Living My Dream: Simon Says Stamp Making Spirits Bright Blog Hop (Day 2)

Simon Says Stamp Making Spirits Bright Blog Hop (Day 2)

Hello FRIENDS! Today is day two of the Simon Says Stamp Blog Hop announcing their new Making Spirits Bright release. It is full of holiday goodness from Halloween, to Thanksgiving, and all the way to Christmas! I have a new set of watercolor cards as part of this release called Gratitude. Here is an image:
I want to give you a little background to why I drew this set at this time (besides the fact that it fits with a Thanksgiving theme!). As I was trying to decide what to make my newest set about, I was watching the devastation on the news from Harvey in Houston. I was so impressed with how everyone was helping those that were affected by the storm. It made me think about how grateful I am that no matter how hard life gets, people are good to each other. I drew all of these during that tragedy trying to focus on being grateful for our blessings even during times of trouble. Then came the next storm devastating the Virgin Islands and the Florida Keys. There was so much damage to Puerto Rico and then a horrible earthquake in Mexico. I was just in shock at all the sad stories and horrible things happening to our world when I woke up to the news of the shooting in Las Vegas. And now as I write this, my home state of CA is battling wild fires with so many lost lives, people missing, and homes gone. It feels like it is never going to end, but I do "still think to myself, what a wonderful world" as I watch people serve and love one another over and over and over again. And for that view of the world, I am grateful!

I have colored them all for you so you can see what they will look like in full color all dressed up with lots of sequins, Nuvo Drops, glitter pens, watercolors, and love added to them. At the end of all these photos, I'll give you some general tips to help you make your set as pretty as possible!

Grateful 10

Grateful 6

Grateful 4

Grateful 1

Grateful 7

Grateful 8

Grateful 3

Grateful 9

Grateful 12

Grateful 2

TIPS FOR COLORING YOUR IMAGES:

I use Daniel Smith watercolors on all of my images. They are all printed on Ranger Watercolor Paper so they hold up very well with water and these paints. But ANY watercolor paint will work as well as any other coloring medium. You can use colored pencils, markers of any kind including Copic, or any paints you have.
After I paint the images, I add details and shading with gel pens - I use the Kaiser Craft Glitter Pens (you can purchase them alone or in a set of 24 or 48 all linked below). I absolutely LOVE these pens as they add shading when it is hard to get dark shading with watercolors. I color some on and then blot the color before it dries (using my finger haha) so the lines and color soften.
I also use a Uniball white gel pen on many of my images because honestly it's the best white gel pen out there.
I use Tonic Nuvo Drops to dress up my images. They aren't only for drops although I do use them quite a bit for that as you can see! I love the glitter ones the best and I use a lot of the clear one over letters and other items I want to make raised and glossy. Think of that color as Glossy Accents. On the Count Your Blessings letters, I used the clear Nuvo Drops and then sprinkled glitter on the bottom half of the letters while it was still wet.
I splatter paint on most of my images. I get a wet brush and then dip it into a lot of color and just tap the brush against my finger over the images.
For backgrounds, I use a wet on wet technique where I wet the paper (liberally!) and then add color to it with a wet paintbrush. This lets the color spread outward and develop into a nice soft wash. I often drop multiple colors in it and let them blend as they mix together.
I add shadows to letters either using a gray Copic Marker or my glitter pens.
I use a Wink of Stella over flowers and letters to give it a glittery sheen.
I die-cut the cards with either a full size stitched rectangle (I use a Lawn Fawn one) or with an embossed rectangle that is one size smaller than a card base so it shows as a mat for the watercolor card (using MFT Blueprints 1).
I finish my images with twine and sequins.

And now, back to the blog hop. Next on the hop is Amanda Korotkova. If you leave a comment on this blog post, you will be eligible to win a $25 gift certificate to the Simon Says Stamp Store. The winner will be chosen over the weekend and announced on the SSS blog on Tuesday. And don't forget this is a two day hop, so if you haven't seen yesterday's hop yet, visit the SSS blog to start that one. Thanks so much for visiting today and have a GREAT weekend friends! Suzy

Posted at 05:00 AM | Permalink

Comments

I already have these on my list for my next SSS order! Seeing them colored and beautiful only agrivates my impulse control issue amd now i want them more than ever...and now... lol

wonderful sentiment and a healthy perspective too boot! Can't wait to get them!

Posted by: Sara Wright | October 13, 2017 at 07:40 AM

Thank you for sharing your heart and gratitude. These days it's often difficult to see the positive in the world. I appreciate your reminder.

Posted by: lynda | October 13, 2017 at 07:45 AM

Great new set very inspiring.

Posted by: Susan Wareham | October 13, 2017 at 07:45 AM

WOW.. love that you a: made these and b: love your inspiration and c: colored them up. I've seen these cards before but haven't been interested int them. THIS post changes all that. I really appreciate these so much more.. Thank you

Posted by: FD91354 | October 13, 2017 at 07:45 AM

Color harmony at it's best! Beautiful work.

Posted by: Pat Blankenship | October 13, 2017 at 07:47 AM