Stewart and the other one is something I got from India a while ago. Both these were mounted using some foam tape and then the panel itself was mounted on a black card base. I chose black to highlight and ground rest of the colors on the card on this one.
Card 3
For this one, I heat embossed the large heart image from I See You Stamp Set again by Simon Says Stamp (SSS) using opaque white embossing powder from Zing. Then I gave it a wash of Fossilized Amber and Abandoned Coral.
I also stamped a sentiment on vellum using SSS black ink and heat set it. I didn’t need to heat set it, but I tend to ruin sentiments by accidentally touching them while they are wet, so this step was me being cautious! :-) This sentiment also came from Love Labels stamp set by SSS.
Matching flowers with a tiny gem in the center and some delicate leaves accentuated the feminine look of this card. I used the same punches as above. For finishing touches, I added a strip of paper from My Story paper pad by My Minds Eye. This strip also helped me conceal the adhesive on the side of my vellum sentiment flag. To finish, I mounted it the panel on a black card base.
There you have it. Three cards using same technique but have a significantly different look. Hope you liked these cards and give this technique a try.
Supplies List
For your convenience, I am sharing links to the supplies I’ve used for these cards – click on the picture or link to go directly to the product. Wherever available, I have used affiliate links, which means when you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support!
*I have got so much use out of these craft punches that I totally recommend them. If you plan to create cards with kids, they can be your go-to option because they are so easy to use for kids. I could not find the exact same ones I used, but in the supplies section, I am linking to similar ones I found on Amazon. Do give them a try!
Thanks for dropping by,
xoxo, ~Varada
