A Trip Around the World

I took a quick trip around the world this weekend while I was designing today's cards, and it was so much fun. This new kit has a TON of beautiful stand-alone dies for creating city scenes - right up my alley. Just give me a little watercolor paper and I'm happier than a bird with a french fry.

Speaking of watercolor - I filmed this whole process of painting this card with my beloved Hematite Burnt Scarlet on the buildings and some gorgeous Blue Liquid Watercolor for the sky - lifting the clouds out with my favorite sea sponge, adding a little white gouache to the lifted clouds and then....

MY PHONE ATE IT.

Thanks a lot, Tim Cook. 

So imagine watching me paint this for approximately 18 minutes and 57 seconds. All set?

TADA! Here's the ending - spoiler alert! The only stamping was the sentiment and the birds, which I stamped in grey to make them a little more in the background then the sentiment from the kit, which is stamped in black.

But I have a little tip for dies that are buildings with windows - just a quick layering tip so that it looks like light is coming out of the windows, or making them dark - whatever you like. It's super simple and my phone didn't eat it.

There are two new background cling stamps this month - this beautiful Fleur de lis background and this intensely adorable Venetian Neighborhood background.  It reminds me of my beloved Mail Jumble Background - I guess I just like that style - sort of whimsical and sweet. The little kitty in the window caught my eye and I wanted her to be the star of the background, so I decided to stamp it twice, cut a diagonal strip out of the second one, and then colored that strip and glued it on the background. I popped the Hello die cut on there and put it on a black card base. So sweet. I know it's a Venetian Neighborhood, but doesn't it remind you of the brownstones in Chicago?

There's a fun, sketch style add on as well - it looks like a page out of someone's travel journal, so I colored it accordingly - inking up parts of the image with Picked Raspberry, Peacock Feathers and Mustard Seed Oxide inks, and then lightly misting the stamp before stamping it onto hot press watercolor paper. I then added the color layering bushes and a sentiment from the same set for a quick CAS thank you card.

There are more stand alone scene dies this month too. A more modern city builder, this gorgeous tree die, and  these plaza dies.

Here's what the main kit has - look at all those dies! It includes the stamp set, two rolls of foam tape, 14 pieces of cardstock, two pieces of vellum and a Tombow Mono pen.

Leave me a comment for your chance to win this kit! Tell me what's the farthest you've traveled from home. For me, the answer is Australia. You can see the rest of this month's goodies below. Loveyameanitbye

My Monthly Hero Kit - April 2019 [ HA ] All April Add-Ons [ HA ] Venetian Neighborhood Cling [ HA ] Hello Message Fancy Die [ HA | SSS ] Color Layering Village [ HA ] Carnevale [ HA ] Carnevale Frame Cuts [ HA ] Hero Greetings Mini Messages [ HA ] Venetial Fleur de lis Bold Prints [ HA ] Italian Table [ HA ] Italian Table Frame Cuts [ HA ] European Plaza Fancy Dies [ HA ] European Village Fancy Dies [ HA ] Tree Arch Fancy Die [ HA ] Venetian Maiden [ HA ] 00369-5005 - Blick Liquid Watercolors... [ BLIC ] Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors [ BLIC ] Escoda Versatil Brushes, Travel Round... [ UTR | BLIC | INK ] Gouache Paints - 60 Colors (60 x... [ ARTZ ] Royal Super Value Sponge Set - BLICK... [ BLIC ] Arteza Water Brush Pens, Set of 6 [ ARTZ ] Fabriano Extra White Cold Press... [ BLIC ] Fabriano Artistico Extra White... [ BLIC ] Hero Arts Intense Black Ink [ HA | SSS ] Soft Granite Shadow Ink - Hero Arts [ HA | SSS ] Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad... [ SSS | JGG | ELH ] Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad... [ SSS | JGG | ELH ] Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad... [ SSS | JGG ] MISTI Stamping Tool [ MSP | HA | SSS | ELH | MFT | UNT ] Lawn Fawn STAMP SHAMMY Cleaner LF1045 [ SSS | ELH | CST | ART ] Rotatrim Professional Series Cutter -... [ BLIC ] Nesting Porcelain Bowls - BLICK art... [ BLIC ] My Favorite Watercolor Sketchbook [ UTR ] Tombow MONO MULTI Liquid Glue Two... [ SSS | MFT ] LightView 2in1 LED Magnifier for... [ BRG ] Art Anthology BIG CRAFT MAT 24x36 311473 [ SSS ] Teflon Bone Folder - Ellen Hutson LLC [ ELH | SSS ] Crafter's Companion GEMINI... [ SSS ] Cut Align [ MSP ]