Merry & Bright

I know I said I'm not a one-layer card kind of gal (layer withdrawal, anyone? LOL), but I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment sometimes. I decided to do one more for a2z Scrapbooking's challenge this month. Since I knew I wanted to do a bit of watercoloring, I created my card base from Strathmore Smooth Bristol paper.

I used 2 stamps from a new-to-me set by Hero Arts, "Joy to the World." I put my card base in my MISTI, and used my grid template overlay to help me line up my greeting & one of the "tree" stamps. Then I picked the stamps up with the door on my MISTI, and used Versamark ink to stamp them on the card. I sprinkled on Ranger Super Fine Detail White embossing powder, and melted it with my heat gun. Then I masked off the tree. I stamped the second tree, and sprinkled on embossing powder. That's when I realized my mistake.

I wanted my third (right hand) tree to go in front of the middle tree, so I should have stamped & embossed that first. No big problem, though, since I realized this before I melted my embossing powder on the second tree. I just positioned my stamp, and stamped it in Versamark, overlapping the middle tree slightly. I brushed away the embossing powder from the middle tree where they overlapped, and sprinkled powder onto my third tree. Then I heat set both trees. You can't even tell I goofed--whew!

Once my embossing had cooled, I brushed clean water over the greeting & trees. Then I smooshed Evergreen Bough Distress ink onto an acrylic block, and picked it up with a wet paintbrush. I daubed it onto the wet areas of my paper, letting it bleed and blend. Then I dried that with my heat tool, and went over those areas with Pine Needles Distress ink and a wet brush. When I had the depth of color I wanted, I dried it again.

At this point, I felt the greeting & images looked a bit disconnected. So I added some splatters of Heidi Swapp Color Shine mist in the Tinsel color. This gives it added interest, and I think just helps to pull the design together. Once that had dried, I put my card under a book, since the watercoloring & heating had warped it a bit. I left it there for a few hours, and it flattened out nicely!

I'm also entering this card in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp's Work It Wednesday: "Make a Holiday Card"
Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge: "Anything Goes"
Through the Craft Room Door: "Anything Goes"