Begin Again with Butterflies

Hello All!

Have you checked out the May release yet?  Goodness, I just can't stop playing.  I consider myself a colorist, but the large butterfly in the Begin Again Stamp Set has me playing all sorts of ways.  '
The MOJO had run dry so I have been watching videos to try new things and remind me of old things.  I came upon a video highlighting the faux watercolor technique.  This is a super easy and fun technique where you ink up your stamp with ink and spritz it with water, then stamp on your paper (something that will take water well)- I used watercolor paper. This is what I ended up with; and guys, I played and played and played!

I was getting more creative by the time I got to this card and did some splattering as well.  The sentiment is from the new Encouraging Thoughts Stamp Set, which is also the Stamp of the Month.  Goodness, the font!  I just love he font in this set, and as you can see from the rest of the cards, I used many sentiments in the set!  

This sentiment is from the So Thankful Stamp Set.  

This sentiment is from the Sympathy Morning Glories Stamp Set. 

After playing with this technique, I went a bit further with it, first stamping the sentiment with the technique I had been using, and then stamping with Versamark in and heat embossing with clear embossing powder.  This allowed me to paint on the background without disturbing the main image. 

As this is a distress technique, I used distress inks for all of my cards.  Some are first generation stamping, some are second and some are third.  Some are heat set after stamping and then stamped over again.  Some are stamped over and not heat seat after the first stamping.  They are all different; in other words, just have fun and play to see what you get!  And, sometimes I got mud, lol.  

In then end, I splattered each card with a bit of watercolor paint in a coordinating color.  

Also note that unless you area only going to stamp one time, you need a stamp positioner to do this. I used my MISTI through the whole process which is what allowed me to stamp multiple times on the same image. 

This set of cards is going to be gifted to a friend of mine who buys a lot of my cards.  This stamp and technique is perfect for making a gift set! 

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you give this a try!

Lee Ann  

Don't forget, Encouraging Thoughts is the stamp of the month and is FREE with your order of $75 or more! 

The new release is currently available at a discounted price as the May Early Bird Bundle -offer ends May 9th!