A Simple Thank You

Hello! It's Wednesday again!

Can you believe it?!?!

  And it's also the last Wednesday of January!

Where has the first month in 2015 gone?

Here in Manitoba Canada we've had a relatively nice January weather wise...and I'm hoping that February will be the same.  I'm not missing the -40 C with windchill forecasts, and the small amount of snow we have received suits me just fine! 

Speaking of nice weather...the Birds and Blooms Collection at Heartfelt Creations has me dreaming of spring...to see the summer birds return, flitting in the bird bath in my flower garden...smelling the fresh flowers in the breeze...

If you haven't checked out this awesome collection, don't wait any longer!

The patterns, colors and images are sure to chase away your winter time blues!

I decided to go with a more simple design this week.

I wanted to do something feminine with a touch of vintage, but nothing over the top.

I wanted to showcase one of the fabulous stamped images in the collection...and I had the desire to water color!

So, that's exactly what I've done!

Let's take a look...

...and a closer look at the image and shaped flowers...

I love to water color!  I love the look of it...so soft and romantic!

I may not be one of the very best at it, but I do so love to try!

I find the technique I have the most luck with when it comes to water coloring is to scribble a small amount of color from my distress markers onto my splat mat and pick up the color from there and apply it to the image.  I find I have more control over how much color is applied and can pull in my different shades of color better that way.  

This collection is so versatile...you can color with markers, water color and even chalk...and it all looks great!  No matter what color you decide to create your flowers in, they turn out wonderful! 

You can create with the beautiful bright hues in the collection, or you can create beautiful muted vintage projects.  It's such a great collection that works in so many ways!

Be sure to stop by the Heartfelt Creations blog to see how the rest of the design team members have been inspired to use this collection!

I'm including the instructions and project supplies for this card here on the blog as well!

It's really a quick creation that you can use for any occasion, simply by changing the sentiment.

I hope you give it a try!

Until next time...

Project Instructions & Supplies

HCDP1-250 Birds and Blooms Paper Collection
HCPC-3648 Home Sweet Home Cling Stamp Set
HCPC-3644 Birds and Blooms Cling Stamp Set
HCD1-757 Leafy Branch Die
ANC850 Spring Bling Prills - Tu Tu Pink
159223 Paper Blossoms Molding Mat
459222 Paper Blossoms Tool Kit
SMP001 Stamp Mat Pad
273900 Zip Dry Paper Glue

Other Products Used:  premade 5"x7" card stock base, white card stock, water color paper,  Memento Angel Pink ink, Versa Color Pine Cone ink, Stampin Up Basic Black ink,  Ranger blending tool and pad,  Ranger distress markers - tumbled glass, faded jeans, salty ocean, mustard seed, vintage photo, tea dye, crushed olive, forest moss, peeled paint, victorian velvet, spun sugar, Ranger Water Color Brush, Spellbinders Exquisite Labels Eleven die, Spellbinders Floral Ovals die, scor tape, 3D pop dots, BigShot Die Cutting Machine, Zig 2 Way Glue Pen

To begin, choose a background paper from the Birds and Blooms Paper Collection that you wish to use as a background mat.  Trim this mat slightly smaller than the 5"x7" card size so that you will have a small white perimeter around the card face.  Muddy up the entire panel with some brown ink using a blending tool, and then ink all of the outer edges with the ink pad itself to give the panel a vintage look.  Move along to cutting your first die cut to use on the top of the patterned mat piece...using a piece of white card stock, run the largest of the  Exquisite Labels Eleven dies through your die cutting machine.  Next stamp your image using a permanent blank ink onto water color paper.  Allow to dry and then proceed to color.  (I prefer to scribble the color on my splat mat and pull the color off of there with a water brush and apply to paper rather than coloring on the image and then brushing.) Die cut your image with the largest of the Floral Ovals dies. Adhere the large decorative die to the background mat, and then the image die cut onto the top of the grouping.  For the image panel I have used scor tape on the centre and allowed the decorative edge to stand off the card ever so slightly as it does not have any adhesive on it. Adhere the card front to the card base.  Stamp your flowers and once dry, proceed to water color and shape, adding a touch of Angel Pink Memento ink to the edges and  TuTu pink prills to the centre of each as shown.  Decide on your flower arrangment and then adhere to card. Choose the sentiment you wish to use from the Birds and Blooms paper collection, ink with a brown ink around all edges and apply to the card front with 3D pop dots.  You are now ready to  send a friend or loved one a beautiful handmade vintage style greeting card!  Enjoy!

This card has been shared in the following challenges...
Loves Rubberstamps..."Pink and Girly"
Crafting from the Heart..."Anything Goes"
Craft Your Passion..."Anything Goes"
Love to Scrap..."Anything Goes"
My Craft Creations..."Anything Goes"
Without Words..."Dreaming of Spring"