Good morning and happy Tuesday! I’m so excited to finally get back into the groove of putting together some Make & Tell Tuesday videos for you! Watch for these more regularly over the next several weeks. 🙂 Also, there’s an opportunity to win something fun today…read on to the end of the post for more about that!
Today’s Make & Tell project involves no-line watercoloring with a bit of a twist. Typically this technique is done with outline images, but I wanted to try something similar with solid images. So for today’s project I pulled out our Fresh Floral Background stamp, some watercolor paper, a light-color waterproof ink, and my favorite Mission Gold watercolors.
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Here’s the video for you!
To finish off the watercolor panel I created in the video, I trimmed it down just a bit to 4″ wide, and added a striped accent strip, which was stamped with the Painterly Stripes Background. I stamped it once, then shifted it so that the stripes on the second impression would fill in between the stripes from the first time stamping it. I also added a sentiment from the Sketchbook Roses set. I wanted to let the background shine!
This was a fun project. I love to sit and watercolor. I find it to be so very relaxing – do you? You might be able to try this same technique using colored pencils instead, if that’s a medium you’re more comfortable with!
SO! I’m in the mood for a giveaway, and I think it’s a fun one. Every time I post a project that shows that cute ceramic mason jar I use as a watercolor palette, I get tons of questions about where I found it. Well, I got mine at Hobby Lobby a year or so ago as part of one of their seasonal collections, but I also recently found them here on Amazon (affiliate link). I just happen to have an extra one that I’d love to send to someone! Leave a comment on this post before Thursday, April 16 at midnight EDT, and I’ll announce the winner on Friday’s TGIF post. Let’s chat while we’re at it! I’d love to hear about what you’re up to during this time of quarantine…are you doing ok? Is your family ok? Leave a comment for the chance to win!
97 comments
Every time I go to Hobby Lobby, I look for that ceramic mason jar! I would love to win one. By the way, I’m loving making backgrounds with your Print Shop: Fresh Floral. I think I may need to try this background that you demonstrated. Now I just need all your dues to come in….. hope you are all well and staying in!
Thank you SO much, Betsy, for showing us this technique. I love it and know I will have to try. It seems like a confidence builder for using watercolors as there is already an image to follow. Fabulous!
Hi Betsy,
Love the Mason Jar trinket holder that you use for watercoloring projects. If I should win your extra jar that is exactly what I would use it for too. I have been following you and your talent for years, even pre Greetery. Your sharing generosity encourages us all to try new things and to be positive. I and my husband are 78 and have been in our home a full month. Our adult daughter who lives nearby shops for groceries for us when she gets hers. We watch a lot of TV, husband reads, and I check my emails. We enjoy mysteries on Netflix and Amazon and recently signed up for Acorn to get the mysteries from BBC. I also like Hallmark movies. I still cook so we are eating pretty good. Had 6″ of snow at our house here in MN on Easter. It was beautiful to me. Winters last “hoorah” for the season. Hope you and your family are doing well in spite of the circumstances. May God bless you and yours and protect you. Sending a big hug, Martha
Such a beautiful card! It inspires me to practice my water coloring with this technique! Gorgeous!
Betsy, thank you for the technique instructions…the card is beautiful. Here in Idaho I continue volunteering for a nonprofit which provides free Continuing Medical Education to doctors and nurses in resource-challenged countries…now we are uploading World Health Organization’s COVID-19 information and medical updates. They use thumb drives or a small computer called Raspberry-Pi to access the information. In countries where the Internet and electricity are often down, it’s a cost effective and efficient way to deliver the needed information. Here our medical staff rides a pandemic tidal wave…elsewhere they face a tsunami.
