I've been loving the samples posted on stamping groups and blogs using Stampin' Up!'s set, Fifth Avenue Floral. But sadly, it's not yet a part of my vast stamp collection (it will be soon, though). So in order to try out the lovely watercoloring technique I've been seeing, I had to get inventive.
I do own the coordinating Sizzix Embossing folder from SU, Manhattan Flower. The original technique calls for an embossed (with powder and heat) floral image, and the embossing folder makes a different sort of embossed floral image, but with the same result: raised lines and recessed areas between. So I thought to myself, "Why wouldn't that work? " It was certainly worth a try, right? After all, it's just paper and a little investment of time.
This is what my second try turned out like. I love it, and I hope that you do, too. There are more detail photos below.
So how did I do it? First, I ran a quarter sheet of Stampin' Up!'s Shimmery White Card Stock through the Big Shot with the Manhattan Flower folder and no tabs on the platform. The shimmery card stock is very thick, slightly creamy in color, and extremely luxurious with its shimmery smooth surface. It makes a wonderful surface for watercoloring on.
Next, I liberally sprayed the surface of the embossed card stock with water from a little spray bottle, then picked up drops of ink with my wet Aqua Painter brush, touched it to the various sections and watched in amazement as the colors spread and blended. I chose Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Summer Sun and Garden Green, although I ended up not using much of the green at all.
I did have to spray the surface from time to time to keep it wet enough that the water pooled in the recesses without really flowing over into the next area. It's fun to go back and highlight edges with darker shades as the colors start to blend and dry. Remember to leave some areas white, too. Watercoloring should always have white areas unpainted.
The card was very wet, as you can well imagine. I left it to air dry overnight. The next morning I trimmed around the outside raised lines and started to create the actual card you see here. First I adhered it to another quarter-sheet of the Shimmery White card stock, then trimmed that down to 3-3/4" x 5", mounting that piece to a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of Sage Shadow card stock. My intention was to make a standard A-2 card, but it looked too crowded with any sort of greeting, so I increased the size.
The sage panel then was mounted to a folded Pink Pirouette card 5-1/2" square. It still looked a little plain, so that whole card got mounted onto another piece of the shimmery white card stock, 5-3/4" square.
The finishing touches: A stamped greeting framed in a Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware label frame, a piece of shimmery goldish-beige ribbon (sorry, it's not Stampin' Up! but I had it and it looked perfect), some leaves die-cut from Sage Shadow card stock and the Sizzix Flower layers w/ Leaf die, and a custom- made 6" square envelope, made from Bella Rose Designer Series paper.
Inside the card, the brads and ribbon are covered with another piece of the Bella Rose DSP, and I haven't yet printed a verse for the main part of the inside of the card. It's going to be a very special Wedding card for my lovely niece, Emily, and her new groom, Patrick.
I do hope you'll give this a try. It's very relaxing, and I felt like such an artist watching the paints blend. It's not a quick card, nor a cheap one (plus, it's heavy and square, both of which will require extra postage), but it is definitely a very special, one-of-a-kind work of art, sure to be treasured by the recipient.