This week it’s a Color Challenge for the Global Design Project #GDP029. In case you don’t know what a Challenge Card is, I’ll try to explain. Each week Card Designers decide on a theme for the week…it could be a challenge card made by one of the Designers, where we would CASE (copy and selectively edit) Or it could be a color challenge. We would then try to come up with a brand new idea for a card within the perimeters of the colors. It help my creativity to make cards for these challenges, they take me out of my comfort zone and I get to virtually meet people from all over the world! It’s awesome.
California Poppy was my inspiration!
My #GDP029 Challenge Card
My entry this week for the #GDP029 is a watercolor card. I live in Northern California and the gorgeous California Poppies are growing in my garden and they looked like a perfect match for this challenge. Aren’t they beautiful?
I cut a 8-1/2″ x 5-1/2″ piece of Early Expresso Cardstock for my card. Then I cut a piece of Bermuda Bay Cardstock 5-3/8″ x 4-1/8 and a piece of Watercolor Paper 5-1/4″ x 4″. I cut a piece of Whisper White Cardstock 5-1/4″ x 4″ for the interior of the card.
I used the Helping Me Grow stamp set. I stamped the “poppy” image on a large post it note and carefully cut it out for a mask. I stamped the “poppy” image using Black Stazon on Watercolor Paper. I masked it with the post it, I stamped the second flower image with Black Stazon. If you look closely, you can tell that I separated the second flower image by cutting it apart, it makes it more versatile. I stamped another flower image over the masked “poppy”. I did a watercolor wash over the poppy with Tangelo Twist Classic Stampin’ Pad with an Aqua Pen. Before you open your ink pad, press down and use the blotch on the inside of the cover for watercoloring. After the flower dries, darkened other parts of the flower. Think about where the light will hit and try to deepen the areas where the sun doesn’t hit directly. With watercoloring, I never really seem to be finished as I keep going back after it dries to add a little somethin’ somethin’. When you try it…you’ll understand.
Mask
Close up
I watercolored the stems with Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin’ Pad and an Aqua Pen. Watercolor the second flower with Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin’ Pad. With the stems, I purposely went outside the lines a bit to give it some depth. I washed over the flower with a watered down Bermuda Bay, then went over areas with a darker wash. Of course, there’s Wink of Stella on this! A bit of gold in the center of the flowers and a bit of clear here and there on the flowers themselves. What can I say…I love it!!!
I inked up one of the corner stamps with Early Espresso Classic Stampin’ Pad and I stamped off twice before I stamped on the watercolor paper. I wanted soft lines in the corners.
For the sentiment, I did a wash of Tangelo Twist Classic Stampin’ Pad, then quickly put a bit of Wink of Stella and used my Heat Tool dry it. I used the frame from Helping Me Grow and stamped it with my Early Expresso Classic Stampin’ Pad. The sentiment is also from the same stamp set, I stamped it in Versamark and then in Early Expresso, dusted it with Clear Embossing Powder and heat set. I inked the edges of the frame with a Sponge Dauber and Early Expresso. The method I used for this was swirling the dauber on a piece of scratch paper and moving right over the edges of the frame without lifting the dauber. After it was complete, I crunched it a bit to add a little bit of age interest to the frame.
My choice of accessories behind the frame is interesting. Would you believe there are four pieces of things back there?! Well, there is. There’s Early Expresso Seam Binding Ribbon, Burlap Ribbon (just the surged edge…I snipped it off), Bermuda Bay Baker’s Twine ( I separated the white from the bermuda bay and only used the bermuda bay) and White 1-1/4″ Jute Ribbon — again I altered it by snipping and pulling threads. I find it gives more interest to alter some of the ribbons. I stapled this bunch to the card and used Dimensionals to adhere the frame to the card. I took the uni-ball Signo Gel Pen and added a few steins but found them too pronounced so I went over them with Tangelo Twist Stampin’ Write Marker. Then I was satisfied. Oops, almost forgot…I used three small Pearl Basic Jewels but I inked them with a dark brown permanent marker. I think they add interest to the corner.
Lots of interesting ribbons
The watercolor piece is popped up with LOTS of Dimensionals and since I don’t believe in wasting any of those pieces…look what I did to the back!
Don’t throw away anything!
On the inside, I stamped a simple Early Expresso Stampin’ Pad border on the top and the bottom. I don’t know if this is going to be a birthday or thank you so I left it blank for now.
I love this card!!! I hope that you enjoy this project and please leave me a comment..I love to hear what you think! I would also love to be your demonstrator so please head on over to my SHOP and have a look.
Here’s what I used to create this card:
Great project! What a wonderful showcase of masking. Love how you’ve used these colors.
Thank you so so much Brian, that means a lot! ????
A wonderful card Carole! Thank you so much for playing along with us this week. You have used the colours so well. Make sure you pin your project to the official Global Design Team Pinterest Board.
Thank you so much Kylie! I’ll figure out how to post it on the GDP Pinterest Board, goodness knows I love Pinterest!