Hello everyone,  today I'm sharing a very simple Christmas card made using Winter Flowers stamp set and by Simon Says Stamp and Scripty Let's Celebrate wafer die by Simon Says Stamp.

I love those poinsettias and leaves with stitched patterns around the petals!


To colour the images I used gouache on black mixed media paper. This is an easy way to create an artistic looking composition!

Watch 3- minutes video to see how I did it

The Cardmaking Process 

• I first heat embossed the images using gold embossing powder.
• Then, I applied two layers of gouache over each image. There is nothing fancy regarding colour application, I  just covered the images with the paint.
• Allow each coat to dry before applying the next.

Note: You can use any gouache paint you might have.  I used  5 colours of Arteza gouache: a bright Red, a dark red, yellow, green and white.

• Once I finished painting and the paint was dry I wiped the excess of gouache over the heat embossed lines with a dry kitchen towel you can also use a dry cloth.
• Then,  I splattered the panel with  White Gold and  Champagne Gold from the Zig Kuretake Gansai Tambi  Starry colours set. 
•  I also applied strokes of gold metallic watercolour paint over the images to add shine.  
• To make the golden sentiment, I  painted a piece of black mixed media paper using White Gold metallic watercolour paint to then die cut it using Scripty Let's Celebrate wafer die.
• I adhere the sentiment to the panel using Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive.
• I completed the sentiment using a banner I made using a glimmer hot foil plate by Spellbinders... You can see the video to see how I made the hot foiled banner here.
• To embellish I used Morning Dew Nuvo Drops and Nuvo Crystal Glaze.

Gouache what is it?

Gouache is a chalky water-soluble paint very similar to watercolour paints but a lot more opaque ( or less transparent)  so that the paper won't show through the paint when it hasn't been diluted with water.

For that reason, this paint is ideal to apply colour on dark paper or canvas.

What you can do with Gouache?

• The paint will always activate with water or with any other water-based product so you might need to use a sealer to protect your finished artwork but this is not 100% necessary.
• The application is easy and you can cover the images with one coat of paint, I try not to apply more than 3 washes.
• You can achieve transparencies by diluting the gouache with plenty of water.
• Mix gouache paint with any other water-based mediums.
• Blend colours to create new shades.
• Use colored pencils over images coloured with gouache to add detail.
• Overlap paint colours to add contrast and interest.

Gouache Tips

• Apply a light wash of colour over the image. Allow to dry and apply other colours over.
• Use a natural hairbrush or a soft brush to apply this paint.
• To work on dark paper I would recommend mixing the gouache with very little water to keep the opacity of the paint.

Supplies List 

Just a note to let you know that when you buy through the links in my blog  I get a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

Gouache paints are a mix of watercolour and acrylic paint and it is a very... very opaque so you can apply layers and layers of paint and every layer will cover completely the previous one. This means that  with very little effort you will be able to add colour to stamped images

As I mentioned in a previous blog post using Gouache... Just to make a comparison so you could understand a bit more about  Gouache characteristic: Gouache is to watercolour paints what Distress oxides are to traditional Distress inks...  can you imagine how cool is that? PLOP

What do you think? do you like the paint colours and the look and feel of this card?

That's all for today! 

Thanks for stopping by and thanks in advance for your comments.  I love to read them and to know what do you think.

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Supplies 

Just a note to let you know that when you buy through the links below  I get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support. 

Hello everyone,  we are celebrating a new Honey Bee Stamps Release with a blog hop - giveaway filled with ideas and inspiration to use the new goodies.

Click here to complete release!! 

For today, I used the beautiful floral stamps from the new Spring Blossom Stamp Set and sentiments from "Friends Like You"  and  "Mr and Mrs"  stamp sets and I also used a bird from Snow Birds Stamp set.
 I  also got a new obsession for  Gouache which is a mix of watercolour and acrylic paint and it is a very... very opaque.




Ok, these 2 cards were my first attempts to use Gouache paint ever.

In spite of trying my best to follow the amazing Deanna Maree free online course here  I totally lose concentration and did my own thing.   I'm not sure when I could colour birds like she does, perhaps never,  but I'll give it a try, she is an awesome inspiration and I do know my first bird coloured with Gouache  is looking a bit weird! Nooo, but at least my hubby said it looks like a robbin lol ... I'll get there.




I really think that even if you are not an expert painter or watercolourist you can still use supplies like this to create very unique cards... just like I did today :)  I'll keep experimenting with the paints and see where they lead me.

oh! and as Gouache is opaque works amazingly on coloured cardstock, dark cardstock.


Blog Hop Day 2 

Amy Rysavy  
Bibiana Cameron You are here!
Brenda Noelke  
Carol Hintermeier 
Emily Midgett
Galina Filippenko
Ilda Dias 
Kaja Vezensek
Kelly Latevola 
Kelley & Emily K. 
Melissa Bickford  
Nichol Spohr