Stampin' B's Challenge - Watercolor

This week's Stampin' B's challenge really put me to the test. When Nicole said “watercolor,” I shuddered but decided I’d better plunge right in! Watercoloring is NOT my forte! But I guess that’s what challenges are for, to make you go outside your comfort zone.

I stamped the rose from SU’s Fifth Avenue Florals with Versamark onto Shimmer White cardstock and clear-embossed it. Then, as I was using Real Red ink and an aquapainter, I tried to remember what Faith (Markie’s Mom) had said about using lots of paper towels when you watercolor. When I got the rose to what was acceptable to me, I let it dry and cut it out. The leaves are stamped with Handsome Hunter and cut out. Not wanting to take away from the flower by putting the Basic Grey Bittersweet DP under it, I cut out a section of the DP with a round Nestabilities die before gluing it down. The rose and leaves are all on pop-dots to give a 3-D effect. The simple sentiment is from SU’s So Many Sayings.

* Stamps – SU Fifth Avenue Floral and So Many Sayings, Rubber Stampede Rose Leaves
* Ink – Versamark, Handsome Hunter, Real Red reinker
* Paper – Shimmer White, Basic Grey Bittersweet DP
* Accessories – Clear ep, Nestabilities die

After I made my first card, I watched a tutorial on Patty’s Stamping Spot on watercoloring the rose from Fifth Avenue Floral and decided to give it a try. I had to watch the tutorial twice before I was half-way comfortable in starting. This technique was explained at a Stampin’ Up regional meeting. The roses were stamped in Whisper White on SU Shimmer White cardstock and clear embossed. After spraying the paper with water, you lay down reinkers with an aquapen and let the color spread through the sections of the rose. I’m definitely going to try this technique again. The leaves are Sizzix die-cuts, cut from Garden Green cs and sponged with Always Artichoke; and the butterflies are punched from YoYo Yellow with a Martha Stewart punch.

* Stamps – SU Fifth Avenue Floral, Savvystamps sentiment
* Ink – Whisper White, Always Artichoke, Reinkers – Regal Rose, Pretty In Pink, Cameo Coral
*Paper – Shimmer White, Garden Green, butterfly YoYo Yellow
*Accessories – Clear ep, Sizzix leaf die-cut, Martha Stewart punch