Seize the Birthday has a new challenge up: Use an Embossing Folder. It's a favorite technique of mine when I need some interest for the background of a card.
I used part of a lovely birthday gift certificate to Altenew to order the "Build-a-Flower: Coneflower" and the matching dies. I stamped multiple images of the two outline images, some on watercolor paper. This is the first of three cards I made with them.
After embossing some cream colored cardstock with one of Tim Holtz's Alteration embossing folders, I decided it was best to cut it down which added just the right amount of texture and contrast with the brown textured card base.
I watercolored the flowers with my Daniel Smith watercolors. The watercolors weren't moving as well as usual, and I couldn't figure out why until I remembered I was using a piece of Simon Says watercolor paper that had come with one of the card kits. I'm not a fan. Although the final outcome was acceptable, it was much more difficult than it should have been.
The sentiment,"Easy Expressions: Birthday," is also a new acquisition, and I love it! It's from The Ton, and has 10 sentiments. I stamped and embossed all ten at once, and then added the black sentiments. When that was done, all 10 are die cut at once. The Ton has a variety of stamp and die sets that are grouped with guides that make it so easy to line every thing up perfectly. For someone who has difficulty with layering stamps and dies, this is one fabulous set.
Since all the stamps and dies are new and have never been used, I'll be linking this up at NBUS as well.
