I Love You

Our Daily Bread Designs is having a color challenge this week. They posted a color palette, and the only requirement is to use at least 3 colors featured as the focal point:

I chose to lean towards the purple end, with a touch of peach. I started by choosing this Operation Write Home sketch:

I knew I wanted to use ODBD's "Dahlia" stamp, which is rather large--just under 3.5" diameter. This requires a bit of creative thinking to use it on an A2 card, the size Operation Write Home requires for all but AnyHero cards. When I saw this sketch, I got the idea to die cut the image into 3 circles and layer them. Since cards for OWH can't have a lot of dimension either, rather than pop up the inner layers, I cut each slightly smaller, fussy cut the outermost part of the image, and matted all 3 pieces on a circular piece of navy cardstock.

I first stamped the dahlia on a piece of 90 lb. watercolor paper, using Ranger Archival Jet Black ink. Then I took 3 colors of gelatos--Peach, Lavender, & Grape--and applied each color to a small watercolor palette. I diluted each with my water brush, and applied them to the image. I used the Peach in the center, then worked my way out with the Lavender & Grape. I wish the colors showed up better in the photo; they are pretty pale & subtle, though. Then I set that aside to dry.

For the background, I used a stamp I'd gotten for Christmas (thanks, Mom!), Impression Obsession's "Damask" background stamp. I applied Versamark ink to the stamp, then pressed a piece of lavender cardstock, cut to 4.25x5.5", onto the stamp. Finally, I sprinkled on Recollections' Clear Detail embossing powder, and heat set that to create a tone-on-tone background with a little shine.

I used a greeting from this Simon Says Stamp set. I stamped it in Versamark on another scrap of the same navy cardstock, then heat embossed it with Ranger Silver embossing powder. I die cut the piece with the smallest die from the "Labels, Wavy" set by Sizzix. After gluing my focal piece to the background, I glued my greeting label down.

I didn't have a heart punch that would really work with the image, so I used clear gems instead. I adhered 3 to the dahlia with Ranger Multi Medium Matte, and also glued 2 smaller gems to the greeting. After adhering the completed card front to an A2 size card base, I felt the upper right corner was a bit empty. I tried placing 5 tiny gems just in that corner, but that looked like just too much bling. So I ended up just rounding that corner with my 1/2" Corner Chomper. And that finished this love card!

I'm also entering this card in Simon Says Stamp's Work It Wednesday challenge: Love.