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DIY Watercolor Recipe Cards + Recipe Box

My kids are out of school for the summer next week and I bet yours are already out which means, if you’re a parent, you are going to need to find some way to unwind and FAST. Summer is such a blast but returning to the life of being a 24/7 event planner, therapist, chef, and referee to my kids can be a rude awakening that gets my shoulders tense in a hurry. As a result, I am hereby recommending that we all take up painting with watercolors this summer. After working with watercolors on these coasters last year I completely fell in love with this painting method and now I am so excited because Plaid Crafts has a gorgeous new line of FolkArt Watercolor Acrylic Paint and watercolor brushes to help us create and relieve stress all summer long!

These new watercolor paints come in 16 colors and create beautiful washes of color that you can thin with water or leave concentrated to create all kinds of effects. Plus, it is different from other watercolor paints because it dries permanent and cannot be rewet, making it machine washable on fabric and usable on tons of surfaces like canvas, fabric, wood, paper and even glazed ceramics! I have no actual skill when it comes to working with watercolor, but had a blast working with these vibrant colors and loved how easy it was to use them.

Along with the paint, it was so fun to use the new 3 piece Watercolor Brush Set from FolkArt which is the perfect partner for these paints and made it so easy to play and create gorgeous effects! These brushes are so soft and are designed to hold a large volume of water and release it in a controlled manner, making them the ideal tools for use with FolkArt Watercolor Acrylic Paint. Plus, the set contains one oval brush, one liner brush, and one round brush so the possibilities for creating are endless!

I loved working with these watercolors so much and used them to make a fun set of DIY Watercolor Recipe Cards with a watercolor box for storage. This project is a piece of cake and you’re gonna feel your summer stresses melt away with every stroke. Here’s how you do it:

Supplies Needed: 
FolkArt Watercolor Acrylic Paint 
Folk Art Watercolor 3 Piece Brush Set
Plain Recipe Cards
Unfinished Recipe Box
Water

To make it super easy, you can find everything you need in this awesome watercolor kit on Amazon and all the paint and tools at Plaid Online!

Prep your cards:

For my cards I found a design I liked on Etsy and had them laser printed on heavy cardstock at my local copy center instead of using my inkjet printer at home. This is because laser ink is not quick to bleed the way inkjet ink will when it comes in contact with water and since you will be using a really wet brush you’ll want to use an ink that can stay put.

Start Painting: 

Since I am such a beginner with watercolor, I knew I wasn’t ready to do any designs that were more abstract, so I decided to go with more of a splotchy/splatter design on my cards. However, if you are more advanced with watercolor than me, you can go wild! There is something so fun about setting that white recipe card in front of you and turning it into something beautiful each time!

To make splotches like these I used a really wet brush and played around with the amount of paint I had on the brush.  After I finished with one color sometimes I wouldn’t rinse my brush to see how certain colors looked mixed! It is so fun to have a big stack of cards like this and test different color combos. There is so little risk involved in this project so it is fun to experiment!

Once you are satisfied with your splotches, let them dry completely before stacking them or writing any recipes on them. If your cards are a little bent after they dry, I found that by putting them under something heavy (like a stack of books) for a day or two helped to press them flat.

Aren’t they lovely? Literally anyone can make these cards and have a wonderful result. I can’t get over the gorgeous ways the FolkArt Watercolor Acrylic Paints blend and dry so beautifully!

Make the box: 

Once you have finished your cards it’s time to make their home! Since I kept the design of my cards minimal, I wanted the box to be simple as well so I only painted the top using the same method (or lack thereof) that I used on the cards. Just play around with the amount of water and the amount of paint you’d like, layer them, add more water, add more paint, and be amazed at how a mess can look so beautiful! Then, when you are done, let the box dry completely.

I’m obsessed with these cards and love the idea of making this one-of-a-kind set as a gift for a wedding or housewarming. I almost, almost don’t want to write recipes on them because they are too pretty as is, but I gotta keep my brownie recipes somewhere. Like I said at the top, the kids are almost out of school, after all. This mama’s gonna need her brownies.


You’ve got to get your hands on some FolkArt Watercolor Acrylic Paints and FolkArt Watercolor Brushes this summer and get crafty! What would you make? And for more DIY inspiration, be sure to follow Plaid Crafts on FacebookInstagramPinterest, and at Plaid Online!

Happy painting!
ox. Liz

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