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Friday, December 22, 2017

Advent Calendar Extravaganza with Taheerah Atchia

I'm so excited to be joining in the fun of Taheerah's Advent Calendar Extravaganza! I have admired Taheerah's work for a long time and I was lucky enough to get to meet her in real life at CHA last winter. She is just as sweet and wonderful as you think!

Advent Calendar Extravaganza is -the- festive event of the season! This ‘hop with a twist’ was dreamed up by Taheerah Atchia and features surprise destinations each day! Joining in the fun with Taheerah are ONE HUNDRED special guests - each serving up some fantastic Christmas inspiration! Just like an Advent Calendar, you’ll never know where you’re going to be visiting next until you ‘open the door’!

And that’s not all! With 25 *amazing* sponsors taking part as guests as well, your crafty wish list is bound to get a boost with a chance to win a prize EVERY SINGLE DAY!!

Join in the fun every day at taheerah-atchia.com to see what special surprises await behind the door!

Today's sponsor is Ellen Hutson LLC and in case you don't know me yet, I am a super lucky girl! Not only do I get to be on the EH design team with some crazy talented (and sweet) ladies, but I am also "on staff" at EH too working in the office. Like I said, I'm a lucky girl :)
I've been wanting to try a watercolor technique I saw the talented Creatively Cass use - applying drops of color onto wet designs. 

I tried it and I really love the result! I will absolutely be trying it again. Here are a few tips I can share...
  • emboss your stamped images to help hold the wet color in.
  • paint your background first and let dry completely.
  • apply your "drop" colors to a test piece to make sure they don't become muddy and brown. I used Distress ink in 4 colors - Pumice Stone, Wilted Violet, Picked Raspberry and Peacock Feathers. I love how they mixed just enough to keep a "purpley" tone.
  • paint inside the stamped image with clean water, then load your paintbrush with color (one at a time) and touch it to the wet image. 
It’s not a party without a prize - and with prizes every day there are several chances to win! Today’s prize is generously supplied by [sponsor’s name] so you’ll definitely want to win! Simply leave a comment on this post - then head back to taheerah-atchia.com and leave a comment there too! You must leave a comment on Taheerah’s blog as well as mine in order to be eligible to win! Don’t forget to grab the other surprise destinations from Taheerah’s blog and head over to them to leave comments there as well to improve your odds even more! You have until 23:59 EST on 31st December 2017 to enter.

supplies:
Essentials by Ellen Stamps, Bear Ware
Essentials by Ellen Stamps, Bear Ware 2
VersaFine Onyx Black
Distress Ink Pumice Stone, Wilted Violet, Picked Raspberry & Peacock Feathers
Smooth Bristol
WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder

167 comments:

Karthikha said...

What a lovely creation :) I love this!!

Melanie Ann MacKenzie said...

This is just really beautiful..thank you for sharing the technique. Love it. Cheers.

Mirella said...

What a fun card, I really like all the colours you used, they look great together!

Jan Elmore said...

Your card today is just plain fun! Love the color pop!

Debbie Rumpza said...

I adore how you used watercolor in this card! The colors are just so fun! And I think this design could transfer easily into birthday cards.

Linda said...

Such an adorable card. Thanks for sharing some tips on your technique, and for the close up photos. Love this!

Heather DePasquale said...

Love this technique and your color choices. Fun card! Thanks for sharing!

Tracey Magner said...

WOW, Your card blew me away!! It is just BEAUTIFIL! I LOVE the colors you picked, they go awesome together and I love the way you watercolored it, really amazing card girl and Thanks for sharing it. Tracey Magner.

Natalie Winterstein said...

Love this! So cute and such fun colors!

Betty said...

such a sweet cheery card, Carly - fun colors!

Beverly S. said...

Pretty watercolor technique....makes me want to try it!!!! Thank you for sharing during this busy busy season. Happy holidays.

Avra Williams said...

Pretty! Love the colors!

Cynthia Cole said...

Such a cute card!

Carol D said...

So cute! I just love watercolor effects!

Diane said...

Pretty watercolor card.

Crafty Math Chick said...

Wow, you are really talented with those distress inks, I have never tried any. Thank you for the lovely inspiration! Merry Christmas!

Annheidel said...

Fun watercolor-style card! Love the purple.

Sarah M said...

Love those darling presents! Cute card!!

dligon said...

I love it. Beautiful

Pam said...

One of my favorite cards so far! Love the colors and that you incorporated water coloring!!

