Shhhh, I Have Something To Tell You…..

Posted in May 2014, Weekly Wishes by Kreative Kymona

Hello everyone! Today I have something to share with all of you. No cards or projects today. I know, I know how can that be but I have some exciting news for all of you.

Are you ready?

A fellow blogger, Elle from Hey Jayel introduced me to a blog that specializes in-goal setting. Each week, starting Monday you set Weekly Wishes and you try your best to get those wishes accomplished. I think that is such a great idea. It holds you accountable for everything that’s on that list.

So I’m going to post my Weekly Wishes every Monday and I hope all of you take this goal setting journey with me. I’m going to stick to no more than 5 wishes a week, sometimes it might be less. My wishes will be things I really want to get done. This will be a serious mission for me. So here we go…..

Here is my list of Weekly Wishes:

1. TO CREATE A GRATITUDE JOURNAL

I’ve always wanted to create a gratitude journal after watching Oprah show on gratitude. I have so much to be grateful for that I need to write them down. I also want to be an example to my children that we must always be thankful no matter what.

2. TO TAKE A PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE

Taking pictures of my project that I post on my blog is an everyday task but I’m not please with how they turn out. I have the camera, the lens and the tripod that everyone is using but I can’t get it together. I really need someone to teach me how to use my camera, what the settings mean and do and white balance. *You might see this wish until I have a course that is affordable.*

3. SET UP A EMAIL NEWSLETTER ON MY BLOG

I recently took a class on how to Build a Successful Creative Blog with April Bowles and it was awesome!! In this class she taught us how to write, create, and market a successful blog so that it stands out in the crowd. One of the things, she taught me was to have an opt-in email newsletter form. I want to set that up on my blog.

4. SET A DATE THAT MY DAUGHTER WILL POST ON HER BLOG

My seven-year old has a blog and I’ve been neglecting it. She is a crafter too and has a lot to post but I haven’t found the time to really dedicate to it. I want to change that and stick to it.

5. LAST BUT NOT LEAST….GET SOME SLEEP!!

I do not get enough sleep. Right now it is 11:30 PM EST. I probably won’t get to bed until about 2 AM because I have to write my next post. I have to get up at 6, so how much sleep is that. 4 hours….that isn’t enough at all. So I really need to set a time to get into my bed so I can be fully functioning in the morning.

So here you go, this is my list!! I’m so excited to see how many of these things I can get done. I will keep you posted on my new venture.

Let me know what you think or if you any solutions to any of my goals.

~Kymona

21May2014

What’s Your Favorite Flower?

Posted in Blog Challenge, Flower, May 2014 by Kreative Kymona

Spring is in the air and all of the flowers are budding. It’s amazing to see the many different flowers that grow this time of the year.

On my way to work yesterday, I decided to take some pictures of the flowers I see along my walk. I used my iPhone to take these photos and I must say they aren’t so bad. I was pretty amazed. Take a look at what I found.

Look how pretty these flowers look. It makes me want to plant new flowers in front of my house. Let me think, um mm, *shaking my head*, I don’t think so. No green thumb here. What I do have are crafty fingers!!!

So, I created a card using flowers for the Less is More Challenge. The theme this week is Flowers!! How fun!! Perfect timing, my Papertrey Ink order just came in and my new Oopsie Daisy stamp set, which contains a lot of different flowers, was included.

By the way, my favorite flower is the Daffodil!!! Hence the Daffodil Delight card stock!

1. I used the larger flower and stamped it with Colorbox Frost White ink and stamped my vellum card front six times.

2. I allowed the ink to dry because if it doesn’t it would smudge all over the place.

3. Once the ink dried, I added Stampin’ Up large rhinestone to the center of the flower.

4. I attached the vellum to my Daffodil Delight card stock with tiny dot of glue behind the rhinestones.

4. I added Daffodil Delight ribbon and stamped the sentiment in Versamark Onyx. I punched the sentiment out using my Stampin’ Up! one inch circle punch.

