Monday, April 1, 2019

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 ]

60 comments:

  1. So sorry your phone ate your video! Doesn't Tim Cook know that we NEED to watch you paint as frequently as possible?! I really like that Venetian Neighborhood cling background stamp!

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  2. I love the stand alone dies and the street scene! Just imagine hanging your laundry outside, above a busy street, to dry! That blue, too... wow. The farthest from home I’ve ever traveled from home is Belgium.

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  3. I love that you think these peek a boo stamp looks like Chicago - I think it does too! Great cards!!

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  4. Lydia... I LOVE the techniques you applied to these cards! You make it look so easy... but I know different... ha ha! Beautiful.. thanks for sharing!

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  5. These are all stunning cards! I love them all!!

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  6. Such beautifully designed cards, Lydia. Each one so creative with the beautiful colors!
    Thank you so much for the wonderful inspiration!

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  7. Such beautiful cards and water coloring! I really like the idea of just focusing on the diagonal strip in the second card! So creative! Europe is the farthest I’ve traveled so far, but Australia is on my list!

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  8. Wonderful set of cards using a lovely kit! :)

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  9. Glad you were able to get some video for this beauty. Loving all the designs you made with April's kit!

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  10. Great examples as usual Love the windows card and the sketchy buildings. It does look like a page out of a traveler's journal.

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  11. Welp, I guess I'll have to order this kit, after all! (you enabler, you!) I just love all of the die cuts, and your watercolouring of course is amazing. The furthest I've traveled so far is to Africa, from Canada. We lived in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) for 2 years. Recently it was England & Scotland :)

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  12. I just LOVE what you did with the window stamp - so creative! Thanks for the inspiration!!

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  13. Great cards! I would love this card kit!

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  14. Greedy phone!
    I also love the Venetian windows and your spot light coloring!
    Had some fun calculating what the furthest I have travelled was since I have moved so much - I grew up in Sweden and now live in northern Virginia. If I start from Scandinavia, Hawaii is the furthest so we will go with that!

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  15. Love how vibrant your watercolor Italian scene is. And since I don't like to spend a lot of time coloring tiny images, your stripe of color on the peek-a-boo card is a great idea!

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  16. Oops, forgot to say the farthest I've travelled is Europe, but Australia & New Zealand are on my bucket list!

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  17. Such a sad story about the video! At least the card turned out well.

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  18. Love it! Spent my senior year of college in Pisa. Traveling in Venezia was one of my favs!

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  19. I love that you painted the gondolier with the striped shirt and that the spotlight stripe has the kitty in the window... hadn't noticed him before. >^.^<

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  20. Just before sunset is my favorite time in Italy. The other tourists have gotten back on their cruise ship, and we have the city or village to ourselves. WONDERFUL for you to remind me...

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  21. Thank you for sharing your ideas. The cards turned out great. I enjoy watercolors so it was nice to see what you did with this kit.

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  22. Ahhhhhhhh! That red boat and gondolier are FABULOUS! Love love love!

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  23. Such fantastic cards.
    Thanks so much for sharing...

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  24. Ed took me to Germany, Austria and France many years ago. Love the cards!! Chicago architecture is one of my favorite things about my home state. But it took moving to Arizona to realize how much I loved it!!!

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  25. These are fun. I really like your slash of color on the one.

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  26. Love your ideas and cards! Thanks for your tips also. I've traveled to Venice, so that's as far as I've gone. Love this new kit and the add-ons!!

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  27. Live in Australia so anywhere we travel it'd far. Scotland, Europe and we travelled the USA on our harley for two months. Love to travel and love your cards. Great tip with the buildings.

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  28. Wow! Amazing cards and colouring!!! The farthest I've travelled is Europe but USA, Canada and Japan are on my bucket list!

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  29. Wonderful, love all your cards and the colors. Thanks for sharing.

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  30. Your cards are amazing and I love all of the new ideas!

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  31. These cards a beautiful. I especially like how you masked off the window stamp to only color the stripe, what a very clever idea. I am in love with that stamp!

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  32. Lydia, I always learn something from you and laugh. Thank you for doing you and sharing your gifts!

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  33. Awesome creations, I love your card designs! Awesome kit!

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  34. The farthest I've traveled from home is Mexico a very long time ago. Your cards using this month's kit are awesome!

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  35. Different styles, and all great cards. Makes me want to visit there!

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  36. Since my husband died 14 years ago, I've traveled
    a lot. (He wanted to stay home and fish - not
    travel). I went on safari with my daughter
    in Africa, been to Canada, Alaska, Southern Ireland,
    France, England, Italy, Spain, Hawaii, and more.
    Going to Northern Ireland and Scotland in June.
    Would love to go to Australia. My daughter
    wants to go too, but she can't get enough
    time off work to go now. She'll be retiring
    soon and I hope I'm still able to travel
    so we can go then. Love this new kit.
    Brings back wonderful memories of Venice.
    thanks for sharing
    txmlhl(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  37. What fun! I felt like you did take us on a trip around the world. I love, love, love your blog; thank you for being so generous with your talent! I live in Syracuse, NY & the farthest I've been away from home was Cape Town, South Africa.

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  38. The farthest I've been from home is Singapore and it took quite a while to get there. Love your Venetian neighborhood card.

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  39. I love all of these, but if I had to pick a favorite (and I understand I've not been asked to pick a favorite), I'd select the third one. That one really makes my heart happy. ♥

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  40. Fantastic cards! I love your colouring and design on the first card!

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  41. Lydia, did you know that the Peek A Boo die that came out at Christmas to match the Christmas packages also matches Mail Jumble and this new stamp, Venetian Neighborhood? I love your cards and would so like to win this month. Yes I do believe you could find brownstones in Chicago as well as New York and some other major cities.

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  42. The furthest I've travelled from home is southern Chile.

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  43. Thank you for posting the short video explaining the process and the light trick. So heartbreaking that you lost the first video to your phone. Your cards are beautiful!

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  44. Wonderful cards! Each has its own appeal. I am sorry that your phone ate your video. I would have liked to see it. I'm always interested in watching people do skies. That gondola and man are adorable.

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  45. This really is a beautiful and unique kit. I love what you did with the windows!

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  46. Oh Lydia...you have done it again! Such gorgeous cards!

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  47. These cards are fabulous!!! The kit looks awesome and your cards show it off so well. I live in Rhode Island, on the East Coast and the farthest I have traveled is Idaho. I have also been to Puerto Rico, which might actually be farther, not sure. I would love to travel to Italy and the surrounding areas . . . sometime . . .

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  48. I think you are the only artist to color the gondolier!!!!! So darn cute, love it!

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  49. Fabulous card design and choice of colors

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  50. Wonderful creations with this awesome kit!
    Furthest I have gone from home.... from California to Chicago... one time! I'm not much of a traveler!

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