#TGIFC528 — Color Challenge | Swimming In Stamps

Happy Friday! It’s the first Friday of the month, and that means a new color combination at TGIF Challenges! The combo includes Lemon Lime Twist, Melon Mambo, and Basic Black. Ohhh, I love the dramatic, bright colors with classic black! It’s beautiful!

For my project, I used the Blooming Phrases Stamp Set (an Online Exclusive) and Pretty Florals Dies. Those dies are part of a gorgeous bundle, but I thought it would be fun to just focus on the dies. They’re super fun! Then, to emphasize the vibrant colors, I picked my favorite sheet of Botanical Textures Designer Series Paper for the background.

To create the flowers and leaves, I pre-painted Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper. For watercoloring, I feel like I’m always going to get the best results with this paper. I painted two separate sheets for the flowers, one light and one dark Melon Mambo. I always start by coating the front and back of the paper with water to avoid curling. Then, I squeeze my ink pad or add a few drops of reinker to the lid. When I’m painting, I try to get lots of color variation by first painting a wash and then going back and dabbing with more concentrated color and letting the ink bleed. For the darker sheet, I simply repeated this process several times. You can also use a paper towel to remove color in areas that accidentally get too dark. Once the paper dried, I splattered it with clear water drops, waited a bit, and mopped up the color with a paper towel. This adds pretty watermarks. Once the paper fully dried, I die-cut my flower pieces.

I did a similar process with Lemon Lime Twist ink for the leaves. Then, I added a few die-cuts of both Melon Mambo and Lemon Lime Twist Cardstock.

Behind the flowers, I used an Everyday Arches die-cut from Basic White Cardstock that I splattered with a Melon Mambo Stampin’ Blend Marker. I used a Bone Folder to tap the barrel of the marker. You can also gently flick the brush against the cap towards the paper.

The Blooming Phrases Stamp Set is so pretty! I love the long, flowy tails. I used it on both the card front and inside. Then, to finish my card, I cut some White 1/4″ Ribbon in half lengthwise and tied a double bow and added a few of the clear gems from the Strawberry Slush & Pretty In Pink Gems Pack.

Be sure to click over to the TGIF Challenges Blog to see all the designers’ projects using this color combination. It’s sure to inspire you! Enter our challenge at the bottom of that post; we’d love to see what you create!

Have a wonderful day,

Purchase products from my online store to qualify to receive free exclusive project tutorials. This month’s PDF includes 12 creative tutorials designed by my demonstrator friends and I to inspire your paper crafting! The projects feature products from the 2025 Annual Catalog, Online Exclusives, and Sept-Dec Mini Catalog. Enjoy!