My "thank you" card for Marti!!!!

Hello everyone.......hope you are having a wonderful Sunday!!!  I don't know about your weather, but here in North FL the sun is shinning and it is a beautiful day!

I've been taking the "Online Watercolor Class" hosted by Kristina Werner, Jennifer McGuire and Jennifer Rzasa  at onlinecardclasses.com and I have to tell you that I have really enjoyed it and I've learned a lot!!!  You really ought to check it out......just click on the link I've provided above!  Well, I decided to try to watercolor a digital image and I decided to use one of my Dover "free" images of a really pretty rose.  I did not know if this would work or not, because I was afraid since I was going to print it on watercolor paper on my Canon printer that the ink would bleed..........but lo and behold it did not!  Right after printing it, I did zap it with my heat gun.......maybe that helped!  I don't have any really good watercolors...I just used my Loew Cornell "Simply Art" set of 36 colors and actually they worked just fine.  I did use my Tim Holtz "Broken China" Distress Ink behind the rose.  Well, after doing that rose, I just had to use it on a card and last Wednesday one of my very best friends, Marti, gave me a wonderful hair cut.........she has been cutting my hair for over thirty years, in fact, that is how we met.  Of course she has been retired for many years but still cuts my hair...I swear she is a sculptor and an artist!!!  At any rate, I told her about my watercolor class and I told her that the first project I complete would go on a special card for her and it has!  

Now, let me tell you about my background for the card.  Yesterday was "Bonus Day" for my class and one of the guests designers that did a video showing a technique was one of my favorite people in the crafting community......Miss Laura Sterckx who is only 17 years old and lives in Belgium with her parents.  You must check out her blog and then her YouTube Channel....I watch her videos every week! The technique she chose to share was using Distress Inks misted with water to make like a marbled background on watercolor paper that she has scored and I loved it!!!  I chose to use "Spun Sugar", "Forest Moss" and "Broken China" and then when it was dry I used some Heidi Swapp "White" Color Shine and I love how it turned out!!!  I also used some pearl embossing powder and heat set it on the beads around the oval frame.  What do you think?!!!

And here is a close-up of my water coloring.

Well, next I was trying to figure out what to do for the inside of the card and I decided to make a panel for the back of the card like I did for the background on the front and then scan it to make a background for the inside of the card and I love how it turned out!  Here are a couple of photos.

Y'all this was so much fun to make.  Thank you Miss Laura for the background technique.....I am in love with it!!!  She is also the one that introduced me to the gorgeous "Sparkling Clear" sequins from Pretty Pink Posh!  I would really love to hear your comments on this one!

Supplies List

Papers:  Canson "140 LB Cold Press Watercolor Paper", Recollection 110 LB "Ivory" 

Stamps:  Inkadinkado "Thank You" from the Spring Blossoms Clear Stamp Set

Ink:  Tsukineko Versafine "Onyx Black", Tim Holtz "Broken China", "Forest Moss" & "Spun Sugar"

Tools:  Silhouette "Cameo",  Pazzles "Inspiration", Range "Heat-It", Sizzix "Big Shot", Martha Stewart "Score Board" & "Stamp Mount" 
Accessories:  Loew Cornell "Simply Art" Watercolors, "White" Heidi Swapp  Color Shine, "Sparkling Clear" Pretty Pink Posh sequins, Spellbinders Dies, Cuttlebug "Corners", Stamp-n-Stuff "White Pearl Translucent" embossing powder