Over the weekend, I had been playing with all the new Distress colors for 2015, using different stencils and stamps to create backgrounds for future use. I decided to use one of the backgrounds, add to it, and play with color trios. I chose my background made with THS 002 "Bubble" and Distress Ink "Fossilized Amber". I added "Distress Ink "Squeezed Lemonade with THS 045 "Treads" and then Distress Ink "Ground espresso" with THS 048 "Argyle". Now I had a background I could trim to card size.
Now, for the foreground. I was trying out all my S.U! stamps form my stash and found one that hadn't even been mounted yet: "Big Blossom". I tried stamping it with "Ground Espresso and was very unhappy with the end result. It just never stamped cleanly and smoothly and came out blotchy every time. I came back in with a broad water brush and more "Ground Espresso" and tried painting out the blotches. It helped a little but, as you can see, it still was very grainy in appearance. Still, I decided to go with it and fussy cut it.
Next I layered the trimmed background with a cardstock very close in shade to the "Fossilized Amber" and attached to a prefolded ivory cardstock card base. I added the blossom and trimmed the petals where they hung off the card. I added a sentiment (VAP! Crafts "Surprise!" from the Birthday Party set) in "Ground Espresso" and scattered a few amber rhinestones (Hero Arts "Gemstones" CH126) about:
- Inks: Distress "Fossilized Amber", "Squeezed Lemonade" and "Ground Espresso"
- Stamps: VAP! Crafts "Surprise!" and S.U.! "Big Blossom"
- Papers: scraps of white and amber cardstock, prefolded 5 x 7" ivory card
- Embellishments: Hero Arts Gemstones Yellow (CH126)