Simon Says Stamp Blossoms & Butterflies Release

Hello Everyone. Today I have a slightly different card than what I normally create. I was inspired by Debi Hughes to hop out of my comfort zone a little bit and watercolor this NEW background stamp from Simon Says Stamp. This stamp is from the Blossoms & Butterflies Release. It is a red rubber cling mount stamp called Outlined Butterflies and it stamps like a dream.

To check out the rest of the release and find some inspiration (CLICK HERE!) to visit the Simon Says Stamp online store and blog.

I started my project with a piece of Arteza watercolor paper. This paper is more off-white than I would normally prefer, but for the antiqued look I was going for, it was perfect. I loaded my NEW Simon Says Stamp Outlined Butterflies background stamp into my original size MISTI.

I stamped the large background stamp using Distress Ink in Antique Linen as Debi frequently recommends. I stamped it twice to try to get the best outlined image I could. Using such a large stamp this is sometimes necessary to get a nice bold image.

Once my image was stamped and ready to color, I used my Distress Markers that I haven't used in a very long time, to color my background. I used Black Soot, Shabby Shutters, Barn Door, Stormy Sky, and Antique Linen. All of my markers seemed a bit dry and lonely from sitting around so long. I used my Stampin' Up! Blender Pen to blend out the Distress Markers. This is what I typically like to use. I start by adding the darkest color to the shadow areas and blend it into lighter areas using the same marker and blender pen combination. I will also sometimes steal color from the tip of the Distress Marker with the tip of the blender pen and blend color onto my project that way.

To finish off the watercoloring, I used the Antique Linen Distress Marker to go around the outside of the butterflies to give a little depth to the space between each butterfly. I also added color to the small dots already in the background using the same color markers that I used to color the image and blended them out using the same blender pen to give them a bit of a bokeh effect that is hardly noticeable in the photographs. I also loaded the entire background into my Splat Box and splattered the panel with some slightly watered down, Ranger Picket Fence White acrylic paint. I loaded an acrylic block with the paint and sprayed a little water into the mix. I used the Ranger Splatter tool to transfer the ink from the block to the card front.

I used the Neat & Tangled Together Stamp set and die set to create the sentiment on this project. I cut the "together" word die from Lawn Fawn Black Licorice cardstock. I used my Nuvo Clear Mark embossing ink to cover the entire front of the black die cut with sticky ink. I then coated it with Wow's "One Hundred and One" embossing powder, and heated it with my Wagner Heat Tool. I then adhered it to the shadow cut from the other die in the Together Die set by Neat & Tangled, using Elmers' spray adhesive. I took my die cut outside and laid it face down in order to spray plenty of adhesive onto the back.

I also added a few coordinating sequins using micro glue dots. I couldn't find the exact sequin pack that I used (which is Pretty Pink Posh Whimsical Forest), so below, I linked to a very similar set that I also could have used. Mostly I used the pale green and gold sequins.

The "we're in this" sentiment was stamped using the same sticky ink but this time I used Ranger's White embossing powder to heat emboss the sub sentiment. I cut it out with my Tonic Studios 9.5 inch shears, trying to leave a small black border around the letters. It was then popped up with Scotch 3M foam tape.

I want to thank you for coming to visit my blog today. There is a complete list of supplies below using affiliate links when possible. Don't forget to check out the Simon Says Stamp blog and online store for more Blossoms and Butterflies release inspiration. Use #blossomsandbutterlies to keep up with the latest postings.

Koren