Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Smile

Hi everyone.  I've been way behind on my visiting of blogs I follow.  Life gets in the way sometimes.  Today I visited my friends Ina, Carol, and Bobby and saw the beautiful cards they made as Design Team members of Just Us Girls.  Ina is the host and she picked the colour challenge this week which is AWESOME!  I HAD to play along.  Thankfully the challenge is still open for another day! ;)

I started by die-cutting my poppies from hot press watercolour paper.  I watercoloured them with distress inks.  I combined Mustard Seed with just a little Peacock Feathers to create the green for the stems.  Then watercoloured the poppies, first with a layer of Mustard Seed with highlights of Spiced Marmalade.  I used an orange w/c pencil to add a bit of definition to the blooms.

The background is a dot stencil, randomly coloured with Peacock Feathers ink using a clarity brush.  I love the softness the brush adds to the stenciling.  Used a stylus and mat to shape the poppy blossoms and then adhered them over top of the stenciling, using pop dots behind some of the flowers to give them extra dimension.  Stamped a sentiment in more Peacock Feathers ink to finish the card.

Here's a close-up ...
I think these colours would make anyone smile.  It feels like spring is not far away. :)  Thanks for coming by for a visit!






Stamps:  Beautiful (AliExpress)
Paper:  Watercolour paper (Arches 140 lb. hot press); White card base (Neenah 110 lb. card stock)
Ink:  Distress Inks:  Peacock Feathers, Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade (Tim Holtz)
Accessories & Tools:  paint brush, Mini Tiny Circles stencil (The Crafter's Workshop), Clarity Brush, Derwent Watercolour Pencils

Challenges:
Just Us Girls #424 - Teal, Mustard, Orange

22 comments:

Marcia Hill said...

This definitely makes me smile and think that Spring might actually come! Your Poppies are colored so beautifully and I love the soft and subtle stenciled background too! Lovely, lovely card Loll!! :0)

nancy littrell said...

Beautiful die cut poppies colored with your Distress inks and then your added details with your pencils. Your card will brighten anyones day my friend. TFS Hugs..P.S. I have a die picked out to try the coloring die cut technique:-) I have been loving your pretty cards with the technique:-)

Susan said...

You definitely had to enter that challenge - your kind of colours for sure! It's a beautiful card with the soft stenciling behind the poppies. I'd like to try watercolouring that die when we get together in February!

Ina G said...

Wow! What a beautiful card Loll. Love the stenciled background (checked to see how you used the clarity brush) and you have worked it perfectly. Your poppies look amazingly realistic with the tiny veins. Like how you added your sentiment to the bottom here. So glad you like my colour choice and you joined us at Just Us Girls. Thank You so much.... Of course I would love to see you here again real soon.

Cathy said...

Beautiful spring card Loll, love the soft background, Cathy x

Christine Alexander said...

Beautiful Loll, I love your watercoloured die cut. i'm getting so excited about learning more about this :)

Viv said...

A beautiful background Loll - I hardly own any stencils and must rectify that as soon as poss - lovely card. The poppy die is one of my faves.

Brenda in IN said...

What a great stencil background for these lovely poppies. The colors are simply beautiful.

Nstiz said...

What a fabulous job you did coloring your poppies. Gorgeous blending on those! I found it so hard to color a die cut with narrow parts like the stems. You succeeded beautifully and love how you created that cheerful green on the stems. Your background compliments the artwork so beautifully too.

Faith A at Daffodil Cards said...

So very lovely with fab colours.
Faith
x

Papercraft Boutique said...

This is so pretty and it sure makes me smile, Loll. Your watercoloring with distress inks is amazing and I love the soft dot stenciling behind the flowers. It adds visual interest to the white background without distracting the main flowers. Hideko xx

Mac Mable said...

Love the water colouring on those fabulous poppies and the hi-lighting with the pencil is so pretty. Great colour combination and the cute blue stencilled dots, along with the blue sentiment finishes off your card perfectly. What a stunning card Loll x

Jeanne said...

Oh Loll, these are lovely! I love poppies. Reminds me of the fields of them that would grow in California. I have a framed photo of wildflowers with a poppy front and center to take me back whenever I need a pick me up. You've achieved the color beautifully. The background sure helps the flowers pop. As does your work to give them dimension. This card sure made me smile! Happy weekend!

Linda said...

Well this definitely made me smile ... those poppies look so pretty xx

Trina P. said...

So pretty. I struggled with this colour combo. You did an amazing job with it. Love the soft stenciled background.

kiwimeskreations said...

What an inspiring card Loll - this is absolutely gorgeous! Love how you have used the colours, especially the blue behind the orange.
Blessings
Maxine

Macimbalo said...

Beautiful creation, the colors and layout are just perfect! Thanks for joining us at JUGS!

Jo said...

Soft and beautiful. Love the way you used this colour palate, AWESOME �� xx

Bobby said...

The shaping adds so much to the look of your lovely flowers, Loll, and the polka dot background brought in the real color perfectly. I'm glad you shared your card with us at Just Us Girls.

Susanne Vargas said...

Your card is so pretty and fresh looking! It reminds me of Summer!

BożenA said...

A great color combination. I love how you used the gradation of colors for flowers. They look amazing. Stained by the stencil the background beautifully highlights the flowers.
Hugs,
BozenA

vaiybora said...

wow !!! beautiful and so lovely,i really like your good idea so much.Thank for sharing.

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