Hello American Crafts fans! It's Leigh here, ready to share my technique for creating easy custom page elements using watercolors. I am using the Vicki Boutin Watercolor Markers and Stamps from the Color Kaleidoscope collection today. I also have a YouTube video of the entire process from start to finish. Let's get started!
The color scheme for this layout was largely inspired by my Mom! I even painted her that little blue watercolor truck for Mother's Day. I wanted a soft color palette, so I created my own custom page elements using watercolors. The technique I used is so easy, even for those who have never used watercolor before. The watercolor florals are gathered at the top like a floral swag. I piled them over and underneath one another using a variety of glues and stickers to create texture and dimension on the page. The watercolor leaves are added in at organic angles to create movement on the layout. In the YouTube video below, I show you how to watercolor the flowers. Trust me, it is easier than it looks!
I created a "curtain" with patterned paper and added watercolor to the base of the paper. I also added a watercolor splash to the white paper at the base of the curtain for an added effect. I used the same Vicki Boutin watercolor markers for this.
You can see here that each color of the florals coordinates with the patterned paper below it. I love the tone on tone patterns in the Shimelle Sparkle City collection, because they are patterned enough to create interest but subtle enough for the photos and florals to take center stage. I added lots of embellishments from the Sparkle City Collection too.
In this close-up, you can see how I added some of the holographic circle Thickers from Shimelle’s Sparkle City under the embroidery floss stitching. The stitching went very quickly because it is basically just one long stitch in multiples over the patterned paper. There are eleven large stitches on the page. I found a package of the half circle felted wool embellishment any Amy Tangerine. They are perfect at the bottom of the paper strips like a beaded curtain or a wall weaving.
I loved creating these custom page elements. You can create them in any color you desire! Next, sit back, grab something to munch on, and enjoy the start to finish process video below.
Thanks for reading! See you next time, Leigh.
SUPPLIES: Shimelle Sparkle City: Patterned Paper (#351351, #351349, #351346), Sticker and Washi Book Folder (#351332), Card Stock and Lenticular Shapes (#351333), Sparkle Thickers (#351328), Dear Lizzy Clothespins (#346497), Vicki Boutin Color Kaleidoscope Patterned Paper (#351091), Amy Tangerine Wool Half-circle Stickers (#341897), Vicki Boutin So Fun Stamps (#351106), Vicki Boutin Mixed Media Watercolor Markers (#348216), Vicki Boutin White Foundations Mixed Media Art Paper (#343917), Sticky Thumb Adhesive Foam Tabs (#340273), Sticky Thumb Raised Sticky Dots (#340276)