Have a tea-lightful day

Have you noticed that there seems to be a "day" for everything lately? National Kazoo Day (Jan. 28), International Ask a Question Day (March 14), and Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night (August 8) are just a few examples. While these "holidays" can seem bizarre and frivolous, it also can be fun to have a day to be mindful of something that makes us happy or that we take for granted in our fast-paced, consumer-focused world.

As it happens, today, January 12 is National Hot Tea Day. I often associate tea with relaxation -- maybe curling up on the sofa with a good book or taking a break from a busy day to sit and catch up with a friend. When I was growing up, visits to our grandparents' house almost always ended with a cup of tea. My grandma would heat up water in the kettle, make a pot or two of Bigelow brand Constant Comment or Lemon Lift tea, and pull out some kind of homemade treat: chocolate chip cookies, a variety of bars, Christmas cookies, and strudel were always favorites. To this day Constant Comment is one of my all-time favorite teas; it's not fancy, but it's full of memories.

So, in honor of National Hot Tea Day, hear are a couple of whimsical tea-themed cards.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Tealightful Day (Pinkfresh Studio)
Paper: Thick Whisper White card stock, watercolor paper (Strathmore)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko); ZIG Clean Color Real Brush markers: 099, 024, 041, 044, 036, 037, 091, 050, 065, 020 (Kuretake)
Accessories: White polka dot tulle, clear droplets (Pretty Pink Posh), Dimensionals, Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers)

Wouldn't this be a fun card to send to a friend? I know it would make me smile to find this in my mail.

When I saw the Tealightful Day stamp set online, I fell in love with it. It's a little more "quirky" than my usual style, but it has so many great images and sentiments that work independently or can be combined for fun little scenes. On this card, the teacup, hill/house/rainbow, bunny, ladder, and flower are all separate images. But don't they look so cute together?

I stamped everything on watercolor paper and added color with ZIG Clean Color Real Brush markers. I'm not great at watercoloring, so my goals are usually to A) get a little bit of depth and shading in my image, and B) not have colors run together (I am not patient with drying time). I need more practice, but I think I did pretty well here. Once everything was colored, I cut out the image and used Dimensionals to adhere it to a white card base. I left the rest of the card very clean and simple, with just a couple of neutral embellishments, so the teacup could be the star.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Tealightful Day (Pinkfresh Studio)
Paper: Lovely Lilac, Basic Black card stock; watercolor paper (Strathmore), Oh My Stars Collection Kit (Bella Blvd)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko); ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Markers: 043, 061, 099, 068, 036, 041, 901, 067, 803, 024, 050 (Kuretake); white gel pen; ultra fine point black marker (Bic)
Accessories: Linen thread, Viola sequins (Craft Medley), Micro Adhesive Dots (Glue Dots), Dimensionals

This card I turned into a birthday card by adding a birthday sentiment inside. But it would be a great design for almost any occasion -- or no particular occasion at all.

I decided to fill this teacup with a variety of flowers, and I added a couple of bunnies and a bird for good measure. (And the ladder. For some reason the ladder on the teacup really amuses me.) I wanted to create a scene, so I also painted a base for the teacup and added a very light blue wash around the teacup to create a hint of sky.

I love yellow and purple together, so I wanted most of the flowers to be yellow. I made the two smallest flowers red for a little pop. After I painted the flowers I used a white gel pen to add a few details. I drew a frame with a black marker, added three purple sequins and used a Micro Glue Dot to attach a linen thread bow to one of the flower steams. (Those tiny adhesive dots are awesome!) I used Dimensionals to attach the completed panel to a Lovely Lilac card base over strips of black card stock and yellow patterned paper.

I hope you have a truly tea-lightful day. Thanks for stopping by!