A Crafty Person said...

Wonderful card! I love the floating Christmas packages.

Tammy B said...

How fun is this card?! The presents look awesome with just a little of each colour.

Joy Meadows said...

So pretty! The colors are great.

Unknown said...

Such a simple, but impactful idea! Pretty card!

Greta said...

What a fun card! The gift look amazing done with that neat technique!

barbara macaskill said...

Festive, fun, colorifical and super unique! I love it! TFS!

emagine said...

Love 💕 this water color technique it worked perfectly with those presents

Arianna Barbara said...

Awww!!! What a darling card!!! Really adorable!!!

mgpm said...

Love the watercolors, and beautiful hues you used!

Barbara said...

Love your beautiful watercolored card! I'll bet it was fun to create! Though I've completed my Christmas cards, this is a great basic design idea for other seasons and occasions!

Viki Banaszak said...

This is a wonderful card! I love the way the ink flows and blends.

Polly said...

I think I could do this. Thanks for suggestions.

Becca Yahrling said...

How fun is this?! What a great coloring technique.
Very pretty card.

JmB said...

What a cute card and fun technique. Thank you for sharing.

MoJo said...

Oh I love the bright purple! So beautiful 😍

Dana M said...

So fun! Love the watercoloring and purple makes a wonderfully festive card.

Mary W said...

Never would I have thought these colors would make a Christmas card but they do - it looks wonderful. I sure learned something with your pretty background and watery packages. FESTIVE

Jennifer said...

Super pretty!! Love the stamp you used and the colors are so unique.

bev p said...

So bright and cheerful, and even though we try to curb it, who doesn't want a LOT of presents! Thanks so much for a new technique to try and a lovely example!

Jan Clothier said...

Such a pretty technique! Really lovely card.

Betty said...

So pretty! Thanks for the tips!

Eve N said...

What a great technique! I usually cant wait for the 1st layer to dry before working on the next colors, but this looks so fun I think I'll try it!

Iris said...

Cute card - love the watercoloring.

jordanbev5@yahoo.com said...

Your card strikes me as beautiful porcelain!! So gorgeously painted and loving today's purple theme!

Memories by Manda said...

Lovely watercolour card. Watercolouring is a technique I just can't seem to master but I can appreciate other people's work.

Laura said...

thanks for the instruction on how you created this joyful, colorful card. I think I can do that technique - - with lovely results!

Denise Bryant said...

Darling card! Love the watercolored presents and background! Great colors!

StampinLouie said...

Love the clean and simple watercolor!

Shelly said...

Oooh, so bright and beautiful! Love!

Daria Z. said...

This is just darling!

Abby said...

Fun card. Love watercolor1

~amy~ said...

carly! this is so much fun!
Happy Holidays!

Patty-Treasures in Letters said...

Wonderfully cheerful and fun.

lritchie said...

Nice and bright and festive, love the colors you chose!

Sue D said...

So pretty and fun. Great technique.

Andrea Hastilow said...

Great bright cheerful card especially if this is your first try at this method, thanks for the advice guidelines also, oh & you are a very lucky girl x

Trina P. said...

Wonderful watercoloured card. Love the non-traditional colours, especially the purple.

Jean said...

Such a pretty card.

Vickie jo said...

How much fun is this? So cute!

Teresa Doyle said...

WOW Carly, this is so pretty. A great tutorial on your process. TFS!

Jeanne Beam said...

Such a cute card and I love the purple background. Thanks for sharing...

Isabel Z said...

I love how you colored the images.

sammi said...

Oh my goodness I LOVE this! The background is great and I love all the water coloring! The presents are just too cute!

Sammibug aka Samantha Houp aka Sammi

Anonymous said...

Unique and gorgeous card! Love your style and willingness to take risks with watercolor. Can't wait to try this.

Unknown said...

Hi Ellen,

What a fab water colour christmas card, I absolutely love the alternative Christmas colour scheme used. Thank you for the brilliant tips given to us crafters to do a water colour in the future. :O)

Sharron said...

Wonderful watercolor effect! Love the bright colors!

Kathy Schweinfurth said...

What a fun background...love your watercoloring!

Kim Klinkovsky.My Kraft Kloset said...

So bright and cheerful. I love the purple and love this technique. Happy Holidays!

Unknown said...

