P retty birthday card using the "no line watercoloring" technique and Stampin' Up! products.
Project Recipe
Cut cardstock and designer paper pieces to the following sizes using a Stampin' Trimmer:
- card from Poppy Parade Cardstock at 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" and scored at 4-1/4"
- 4" x 5-1/4" of white burst circles on pink background pattern from Painted Seasons Designer Series Paper
- 3-1/4" x 4-1/2" from Poppy Parade Cardstock
- 3-1/8" x 4-3/8" from Shimmery White Cardstock
Adhere the piece of Painted Seasons Designer Paper to the front of the Poppy Parade card.
Carefully remove a magnet from the back of the Stamparatus.
Place the Stamparatus in front of you with the open sides of the Stamparatus on the left and bottom. Insert one hinged plate into the Stamparatus on the right side. Put a piece of Small Grid Paper on top of the base of the Stamparatus.
Place the shimmery white rectangle on the Stamparatus base so the top is on the horizontal 1" line on the Small Grid Paper and the left edge is on the 6" vertical line on the Small Grid Paper.
Pick out the hibiscus image from the Hummng Along Set. Place it upside down in the center of the shimmery white rectangle. Close the plate on the Stamparatus and press firmly so the stamp sticks to the plate. Open the plate.
Remove the piece of shimmery white cardstock from the base of the Stamparatus for now.
Ink up the stamp on the plate using the Sahara Sand Ink Pad. If you get excess ink on the plate, you can wipe it off with a baby wipe or tissue. Close the plate onto the Small Grid Paper and press down firmly. Open the plate. Close the plate again without re-inking the stamp. Open the plate.
Tip: Slide a Clear-Mount Stamp Case under the plate before inking up the stamp. This gives you a firm, flat surface to push against making it easier to ink up the stamp.
Tip: If you have a Sahara Sand Stampin' Spot on hand, use it to ink up the stamp instead of a full sized ink pad. It will give you more control and will help keep stray ink from getting on the plate.
Replace the shimmery white cardstock on the base of the Stamparatus in the same place as before. Use the magnet to hold it in place if you want. WITHOUT re-inking the stamp, close the plate onto the shimmery white cardstock. Open the plate and remove the cardstock. You should have a very light image of the hibiscus stamped in the center of the rectangle. Leave the hibiscus stamp on the Stamparatus plate for now.
Fold a paper towel into a square and place it on your work surface. Place the stamped shimmery white rectangle on top.
If you haven't already done so, put some water into an Aqua Painter.
One at a time, squeeze the lid of an ink pad to get a pool of ink in the lid. Open the pad but leave the lid exposed. Gently squeeze the Aqua Painter to get a drop or two of water in the lid. If you want a more intense color, add a drop or two of the corresponding ink refill to the lid. Stir the water and ink together with the brush tip of the Aqua Painter. Start painting with the inks onto the image until you have the color coverage you want. Get more ink on the Aqua Painter as needed.
I used the following colors:
- Poppy Parade for the throat, veins, stamen, and base of the hibiscus flower.
- Petal Pink for the petals of the flower and blending.
- Call Me Clover for the veins and light shading on the leaf and stem.
- Lemon Lime Twist for the leaf and stem and blending.
- Pool Party for the background.
Tip: Dry the cardstock between colors using the Heat Tool to help fix the colors in place.
Tip: Between colors, remember to scribble on Grid Paper or paper towels to clean the tip of the Aqua Painter until no more color is coming off.
Tip: I started by outlining the veins of the flower petals and leaf very lightly with the darker colors first and then blending them with the lighter colors. I used the darkest blending colors in the center of the images and blended out from there so the colors would get lighter as I went to the edges.
If desired, re-ink the hibiscus image on the Stamparatus plate and stamp off twice onto the Small Grid Paper. Make sure the colored hibiscus image on the shimmery white cardstock is dry and put it back on the base in the same position as before and hold it in place with the magnet. Close the plate WITHOUT re-inking onto the cardstock. You should now have a very faint image stamped again over the colored image to help delineate the lines of the image.
Remove the stamped and colored shimmery white cardstock from the base of the Stamparatus for now. Remove the hibiscus image from the plate or insert a new plate or flip this plate around so you have a clean plate ready to close onto the Stamparatus.
Pick out the birthday sentiment from the Hummng Along Set. Place it upside down on the Small Grid Paper so the top of the sentiment will just touch the bottom petals of the flower and the right side of the sentiment will just touch the stem (use the stamped off images on the Small Grid Paper to help you position the sentiment). Close the plate on the Stamparatus and press firmly so the stamp sticks to the plate. Open the plate.
Ink up the stamp on the plate using the Poppy Parade Ink Pad. If you get excess ink on the plate, you can wipe it off with a baby wipe or tissue. Close the plate onto the Small Grid Paper and press down firmly. Open the plate. Check to make sure the sentiment stamped where you wanted it and is straight. If necessary, adjust the stamp and try again.
Tip: Slide a Clear-Mount Stamp Case under the plate before inking up the stamp. This gives you a firm, flat surface to push against making it easier to ink up the stamp.
Tip: If you have a Poppy Parade Stampin' Spot on hand, use it to ink up the stamp instead of a full sized ink pad. It will give you more control and will help keep stray ink from getting on the plate.
When happy with the positioning of the sentiment, replace the stamped and colored shimmery white cardstock on the base of the Stamparatus in the same place as before. Use the magnet to hold it in place if you want. Re-ink the stamp on the plate with the Poppy Parade Ink Pad, close the plate onto the shimmery white cardstock and press firmly. Open the plate and remove the cardstock.
Adhere the stamped and colored shimmery white cardstock to the Poppy Parade rectangle.
Cut a 4" piece of the Petal Pink/Whisper White 5/8" Variegated Ribbon.
Lay the ribbon across the matted shimmery white rectangle so it is just below the sentiment and covers the bottom of the stem. Flip the rectangle over and fold the ends of the ribbon over. Adhere the ends of the ribbon in place with pieces of Tear & Tape Adhesive.
Remove the protective backing from the Tear & Tape strips and add SNAIL to the back of the Poppy Parade rectangle. Adhere it to the front of the card in the center.
Cut another 4" piece of the Petal Pink/Whisper White 5/8" Variegated Ribbon.
Slide one end of the ribbon under the ribbon on the card front at the base of the stem and tie it in place using a half knot. Trim the ends.