Making watercolor gift tags

I have a fun watercolor project to share with you today, watercolor gift tags! Handmade gift tags make the perfect addition to any gift.

Hope you are having a wonderful day! 💚

It all starts with a simple design and very small painting. Below I have a few examples.

I divide up the watercolor paper using a pencil and ruler. Then paint some simple designs making sure to leave room at the top and bottom for some lettering.

After the mini paintings dried, I added a little ink detail to each of them using a gold and white pen. I thought the tags with leaves would look better if the leaves were outlined so I used a pen with a very small tip and gave that a try.

Adding lettering is always difficult for me. I decided to use some tape as a guide to help me keep the lettering straight. With a pencil I lightly added the message and then used my gold pen to trace over it. Later I gently erased any pencil marks left behind.

I used a hole punch and added some rustic string to finish them off. A pretty ribbon would look nice too. On a couple of them I got a little fancy and changed the shape of the tag at the top with a little snip of the scissors. I really like how they turned out.

There’s so much you can do with these little tags. I hope you have fun and get creative. I can’t want to use my tags on gifts for loved ones.

I hope you are inspired to create art and have fun. If you make some gift tags, please share with me on Instagram, @pattyanneart. I would love to see your designs.

Until next time, share a smile and shine on!

🌸 Patty Anne 🌸

Join me on Instagram at pattyanneart

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Watercolor Birthday Cards

I’ve been painting birthday cards and have a few to share with you today.

Happy Thursday, friends! 💚

I taped off the center area of my cards (with painters tape).
Then I painted layers of leaves and buds all around the tape.

After pulling off the tape I had a nice framed area in the center for writing a message.

I decided to add a few of my little paper birds and flowers to this card. I like how it balanced out the frame and added some fun.

My dual tipped Tombow brush pens worked great for writing the birthday message. I practiced a while in my sketchbook before deciding on the blue marker (small tip).

I glued few of my paper flowers on this card and then couldn’t resist adding a little bling. 😉

I hope you are inspired to create art and do more of what you love.

Until next time, share a smile and stay excellent!

🌸 Patty Anne 🌸

Join me on Instagram @pattyanneart

Inspired by joyful shapes

I’ve been having fun playing with paper and scissors lately. Today I have some joyful shapes created from Christmas cards. Sometimes I need to step away from the paint brush and allow myself the freedom to create in other ways.

I get excited playing with paper shapes and gluing together something new and beautiful. It just makes my heart sing.

These little guys make me smile every time I look at them. I plan to use them on a special card.

This flower just needs a stem. I have many options here… paint one, sketch one, or cut one out of paper.

These little birds happened by accident while cutting up this card.

Oh happy day! 😊

I was trying to cut out some leaves and I noticed that a few left over scraps looked like a bird. That inspired me to keep cutting more and more out the same way. After my happy dance, I cut out some little wings and glued them on.

I just love the random colors and patterns on the birds. They too will probably find their way to a pretty card or maybe a new collage piece.

I hope you are inspired to create art and do more of what you love. Keep playing and having fun. Until next time, share a smile and stay excellent!

🌸 Patty Anne 🌸

Join me on Instagram @pattyanneart to see what else I’ve been working on.

Painting Cards for Christmas

This year I decided to paint a few simple cards for Christmas. I thought it would be fun to share my process with you today.

Hope your day is wonderful! 💚

I started out by folding a 6 x 9 inch piece of bee watercolor paper in half.

Next step was taping off a tree shape with washi tape. I like that the washi tape comes off easily and does not harm the paper.

Using a small round brush I painted a few swipes of clean water across the paper at an angle. Then after dipping my brush in pigment, I lightly painted back and forth down the tree. I left some unpainted areas and like how it adds to the overall design.

Then just peel off the tape and you have a lovely tree.

You can mix it up and use different colors too. That would be a lot of fun.

I hope you are inspired to create art and do more of what you love.

Until next time, share a smile and shine on!

🌸 Patty Anne 🌸

Join me on Instagram @pattyanneart

Making and sharing watercolor cards

I have been making more cards with my watercolor cutouts. It’s a joyful process for me and I hope my creations bring you a smile.

Happy Sunday, friends! 💚

I always start with a few of my painted flowers and leaves. They work quite well for card making.

I add a little ink detail and outline each piece to create a nice shape.  It’s amazing the difference a little ink can make.

Tip: When I cut out the watercolor pieces I leave a tiny paper border around the ink outlined shape.

 

Blank cards with envelopes are easy to find online or in the craft store.

I like the simplicity of a just few pieces on each card.

It’s fun to  play around with the arrangement using different pieces until I find something I like. Then using a glue stick, I secure the pieces down and place a heavy book on top to add a little pressure.

