Sharing a Card

I created this bright and cheery "Thinking of You" card a while back , but I used so many fun techniques that I wanted to share them with you! I used Ranger inks and Stickles glitter glue , Our Daily Bread stamps, and a fun template from The Crafter's Workshop. 


Materials:
Tim Holtz Distress Inks by Ranger: Scattered Straw and Rusty Hinge 
Tim Holtz Distress Markers by Ranger: Tea Dye, Wild Honey, Pine Needles
Ranger Stickles glitter glue: Assorted colors
Ranger ink blending tool and pads
Ranger Ink (any archival ink will work)
Our Daily Bread stamps: Butterfly and Butterfly Corner
The Crafter's Workshop mini template: Mini Bricks
Worldwin cardstock for card image base
Printed paper for background (Chris used Studio Calico)
Folded card made from Worldwin cardstock

Other supplies:
Koi mini brush; acrylic block; ink daubers; adhesives


Step 1:
Stamp Butterfly Corner onto your cardstock base ; then stamp it again onto a piece of scratch paper. Stamp the Butterfly onto a piece of the same cardstock as your base.

Step 2:
Fussy-cut out the Butterfly stamped image that you made on the cardstock. Then cut out the Butterfly Corner image that you stamped on your scrap paper.

Step 3:
Place the cut-out Butterfly Corner image over the top of the stamped image on your card base. (By covering the stamped image with this scratch-paper image, you are protecting it from getting inked during the masking technique below)

Place the Brick template over the card base. Using the ink blending tool, rub the ink over the brick template. This does NOT have to be perfect! The more color variations you get into the ink, the more realistic your bricks will look. NOTE: BE SURE TO HOLD THE TEMPLATE to keep it from slipping. Depending on the size of your card base, you may have to move the template down to finish the background. Just line up the brick spaces with your previous inking to keep the pattern going.

Step 4:
Using daubers and inks, color the Butterfly image on your card and the cut-out butterfly.

Step 5:
Using the Tea Dye distress marker, lightly color the centers of all the flowers in your card image.

Step 6:
Using the Wild Honey distress marker, color a swatch of color onto your acrylic block.

Using your water brush, pick up a little bit of ink from the block and "paint" the flower petals. I then cleaned my block and used the Rusty Hinge ink and water brush to accent the petals. (Note: the water brush is self cleaning) Since I  didn't have a Rusty Hinge marker  I stamped the ink pad directly onto the acrylic block.

Then I repeated the same technique with the Pine Needles marker to color in the foliage areas of her stamped image. REMEMBER: This is a watercolor technique, and the image should look a little washed out, like a watercolor.

Step 7:

Fold the cut-out stamped butterfly in the middle and attach it to the card base, adhering it in the center of the butterfly only (so its wings are raised). Using Stickles, highlight the butterfly and flowers as desired. Trim and mat the image onto background paper and then onto the front of your card.