BEAUTIFUL WORK, Betsy!!! LOVE THIS!!! YES, I’ve wondered too, where you got your palette/Mason Jar Dish! LOL THANK YOU for the link!!! What am I up too? SPRING CLEANING!!! AND taking care of some new baby chicks that my hubby brought home the other day! One has a “special need” & we have to keep putting a little “sandal”/”slipper” on her as she has curled toes. Of course, she doesn’t like it! LOL The other day, my husband checked on them & they’d gotten the “sandal”/”slipper” off & were playing with the band aid that was used! SILLY BIRDS!!! That’s life here on our little farm right now! ;)<3
Love the video. Simplicity and calming effects are what is needed right now! Thank you!
Love the simplicity of your card and thank you for the tips! Also, thanks for the opportunity to win the ceramic dish! I have been making tons of cards, mainly using “Greetery” stamps and dies that I hadn’t had a chance to play with yet. My husband has been working from home and both have been inside for a month now. Our weather continues to be colder than normal but the weatherman promises a warm up is on the way! Yay!! Hope your family remains healthy!
I’m almost hypnotized watching you watercolor because you are so calm about it. What a beautiful card and have always been envious of your Mason jar palette! Never thought to check other places for one, but of course you did. We are pretty much at home ordering groceries online, planning meals, taking nice walks, baking somewhat, making cards for friends, family and nursing home residents, and spending many hours on the phone chatting with lonely people. It’s all good. Stay healthy, Betsy!
Oooo now I have to break out my watercolors and try this! I love that mason jar watercolor palette. I have been doing A LOT of card making during this Stay At Home. And enjoying too much wine!
Have just recently started using a white dinner plate for a palette and it works great! Using my time at home to take advantage of Blueprints free on line classes until the 16th -especially some of the watercolor ones. I LOVE the background stamp and have already made several clear embossed versions for cards. Thanks for designing such versatile tools!
Hi, I’d love that Mason jar palette. As for me during this craziness I’m organizing my craft supplies. While I’m home recuperating from surgery. 😏
Love the idea of no-line watercoloring – I have always wanted to try it but always chicken out and just do the easy way. I am doing well being in sort of lockdown (Nebraska) – my 3 children with their families are in Texas, England and Minnesota – working from home and all ok. Loved reading about what everyone else is doing – I’ve found it interesting that many card makers have lost their creativity – just the opposite for me – I love going to my craft room and completely forgetting about the troubles in the world – what I can’t do is sit and read a book – and I’m usually an avid reader. Take care – keep the ideas coming and I’m going to check my stamps to see what I can use to imitate this technique. And by the way – love that mason jar palette – I’m never very lucky in random draws so just might have to get one from Amazon!
Hi Betsy, what a gorgeous and inspiring card! My husband and I are mostly staying inside, aside from some yard work. I’m continuing my work as a psychotherapist via video, but have some extra time to play with my craft goodies 😁
Your watercolor is beautiful, and I think I need to try that technique. I do like your Mason jar tray, and had checked at HL a few times last year, but none to be found. Our family is doing well, some working from home. We’re spread across multiple states, and have increased our online video chat times, which is fun. We did some spring yard work and are now watching the new snow melt before more snow later this week.Also doing more cooking, less grocery shopping and more reading. Thanks for sharing your wonderful projects.
What a beautiful card. Wonderful technique. I never think to use a solid image, but now I’m going to have to try it. Thanks for all your terrific inspiration.
What a great technique. I will have to see if I have a light colored waterproof ink to try this. I noticed your mason jar palette and love it–thanks for the chance. We are ok and keeping busy with our garden. I am crafting when I have time.
Your card is beautiful! Thanks for the inspiration and lesson, can’t wait to try it. Stay safe!
Spending time in my craft room is helping me stay sane during this uncertain time. I just finished making a set of cards for Lifespan, an organization that provides services for senior citizens. They put out a call for cards to give to seniors who are isolated and lonely during this time. Even though I qualify as a senior, I am blessed to be neither isolated nor lonely, Working on no-line watercoloring is one of my projects during this time of seclusion at home. I started a #100DayProject to color something every day. Some days I use colored pencils, other days Copic markers or watercolors. I had one successful no-line watercolor project, and another not so successful. I find it pretty challenging, but videos like yours help a lot. I love the Fresh Florals and have that background stamp. Think I’ll try it first with colored pencils and then with watercolors. Yours is gorgeous! My husband and I have been home for four weeks now. We read, spend time on our hobbies, try to get outside for a long walk every day, and check in with our children and grandchildren via video and FaceTime. I feel blessed that I have a safe place to be, that my pension is not in jeopardy, and that thus far our immediate and extended families are all safe and well. May the same be true for you!
