It’s a challenge to hook my on 14 year-old granddaughter, a fabulous artist, into a craft project these days. This is the same girl who could not get enough time in Nana's craft room when she was younger! She watched me try a small sample for this project.

My sample was dismal, but we learned our old scented markers would do the job. She immediately jumped into the project, made a card for her brother in college to tuck into the card I had ready to go, and she made one other card.

What amazed me was how she looked at the blobs I made and said, “That’s an octopus.” I didn’t see it, but soon, she had transformed my test piece into an aquatic scene.

I’m awed by how the technique itself works beautifully, but holds inherent creativity I quite missed.  Amalia picked up on more possibilities! Cheers for how our kids teach us!

My cards follow, and yes, Tammy, I dug into years of my stash!

Above: Quick card background colors on photo-paper usingMr. Sketch watercolor markers. Added black lines-using Pinstripes stamp (Stampin’ Up).

Above: “Autumn” card front on photo paper with Stampin’ Up leaves layered on top.

Above: Quick photo-paper card front w/ watercolor markers, random stickers and Stampin’ Up stamps in silver and black.

 

Definitely experienced time machine travel back to supplies in my stash from at least a decade ago. On top of project card, I used the Stampin’ Up “Kindness Matters” set and some paper punches.

Gouache on photo paper. Nice and bright. Used the plastic bag to paint on, but put the photo paper on top. The gouache, not my favorite or familiar medium, needed to be pressed into paint a bunch of times to get the paint moved to the paper. But I had to try it.

The little blue flower was languishing alone in a parking lot and looked liked it had been part of somebody’s project. Nobody next to the car, and I couldn’t let that nice little piece get run over, so there you have it!