Watercolor with Serendipity Stamps

One of my favorite stamp companies ever since I began stamping has been Serendipity Stamps. I love the images Mary Dew Lee makes into stamps and the word stamps too. I always like it when there are word stamps to go with the images.

A lot of cards that you see on other blogs are so complex! I probably would not make one of them, much less several to actually send. I believe in making cards to actually mail! To simplify my cards, I usually stick to this rule of requirements for a card to look complete. You need three things....the image, a background and an embellishment.

I guess I am a realist as I am drawn to images that look real like many of the Serendipity images and Inkadinkado Sketch type stamps. I like images that can be "colored". On most of the cards I will share with you, I color by using watercolor crayons. To me it is one of the easiest ways of coloring but gives such a great look. I do enjoy die cuts and punches or cutters like the new circle cutter from EK Success. I use the curvy cutter for ovals.

For my background, I like to use decorative paper as there are so many pretty ones and it is easier than stamping a background. My favorite paper comes from K & Company.

For embellishments, I like ribbon, sewing, eyelets, punch art and other items that are fairly flat. If it is too dimensional, it will get messed up in the mail.

I also like a little bling like the sheen on the ribbon, the metallic paint added to the flowers and the shimmer paper used below. I like a touch of glitter too. I try to work in odd numbers, such as there being three ribbons here and three main areas.

Most every card I make has some inspiration from a photo. I colored these hollyhocks burgundy as my friend that has a house near the cabin has hollyhocks and no matter what color they are when she buys them, they end up turning burgundy the next year.

I thought I took photos of hollyhocks at Biltmore back in the spring but could not locate them, but there are photos somewhere. I have several more cards to share with Serendipity stamps. Hope you enjoy them!