Hello and hope you’re doing well! As many of you know, each year I create 4″ x 6″ desktop calendars to give out at Christmastime to my friends and family. Usually, I’m pretty good about completing them a year in advance. But this year, I got seriously behind because of my home remodel this summer! I HAD June 2022 designed and cut out last June, but it took me this long to finally finish it. Well, I have a goal this month to start catching up!
I frequently use retired designer series papers for these projects, so I can use up my old favorites. So for June 2022, I selected the Sand & Sea Designer Series Paper and coordinating Friends Are Like Seashells stamp set and Seaside Seashell Dies. Because I didn’t have a lot of the paper leftover, I ended up designing three different versions with different color combinations.
June Tutorial:
- Cut Sand & Sea Designer Series Paper to measure 4″ x 6″.
- Cut Basic White Cardstock to measure 3″ x 5″. Use Days to Remember stamps and Stamparatus to stamp days and numbers with Memento ink. (See instructions HERE.)
- Use Seaside Spray ink and Water Painters to watercolor a quick background on the top portion of the Basic White layer. Then, stamp splatter with Seaside Spray ink.
- Stamp shell, starfish, and sand dollar with Stazon ink on Basic White Cardstock. Use Water Painters to paint the shell with Night of Navy and Seaside Spray ink, the starfish with Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo, or So Saffron ink (depending on the version), and the sand dollar with Crumb Cake ink. Tip: Basic White Cardstock really isn’t made for watercoloring, but it works if you dilute the ink with water to create the exact shade you want and if you use minimal brushstrokes. The paper will immediately absorb the ink and doesn’t allow for much in the way of blending. Watercoloring on Basic White takes a little getting use to, but yields a really different look from Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper or Shimmery White. I encourage you to practice and try it out.
- Cut out the watercolored images with the coordinating dies.
- Cut out the seaweed from Pearlescent Specialty Paper and the ship wheel from In Good Taste Designer Series Paper using the Smooth Sailing Dies.
- Stamp and emboss the month in white using the Days to Remember stamps on In Good Taste Designer Series Paper. Trim close and notch the right side to form a “V”.
- Use Seal to layer all the items as shown.
I’m hoping to have time later this month to work on more months, so stay tuned! I’m not giving up!!!
Have a wonderful and creative day:)
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