The Watercolor Winter Simply Created Kit in the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog really appealed to me after seeing some photos of the cards Demonstrators made at the Stampin’ Up! Convention. They are cute cards, but I found them a little bit more difficult to make than I expected. I think Stampin’ Up! could have done a little better job with the directions and they could have included color photos of  all the finished cards.  But you can look online or in the Holiday Catalog on page 37 to see the cards. The cards are not difficult to make, really, probably a little more detailed and tedious what with tiny pieces and waiting for the watercoloring to dry. If you are looking for super simple and quick, this kit is probably not for you. If you can handle taking some time and handling some small pieces and looking at another source to see what the cards are supposed to look like, then you might like making these cards just fine. You do get PLENTY of pieces of “stuff” in this kit so you can follow some or none of the directions and do your own thing. Or make some of the cards according to the kit directions and then branch out with your own ideas! Don’t forget the coordinating stamp set, also on page 37 of the Holiday Catalog, called Watercolor Winter Too.

As per the title of the kit, there is watercoloring involved with these cards!  A watercolor is even included. It’s best if you have some reinkers that match the cards so that you can add the reinker to a bit of water or use your Aqua Painter instead of the brush, to color the items in the kit, such as the letters on this card.  For these letters I chose to do the “ombre effect”.  Notice the gradation of shades from light to dark. Well, now that I look at the photo, I’m not sure the medium shade shows up, but however you want to do it, or however it turns out, is fine! It is easiest to color the letters while they are still attached and then you can pop them out when they are dry.

Here is the other card in the kit:

On this card, I actually painted on those gray stripes going across the card front! They don’t have to be perfect (and aren’t!) because you are watercoloring!  Lots of room for imperfection and it still looks good!  Then you just stick on one of the vellum snowflakes that comes in the kit and add a few sequins. The small letters are watercolored on their sheet, but here is a twist!  Turn the piece containing the letters and other card die-cuts over to glue the linen thread to the back of the letters. Directions on that ARE included in the kit. Again, a little tedious, if you are not into that kind of thing, but it does work! I used Tombow Multipurpose Liquid Glue. You could also color the letters, punch them out and then just glue them onto the card. But they are small!

So if you are interested in this Watercolor Winter Simply Created Kit, here is where you get it!

Be sure to watch this video so you can see what other supplies you need and see how they cards go together – and all the supplies you get in the kit! And let me know if you have any questions!