Pretty in Pink - Watercolor Painting with Distress Inks

Happy Friday! I'm finally beginning to bounce back from a week that has been a one-woman-homage to Kleenex. Stupid colds! I was running out of time to complete STAMPlorations's latest sketch challenge. I find sketch challenges to be the trickiest, especially if they don't involve a place for large images - which are my go-to. So when I saw the sketch, I was hesitant to take it on.

I pulled out STAMPlorations's Bloom Sketches set and began to play around with the daisy and some Distress Ink handpainting.

• Step 1: Emboss your image. I used a sparkly clear embossing powder.
• Step 2: Swipe Distress Inks on a craft mat and spritz with water. I started with Worn Lipstick and layered with Victorian Velvet. I did the centers with Mustard Seed.
• Step 3: Paint your image and layer with different colors. 

I was going to top my creation using some patterned paper, but wound up loving it so much that I wanted to show it off. Instead, I used some pink vellum and cut out the sketch parts using an Xacto knife. Haha! I solved my problem by using the reverse of the sketch!

All in all, the vellum added a delightful softness and the bright bursts peeking through the cutouts was a great counterpoint. I added some sheer ribbon to keep the card's delicate feel and finished it with a cheerful saying from the same STAMPlorations set.

Since I was able to try a new technique, I'm going to enter this into Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge Blog - Rock the Technique. I also incorporated vellum into my challenge, which makes a great card for The Friday Mashup challenge!