March STAMPlorations Challenge - All About Spring

Welcome back to the March edition of the all-singing-all-dancing STAMPlorations super challenge (you may have noticed that the individual challenges are off on spring break for a while). Keep Calm and Craft On! I hope you enjoyed the Paint It Red February challenge as much as I did, the inspiration in the gallery was amazing. And this month we are challenging you with "All about Spring or Faith". No restrictions, no rules other than to follow the theme. Any style, and medium, any sort of crafty project!

Thinking spring-y thoughts, I couldn't resist a pastel spring rainbow row of gorgeous silver embossed butterflies. I started by stamping the beautiful Flutter Zen Row and heat embossing in silver. I then used my Distress Inks to watercolour the row, splattering some pinks onto the background. Then all I had to do was add a sentiment in black and there we go - rainbow butterflies!

Card: white 250 gsm card

Stamps: STAMPlorations Flutter Zen Row, Blossom Overture

Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versamark, Memento Tuxedo Black, Distress Inks Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Festive Berries, Wilted Violet, Mermaid Lagoon, Mowed Lawn, Picked Raspberry

Other: Papermania Silver embossing powder 

STAMPlorations discount code: If you want to save 20% when shopping at the STAMPlorations store you can use the code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout. The discount applies to all normal priced and discounted stamps, stencils and dies. The code cannot be combined with other discount codes.

Watercolour Butterfly Row

Yesterday I got into the craft room after a bit of a break-up with my crafty stuff for a while. I started by making a few really simple and quick cards to warm up, I published them on the blog yesterday.  Today's card is the second card I made after I had spent some time warming up first. I was inspired by the butterfly theme over at CAS Watercolour. I also managed to play along with CAS Mix-up where the theme is Stamping + Tissue Paper + your choice. I was really intimidated by the tissue paper theme but when I saw Loll's great ideas to adhere the watercoloured tissue paper onto acetate I got the idea to attach my watercoloured tissue paper onto vellum (easier to glue it on!) and die cut for the sentiment. I was also inspired by the rainbow pastel colours over at Daring Cardmakers (although no unicorns this time, weird enough!!).

I started by stamping the gorgeous STAMPlorations Flutter Zen Row stamp onto watercolour paper and heat embossed the delicate butterflies in gold. Then I used my super fine watercolour brush and Gansai Tambi watercolours to colour the butterflies in all the colours of the rainbow. After colouring the butterflies, I added some grey around the butterflies for contrast, and splattered some black onto the background. Then I tackled the daunting task of watercolouring the tissue paper. Again, I couldn't help myself but colour it into a rainbow. I'm really on a rainbow streak! Then even more challenging, I dried the tissue paper using my heat gun, and scrunched it up. Then I glued it onto vellum, and die cut using the CUTplorations Celebrate Word die. I also cut a second sentiment in black to create some contrast. 

Card: Daler & Rowney 300 gsm watercolour card, tissue paper, scrap of black card, Dovecraft 110 gsm vellum

Stamps: STAMPlorations Flutter Zen Row

Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versamark, Gansai Tambi watercolours

Other: Gold embossing powder

STAMPlorations discount code: If you want to save 20% when shopping at the STAMPlorations store you can use the code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout. The discount applies to all normal priced and discounted stamps, stencils and dies. The code cannot be combined with other discount codes.