Watercolor and Stenciled Encouragement Card

I have a friend currently going through chemotherapy and battling a disease that I'm all too familiar with, one that my mother and sister both fought.  I wanted to send her an encouraging card so when Stamplorations came out with their new stamp set, "Butterflies and Buttercups", I knew it would be perfect for my friend.

I also wanted to enter it into a few challenges, so for the technical aspect, this card was stenciled with the Stamplorations "Just Squares" stencil.  To achieve this affect, I taped my stencil down across my card, then took my distress markers and swiped them on an acrylic block.  I used my waterbrush to transfer the colors onto my stencil to achieve a watercolored apperarance.  I varied the colors and shading with less or more water, and also used some DecoArt Americana Multi-surface white paint for splatters and splotches.

My flowers and sentiment were heat embossed and I colored my flowers with the same watercolor technique.  My background papers are from Crate Paper and Maggie Holmes and I really didn't want to cover up any of the wording with additional layers, as it was so appropriate for this card.  Sequins and ribbon/twine embellishments round out this beauty, along with gold Stickles glitter glue in the center of my flowers.

I'm also entering my card into a few challenges:

Stamplorations August Sketch/Theme Challenge

Stamplorations Anything Goes Challenge

Color Throwdown #407

Crafty Creations #322 Words/Letters on the Background

Word Art Wednesday #244-245 Anything Goes

Tuesday Throwdown #308 Make it Sparkle

Southern Ridge Trading Co August Anything Goes

Amusing Challenge- Anything Goes

Additional supplies:

Tim Holtz distress markers, Fossilized Amber, Cracked Pistachio, Mermaid Lagoon

Elizabeth Craft Designs scallop pierced dies

canvas ribbon, burlap string

Pretty Pink Posh sequins

Ranger black archival ink

Hero Arts clear embossing powder

Spellbinders Celebrations Silk Luster

WRMK Sticky Thumb adhesive

foam mounting tape

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