Watercolor stamping

I have discovered that emergency gifts often turn out better than if one tried to plan a gift. When I refer to 'emergency gift' - I am referring to those last-minute gifts that one would create in minutes, simply because one lacks TIME. Well, this gift was one of those. I took a large Fabriano notecard and created a holder for six smaller, stamped Fabriano notecards and six envelopes. These larger Fabrianos are new to the store: they measure 6-3/4" x 4-1/2" folded - they are a nice, big size. I scored the open end one side of the large card in one inch, then stapled the card together on each side, just below the score mark. Position the top part of the staple on the back of the folded card, and the 'teeth' part of the staple on the card front, so the 'teeth' are hidden under the flap! This idea is from Her Royal Rubberness, JulieHRR. Fold the 1" flap down to conceal the staple 'teeth'. Nice, easy pocket card. I then tied a length of 3/8" sheer olive May Arts ribbon around the pocket and on top of the 1"fold to anchor it down, then inserted the stamped smaller Fabriano notecards & envelopes into the pocket created. Now, for the six notecards: I stamped each with a floral image from Stampin' Up's Petal Prints set. Using the brushstroke side of dye based markers, ink up the rubber. Spritz inked rubber once with water, stamp onto Fabriano card front twice, so you achieve two generations - one full strength and one slightly lighter, one image slightly askew from the other. Immediately heat set the pools of color with a heat tool. In my opinion, heat setting gives a more realistic watercolor effect than if you allow the stamped image to air dry. Next, I inked the stamped flowers with Perfect Medium (you could also use VersaMark) from Ranger, then sprinkled on clear Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE). Using a fine, dry paintbrush swipe away any UTEE in areas undesired. Heat set until melted & allow to cool only a few seconds. Using UTEE will provide a 'raindrop' effect on the petals. A finer embossing powder will not yield this desired result. I learned this from Susan Pickering Rothemel of USArtQuest.

Lastly, using a dry paintbrush and gold Perfect Pearls, I highlighted the tips of the flowers, allowing the warm UTEE and excess Perfect Medium to grip the Pearls. This gave the effect of sunshine and a glowing aura around the blossoms.

Perfect Pearls products contain a binder so it is not necessary to apply a fixative. Please use caution to avoid this product from becoming airborne. This same watercolor & highlighting stamping technique was also performed on the large Fabriano pocket. Fabriano notecards - one large and 6 small, 6 small envelopes; SU floral stamp, Hero Arts sentiment; Perfect Medium pad, Archival pad in black (both from Ranger); SU markers in amethyst, eggplant and olive; fine spritz bottle w/water; May Arts ribbon, staples & stapler, clear Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel.