Life is Better in the Summer

I know I can't be the only one that tries a new technique and seconds later the creative flood gates burst open and it's all..."I could do this! Oh! Oh! I could do that! I wonder if this would work!? I've got to try this!"

Who knew a q-tip and some watercolors could do that to a person!?

After my last experiment I had so many ideas swarming my brain and couldn't rest until I put them to paper. I had this idea to create a circle of tiny q-tip/watercolor circles as the main design element on a layout. And, it just felt perfect for a water themed layout.

I started by using a large chipboard circle as a template and placed it in the center of my layout. Then I used a q-tip dipped in my Pinkfresh Studios watercolor and a little bit of water and started stamping the end of the q-tip around the edge of the circle.

In a few spots I added a second or third row of circles and then a few random ones here and there. For the darker spots I dipped the q-tip back into water to help re-hydrate the end and help the color come out more. For the lighter spots I just kept stamping until the color would lighten in an ombre type of affect. It really doesn't take a lot of the watercolor itself. I think I applied more to the end like twice maybe. The q-tip really soaks it up and distributes the vibrant colors well.

I have a really hard time creating a water themed layout without adding some splashes of some kind. It's like an addiction or something. I just can't resist splashes. To feed my creative urging, I used a combination of flourishes and little splash die cuts covered in Stickles.

I also added some Stickles to a few of the watercolor circles to tie into that whole ocean/watery/glittery feel of the layout.

My favorite detail is the Tonic Studios Nuvo Jewel Drops in Sea Breeze. (You can see them really well in the picture above along with some Nuvo Glitter Drops too.) I am declaring them the absolute must-have for water themed pages. Seriously, they are AH-MAZING! They look exactly like water drops. I'm coming to the conclusion that I'm pretty much obsessed with anything in the Nuvo family of products.

Supplies used: Patterned papers and stickers: Simple Stories "Hello Summer"; Stickles in Diamond; Tonic Studios Jewel Drops in Sea Breeze; Tonic Studios Glitter Drops in White Blizzard; Pinkfresh Studios Liquid Watercolor in Aquamarine