Inspired by...Colorful Corners Card

This Danielle Flanders inspired watercolor card was created with just a few stamps and my gelatos.  I've been really trying to use those magical marking crayons for more than just looking at! So simply scribbling a bit on my craft mat, adding a misting of water and then dunking my paper in swirling motions over that colorful mess has been a fun way to experiment.
I started with plain white paper, and colored the entire piece as explained above. Then I stamped with a (recently purchased -gasp) stamp in a newsprint design by KaiserKraft. I didn't try to be perfect with the stamping but I did use Momento black in hope that it wouldn't bleed. I've used this background for about 4 cards so it was effort that paid in multiples!
Using one of the cut pieces for my background, I reached for one of my only flower stamps, a Close To My Heart rose. Stamped that a bit off the page and then used a red and pink gelato/water mix to paint the petals. For the leaves, I simply stamped in green ink and used a watercolor blender pen to pull some of that color into towards the center. It ended up very subtle but that was fine.
Now, I had intended to put a block of patterned paper on the left side of my navy blue card base, but I happened to try putting a remnant from the piece I used over there, and the effect was pretty fab! So I left the card base peeking through and then added a bow in baker's twine by the sentiment. For some extra touchy feelys I layered two fabric flowers with a tiny die cut and topped them with white sequins and a pink Queen & Co. Rock Candy gem.
Although this card had a lot of steps, the effect is gorgeous and simply beautiful. The gelato brings a different depth of color and with a little experimenting, can be just as easy, or even easier to use, than traditional watercolors.
Have you tried these pastel-like tubes of color and had pleasant results? Less than pleasant :0 ?  I'd love to hear about it, so leave a comment below and come back again soon to see what's making in my house!

My Cute Cowgirl

 The girls and I had so much fun exploring the fairgrounds this year at the Western Washington State Fair.

 Formerly known as the Puyallup Fair, there seemed to be a childhood memory waiting to be re-lived for me around every corner! I was ecstatic sharing all the goodness with Rainier and Sunday. After all, they don't know what corn dogs and BBQ corn on the cob, and earthquake burgers, elephant ears, curly fries, and caramel apples and SCONES taste like, so they weren't disappointed not to be offered any. And there was no way I could share or withhold such goodness, so I was able to resist somehow as well :-) It's a good thing I never saw a pickle barrel, though, that might have snagged me.

We got to see a lot of our favorite animals, including, a Camel! By the time I was ready to leave, we were all pretty pooped (how could we have only been there for three hours?!), but I managed to get one more photo shoot in, and my cute little cowgirl hopped up on the hay bale before she realized what the reason was for. She never has been into smiling on command! Or photographic eye contact either. Hence, I got none of her looking adorable-y at me, but did get an adorable shot nonetheless :-)

The map print background is by Studio Calico, and I got it in a kit from a Creating Keepsakes class about Mixed Media. The kit included a piece of dressmakers pattern paper, which could have been adhered with decoupage techniques. I chose to just use my regular favorite Red Duck adhesive down the sides and then grabbed a couple border strips for the top and bottom.

Once I had figured out how I wanted all my layers to go, I got stuck. This layout sat for about a month on my desk, I couldn't figure out just what it needed. With the additions of the border strips and my journaling last night, I finally feel like it can be put in the album.

Whew! I don't like it when an unfinished something keeps getting in my way of creating something new, but it's almost a feeling of relief once I have it completed! And who would have guessed that pattern paper can work with our beloved patterned papers! Not me...

now where are all those old patterns I'm not using... 

Here's another shot with the flash on, so you can see a little bit different view.