Happy Mother's Day Watercolor

The latest course from Online Card Classes, "Watercolor for Card Makers," began this week. The theme of the first two days is watercolor backgrounds. I was inspired by Kristina Werner's emboss-resist technique to create this card.

For my card's design, I knew I wanted something with a large panel for my watercolor background. I finally chose the following sketch from Operation Write Home:

Since I wanted to make a 5x7" card, rather than an A2 card as in the sketch, I just enlarged each element, keeping the basic proportions the same.

For the focal panel, I stamped a background stamp from (I believe) Stampabilities onto a piece of watercolor paper in Versamark ink. I then clear heat-embossed it. When that cooled, I misted it with water, and mixed up 4 colors of watercolor paints. I applied the colors to the wet paper, blending the bands as I went. I dried it with my heat tool, being careful not to remelt (or burn!) the embossing, and then went back in with more pigment to darken the colors slightly. After the watercolor was dry, I lightly wiped any excess paint off the embossed areas with a baby wipe.

I matted the embossed and watercolored panel onto dark purple Core'dinations cardstock, then onto a lighter teal cardstock, and finally onto a piece of dark green cardstock. I mostly tried to take my color inspiration from the colors of watercolors I'd used in my choices of cardstock colors, but going darker to show off the watercolored piece better.

For the greeting, I cut a strip of another light blue cardstock, and punched the ends with Fiskars' "Apron Lace" border punch. I die cut the "happy" from this Simon Says Stamp die. I scanned the panel & die cut into my computer, then positioned them digitally in Photoshop. I was able from there to type & format the "Mother's Day!" text in the proper location. Finally, I printed that part of the greeting onto the label, and adhered the label and the "happy" die cut onto the card front.

I felt the card needed something, as it seemed a little bottom-heavy. So I colored some clear acrylic gems with Wild Plum alcohol ink, and adhered them to the front, primarily on the upper portion of the watercolor piece.

I'm entering this card in Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday "Anything Goes" challenge.