Tip: Baby wipes are by my side for my hands…. I don’t do sticky very well. 😊

 

What I love about making and sharing cards using my art is that they are part of me.

A gift from the heart shared with family and friends is a special thing. 💗

I hope you are inspired to create art and do more of what you love. Always remember that art is for everyone.

Until next time, have a creative week and shine on!

🌸  Patty Anne  🌸

 

Follow me on Instagram @pattyanneart

Patty Anne Art

Making Shower Decorations

I have something a little different today… this week I was busy making a few shower decorations. These cute little paper dresses just filled my heart with joy. So today I thought I would mix things up with a little crafty post.

Happy Sunday, friends! 💚

I wanted to make a wedding dress banner after seeing a few of them on Pinterest.

I played around and sketched a simple dress outline. Then I made a template of the shape using some heavy paper.

 

For the final paper dresses I used a bright white scrapbook paper that had a little weight and texture.

 

Ah, pretty iridescent fabric and white tulle for the skirt…

I cut a small square of each material and then hand stitched the top edges together so that it would gather at the waist area of the skirt.

 

I also glued down some pretty ribbon at the bottom of the skirt which worked well.

 

To secure the skirt in place, I glued it down and then hand sewed it to the paper dress. After that just a small piece of shiny trim was glued down to finish it off and add a little bling. 😄

Now that they are finished, I am not sure if I will make a banner or use them to decorate a few tables. The shower is still months away so I have time to decide. I need to start working on the shower invitation next. More to come on that. 

Hope you enjoyed seeing my pretty dresses and the reason for my happy dance this week.

Until next time, share a smile and be well.

🌸 Patty Anne  🌸

Patty Anne Art

I’m on Instagram at pattyanneart

 

Christmas Card Collage

I decided to switch things up and try something new. I recently enrolled in a Skillshare class on Collage Art, Collage & Go.  For the class project,  I thought it would be fun to use some Christmas cards and scrapbook paper that I had on hand.

Happy Sunday, friends! 💚

I cut out some circle shapes and then cut the circles in half.

After arranging the half circles in rows,  I simply glued them down using a glue stick.

 

Wishing you Peace

After adding a few more small pieces,  it was time for a little detail. I cut out the word Peace for the top and added a few ink doodles.

I had a lot of fun putting this collage together and just love all of the little birds. When I finished I noticed the words on the page, Wishing you Peace.  I just love that!

I hope you are inspired to create art and do more of what you love.

Until next time, share a smile and stay excellent!

🌸  Patty Anne  🌸

I’m on Instagram at pattyanneart

Sparkle Tree watercolor

Another Christmas card painting to share today.

Happy Sunday, friends! 💜

 

I painted my tree using a 1/2 inch flat brush. I need to remember to pick that brush up more often. 😊 I really like the purple and blue together.

Once again, I put my new gold and silver pens to the test…

 

Oh I just love a little sparkle! It feels like Christmas. 🎄

I hope you are inspired to create art and do more of what you love.

Until next time, share a smile and shine on!

🌸 Patty Anne  🌸

 

follow me on Instagram @pattyanneart

Patty Anne Art

A few Christmas Cards

I painted a few Christmas card recently. I always enjoy these fun little projects.

Happy Thursday, friends! 💚

I started with a few simple paintings. Then decided it might be nice to add a little sparkle with some ink.  I found a set of pens in gold, silver, and white online. yay!

 

Oh, I love these new pens. The gold ink on the Christmas tree adds the perfect little touch.

I’m not sure how many cards I will get painted this year but I’ve decided to not stress about it. I am going to enjoy the process and do what I can.

I hope you are inspired to create art and do more of what you love. Until next time, share a smile and stay excellent!

🌸  Patty Anne  🌸

follow me on Instagram @pattyanneart

Patty Anne Art

Watercolor floral cut outs

I have some watercolor flowers and leaves to share with you today. These floral cut outs are always so much fun to make.

Happy Thursday, friends! 💚

 

It started with a simple watercolor painting,  some big shapes and favorite colors.

For my cut outs I like to use Canson Mix Media paper (98 lb.)  The smooth white paper is perfect for ink sketching and cutting with scissors.

A little detail is added with ink and  then some outlining of each shape.

 

I leave a little white paper around my cut out shapes. I’m not sure what I am going to do with these beauties. Maybe I’ll make a card or I could paint a few more and frame a bouquet of them. I’ll have to think about it but that might make a nice gift.

These cut outs remind me of paper dolls that I used to love playing with as child.  😀

I hope you are inspired to create art and do more of what you love.  Keep playing and having fun.

Until next time, share a smile and shine on!

🌸  Patty Anne  🌸

follow me on Instagram @pattyanneart

Patty Anne Art