Blended Seasons for #NIC006

We have another fun challenge running over at Nature's INKspirations Challenges on Facebook for another week, but for once I've submitted my entry during the first week!  LOL... rather out of the norm for me.

I am in LOVE with this exclusive stamp set that is currently available to demonstrators and to customers during August, but only while supplies last.  I see this bundle going fast as it is so versatile and the framelits having some amazing stitching details!  If you look hard enough you can see the stitching around the edge of the framelit... amazing thing is that both the negative AND positive  images have stitching details!  **swoon**

Now back to the challenge.  I'm not posting a copy of photo INKspiration in today's blog post since the challenge is still current.  If you'd like to see the picture, we'd love to have you join us in the group!  :)

I stamped the floral image in Gray Granite onto Shimmery White cardstock using the amazing Stamparatus.  Shimmery White can be hard to stamp on due to the shimmer... but thanks to the Stamparatus, I was able to double stamp the image perfectly.  Before I finalized the colors with the newest assortment of watercolor pencils, I did three other color combinations...

I had fun playing with the pencils to decide which way suited me best to use them.  I personally prefer to apply my Aqua Painter directly to the tip of the pencil to get the color.  You can color the images and then apply a wet brush (which is what I did with the above pink floral), but I felt I had less control with the colors that way.  In the papercrafting world, this is often referred to as "do what works best for you" aka different strokes for different folks.  Just remember the only thing that matters is that you get the look you want... how you get there is purely up to you as a crafter/artist.

I used the Crushed Curry pencil for the flowers with a touch of the Gorgeous Grape pencil.  The leaves were colored first with the Night of Navy pencil and then blended with the Garden Green pencil.  Amazing, huh?!  The Garden Green watercolor pencil was a shade or two lighter than I wanted when mixed with water... direct to the paper, it was perfect.  I finally came up with this blend after testing Garden Green and Granny Apple Green on two previous attempts.  Thankfully, the third attempt was my a-ha moment.  :)

After the watercoloring dried, I was reaching for the cardstock colors and was shaking my head when I pulled out the Crushed Curry... too dark for the look I wanted, so I went with Daffodil Delight.  The new Subtle DTIEF added the perfect texture after I ran the framelit die through the Big Shot.  The Gorgeous Grape cardstock was stamped with the leaf stamp in VersaMark.

Foam Adhesive Strips elevated the Daffodil Delight layer like a mat for a framed print.  Doing this allowed the flower center pearls to be more mailable.  Twisting Linen Thread several times around the end of the custom banner and ending with a small bow adds the final touch.

Have you ever seen a sneak peak of something and knew that you had to have it?!  Well, today's card is based on such an instance for me!  I absolutely loved these Stampin' Up!® pictures featuring the Color Your Seasons products that are currently available to demonstrators and available to customers in less than two weeks!  It is such a versatile set.  And, yes, you can use it all year long!

Be sure to come back soon to see some more cards made with this exclusive, limited time bundle!

Have a blessed day!

YOU CAN MAKE THIS CARD, TOO!

I would love to be your Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator and Creative Coach!  Please click here to purchase any of the following supplies so you can create the card featured in today's blog post.

CARD RECIPE:

Stamps:   Blended Seasons 
Inks:   Gray Granite, Garden Green, and VersaMark
Papers:   Garden Green, Gorgeous Grape, Daffodil Delight, and Shimmery White cardstocks
Other:  Stitched Season Framelits Dies, Subtle DTIEF, Big Shot, Stamparatus, Acrylic Block C, Simply Shammy, Watercolor Pencils Assortment 2, Aqua Painter, Liquid Adhesive, Snail Adhesive, Foam Strips Adhesive, Paper Snips, Basic Pearls, Linen Thread

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