watercolor – Try It – Like It

It’s the Small Things

This embossed and watercolor leaf card captures the peaceful beauty of nature with shimmering details.

with Emerald Creek

There is something special about creating with images inspired by nature—they bring a sense of calm and serenity to any project. For this card, I stamped and heat embossed a delicate leaf image before adding soft watercolor washes. The embossing acts as a resist, allowing the colors to flow beautifully while highlighting the intricate details of the leaf. The result is a simple yet elegant card that captures the peaceful beauty of the natural world.

Emerald Creek Materials:

Use my code “TRYIT” for 10% off your Emerald Creek order.

Maple Leaf Cling Mount Stamp
Iridescent Shimmer Embossing Powder
Ripple Clear Embossing Ink

The close-up image really showcases the beauty of the shimmering embossing. The raised details catch the light beautifully, adding depth, texture, and an elegant sparkle that enhances the watercolor background. It’s a reminder that sometimes the smallest details can make the biggest impact in a handmade card.

Video Tutorial:

Suggested Materials:

Links are Affiliates AZ – Amazon, SSS – Simon Says Stamps, SB – Scrapbook, O – Other

Cricut Portable Trimmer Shop at: AZ \| C	Distress Ink Bundle Shop at: AZ \| SB	Emerald Creek Shop at: O	Glassboard Shop at: AZ \| O
HP Paper Shop at: AZ	Kuretake Gansai Tambi Granulating Color Shop at: AZ	Ranger Heat Tool Shop at: AZ	Tape Runner Shop at: AZ \| SSS \| SB

Disclosure: This post was created as part of the Emerald Creek Design Team. Products and materials were provided to me by Emerald Creek for design and educational purposes. All project ideas, opinions, and creative content are my own.

Watercolor Stenciling

This week’s tag features a dreamy watercolor background and layered details for added depth.

This week’s tag features a fun stenciling technique using watercolor paints that gently lifts the pattern from the surface rather than layering color on top. The result is a beautifully soft, almost dreamy background that has a look all its own. Unlike traditional stenciling methods that add bold texture or color, this technique creates subtle movement and visual interest while still keeping the design light and airy. It’s a wonderful way to add depth without overpowering your project, making it perfect for tags, cards, and mixed-media creations.

Video Tutorial:

Here is the finished tag with the ephemera pieces layered over the watercolor background. The watercolor technique creates a visually active base that beautifully echoes the imagery in the sentiment panel. The white border around the sentiment helps ground the design and gives the focal point a clean, finished look while allowing the background to remain soft and expressive.

To see how the button flower was made: https://youtu.be/Yo8CQwxA6pU

Suggested Materials:

Links are Affiliates AZ – Amazon, SSS – Simon Says Stamps, SB – Scrapbook, O – Other

1″ Circle Punch Shop at: AZ	American Crafts Shop at: O	Carta Bella Shop at: AZ	Dynasty Brushes Shop at: AZ
Glassboard Shop at: AZ \| O	Glue Bottles Shop at: AZ	Gwen Studios at Walmart Shop at: O	Non-Stick Scissors Shop at: AZ
Ranger Heat Tool Shop at: AZ	Reptile Glue Shop at: AZ

Watercolor Resist

Try this stunning watercolor resist technique! Heat emboss your design, add watercolors, and watch the magic happen. Perfect for tags, cards, and more!

This week’s tag features a resist technique created with Tambi Gansi watercolors and a heat-embossed stamped image. The vibrant colors flow beautifully around the embossed design, creating striking contrast. While I used Tambi Gansi paints, this technique works well with any watercolor paints—making it versatile and easy to adapt to what you already have in your craft stash.

After I was satisfied with the resist effect, I added a touch of spray splatters in metallic silver and purple. The shimmer from the metallic colors catches the light beautifully, adding both texture and dimension to the tag. These splatters not only enhance the watercolor background but also bring in a festive, eye-catching sparkle that ties the whole design together.

To finish the tag, I added a sheer purple ribbon through the top, which complements the metallic splatters and watercolor tones. For balance, I also included a design element at the bottom of the tag to help ground the overall composition, giving it a more polished and complete look.

The close-up image above highlights how the watercolor naturally settled into the textured spaces of the heat-embossed image. This creates depth and dimension, making the resist design stand out beautifully against the colorful background.

Video Tutorial:

Suggested Materials:

Links are Affiliates AZ – Amazon, SSS – Simon Says Stamps, SB – Scrapbook, O – Other

Aluminum Foil Tape Shop at: AZ	Dollar Tree Shop at: O	Glassboard Shop at: AZ \| O	HP Paper Shop at: AZ	Izink Dye Spray Shop at: AZ
Kuretake Gansai Tambi Granulating Color Shop at: AZ	Marabu Fashion Spray Shop at: AZ	Paper Trimmer Shop at: AZ	Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Ink 3 pack Shop at: AZ \| SSS
Spray Bottles Shop at: AZ	Vinyl Scraper Tool Shop at: AZ	WRMK Stamping Platform Shop at: AZ

Granulating Watercolor Tag

See how magical textures are created with granulating watercolor paints.

