I know! Here it is Fall and I am posting a card with Spring blooms! It takes a long time for mail to cross the border these days but who could resist making a card with the gorgeous Spring Flowers Background cling stamp?!! Clearly not me!
The Background
I began this card using Canson watercolour paper with an ink smooshing technique working with Distress Oxide inks Antique Linen, Spun Sugar and Milled Lavender. I like to work with the colours one at a time so they do not blend. The heat tool speeds up the drying time between applications! The Spring Flowers Background cling stamp is stamped with Versamark ink on the ink smooshed panel and embossed with gold embossing powder.
Painting
The flowers and berries are painted with Shaded Lilac and Worn Lipstick Distress Oxide ink pads. I stamp the pad on my media mat and pick up the colour with a water brush pen. I work in threes ... three pink flowers alternating with three lilac ones. The leaves and blossom end on the berry is painted with Antique Linen. The panel is spattered with Distress Oxide Stains Spun Sugar and Tarnished Brass,
Tip ... Although I always provide drying time for these liquid inks, I find they can take an inordinate amount of time to dry. I have ended up with some disasters and have learned to blot the panel with paper towel before proceeding. It seems no matter how long I leave it, excess ink is picked up! And if it isn't, BONUS ... although I have not experienced that! LOL
Assembling the Card
The panel and a piece of matte gold card stock are die cut with Simon Says Stamp's A2 Thin Frames (By the way, I love this die set! I think the thin frame is a beautiful detail that can take a card to the next level!). I trimmed the outer panel die cut to measure 4" by 5 1/4". To assemble the card, I aligned the outer and inner die cut panels with the thin gold frame. I lay them upside down (making sure the flowers match up between the panels!) and tape everything together. Working with one panel rather than three makes it easier to centre and adhere it on the card base. The card base measured 4 1/4" by 5 ½" (A2 sized).
The Sentiment
For the sentiment, a piece of cardstock was ink blended with Worn Lipstick and Spun Sugar. This panel was die cut with the shadow die from Simon Says Stamp's Happy Birthday Brush Script die set. The Happy Birthday script was die cut from gold matte card stock. The sentiment die cuts were adhered together, stacked on white sheet foam and attached to the centre of the card.