Tips & Techniques Tuesday: Watercolors and Stickles -- a Beautiful Combination!

Happy Tuesday, ATS friends!  Julie here from Muddy Paws & Inky Fingers with today's tutorial.

I've had this ready to go for several weeks, and didn't realize how similar it was to guest designer, DoBea's post a couple weeks ago.

Today's post is the frugal crafters version!

Several years ago, I bought the cheapest watercolor paint set I could find at Michael's, thinking I wasn't going to use it much.  Well, I've used it a lot, and it's still going strong.  I've certainly gotten my $5 worth out of it, that's for sure! Today's technique uses that watercolor paint set, and Stickles, of course. Let's get started!

You'll need:

Watercolor Paints

Crystal Stickles

Watercolor Paper (I used a 5x7 watercolor card by Strathmore)

Paintbrush

Water or Squirt bottle

Stamp of Choice

White Ribbon (I used 1/4 inch silk)

Start by painting the watercolor on to the paper where you want, using the colors you want.



 Wait for the paint to dry, or use your heat gun to speed up the process.  Then, use your finger to spread the Crystal Stickles across the surface of the paint.

 Again, wait for this to dry, then stamp your image. I used this large butterfly by Unity. It was stamped using Tim Holtz distress ink in Stormy Skies.

 I wanted the ribbon to match the butterfly, so I used a Distress Stain to dye my ribbon.  I could have used either the watercolor paints or alcohol inks to dye it also.

Here's the supplies for the ribbon dying step:

Distress Stain, Crystal Stickles, white ribbon, squirt or mist bottle, and a small paint brush.

I ran the Distress Stain bottle directly across the ribbon, saturating it with the color. Then, while the ribbon was still wet, I squirted some water on my craft sheet to dilute the Crystal Stickles slightly, then painted the Stickles across the ribbon.

 Here, you can see where I have covered the left portion of the ribbon with the Stickles. Then, let it dry.

After the ribbon is dry, you have the fun of attaching it to the card, tying a bow, and admiring your beautiful artwork.  Sparkly AND inexpensive.  You gotta love that!

I'll leave you with one more close up of the ribbon, so you can see the Stickles sparkling in it.

Don't forget about the current linky party.  The color is Waterfall.  We're just getting underway with this linky party so you have plenty of time to link up -- Aug. 2. 

I have a giveaway going on over on my blog, with the winner being announced today. Stop over for a couple more details about this card, and to see if you're the winner.