WPlus9 Christmas Rose, three different looks!

Hi guys!

Today I have got both a sneak peek of my weekly post over at Butterfly Reflections Ink blog as well as a card here on my own blog. The thing that ties them together is that I have used the same stamp set, Christmas Rose Bouquet from WPlus9, for the three cards but they all look very different. I love doing this as I think it shows that the stamp set can be used for different occasions, with different recipients in mind and by simply choosing a new colour palette it can still be completely personalised.

The two cards I have over on the Butterfly Reflections Ink blog today are both coloured with Daniel Smith water colours, yet by using two different colour schemes and making the background unique to each one as well, they look nothing alike. I hope you will pop over there and check it out!

The card I am going to show you here is coloured with Copics and is a one-layer card. I don’t do these very often as I’m a self-confessed foam tape addict! I simply adore adding layers and dimensions on my cards by using different thickness foam tape.

As this was going to be a one-layer card I cut a sheet of Neenah Solar White 110# card stock in half and scored it in the middle to create a 5.5”x4.25” card base. Then, using my trusted MISTI, I stamped the image, Christmas Bouquet by WPlus9 directly on it with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. Whilst I was letting the ink dry a little bit, I consulted my Copic marker hex chart (this is a super-duper helpful colour chart done by the awesome Sandy Allnock and if you don’t have it but use Copics, I HIGHLY recommend it!)

I chose mainly teal and turquoise markers, as I had seen a beautifully coloured image by one of the talented ladies I follow on Instagram (her username is @ashwyness and click here to see the card she made) I instantly thought ‘I need to try that’. The card I ended up with, naturally looks nothing like my original inspiration… CASE-ing a card is another things I’m not very good at.

When I started colouring I went straight for the big bloom in the middle and that came out pretty ok but I could really feel that it has been a while since I used my Copics as I felt very rusty. As you use different ways to colour with all the different mediums, I do find that I need to ‘refresh’ my memory a little when I switch between them. I did not do that before I started on this though so I’ll save that one as a ‘memo to self’ for the future. I will probably forget next time too… eh, such is life.

Moving on to the smaller flowers, I kept on colouring in a flicking motion, as I had done on the big one. However, on the smaller ones it just wasn’t working. I couldn’t get it to look good so I did something drastic and decided to change tactics. Getting my colourless blender pen as well as the BG000 out, I tried blending the colours together for a smooth look. Bad. Move. Very bad move. Oy. I was not happy. Not happy at all. However, I decided to keep colouring and seeing if I could save it down the line.

 

I knew I wanted the leaves to be coloured in cool greys so to make the smaller branches really stand out, I went for a bold yellow look to create some dramatic contrast. Moving on to the leaves, I used Cool Greys up to no6 to create shading and details.

Once all the flowers and leaves were coloured in, I sat back to look at it and wouldn’t you know it but the background looked too white and stark. Or at least in my eyes. So out came the Copics again. This time only C1 and C0 though, and using the C1 close in around the image I then blended the colour out using the C0 marker. This is a long and slow process as you need LOADS of ink and to get a smooth look, you can not rush it. If you get tired or just plain sick of it, put it aside and come back another day. After I was happy it was blended enough I got my Colourless blender pen out again and used it in a dotting manner all around the shaded area to add the slightest bit of texture to it. This look takes time but is definitely worth it!

Sentiment wise I wanted something simple but lovely, and I chose one from another WPlus9 stamp set called Kind Soul, that says ‘I’m proud to call you my friend’. This is heat embossed in Platinum, from Altenew, in the bottom left corner. Now on this card, I simply could not resist the overwhelming urge to add sequins. Lots and lots of sequins! I had made two cards in a row without a single one on them so I may or may not have gone totally overboard but hey, I think it works! These ones are Sparkling Clear Sequins Mix from Pretty Pink Posh and I love it a lot. The fact you get all the different sizes in one pack is so handy. I don’t tend to overthink my sequin placement, I use gut instinct and just go for it.

With that, the card is done. Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you will pop by Butterfly Reflections Ink to see the other two cards I made too.

Happy crafting and lots of love from Erica