This card was easy and fun to create!

Supplies used:

I also used Stampin’ Up! Daffodil Delight ribbon that is retired.

Please let me know what you think.

~Kymona

20May2014

Watercolor Background: How Playful!!

Posted in Blog Challenge, May 2014, One Layer Card, Online Class Homework, Stencils, Watercolor, Watercolor Backgrounds by Kreative Kymona

I can’t believe my Watercolor for Card Makers class is coming to an end. This Friday is the last day to submit all of our homework. I have so much left to do.

It was truly an amazing class! I learned a lot about water-coloring. I was granted the opportunity to try different types of watercolors mediums (watercolor pencils and crayons, transparent water colors, opaque watercolors, kids watercolor, shimmer watercolors).

I’m hoping to make at least one water-coloring card a week. This will allow me to spend more time with my daughter who also loves water-coloring.

Today’s watercolor technique was taught by Tim Holtz himself. Truly fun and amazing. He taught us how to make amazing backgrounds using “watercolor stamping or monoprint” using a stencil.

I had so much fun creating my card, that I made two cards.. I’m also submitting this card into the Papertrey Ink’s Make it Monday #165: Artsy Watercolor Backgrounds Challenge. Betsy showed us how to create watercolor backgrounds using our current stamps. I’m excited!!

So, what do you think of this card? It looks so delicious to me. The colors are so vibrant. My flower was punched from a watercolor background that I created. I thought that bought more balance to the card.

For my second card, I wet the outer edge of the flower to create the watercolor effect surrendering each individual flower. That gives each flower a beautiful soft and subtle effect.

I love how both of my cards turned out. I am going to try to create a couple more cards with this fun effect!!

Please let me know what you think.

Supplies used:

~Kymona

19May2014

Are You A Watercolorists?

Posted in May 2014, One Layer Card, Online Class Homework, Watercolor by Kreative Kymona

Watercolor painting is an art form that creates artistic representations, usually on watercolor paper, using pigments that are water-soluble.

OK, I love the wording “artistic representation” because I can’t draw for the life of me and I also have trouble actually painting objects much less making my sentiment look like I painted it. I’m so glad that my cards are beautiful regardless if I can’t draw or paint. Thank you “artistic representation”!!

With that said, I created two cards today for my online Watercolor for Card Makers Class Homework. The assignment was to watercolor paint over a stamped image. This was fun! My daughter, niece and I sat down to create our cards. It’s amazing how all of us came up with different versions of the same image.

I made two cards because I felt like my first flower was dulled out and wanted to see if I could use a different flower. Also, my sentiment was giving me so trouble. Here are my “artistic representation” of flowers in a vase!

On my first card, the blue water started to seep out of my jar on the side. I went to close to the black line with my wet paint brush. I over did it a little with the shadow at the bottom of the jar. You have to learn from your mistakes.

This second card, the water stayed in the jar and my shadow looks so much better. The sentiment is where I think I over did it. That’s the beauty of water-coloring.

So what do you think? Did I do a good job at depicting a watercolor painting? Would you call me a Watercolorists?

Well in my book, I’m the best Watercolorists on this side of the computer screen, lol!!!!

The real test is how do I compare to my daughter and niece!! Below you will find the cards they painted.

My Daughter My Niece

What fun!!!

Well that’s it for today. I hope you enjoyed our cards today and will not hesitate to try water-coloring and become a Watercolorists!!

Supplies used:

~Kymona

16May2014

The Art of Window Dressing

Posted in Blog Challenge, May 2014, One Layer Card, Online Class Homework, Watercolor by Kreative Kymona

When was the last time you window shopped? Isn’t it amazing how the items in the window really stand out! You can’t help but to steer that much longer. The outfit or the furniture that you see, draws you in for the buy!

photo credit

This display at Macy’s Broadway Store in NYC gives the feeling of power. The women stand out from their background which screams, “You will see me amongst the cluster background.