I love those presents, and what a fun way to create a card! I love watercolor, so I might need to try something like this. Interesting choice to go for the pumice stone; I wouldn't have thought that would work, but it does create some really interesting colors in your presents. Thanks for sharing and participating in Taheerah's advent calendar!

Amy C. said...

I like all these cute, colorful presents!

Nox said...

Love the colourful presents and the pretty purple - nice to see something different from the usual Christmas colours, and this would make a nice birthday card too!

Deb Selby said...

Fun not too serious looking card. Nice.

Laura Peddicord said...

What a lovely card! It's such a cute idea and the purple watercolored is so pretty. Thank you so much for sharing your card.

Chark said...

ooooh, pretty!

Kristen said...

What wonderful techniques! GREAT use of color and composition! It's so versatile too. You could change sentiments and use it for birthday or bar mitzvah or bon voyage!

Kris in Alaska said...

Love how that purple POPS!

Irene said...

What a great card! Thanks for the reminder that just a couple of stamps can make a very dramatic card!!

Claire said...

Fun technique and could be use for any time of year. So vibrant.

Oliev said...

Awesome card!

Carrie said...

I love everything about this card, the colors you chose, the watercoloring and the design! Just love it!

Karen B. said...

Oh how I adore the purple! What an absolutely fun design.

Karen H said...

So pretty...love all the watercoloring and the accent inside the presents!

Mary Holshouser said...

Sounds like a fun technique.
The results are fantastic.
Have to try this one.
thanks for sharing a
wonderful card.

Patty said...

I love your card...so bright and happy. Thanks for sharing

Lieve said...

This card is a beauty !! I sure will try this; thank you for the useful tips !

Unknown said...

Lovely, colorful card! Thank You for sharing.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the awesome idea! Love the card

judy said...

Lovely and colorful card!

Isabelle said...

Your card is beautiful and very happy with these bright colors !

Kati C said...

I love these fun, brightly watercolored presents bouncing all over!!! So cute!! Thanks for sharing! Merry Christmas!

Stacey Kowbel said...

Fantastic card!

Susie Sonnier said...

Can be used for all kinds of occasions!

Sue McRae said...

Love the purple for a holiday card, so fun!

Dee Earnshaw said...

lovely purple background - love the water coloring - so pretty:)

Andrea Shell said...

What a bright, happy card! Love the purple!

Sam B said...

Wow. . . This is one of my absolute faovirte cards of the whole blog hop so far. Great card!!

Dana said...

Sweet card!! Love the watercoloring!!

Lynne in NI said...

Oooh what a fabulously coloured card!

Gloria Westerman said...

Super fun card...love the wet on wet technique...tfs

Kirsty Vittetoe said...

I LOOOOVE your use of colors, so clever!

Jeanne H said...

what fun colors you used on your presents and the background. Love it! Happy Christmas card it truly is.

MelissaF said...

Beautiful watercolor card, thanks for sharing the technique!

cm said...

Your tumbling water-coloured gifts are sheer delight! Love the effect you achieved; artsy and festive! Yes, you are lucky to be part of the EH staff; talk about a dream job! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful creativity and inspiration at Taheerah's Advent Extravaganza!
~carol

FD91354 said...

Lovely card.. Love the losely colored packages tied up in bows! Too cute.. Love the packages.

Ceal said...

Gorgeous card, love the watercoloring!

Unknown said...

What a fun card! I really need to play with my watercolors more. TFS!

Leanne in Cali said...

Oh that's fun! I love the watercolor look. Thanks for participating in Taheerah's great event!!

pcm said...

what pretty presents!

Karenladd said...

Loving your cute little gift wrapped background and the pretty purple!

Birgit said...

Awwww.... this is so pretty! Lovely water coloring!

Tammy Nyenhuis said...

Oh, I really like your card! What beautiful water coloring!!

Heather M said...

Love your purple background with the presents. So fun!! Great water-coloring!

Kim Faucher said...

Fun card. Pretty water coloring!!

Helen F. said...

What a fun card, great watercoloring too!

Janelle said...

Such a happy card! Love your color mix. Thanks for the tips to try this technique.

mandalj said...

Very pretty card - I really like the colours you've used to watercolour the presents!

Bev Karolak said...

Gorgeous card! Love the colours. Thanks for sharing. :-)

Mary-Anne V said...

Fun loose watercolouring on this festive card! Merry Christmas!

D.Ann C said...

I just love how that background looks like marble! I want some purple marble for reals!!

Michelle H said...

This is so cute. Love the purple.

