Butterfly Rainbows

Its getting close to my One Year Anniversary for my blog and I cant believe how many wonderful people I have met. I will have to do something to celebrate but that will be mid April so will talk more about that later, like in a few weeks :)

Still learning to get this blog to work properly and spent yesterday getting it to show a link to my Pinterest page but couldn't work out how to add the button that gets the Pin to show up when you hover over the photo.
After trying and reading for a couple of hours I gave up and deleted the Pinterest link as my photos aren't all up in Pinterest cause I don't know how to add, any help welcome. Preferably in the Dummies Version.


Now onto the cards. I have two in this post and will enter in some challenges. I wanted to do a comparison with some watercolour papers and mediums.

I wanted to do some cards with Spring in mind, rainbows and butterflies. Both cards have been done using the Hero Art Butterfly. I love butterfly stamps and have many and they are all in need of a rally good workout but the problem is just too many stamps and any I use as you know from what I have said before I always have to do multiples in different stampings and embossings.

In this instance I have used only white embossing powder and three types of paper. This one is the Canson Watercolour paper that isn't that expensive and I am rather enjoying using. It is not white white more a creamy colour but doesn't seem to stand out unless next to another card that is white.

I stamped and white heat embossed (very fine white embossing powder Hero Art). As you can see I did two main butterflies then did a  bit of masking and stamping to have the others partially behind the main ones.

I coloured these with the Zig watercolour pens, just adding some colour at one end then adding water and moving the ink around. If the colour was too dark anywhere I just added more water and blotted to remove some colour then added more as I went.

Aren't these colours vibrant. Love them and they work on this paper brilliant.

Finished the card off with some different coloured enamel dots and stamped the sentiment.

Now the next card I used Tim Holtz Watercolour card stock.

This cardstock does not work with the Zig watercolour pens unless you are just painting straight on with very little water involved. It will not move loosely on this cardstock, its like it digs in.

So here I have used my Distress Ink pads, collected a rainbow collection of colours and squished down on my art pallet. Actually I made this pallet up about 6 months ago and as long as its sitting where it cant get knocked or anything placed on it the colours last and stay wet indefinitely. You would think I had just done the squishing.

The main error I made here was my blue and green were too close in colour and don't stand out well here. They do look different IRL.

Distress ink goes onto this type of card stock like soft butter on bread, beautiful, easy to move around and play with with water.

I wish I had seen the colour wasn't standing out between the blue and green on these photos but I took them then left for mum and dads. Don't have the cards with me to re-photograph. 

A few more scattered enamel dots and a different sentiment. Beautiful to work on.

I would like to enter these in some challenges so:

A Blog Named Hero: Hello March Rainbow

a2z Scrapbooking March 2016 Challenge : Embossing

Penny Black and More : March Challenge: Feature a Creature

Alphabet Challenge Blog: B for Beautiful Butterflies

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #186 : Anything Goes

Thank you so much for coming to visit and I hope you come again soon.

Further with the watercolour comparisons.

Alright here they are together, as you can see the card stock is slightly different in colour. Another reason I like the Canson is its easy for fussy cutting but then the Tim Holtz is better when die cutting for giving nice firm cutout (you know what I mean yeah!!)

Have you noticed my mistakes, I swear I didn't see them. My family dint notice them as we all stood there admiring the latest until I was editing and I'm thinking 'how' 'how could I do that??'

I  also did some colouring onto cheap watercolour paper that I had in the draw and wondered how the hell I was happy with that for all those years.

a) the embossing sinks into the watercolour paper so its not raised and sharp therefore

b) the watercolouring tends to spread

c)I must have been so lucky I painted those flowers with the creamy watercolours cause it didnt work with the zigs and the Distress Inks it just sank in and looked blah..... so I haven't bothered to post.

I suppose it comes down to I used cheap watercolour paper for years and have done some lovely cards over time but whether it was luck or just better paper at the time as I was constantly buying different ones. I would rather have a mix of the Tim Holtz and Canson from now on and will probably cull the million and one pre stamped and preprinted images that are for whenever I want to watercolour and start again.

I hope you all had a great Easter break. See you soon Xx