Stepping Up with the May Pals Blog Hop!

Welcome to our Pals Blog Hop, May 2018. This month we’ll be “Stepping Up with Textures or Techniques.” What’s that? Projects that are “stepped up” by using textures or fun techniques. Who knows, maybe both! Join us in the fun while we inspire you to step up your creations.

You may be starting the hop here or coming from a previous Pal’s blog. Either way, you’ve come to the right place. You’ll find the full line-up below to help you move, or “hop” along from Pal to Pal.

Living in Northern Minnesota, and especially after our recent looooong winter and late spring, you can imagine our delight when the beautiful lilac bushes start to bloom.  Their fragrance literally fills the air!  My card today is in tribute to the lilacs.

I’m using two techniques to create ‘extra’ texture today:  a watercolor technique I used on both the bouquet and the white background that combines layers of color to create depth, and an embossed background on which to build the bouquet.

I started with a card base of Whisper White thick cardstock cut at 4 1/4″ x 11″, folded at 5 1/2″.  I cut a 4 1/8″ x 5 3/8″ panel of basic black cardstock and mounted it on the white card base.  I then took a 5 1/4″ x 4″ panel of Sweet Sugarplum cardstock and embossed it using the Garden Trellis Textured Impressions embossing folder.

On a panel of watercolor paper, I stamped the stems of the bouquet using the single stem from the Beautiful Bouquet Photopolymer bundle using watercolor paper.  This versatile bundle allows you to create all kinds of bouquets, whether it be a monochromatic bunch of lilacs, like me, or a profusion of different colors in a mixed bouquet.

I then stamped some small bunches of flowers in Wisteria Wonder and a couple in Sweet Sugarplum.  I spritzed the bouquet with water to soften the images and let it dry.

The ‘stepped up’ bouquet was created by cutting out bunches of tiny flowers with two dies from the Beautiful Bouquet bundle.  Once the little bunches were cut out using the Big Shot, I used an aqua painter and first ‘colored’ the tiny flowers with Sweet Sugarplum ink.  Then I came back and created little stripes using the Wisteria Wonder ink.  I went back and forth between the colors, adding depth and color until I got the effect I wanted.

I used SNAIL adhesive and then Stampin’ Dimensionals to start ‘building’ up the bouquet to create lots of dimension and texture.   I finished off the card with a sentiment from Beautiful Bouquet and a Garden Green 3/8″ grosgrain ribbon bow, along with some tiny seed pearls.

Thanks to Canadian Stamper Sandi MacIver for her inspirational video to help with this watercolor technique. 

Now it’s time to see how the rest of the Pals are Stepping up with Textures or Techniques. Please use the Blog Hop Line-Up below to move from blog to blog. Don’t forget to show us some love by commenting on our creations.

Mark your calendars for June 13, 2018, when we feature projects for Babies, Birthdays and Brides. You’ll probably even see products from Stampin’ Up!s new 2018-2019 Annual Catalog. Don’t miss it!

Blog Hop  Line-up:

1. Mary Fish at Stampin’ Pretty
2. Peggy Noe at Pretty Paper Cards
3. Lisa Ann Bernard at Queen B Creations
4. Su Mohr at Aromas and Art
5. Linda Suarez at All Night Stamping
6. Debbie Mageed at Secrets to Stamping
7. Stesha Bloodhart at Stampin’ Hoot!
8. Leah O’Brien at Stamp by the Bay
9. Jackie Beers at Blue Line Stamping
10. Beth McCullough at Stamping Mom
11. Pamela Sadler at Stampin’ Pink Rose
12. Mary Hanson at Up North Stampin’
13. Nina King at Ink Paper Sequins
14. Karen Hallam at Karen’s Stamping Habit
15. Wendy Klein at Doggone Delightful Stampin’
16. Jennifer Michalski at Stamping Serenity

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