Thank you for that wonderful tutorial. Great idea to watercolor over the lightly stamped images! You do such a beautiful job! And love that mason jar for a palette. It’s perfect! I’ve been doing lots of things around the house…yard, reading, crafting, watching crafting videos, reading crafting blogs…
What a kind and thoughtful gesture, Betsy. Thank you for bringing me joy with your beautiful stamp sets that have been seeing lots of love during this time of social isolation. My crafting has kept me sane and we are keeping busy baking, cleaning/organizing, and trying to figure out this online learning. Hope you and your family are well.
We have good days and not so good days where we feel a little overwhelmed with what the future holds. Each of us has our own way to deal with things but we all come together for family time – do games, puzzles, watch a movie and we always eat together. It’s important to keep some routine but honestly that isn’t enforced too much – as being happy and motivated is! I love watching your videos and seeing your projects. You inspire me to work on my water coloring skills which is why I WOULD LOVE that mason jar as a palette for my water coloring projects. Thanks for the chance to win it – brightens my day just knowing there is a chance 🙂 Hope you and your family are doing well.
I love your watercolor work! I do water-coloring also with DS watercolors. I should do more and I think I will. Thank you so much for the chance to win the mason jar pallette. I would be tickled pink if I won. I found The Greetery because one person mentioned it on another site & I was intrigued. So I checked your site out and I was addicted. Your stamps are so different than everyone else & I love them. I think I started with the Fall ones and continued from there. Wishing you & your family safe days ahead.
I love your water coloring! Such a beautiful card!! I have been keeping busy making gift tags out of my leftover paper scraps. I like to give gift tags away as gifts and I plan on dropping these tags off in friends’ mailboxes as a surprise to cheer them. My job has been furloughed, but, we have been asked to reach out to people in our community to check on them. So I call on 30-40 people a day to let them know that they are not forgotten and are in our prayers, and connect them to local services that they may need. I also have been making and sending cards to those who are alone during this time.
The mason jar is so cute and seems like it would make the perfect palette.
Loved your tutorial for this project. Thank you for continuing to provide this inspiration for us during these crazy days. That mason jar is adorable. So thoughtful of you to share it with us. Wishing you and your family all the best.
Another beautiful card and great technique to try…thanks Betsy! :0)
Your watercoloring is done so beautifully!
Thanks for the chance to win your darling palette! I’ve wondered about it and now I know the story. I work four days a week and three of those days I work from home which is something I’m getting to enjoy. I have lots of little projects I’m trying to get caught up on and card making is right up there. I always seem to be behind so have been able to get some overdue cards done and sent. I’ve read a book and picked up another to begin. We try and get walks in when the weather cooperates but snow in Minnesota on Easter didn’t make for walks on Sunday. I even shoveled on Monday…hopefully the last time this season. Another project is working on continuing to organize my craft room…always a struggle between doing that and making cards. Making cards usually wins out. We are doing well and enjoying our time together without the usual demands. Going out only as needed for food, wearing masks when shopping and washing lots of hands. We wait for God’s timing for this all to end.
Oh what a great giveaway! I definitely would use it in my craft room as a trinket holder! I’ve been doing a lot of scrapbooking and card making during these difficult times. Me and my friends (there are 6 of us) that do a Zoom crafting time together every week.
Wow I love that effect that is gorgeous, like how you left the opposite corners!