Granulating watercolors create beautiful blooms of color when activated with water, making each use wonderfully unique. Today, I used them to craft this tag, letting the paint speak for itself.

In the close-up image, you can see how the colors separate and softly blend, creating a one-of-a-kind effect with beautiful texture.

Video Tutorial:

Suggested Materials:

Links are Affiliates
AZ – Amazon, SSS – Simon Says Stamps, SB – Scrapbook, O – Other

Glassboard Shop at: AZ \| O	Glue Bottles Shop at: AZ	HP Paper Shop at: AZ	Kuretake Gansai Tambi Granulating Color Shop at: AZ
Paper Trimmer Shop at: AZ	Reptile Glue Shop at: AZ

Plastic and Watercolor Technique

Tag it Tuesday

This week’s technique is a fun combo of plastic cling wrap and watercolor, and the results are truly one-of-a-kind! After applying watercolor to your surface, simply press a piece of plastic wrap over the wet paint and let it dry. As it dries, the cling wrap creates organic lines and patterns that add amazing visual texture. It’s an easy way to elevate your backgrounds or add interest to cards, tags, and mixed media projects.

Video Tutorial:

Here’s a close-up of the watercolor and plastic wrap technique—just look at that texture! The plastic wrap naturally forms lines, creases, and patterns as it dries over the watercolor, creating a beautifully unpredictable, marbled effect. Each piece turns out totally unique, making it a great way to add depth and interest to your backgrounds or layered elements in your paper crafting.

Salted Watercolor Tag

The visual textures are amazing.

Tag it Tuesday

I began this tag with an inspiration piece in mind and created the background using a watercolor technique combined with a salt reaction. Watching the salt interact with the wet paint to form unique textures and patterns is always fascinating—it brings an element of unpredictability. As the background developed, the evolving textures sparked new ideas, shifting the creative direction mid-process. It’s amazing how these unexpected changes can lead to a final piece that’s even more dynamic and unique than originally envisioned!

Starting with the tag and painting the background with watercolors that were inspired by a small ephemera piece, I added salt to the paint and let it dry.

Video Tutorial:

The visual textures on this finished tag are truly amazing. The interplay of colors and the unique patterns created by the salt reaction add depth and character, making the design come alive. Each detail draws the eye, showcasing the beauty of organic, unplanned artistry. It’s a piece that invites you to look closer and appreciate the layers of texture and creativity.

Tuesday Tag: Watercolor Edition

Let’s wrinkle our watercolor painting.

This week’s Tag it Tuesday features the fun and unique watercolor wrinkle technique! I ended up creating the tag twice because the first attempt didn’t get recorded, but honestly, I think I like the second version even more. What do you think of the finished look? Let me know your thoughts!

Suggested Materials:

Links are Affiliates
AZ – Amazon, O – Other “”

Craft Brushes Shop at: AZ	Distress Ink Bundle Shop at: AZ	Glassboard discount code JANET20 Shop at: AZ \| O	HP Paper Shop at: AZ
Non-Stick Scissors Shop at: AZ	Ranger Heat Tool Shop at: AZ	Reptile Glue Shop at: AZ	WRMK Stamping Platform Shop at: AZ

Video Tutorial:

Gesso and Watercolor Tag

This week’s tags are a set of mini tags.

Tag it Tuesday

This week’s tags are a set of mini tags. Creating tags using watercolor and clear gesso adds a beautiful, artistic touch to your projects. Start by applying a light coat of clear gesso to your paper tags, which helps the watercolor stay vibrant and blend smoothly. Once dry, paint with your favorite watercolor techniques, allowing the colors to flow naturally. The gesso creates a slightly textured surface, giving your tags interesting depth. You can layer colors, add splatters, or even sketch designs on top once the paint dries, making each tag a unique, personalized piece.

Video Tutorial:

Suggested Materials:

Links are Affiliates
AZ – Amazon, O – Other

Clear Gesso Shop at: AZ	DecoArt Paint Shop at: AZ	Gelatos Shop at: AZ \| O	Glassboard discount code JANET20 Shop at: AZ \| O
HP Paper Shop at: AZ	Non-Stick Scissors Shop at: AZ	Ranger Heat Tool Shop at: AZ

DIY Watercolor Butterfly Ephemera

Using stickers from the Dollar Tree you can watercolor them in a variety of different colors and designs. DIY ephemera is unique and can save you money. Using the sticker from the Dollar Tree was easy but you could alternately die-cut your shapes as well.

Video Tutorial:

The close-up image gives you a better look at some of the details on the wings. This was a very relaxing and enjoyable project. I love the results just as much as the process of painting them.

Freebie Friday – Gnomes

Freebie Friday – hand-painted set of gnomes. #printable #free #gnomes

This freebie is close to my heart. While I create all my Friday printables, this one is made from my own watercolor painting. I hope you find them as cute as I do and I would love to see how they travel – meaning how you end up using them in your work.

Gnome PDF printable: [Gnomes]