Dec 19, 2014
Blog Design Team: O Night Divine
Happy Friday! Next week is Christmas and we just can’t wait! We know many of you will be doing last minute shopping this weekend, so we’re pleased to help you sit back and take a moment to enjoy a bit of peace and joy. Today is the very talented Lea Lawson‘s first post as a part of our Blog Design Team and she is sharing a stunning watercolor project that truly captures the beauty of the season.
So, to send us off into your last shopping weekend, we are giving away the die set Lea used on today’s project! Keep reading for details…
Lea’s Notes: Hey there, TE friends! I am so excited to be sharing my first project
with you as a Taylored Expressions Blog Team member! Christmas is
right around the corner, and in keeping with the spirit of the season,
I’ve created a Nativity card for you today.
Lea’s Notes: Creating a galaxy
background with watercolor has been a popular trend this year, and I
don’t think I will ever get tired of this technique! I can’t take
credit for it, as I learned it from watching several videos from other
talented crafters, and then adapted it to the supplies and skill level I
have at watercolor (which is very beginner). I used my set of basic
watercolors and brushes, and blended my galaxy background using black,
blue & green paints. (Lea’s Tip: I did use an art paper for the
background, as too much water on regular white cardstock will make it
peel.) Once the watercolor dried, I misted it with white glimmer mist to
give it a glimmery look. I then splattered it lightly with watered down
white acrylic paint to make the stars in the sky.
Lea’s Notes: The mist and
paint splatters dry really quickly, so I was able to stamp and heat
emboss the sentiment right away. I stamped a sentiment from the Sing of the King
stamp set in embossing ink and covered it with detail white embossing
powder. After shaking off the excess, I then heat set the sentiment and let it cool off. Watercolor and heat embossing can make your
paper fairly warped. So I lightly misted
the BACK of the paper block with water, and placed it between two flat
surfaces, added a heavy object to the top of it, and set aside.
Lea’s Notes: While
waiting for it to flatten, I cut my A2 card from Cookie Monster
cardstock. I then die-cut the Nativity Border from Oreo cardstock. Once
the background was flat and dry (should only take about 10 minutes or
so as long as you don’t spray it with very much water), I adhered it to
the card base. I added the nativity border along with a glittery gold
strip to the bottom of the galaxy background, and then accented the
sentiment with enamel star stickers to finish!
Lea’s Notes:I was a little
intimidated by watercolor at first, but it really is a lot of fun once
you get into it! If you are interested in trying out out the galaxy
background, I suggest searching for some online videos & watching
how it’s done first. And then practice a little! I promise that it
isn’t hard, and you will figure it out in no time!
Thanks so much, Lea, for inspiring us to create take a moment away from the hectic side of the holidays to think about the beauty of the season. You can catch more of Lea’s design work on her blog, Lea Lawson Creates. Have a safe and happy weekend, friends!
Are you feeling inspired to create a lovely card like Lea’s? We’re giving away a Nativity Border die to one lucky winner!
How to Enter: Leave a comment below telling us about what you are wishing for this holiday season by Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 11:59 pm PST. We’ll choose one lucky winner at random to win our Nativity Border die and announce the winner next week here on the TE Blog! Good luck!