What a beautiful technique! It’s a more controlled approach to watercolor that would be less scary! I haven’t had anytime to use my new Fresh Floral stamps. I work in a bank in lending and we’ve just been slammed lately. I’m weary when I get home, but appreciative of having continued employment. Thanks for the beauty you show us all the time.
Gorgeous coloring of these beautiful flowers! So nice of you to offer a giveaway of the palette!
I was so excited today to get to do a curbside grocery pick up! I placed my order on March 31st, and today was the first pick up date available! But I got most of the items I ordered, and they called me ahead of time and OK’d a few substitutions. I’m pleased! I sure appreciate the hard work that these grocery clerks are providing with this extra service.
I just purchased this floral stamp! Can’t wait to start coloring it!
Seeing pretty flowers like these gives me a little peek into late spring and summer, when we can leave our homes and be free to roam. Healthy and safe now, but looking forward to those days for sure!!
I love this twist on “no line” watercoloring. Can’t wait to try it, but it’ll have to wait until after work hours…yep, I’m teaching online, continuing to lecture until the semester is over and I’m enjoying every minute of it, but must admit I miss the face to face interaction with my students. I usually get a chance to craft in the wee hours of the morning or in the evenings. Thanks for the tutorial!
Beautiful card! I’m making cards for my local hospice organization. They are collecting cards, kids art projects, keeping them 48 hours to make sure they are “safe” from the virus & then giving them out to their patients who cannot have visitors. I’m doing super fast cards, which isn’t my norm but I would rather make a bunch, than just a few. I figure this is a brand new thing they just started. Also, I couldn’t help myself, I made some super cute thank you cards that I’m going to address to the hospice staff that are braving this crazy world to go into their hospice patients homes to provide the care they so desperately need.
I have admired that mason jar every time I see you using it. It reminds me of my mom who has been gone for a year and a half….I inherited her collection of blue mason jars that I use around the house. I’m sure if I won this it would elevate my watercoloring to a new level, lol! My husband and I have been staying very busy during the pandemic. We are retired and live on 5 acres so have plenty of gardening and yard work to do. I’ve also played more in my craft room and cleaned out and organized all the rooms in my house. I know we are blessed to be a safe place unlike those on the front lines and individuals who continue to work in the community. Wishing that you and your family stay safe and healthy also.
Thank you for always sharing your techniques and tips for everyone! And thanks for the opportunity to win this cute mason jar plate!
Your designs are always so beautiful. I was thinking that the background stamp would be great on envelopes in s super-light color, just like you did on the card.
Beautiful watercoloring, Betsy! I could watch you all day. My stamping/card making has taken a back seat to sewing these days. For the last month, I have been spending every free moment sewing masks for my fellow employees at the nursing home in our town. We are trying to stretch our supply of PPE and the cloth masks allow us to do that. At work, we are trying to help our residents stay in touch with their families, via video chats like FaceTime or Zoom. We are also getting creative with our activities to keep them engaged and uplifted during this very isolating time. One really can share a smile with your eyes, when the rest of your face is covered by a mask. Thank you for the tutorials and your wonderful stamps!
Beautiful card. I miss going to Hobby Lobby-it’s a good spot for me to unwind. I love your beautiful card.
I love your beautiful water colored card, and thank you for the chance to win that lovely dish. The days are running together, but I am lucky that my whole family is safe and stuck at home with me.
Thank you for your video. I got this background stamp with the last release and was thinking how I could use it with water colored images. I don’t have a light permanent ink color so I will have to do some digging but I loved that Sea Salt color. I’m still working with the new stamps to get the layers lined up – work in progress. I’m going to try and find a reference point for each layer and mark it, maybe something to think about for a future release. Love your products just waiting for the dies to come in. Thank you again for sharing your never ending talent – so much appreciated!
I’ve been busy die cutting and stamping up a storm with my Spring Budding Beauties! I just love them, especially the tulips!!
Wow this is such a lovely card!! I want to watch the video, but my husband is in a zoom meeting so I can’t hog the internet =) I’ll come back soon.