Well today’s card should give you the same feeling!! I’m participating in Papertrey Ink’s Make It Monday#164: Cluster Stamped Sentiment challenge.

I used the “thanks” from Papertrey Ink’s Wet Paint stamp set. I stamped it with Versamark ink and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder.

Watercolor is my new favorite medium so I created my clusters using distress inks, water and a sponge dauber. It was cool. This technique is called stamp emboss resist. The ink will not attach itself to the embossed area. I learned that in my Watercolor Card Makers online class that’s still going strong.

The more ink spots I added to the thank you area, the easier it was for the thank you to stand out from its background. It reminds me of window dressing! You will see me amongst the clustered background!!!

I am pleased with how my card came out. I hope you like it too.

Supplies used:

~Kymona

15May2014

Calling All Watercolor Pros……

Posted in May 2014, Online Class Homework, Watercolor, Watercolor Backgrounds by Kreative Kymona

I’m looking for everyone who loves WATERCOLORS!!! This medium is awesome. My Watercolor for card makers class has really stretched our stamps, dies and our imagination.

I’m having so much fun in this class. I have so many cards to post. I’m working late night on all of the techniques that are taught in the class.

Today’s card technique basic stamping for watercolor. Yana Smakula taught the class that some of our stamps in our stash can be used to create a watercolor look.

I used a big flower stamp for the Betsy’s Blossoms Stamp Set from Stampin’ UP! By the way, this stamp set is retiring.

I added my Crayola watercolors to my acrylic block and stamped my flower stamp onto that block. I then stamped the flower onto my watercolor paper 6 times. Each flower looks different. I love how it turned out.

I wanted the sentiment to standout so I stamped it in black and added my thick bakers twine for an added dimension.

What do you think?

Supplies used:

14May2014

Creative Way To Have Fun With Watercolors

Posted in May 2014, One Layer Card, Online Class Homework, Watercolor by Kreative Kymona

OMG!!! In my Watercolor for Card Makers class, Julie Ebersole, showed us how to do some creative watercolor stamping!! I was blown away. The card she made was so playful and nice. I had to make my own version of the card. She used some inks, watercolor paper, a beautiful butterfly wings die by Memory Box and a pencil eraser. Yes, a pencil eraser, talk about non-tools in my tool box.

The only thing I didn’t have, was the butterfly wings die, so I ordered it and it arrive today. I’m so lucky because that die is out of stock now.

When I saw the die on my desk, I knew I had to create this card today!

Aren’t you amazed!!! The butterfly wings just pop right off the paper. It gives the card a 3 dimensional look. It looks amazing.

Instead of using inks, I used my Koi watercolors to create my dots. The dots were made with the pencil eraser. I added the three colors to my color palette and then I dipped my pencil eraser into each of the three colors and applied it to my paper. I made sure to place the dots in one area so that I can cut my butterfly wings for dimension.

Let me know what you think.

Congrats to Lizzie T she won the SSS Wrapped Mailing Label Die. Lizzie T I will contact you so that I can send you the die. Thanks for visiting my blog.

Supplies used:

9May2014

How to Create an Envelope Wrap in 5 Minutes & Giveaway

Posted in Envelope Wrap, Giveaway, May 2014 by Kreative Kymona

Imagine getting a beautiful card in a beautiful envelope. Yes, a beautiful envelope.

How many times do we send out cards or even receive cards in plain white or colored envelopes. No, one really thinks about creating an envelope to match the card inside. I’m guilty of that myself. I spend a lot of time on creating my cards, I don’t even thing about the envelopes that they are going in.

That’s why I’m so excited that Papertrey Ink has a great Make It Monday #163 challenge going on this week called Envelope Wraps! This challenge has challenged me to really think about the envelopes I’m using to send my cards out in.

Making my envelope wrap was entertaining. I changed my mind seven times on how I wanted my envelope to look. I finally decided on the style I liked.

