Elizabeth Craft Designs General Els van de Burgt Studio Krista Schneider Silk Microfine Glitter Soft Finish Cardstock Videos

Easy Watercolor Cactus Card

June 11, 2018
Watercolor Cactus Card

Hi! It’s Elena today and I have been wanting to use the Cacti Clear Stamps from Krista Schneider for a while now. Cactus and succulent-themed cards seem to be very popular these days and Krista’s stamp set is so cute that I had to jump in and make my own version. I used two different easy watercolor techniques with a bit of die cutting and of course – glitter!! Here’s how I made the card:

Watercolor Cactus Card

Step 1 – Cut a piece of hot press watercolor paper to 4 ¼” x 5 ½” and mist with water using a sprayer. Lightly tap green watercolor powder onto the paper and then add a bit of turquoise powder (Brusho powders used here). Spray with water again to help the colors bloom and spread. Then add a bit of Violet powder and mist with water again. Tilt the paper as you like so the colors run a bit and dab up any excess water that accumulates along the edges with a paper towel. Add a bit of Yellow and Red powders here and there (avoid putting them too close to their complimentary colors – violet and green – as that can create mud) and spray with more water. Continue adding these powder colors and water, tilting the paper and dabbing up the excess water until you are happy with the look. Set aside to dry.
Watercolor Cactus Card - Step 1

Step 2 – Stamp the double round cactus stamp from the Cacti Clear Stamps on to some watercolor-marker friendly paper using a waterproof black ink. Color the cactus and pot with watercolor markers of your choice, adding a bit of color to each area and then spreading it with water on a detail brush. Use colors that coordinate with your background – green, pink/red, yellow, etc. Use a light gray marker to add ground beneath the cactus pot so it doesn’t look like it is floating. Stamp the 3 flower bunch stamp on to the same paper with the same waterproof ink and color it with the coordinating red/pink marker (not pictured).
Watercolor Cactus Card - Step 2

Step 3 – Stamp the “Bloom where you are planted” sentiment from the Plant, Grow & Bloom Clear Stamps on to a 1 1/16” x 6” strip of 85 lb. White Soft Finish Cardstock using waterproof black ink. Color the open letters at the beginning of each word using the same pink/red watercolor marker and water from Step 2. If necessary, clean up any color that spreads outside the lines of the letters with a white glaze pen.
Watercolor Cactus Card - Step 3

Step 4 – Create a top folding A2-sized card base by cutting a piece of 100 lb. White Soft Finish Cardstock to 4 ¼” x 11” and folding in half. Die cut the colored cactus panel from Step 2 with the fifth largest die from the Stitched Circles Die Set. Die cut a piece of Dark Fuchsia Soft Finish Cardstock using the fourth largest die in the Dotted Scallop Circles Die Set. Die cut the sentiment panel using the second smallest die from the Stitched Rectangles Die Set to get the stitched detail on the two vertical ends only. Die cut the three flower image from Step 2 using the coordinating Cacti Dies and then fussy cut them apart in the middle so you have 3 separate flowers.
Watercolor Cactus Card - Step 4

Step 5 – Using 10 mm Clear Double Sided Adhesive Tape, adhere the watercolor panel from Step 1 on to the front of the card base. Layer the cactus circle on to the center of the Dark Fuchsia circle and then adhere both into the upper middle of the card front, again using 10 mm Clear Double Sided Adhesive Tape. Adhere the sentiment in the center below the cactus circle with 10 mm Clear Double Sided Adhesive Tape. Add foam tape to the back of the 3 flowers and add them to the cactus as shown in the photo. If desired, add purple glitter drops to the centers of flowers and as faux stitching on the sides of the sentiment panel (the faux stitching can also be done with a color-coordinated marker). Add clear drops to the colored parts of the words in the sentiment. Finally, attach a strip of 3 mm Clear Double Sided Adhesive Tape right along the top edge and bottom edge of the card front. Peel off the backing to expose the adhesive and cover with Peony Pink Silk Microfine Glitter. Tap off the excess and rub the glitter strip with your finger to bring out the shine in the glitter. After the drops are dry, wipe off the card front with a Swiffer cloth to remove any excess glitter. Enjoy!
Watercolor Cactus Card - Step 5
Watercolor Cactus Card

Watercolor Cactus Card - Detail

Supplies:

Elizabeth Craft Designs: 


Other Supplies Used:

  • Hot Press Watercolor Paper
  • Brusho Watercolor Crystals
  • Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers
  • Black Waterproof Ink
  • Foam Tape

You Might Also Like

  • Arlene June 11, 2018 at 10:28 am

    Fantastic background and a beautiful cactus.

  • %d bloggers like this: