Hello and welcome to a new TGIF Challenge. This week, we have an inspiration challenge using the photo below. Inspiration could come from the colors, layout, basically anything in the photo. I particularly liked the striped background and random flowers, so that’s what I chose to use.
I used a new Online Exclusive — the Magnolia Mood Bundle for my card. This bundle is available to order online only, so you won’t see it in any of the current catalogs. It’s really beautiful, and I encourage you to check out all the Online Exclusives at my online store. The stamps are what I would call a watercolor style and the dies include outlines to cut out the stamped images, as well as several extras!
There’s a particular coloring technique that I really love to use with stamps like these. First, I stamp the images and then use a dry brush to watercolor the images with a slightly lighter shade of ink. Watercoloring over water soluble ink, such as Stampin’ Up!’s Classic ink pads, will make the ink bleed. However, if you use a limited amount of water, the image will stay crisp while the ink colors blend together.
Since all the floral images in this set included both flowers and leaves, I decided to stamp each image twice, once for the leaves and once for the flowers. Then, I cut out the flowers and adhered them on top of the leaves. Since the outline dies did most the cutting, I only had to complete the job with a little more fussy cutting where the flowers and leaves met.
I stamped all the leaves with Shaded Spruce ink. Then, I used Granny Apple Green ink to watercolor them. The more I painted, the more Shaded Spruce mixed onto the brush. So the trick is to use a paper towel to clean the brush often and keep picking up Granny Apple Green. I started at the tips of the leaves and painted towards the centers so the tips looked lighter.
For the darker pod, I stamped the image with Blackberry Bliss ink and then watercolored with Berry Burst ink. For all the other flowers, I stamped them with Berry Burst ink and then watercolored with Bubble Bath ink and a little Berry Burst in the centers.
Tips: When stamping the images, prepare your ink pad so it’s not too juicy by using the back side of a spoon or the rounded portion of an acrylic block to push the ink away from the center of the pad and out towards the edges. Definitely avoid using too much water while watercoloring, as it will make the stamped images blur. This technique is actually A LOT easier than it sounds, so I encourage you to play around with it!
I used the Perennial Postage Dies to cut the background layer of Delightfully Eclectic DSP and the sentiment. The sentiment die was a little short, so I elongated it with a partial die-cutting technique. I aligned one side of the sentiment and then placed my top cutting plate so that it only covered the three sides of the die I wanted to cut. Then I repositioned the die and cut the remaining portion using a similar process.
For the extra die-cuts, I pre-painted some Basic White Cardstock with both Shaded Spruce and Granny Apple Green ink. They came out sort of light, but I like it!
The final touches were some Pastel Adhesive-Backed Sequins and a Linen Thread bow.
Be sure to check out all the designers’ projects this week on the TGIF Challenges Blog. Then, create one of your own and enter our challenge by using the Linky Tool at the bottom of that post. I can’t wait to see what inspires you!
Have a wonderful and creative day!
Use Host Code EDUJ6XA2 for purchases at my online store to qualify to receive free exclusive project tutorials. This month’s PDF includes 12 fantastic tutorials designed by my demonstrator friends and I to inspire your creativity! The projects feature products that will be current in May 2024 from the new Annual Catalog and Online Exclusives.
