Congrats and Condolences

Hello there, Lovelies and Happy FriYay to all! Honey and I are back from the most wonderful wedding weekend ever! 

No official pictures yet until the Bride and Groom return from their Hawaiian honeymoon, but here are two their friends took that I love, from when they were walking back up the aisle at the close of the ceremony.  There were little jars of bubbles on each chair and everyone had fun with them. And yes, our Katy was stunningly gorgeous, as was her groom, Charles! The weather could not have been better and the huge affair was carried out without a hitch. So proud of them both for creating such a sweet celebration AND for managing to buy their first home, too! They make such a fab team.

So... onto the card I wanted to share today. I do wish it could be a happy card to go with my happy wedding photos, but such are the highs and lows of Life. Another one of my sweet girlfriends lost a loved one to cancer last week, so my first task upon returning home was to make this and get it off in the mail to her.

And I was having trouble figuring out what to create, so when I realized I felt like water coloring, I reached for a scenery stamp. This one by Deep Red Stamps looked serene and calming. First time to use, too.

I have been wanting to paint with my Inktense Blocks for a while and decided now was a good time. It's pretty cool to just leave the blocks in their plastic formed containers and use them like palette paints.

  

I took Try Stampin' on Tuesday Sketch #442 and turned it 90 degrees to the right.

Now, don't ask me why, but I still had the mulberry paper out from the wedding card. So I thought, let's see if I can stamp on this mulberry paper and watercolor on it! So, I tried and found out, yes and yes I definitely can do that! In fact, what made me decide to go with the Inktenses was my thinking they would bleed less, as I feared the mulberry would bleed horribly. But it didn't... unless I doused the paper with water and then not that much, still controllable. Who knew? :-)

I cut out the mulberry paper with the largest Spellbinders Torn Edges Nestie die and then I stamped in VersaFine Clair Fallen Leaves (darkest brown) , which was the only stamping ink I used throughout. I decided not to heat-emboss it. Just let it dry over night. When dry, I painted with the Inktenses. Here's where it got weird. I thought to back the mulberry paper with white card stock so the picture could be seen (the mulberry paper's very transparent). So I cut some white card stock with the same Spellbinders die, except I used the next smaller Nestie, thinking the edges of the mulberry paper could lay un-adhered. But then -- what did I do? Glued it down with glue stick. Brain Fart!

Of course, the edge un-backed by white card stock stood out like a sore thumb. So when I added Wink of Stella glitter to the image's waterway, I went ahead and glittered the edges of the mulberry, too. It looks pretty okay, I think. (A do-over would have me making sure the white card stock backing was cut with the same size Nestie, though.) I used Avery Elle Signature die and Spellbinders Classic Circles Nestie for the round Pink By Design and Sweet n Sassy stamped sentiments element made from scraps of mulberry and kraft. I used a scrap of brown satin ribbon I found in my Stash (that's the entire scrap - just barely enough). The bottom base mat was cut using Avery Elle Dotted Ellements die out of a scrap of kraft.

For the inside of my card, an assortment of sentiments from Skipping Stones, The Paper Company and Clear Dollar. The light gray card base is Stampin' Up card stock.

For the back of the card, I combined a scrap of the thick pulp paper leftover from the wedding card with some brown paper stash scraps, stamping an EKSuccess siggie on one scrap and using my round circle punches to cut out..

 A close-up of the front sentiment and the yummy texture of the mulberry paper...

For just wanting something peaceful-looking, and for wanting to watercolor, on mulberry paper, this was a quite enjoyable card to make. It looks organic, loose and raw to me. I could say I was going for that the whole time, but it would be a lie. It's pretty much always a crap shoot with me. Me and my art subconscious are not on the best of terms, which is why I enjoy it when I discover I've loosened up, even if it is after the fact. :-)  Thank you for visiting me and have a great weekend! XXO

CHALLENGES:
1.   Try Stampin' on Tuesday Sketch 442 -- See Sketch, above
2.    Happy Little Stampers Watercolor Feb. Challenge: AG + Opt. Bling --  I played the option of adding Bling via Wink of Stella...the most I felt I could pull off on a sympathy card I had to mail.  

3.   Paint Party Friday: Week 49, Year 9 Check-In
4.   Outlawz Color Tuesdays Jan. 28-Feb.11: Photo Inspiration -- I used the same colors as in the photo.

5.   Stamping Sensations February Challenge: Feminine -- my card is for a dear girlfriend who lost her sister to cancer, see post above for details on stamp used and process.
6.   Colour Crazy Week 4: AG with Colouring -- I have water colored my focal image
7.   Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge #tttc050 -- I chose  middle column Die Cut / Spring / Blue