Phewww! Finally, some air in the air after a heat wave we experienced lately. Don’t get me wrong: I love summertime. I’m just not a fan of hot weather when you can’t do any activity without gasping for the air. And how funny it may sound, in the UK 26C is hardly bearable. But today I woke up very early to the amazingly fresh breeze. I jumped out of bed (well not literally as I still can hardly walk), fixed some quick breakfast to take my medications, got my Bible study done (book of Judges – loveee) and off I go to my ‘cave’ before the ‘house’ woke up.

Since over a week, I’ve been ‘dying’ to crack open the Colorful Seasons Photopolymer Stamp Set and coordinating Seasonal Layers Thinlits Dies. And what a better excuse (not that I need one haha) than taking a part in Global Design Project. Especially that this week we are CASE’ing extremely talented, Shawn De Oliveira.

Rose Wonder Stamp Set and Rose Garden Thinlits Dies are one of my favourites from 2016-17 catalogue and I’m really happy that they are staying with us for another year (at least). But for my project today I really wanted to ‘play’ with new products.

What I ‘borrowed from Shawn’s card is the colour combination of soft pink and green with a touch of gold. And because I had all my supplies out I’ve made not one but six cards. Since a couple of months, I belong to amazing facebook group Random Act Of Kindness, where each month we are sending cards to random recipients. ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ (Acts 20:35)

Colorful Seasons card dimensions:

• Whisper White Thick cardstock card base: 11-6/8″ x 4-1/8″ scored in half at 5-7/8″ (29.7 x 10.5 cm scored in half at 14.8 cm)
• Shimmery White cardstock: 3-1/2″ x 4-1/8″ (8.9 cm x 10.5 cm)
• Old Olive cardstock two stripes: 4-1/8″ x 7/16″(briefly) and 4-1/8″ x 1″ (10.5 cm x 1.2 cm and 10.5 cm x 2.6 cm)
• white cardboard from the back of DSP: 4-1/16″ x 2-1/2″ (10.4 cm x 6.3 cm)

I started with creating a scalloped edge to my card base. On the front of the card base, I measured 1″ from the bottom, centred the scallop edge die and secured it with a piece of washi tape (so it won’t shift) and run it through the big shot. Next, using the same die I created a scalloped edge on the wider strip of Old Olive cardstock.

For the watercolour wash, instead of watercolour paper, I’ve used Shimmery White cardstock. It’s beautiful on its own but great for light watercolouring too; plus gives your work delicate shimmery look (hence the name).

Watercolour tip: While your ink pad is closed give the lid a gentle squeeze. It will transfer a little pool of ink from the ink pad into the lid.  Open your ink pad. Now you can pick up the ink with your aqua painter or with the tip of your blender pen.

I took aqua painter and I wet the surface of my panel slightly. I didn’t add the water to the entire piece, just to the centre. I picked some Blushing Bride ink with my aqua painter and I’ve done a quick wash of colour over the panel. Dried it with my heat tool.

When the panel was completely dry I rubbed it with embossing buddy to make sure embossing powder won’t stick where it shouldn’t. I stamped the sentiment and maple leaves with Versamark ink, covered them with gold embossing powder and heat set it.

I adhered Old Olive stripes behind the watercoloured panel with liquid adhesive. And now the #facepalm moment: paper + water = warping! …what was I thinking?! To rescue my watercolour pieces: strengthen and straighten them up, I cut rectangles from the white cardboard (I always save backings from DSP) and adhered them behind the panels, between two Old Olive pieces, with a fast fuse.

I assembled my cards with liquid glue. For a final touch, I decided to add few rhinestones. And that’s my cards done.

As always, I really want to encourage you to visit the Global Design Project challenge blog to see other beautiful projects from all around the world. Just click on their logo below to visit the website

Thanks for visiting my blog today. Have a blessed day