PA said...

Such a fun card that can also be used for birthdays as well. Nice technique, use of watercolors, design, colors chosen to creat this Happy, Happy, Happy creative work of art! Well Done!

Lagene said...

AWESOME technique, Thanks for sharing!

Sabrina said...

Love your watercoloring!!

Margaret said...

Love your happy watercolored card!

Nandini said...

Very cute card. Love the coloring technique.

Larissa Heskett said...

SQUEAL!! Just BEAUTIFUL!! I just ADORE the Colors and the Design of this Card!! THANKS SO MUCH for sharing and INSPIRING!! Have a FABULOUS New Year!! =)

Monika/Buzsy said...

Merry Christmas Carly. Such a sweet card. Love the small boxes. The purple background looks great. Nice water coloring!

Christa said...

Fun background!

Karen Letchworth said...

Such an AWESOME background, and cute and colorful card. SO fun. Thanks so much for taking part in this amazing event with Taheera and friends. I appreciate your wonderful and inspiring art.
Blessings to you,
Karen Letchworth

Rose said...

Very pretty card.

Kathy J in Ellicott City said...

Adorable card! Love what you did with the background!

Susan T said...

So simple but quite effective. I just adore this card. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic card! Love the distress ink watercolor! Thank you!

Lindsay S said...

Watercolor fun at its best!

Ericka Strange said...

Such a fun and pretty card! Love the purple and the small sentiment! Great job!

Flo said...

Cute card and love the watercoloring.

Denise G. said...

I love the contemporary look of this card with its simple design and lovely watercoloring! Thanks for sharing!

Suzi said...

You gals with your non-traditional Christmas colors are trippin' me out! In a good way! I'm learning new things! Thank you! Super cute!

Andre M. said...

Love the bold colours on this card. Thanks for sharing your tips and inspiration.

Marine Mom said...

Very pretty card. I love the colors you chose to paint it. I have yet to try my hand at Distress Inks. You have inspired me.

Stanlee Runner said...

Absolutely adorable card. Thanks for sharing.

TinyCrafter said...

Your right, you are a lucky girl to work where you do. I wish I did.
I love your card! Presents are so cool and sometimes a card is a present too. Your card is a lot of presents! I love your water coloring too. It sure is different and I love the sequins that you added. They are just the right amount and for me, they always add the right somethin' somethin'. Thanks for showing us your colorful card and for giving us the chance to win something. I love Eileen Hutson!

None None said...

So fun! I have always wanted to try this technique but never quite fully understood the concept. Thank you for breaking it down so simply for us and sharing your tips!

How great is it that you work for EH! I love and adore EH!!

craftymom205 said...

Great card.

Mimi's Craftroom said...

Great card

phlower said...

A beautiful card! Love the colors and the technique!

NanW said...

Beautiful technique!

justasiam said...

The watercolour effect is really effective and striking!

Unknown said...

What a cute card. Love the watercolor effect.

Good Kardma by Jules said...

Lovely card! Really like the watercolor look!

Tommie said...

What a bright, happy card.

Beastybunny said...

So bright and colorful! And good for a variety of occasions!

Debbie A Smith said...

Your card is bright and cheery and could be used for many occasions. Looks like this would be fun to make.

Laurie said...

Cute card!! Love how you made the background!

mtscrapgal said...

I like all those pretty packages. Thanks for the tips on the watercolor technique.

Janet said...

How fun! Love your watercolored card. Thanks for the inspiration. :D

Unknown said...

Love your water color card. Thank you for sharing your idea and technique.

Judie said...

Gorgeous card and colouring!

Michele K. Henderson said...

Bright and colorful! Love these fun purples!

Rita W said...

First, yay for purple. I love how you used a small stamp to make a spectacular card.

cards by cara said...

Wow, this is so beautifully done!!

Karen R said...

I just LOVE your card!! The colors are wonderfully nontraditional and your design wonderful!!

Marianne said...

Fun! And you could easily create this using other colours or adding a birthday sentiment.

Kathy Mc said...

Carly, this turned out really cute. Don't think I'd want to mass produce this one, but I love the technique you used. Have to try it myself in the new year. TFS and Happy New Year!

Marjorie DUMONTIER said...

Awesome card ! I love how you used watercolors !
[margessw (at) icloud (dot) com]

Tracy said...

Fun card, love the purple!

Bobby said...

What a wonderful idea for an all over stamp design. I can see this for a birthday card too.