In Colors for Christmas

I would like to start by saying WOW! I am sure that there are many bloggers who get 100's of hits every day. I am not one of those people. I feel very humble that others are linking their blog to mine and find my tips, instructions, or creations inspiring. 143 hits yesterday is a record for me. I just might have to put up some blog candy soon if this continues :wink: Thank you for visiting and please keep coming back.

On to todays card.... I love this years In Colors. I liked last years, but I LOVE this years. They have so many uses and combinations. My favorite personally is Purely Pomegranate. With the Wild Wasabi it makes the perfect Christmas combination. I mentioned yesterday using non-traditional combinations for your Holiday Cards. These colors can be easier to use with certain images. Take the "Baby Jesus is Born" stamp set for instance.

I used the Wild Wasabi for the lower grass area and then Blue Bayou for the night sky. A quick roll of the coordinating "Sweet Stars" Jumbo Wheel on my white craft pad and we have a wonderful stary night background. If I were to replicate this card again, I would use textured Wasabi for the lower layer. I also used the white craft ink for the sentiment before punching it out with the word window punch and placing it on a strip of River Rock Double Stitched Ribbon to match the matting for the main image.

I am aqua painter challenged. I always get too much water in it and the colors run everywhere. I have found a few tips that are helping me. 1.) I take all the water out of the aqua painter. I just dip the end of the brush in a small jar of water and wipe the excess of on the side of the jar. 2.) By embossing the image first (like I did on this card with Black EP) it helps to control the area you are coloring. I am getting better at watercoloring sky area. If you are aqua painter challenged also, I suggest starting with open sky areas. The Soft Sky In Color is great for this and is very forgiving. It is hard to pick up too much color and helps you learn a good balance between ink and water.

I colored the "Baby Jesus is Born" image with all of the In Colors. The River Rock worked well for Jesus and their head dresses. Groovy Guava and Purely Pomegranate for Mary. Blue Bayou and Purely Pomegranate for Joseph. Of course the Wild Wasabi and Soft Sky for the image background. These colors are fabulous and can be used in any combination of pairs, trios or all together. Break out your In Colors today.