Front of the envelope

Back of the envelope

Close up of the other end of the envelope wrap

Wouldn’t you want to receive an envelope that looked like this? I would. I probably wouldn’t open it for fear of missing it up.

How about creating this envelope wrap for your next envelope. I created a PDF for you view on how to re-create or create your own envelope wrap.

Click here for the PDF instruction on how to make your own envelope wrap. Please let me know if this was helpful.

Giveaway time!!!! I have an extra Wrapped Mailing Label Die from Simon Says Stamp that I am giving away. Just leave a comment below by 11:59pm on May 11, 2014. The winner will be randomly chosen and sent an email.

Supplies used:

~Kymona

7May2014

You Are Going To Love This……

Posted in May 2014, Online Class Homework, Watercolor by Kreative Kymona

Guess What!!!!!!!

My daughter’s blog is finally live!!! I’m so excited for her. She loves it too. I invite all of you to take a look at what she’s done!

The name of her blog is Mac & Cheese With A Side of Craft, Please. The name tickles me. It fits her well. Please, let her know how she is doing. Click here to view her work in action.

Now On To WATER-COLORING!!!!!!

My Watercolor for Card Markers class started Monday and I’m so excited about it. We learned about Watercolor Backgrounds. I was totally blown away by all of the techniques that were taught.

There where three different topics:

1. Soft watercolor Wash Background (with Stencils)

2. Vibrant Watercolor Wash Background

3. Stamped Emboss Resist + Watercolor Wash

I will demonstrate all of the above techniques (not all in this blog post) so that you can see what they look like.

My first card will be the Vibrant Watercolor Wash Background.

This technique required that we use the products we have on had to create very vibrant background. You don’t always have to use actually watercolor inks. I used 5 of my Brights Stampin’ Up! ink pads, an acrylic block and water to create my watercolor wash background. I had so much fun creating this card.

Using watercolors allows me to relax while creating because as Laura Bassen says we have only that much control over the movement of the water on the paper.

1. I prep my watercolor paper by adding water to coat it.

2. I stamped my acrylic block straight onto the different inks and then placed the block onto the paper.

3. With each color, I placed the stamped block on the previous color and pull downward to blend the two touching colors.

4. Once I was done adding all of the colors, I used my heat gun to dry the ink.

5. Once the ink dried, I added water splats by touching the paper with the tip of my brush with water.

6. I sit the card mask to the side and worked on my sentiment.

7. I cut my sentiment using my Silhouette Cameo and the BSD Brushed Titles from Two Peas in a Bucket.

8. I adhered the sentiment using my mono multipurpose glue.

9. To add a little flair to my card, I added Clear Wink of Stella to the entire watercolor image.

I will try to post my homework every night so you check out what I’m learning and how much fun I’m having.

Soooo, what do you think? I’m EXCITED about how my card came out, I hope you are too!

Supplies Used:

1May2014

Happy Easter…..

Posted in Blog Challenge, Clean and Simple, May 2014, One Layer Card by Kreative Kymona

Today’s card was made for the Less is More Blog Challenge Week 169 Sketch. I know, I know Easter was a couple of weeks ago but I didn’t get a chance to create a card for it so I took this opportunity to create one.

It is a very clean and simple card that I really love. I used a couple of great products to pull of my CAS card. Stampin’ Up! is retiring the Polka Dot Parade DSP and the Large Rhinestone Basic Jewels. That was a big shock to me because that paper is so popular. It will go fast so if you want that paper and the rhinestone just click here to purchase it. I also used Papertrey Ink’s Button Stacks Die. I love this die, the buttons are so cute.

Take a look:

I used my circle dies to cut perfect circles and laid the DSP behind it. I colored my bunny with my C3 Cool Grey Copic maker.

It’s funny because I wasn’t sure if I should color the bunny, so I asked my son because my daughter was sleeping, and he honestly gave me his opinion. For those that know my son, he could care less what I do!! So thanks E, for the help.

Soooo, what do you think?

Please leave me a comment letting me know what you think of my CAS card!

Supplies used: