Happy Birthday Tammy!!!

Oh my, where do I start with this card....it was SO much fun to make!  OK, let's start with the scored panel behind the white die cut panel.  I used a technique that I learned from Laura Sterckx, a very talented young card designer from Belgium, while taking an online Watercolor Class (K. Werner/Jennifer McGuire), wherein you make a scored design on watercolor paper, swipe your craft mat with different colors of Distress Inks (I used different shades of green), spray with a fine mist of water and then lay your piece of watercolor paper face down on the mat.  I love the watercolor effect that you get from this technique!  If you would like to check out Laura's YouTube channel, you can find it here.  You can let the inked panel dry on it's own or use your heat gun.  Now, for the magic....once it was dried I sprayed it with some of Heidi Swapp's "Gold Color Shine" and the panel really became quite stunning....love that "Color Shine"!  Unfortunately, my photo skills did not allow me to capture the true beauty of the panel.  On the top panel I used a Tim Holtz die and then decided to make me a stencil using the circular die from the same set using contact paper that I cut using my Cameo.  I swiped some of the "Forest Moss" Distressed Ink on a ceramic tile and then added some modeling paste, mixed it up using a pallet knife, adhered the "stencil" to my panel and added the paste.  Because I used contact paper to make the stencil, it just makes a thin layer of texture.  Here is an image of that die set which includes four dies and I really like it!

And here is how my card front looked when completed.

To finish off the card front, I made some white daisies using a Sizzix "Mini Daisy" die set and then added one of my "ladybugs" that I made using red liquid pearls, black stickles and a black fine tip Sharpie.  I sprayed some of the gold color shine unto some green card stock to make the green panel and cut the "happy" die.  I also sprayed some black cardstock and then cut the butterflies and dragonfly using my cameo.  Here are some close-up photos:

For the inside of the card, I used a layer of white cardstock on top of a layer of green, both sprayed with the gold color shine.  I used my same stencil  and some of the "Forest Moss" Distress Ink and a stencil brush to embellish this panel.  Prior to gluing them together I printed my message using my Canon printer.  OK y'all, now I have to make a confession.........my printer caused some black spots on the white panel. so I cut some little circles of the green sprayed cardstock, used my stylus to shape them and glued them to my panel to hide my boo-boo.  It worked like a charm and I topped it off with a butterfly with some more of the green sprayed cardstock! 

My friend Tammy loved her birthday card!!!

Finished Card Size:  5 1/2" Square

Supplies List

Papers:  Neenah 65# "White" & "Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White 80# Cover 8.5"x11", Recollections 65# & "Black  & "Green" from the "Spice Market" Collection ", 110# Recollections "White" (card base), DCWV "Silver Glitter Paper", Canson 140# "Cold Press Watercolor" paper

Stamps:  "Birthday" is a portion of a "Happy Birthday" stamp by Studio G

Inks:  Tsukineko "Versafine Onyx Black", Tim Holtz "Distress Inks"

Cut Files:  "Butterflies & Dragonfly" on card front made by me from images found online & cut on my Cameo.

Dies:  Spellbinders "6x6 Matting Basics A & B", Tim Holz Sizzix "Mixed Media", Susan's Garden Sizzix "Mini Daisy", Avery Elle "Simply Said Happy"

Fonts: 'DK Carte Blanche", "Dani's Handwriting"

Tools: Silhouette "Cameo",  Sizzix "Big Shot", Martha Stewart "Score Board", Susan's Garden "Tool Kit", Milwaukee "Heat Gun"

Accessories:  Susan's Garden "PanPastel Flower Coloring Kit 1", Woodland Scenic's "Yellow Paper Flower Pollen", Hiedi Swapp "Gold Color Shine", Teresa Collins "Modeling Paste", Ranger "Black Stickles", Martha Stewart "Classic Butterfly" punch.