Simple Watercolor Note Card

I've been working on this design for a while.  I just couldn't get the watercolor to flow right on the paper.  You would think this should be easy right?  I mean, it looks easy? 

Thanks to Scraps and Stamps for this instructional video, I was able to finally grasp this technique! 

For the above, I cut a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inch card from a heavy water color paper.  (Hint on finding the best deal, go to the children's art supply section and buy a pad of watercolor paper).  

I stamped, using Tuxedo Black Memento Dye Ink Pad, the thank you from Papertrey Ink's  Think Big Favorites #15 Mini Stamp Set followed by ZING opaque black embossing powder and then heat set it with my embossing tool.

After embossing, I used painter's tape to tape down the paper onto chip board (I used the back of one of my watercolor note pads).  I actually worked on four note cards at a time, as you can see from the photo.

Next, use HOT water, yes I said HOT water because it helps the watercolor paint become more saturated faster and is less gritty when painting.  So, using HOT water and a #10 watercolor paint brush, I painted the section and design on how I wanted the paint to appear on paper.  Next, using Crayola watercolor paint (no need to be fancy - they work great for these projects!), I painted a small section red, then orange, then yellow, etc.  I did not take the paint outside the water area on the card.  The water helps the paint move and blend.  Just make sure to rinse your brush well after each color.  The colors will move and blend on their own as they dry.

Let the paint is dry. I waited the afternoon - you can use your heat gun if you're impatient, but that tends to make the wet paint spread in ways that I don't like.  Once it drys, carefully peel off the painters tape.  Be careful - you can tear the paper!  Then trim all edges by 1/4" and mount to a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" note card.  I made mine from blue card stock.

Supplies needed:

4 1/4" x 5 1/2" watercolor paper

Papertrey Ink's Think Big Favorites #15 Mini Stamp Set 
Tuxedo Black Memento Dye Ink Pad
ZING opaque black embossing powder 
Heat embossing tool
HOT water
#10 watercolor paint brush
watercolor paint
4 1/4" x 5 1/2" note card and envelope