I Love You

Hero Arts has been having their "Nature Challenge" on their blog. Today is the last day to enter, and so I decided to make one more card for it. My inspiration came from this card by Sandy Allnock. She used a butterfly stamp to create a stained glass look. I didn't use the same bright colors, but I liked the stained glass idea.

I began by cutting a piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper to 4.25x5.5". I masked off 3/4" on all sides, and stamped 2 of the butterflies from Hero Arts' "Butterflies #3" set several times in the center area, using Versafine Onyx Black ink. Once I'd finished stamping, I sprinkled on Recollections Clear Detail embossing powder and melted it with my heat tool. Then I painted over the area with clean water. I took watercolors in the yellow/blue/green range and daubed them around the panel, letting them blend together. When I got the look I wanted, I dried it with my heat tool. Then I removed the masking tape.

I thought the center portion needed something to set it off more, so I cut a narrow frame from black paper and glued that in place. Using Versafine, I stamped one of the greetings from Hero Arts' "Year Round Sentiments" in the lower right corner, and clear heat embossed that. Finally, I adhered the paper to an A2-size card base. This card will be going to Operation Write Home.

I'm also entering my card in Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge: "Lions & Lambs, Oh My."