Cards don't need to be complex to bring joy. Sometimes simple is just enough. This is a great budget friendly design that looks just fab every time. 

I had a dilemma last night when my big shot die cutting machine broke and i could not finish all the die cuts i needed for my cards i was making. After pulling it apart twice i knew it was time to replace it. I have my eye on the new Stampin Up® Die Cut Machine available in August so i have a bit to wait. I might be lucky and hubby will do a temp fix on my current machine but who knows how long i have to wait for parts. Any way side tracked... This led me to imagining a whole new design with no dies. 

Last week i received my first ink pads, i was so excited to order the new in colours for 2020, yet I've never stamped anything other then black in my life so i thought i needed a cheat way to make all these work well together for an amateur. I remember seeing a YouTube video on an alternative way to do water colours so i thought id give it a try. Please I would love to see others results so try this yourself and share the pictures with me, may just spark more inspiration as no 2 cards are alike in this design. 

All you need to start is a few ink colours (pads or refills), try grab a few colours that compliment each other but also don't be afraid to add a little difference. You also need White Card Stock, i used whisper white as its got a real crisp finish, and a water painter. If you don't have a water painter just yet you can use a paintbrush and cup of water, you will just need to be careful between colours ( ill explain shortly). Oh and last but not least a piece of plastic, you can use a plastic sleeve or a piece of laminated card stock, i keep one just for this project now. 

Take your plastic piece and place on your work space, using your ink pads press the side only, so a thin line appears on your plastic, press down lightly. Don't use to much ink unless you want a very dark look. Continue to do this approx an inch apart with each colour, use approx 4-5 colours. now using your water painter squeeze enough water just to wet brush and blend the colour till it nearly touches the next line. To remove this colour from your brush just squeeze some water and wipe on a cloth or wipe till wipes clear. You can then repeat this process all the way along. If your using a paint brush make sure its not too wet as to soak the paper. 

If you like to blend colours over the top to create new colours this is also possible with this technique. When using paintbrushes make sure to wash brush between each colour thoroughly. Adding more water will make the colour run more, but remember you don't want to soak the plastic as this makes it very hard when transferring to white card stock. Once you have the desired look quickly place your card stock onto the ink and press down firmly remembering not to move the card stock around as this will continue to move the ink. 

Lift the card stock off after approximate 10 secs of pressing and place somewhere to dry. Now remember every piece looks different and if your  not happy with this one try again with less or more water, less or more ink. If your using ink refills just add a few drops onto plastic instead of lines and if you want a completely different look pop you water into a spritz bottle and spray the ink as it moves around the plastic. For a bit of glitz you can use the shimmer paint in some water also. 
Now once your card stock has dried it wont be flat, don't panic! Just stick down to your desired base with your stampin' seal or double sided tape and it will stay down flat. Member you can do anything with this now, use it as a back drop for a more intricate design or let it be the hero and just stamp your sentiment straight on like i have above. The main thing to remember is this is a time to relax, enjoy yourself and just let those creative juices happen! Happy crafting everyone. 
Change is as good as a holiday!

Well my life has been full of changes this year! We uprooted the family and moved 400km across NSW to the freezing Central West. Along with a move we changed the careers in our family which allows my husband and I to finally put our crafting hat on and find something in common we both enjoy. Still different fields of craft but I'm sure they will soon join. 

My love of craft landed with me joining Stampin Up this week as i'd tried allot of cardmaking/scrapbooking products but their quality was far superior. After making just a few cards I joined a great friend of mine in creating our Facebook Page Love by Craft to share all our products with the world. Below is my first ever Set of Cards I sold (not Stampin Up Products) I was pretty happy with them :)


So my first ever Order is coming in the mail from Stampin up and I'm so excited! I'll probably upload my first ever Youtube Unboxing, if I get up the nerve. I was grateful to join this month as I got $340 worth of product for $169 and free delivery! If you want to know how I'm happy to show you!

Anyway I think that's it from me today, I'll touch base in a few days with the new products and maybe even a card I've made from it all ;)