Last Days of Summer Card and Interactive Whimsical Storybook Box by Diane Mason

  Hello, and welcome back for Watercolor Weekend!

 

Hello, my Ai Watercolor friends and fans! I have two projects to share with you today. The first is a card featuring a darling, sleepy little girl resting in her favorite rocking chair, soaking up the sunshine and enjoying the last days of summer. The second project highlights one of the newest additions to the Storybook Box Series.

Last Days of Summer Card: 

This square card was inspired by all the kids heading back to school. I was always a little sad when Summer Break came to an end — it always seemed to fly by too quickly. This sweet little girl is nestled in her rocking chair in the garden, soaking up the sunshine and savoring those final, carefree days of summer.

Colors and Supplies Used

Paper: Canson XL Watercolor Paper

Cardstock: Purple

Patterned Paper: 5939 – Fairy Garden Paper Pack

Brushes: No. 4 round brush, No. 0 round brush

Stamps & Dies:

• 5360 – WC Rocking Chair Set
• 5578 – Little Angels Set
• 5475 – Flower Set 6
• 6271 – Flower Set 7
• 4051 – WC Foliage Set 1
• 6270 – Foliage Set 6
• 6047 – Scalloped Square Dies

Ink for stamped images: Versafine Smokey Gray & N52

Tombow Dual Brush Pens: 177, 249, 555, 565, 603, 606, 910, 912, 977, 969, 772

Other: Post-It tape, Masking Paper, Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White, Brown TwinTone Markers

Since I knew I’d need to do some masking for this scene, I first stamped the rocking chair (5360 – WC Rocking Chair Set) and the girl (5578 – Little Angels Set) on scrap paper. This helped me see exactly where to place the masks so the girl would look naturally seated in the chair. I also left off her wings for this design. The rocking chair was inked with Versafine Smokey Gray, and the girl was selectively inked with N52. Once I had the placement figured out, I stamped the images on to Canson XL watercolor paper.

Painting:

I brushed in the sky with a watery mix of 555. For the foliage, I stamped with 177 and 249, and the flowers were stamped in 555 and 606. I used 603 for the girl’s dress and 277 for her hair and shoes. Her skin was painted with 910 and 912, with 172 added to her cheeks. The rocking chair was shaded with 565.

White highlights were added with Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White, and I finished the scene by adding small details where needed with a brown TwinTone marker.

I matted the painting using the largest square scalloped die (6047 – Scalloped Square Dies), cut from purple cardstock, and layered it onto a 4¼ x 4¼‑inch piece of patterned paper from the 5939 – Fairy Garden Paper Pack. The panel was then adhered to a square white card base of the same size.

Interactive Whimsical Storybook Box:

My next project features the newly released 6223 – Whimsical Storybook Set. This set includes both a fairy and a gnome that can perch on the wooden stump, and I couldn’t choose between them — so I used both and made the box interactive! I attached tiny magnets to the backs of the fairy and the gnome, as well as to the inside front and back of the box, so you can swap them out whenever you like. It’s such a fun little detail that brings the whole Storybook scene to life.

Here are all the images painted and die cut. Colors used: 679, 177, 249, 885, 847, N25, N52, 565, 555, 905, 845, 992, 977, 925,192,133, 526, 912, and 942. I used branches from 4964 – WC Branches Set for the trees and leaves from 5372 – WC Mini Foliage Set. The grass is from 4051 – WC Foliage Set 1. The images were stamped with Versafine Vintage Sepia Ink. Red, blue and brown TwinTone markers were used to add detail.

Adding the magnets:

 

Interactive Options (front):

Interactive Options (back):

The gnome and fairy can be attached magnetically to the back too!

The sentiment is from 5935 – Fairytale Houses Set. Patterned paper is from 5832 – Gnome Paper Pack.

I think anyone would be super excited to receive this adorable interactive Storybook Box as a gift! Reminder: Safety First - this should not be given to a small child – tiny magnets are a chocking hazard and should not be ingested!

Thank you so much for joining me for Watercolor Weekend. I hope you have enjoyed today’s projects! Until next time, Happy Painting!