My unusual creative process
Posted: January 20, 2013 Filed under: Background Stamps, Penny Black, Social Butterfly, Watercolour | Tags: arts, CAS, Penny Black stamps 18 Comments
I visited my Handmade Cards board on Pinterest this afternoon for inspiration. However, the inspiration pic. and my finished card bear absolutely no resemblance to each other. I had a totally different design almost ready to put together when I decided to try and watercolour a background stamp, just in case I wanted a bit more going on in the card. (Unusual for me, I know) As it turned out I liked the background panel so much it became the main event, I tossed the other panel and kept only the little dragonflies from my original design.
So, without mentioning the discarded process, here is how I made this card:
- dampened a piece of watercolour paper, inked the dragonfly stamp in blues and green and stamped it on the damp paper.
- when the dragonflies were dry I cut them out, added a little sponging and used a marker to darken their spines.
- stamped the dragon flies with a versamark pad to totally cover them then embossed with a thick glossy embossing powder, twice.
- to make the background panel, I wet a piece of watercolour paper (much wetter than for the dragonflies).
- I inked the background stamp randomly in the two blues and the green ink and stamped it onto the wet paper.
- when all was dry I trimmed the background panel, sponged the edges and embossed the sentiment.
- attached the background to the card base and the dragonflies with glue dots.
Not what I set out to create, and if I told you I my initial intention was to make a friendship themed card for the Less is More challenge you would just laugh wouldn’t you?
Supplies
Stamps: Special Time, Wall Paper Print, Social Butterfly (PB)
Ink: Memento Teal Zeal, Paris Dusk, Cottage Ivy and Versamark (Tsukineko)
Also: Thick Glaze embossing powder
Heather Telford 
This is a beautiful card – love every bit of it! Thanks so much for sharing all your steps – really pretty and creative!
Love every single card you have ever made and cased a few of them! This one is no exception and what a wonderful unique technique you used. Thanks so much for all details for creating this beauty.
Whatever the beginning of the process may have been, the end result is absolutely gorgeous1
This is stunning! I love the end result, and especially appreciate you sharing your steps. I never thought to stamp on wet watercolor paper, and now I can’t wait to try it!
Sounds just like what happens to me all the time, Heather. Usually they’re the ones i like most!
Keep inspiring us,
Jenny,Brisbane Australia
So gorgeous, Thanks for sharing your process.
Beautiful Heather and thanks for sharing this proces! This is what I like to do the most!
warm greet, Miranda
What a fabulous card, Heather! And those colours are my favourite – you can never go wrong using that mix of blues and greens, can you? I love using smooth water colour papers for stamping – you can get a pretty good imitation of a water colour painting – sometimes, anyway:-)
I love this card especailly the subtle colours which blend so well together. You are obviously a talented person
Stunning! I love where you ended up xx
Brilliant your blue card with this beautiful butterfly.
lovely greet
Marja
Love how this turned out, especially the dreamy feel of the background.
Wow Heather this is stunning! I love the colours and the effect you’ve created. Thank you for sharing the steps you followed, I have the Social butterfly set and am now really inspired to use the dragonfly.
So I of course had to hop over to your Pinterest board, and I even think I picked out your original inspiration — but what a wow factor the background adds! Those dragonflies are absolutely gorgeous, too. They look so delicate, even though they’re on watercolour paper and heat-embossed.
Beautiful 🙂
It’s funny how we sometimes take a turn off the main road and lose ourselves in the country lanes of creativity Heather! You definitely hit a beauty spot this time with this fabulous card – I love the colours and those wonderfully real-looking dragonflies!
I love how the inks are swirling on the card, it even reminds me of frosted glass. What a beautiful technique. True genius comes from making mistakes and trying again.
Pretty card! LOVE the dragonflies and the background is lovely. Crafting is like going to the food store … you go in for three items and walk out with three full bags! Heehee! You just never know where the journey will take you. 🙂