Paper Seedlings: FLOWER QUARTET

Occasionally Stampin' Up! releases some beautiful extra special paper that features designs that are outlined in metallic. I always always hoard these papers with the intention of using them for something really really special. Of course, they are one of the things that find themselves languishing for a long time amongst my stash of future projects.

Once in a while, in a fit of guilt I guess, I will cut into one of these pieces and do something with it. In this case, I cut a piece that measured 4" x 5 1/4". The beautiful flower images were outlined in metallic gold. These papers are usually a little heavier than normal, so they take the Stampin' Blends beautifully.

The card is sitting on top of a piece of the paper so you can see exactly how incredibly beautiful it is even without any coloring.

In coloring the design for my card, I had decided that I would make each flower variety in its own color. How surprised was I when I finished my piece! It was neatly divided into quarters. That's how this particular section of the paper ended up being. Before I began my coloring, I never even noticed this!

To tell the truth, I was not particularly fond of this delineation. I almost just set it aside in disgust. But really, it had taken me a long time to do the coloring, and it WAS sort of pretty. Sort of.

I deccided to go ahead and make it into a card anyway. The butterfly that I used to further decorate my central portion is, unfortunately, retired.

The dies I used, however, are still available, and I love them, and use them frequently. The two labels were die cut with the Stitched So Sweetly set, found on page 166 in the Annual Catalog.

I added a bit of ribbon hanging down between the labels to add a bit of whimsy.

You can see in the photo below that the coloring has something of a mottled look to it, rather than the solid look you get with the Stampin' Blends. I achieved this unique look by using the Color Lifter pen after I had colored in all the flowers. By dabbing the colors with the Color Lifter, you actually remove a bit of the color, giving it sort of a sponged look.

The Stampin' Blends I used include: Dark Granny Apple Green, Light Balmy Blue, Light Highland Heather, Light Cinnamon Cider, Dark Daffodil Delight and Light Flirty Flamingo.

A closeup of the coloring:

If you have invested in any of the Stampin' Blends -- or ALL of them as I have! -- be sure you add the Color Lifter to your arsenal. It is so cool to be able to do special looks like in this card.