Hello & welcome!  Today is my last post on the a2z Blog as I’m stepping down from the DT at the end of April.  I want to thank everyone at a2z for giving me this great opportunity.  Today’s card started with making a stenciled background using the wonderful Numbers Background stencil–a GREAT deal in the Sales/Retired section.  I inked the stencil with 4 colors, spritzed with water & laid it on a watercolor panel. The look wasn’t what I wanted, so I laid the stencil back in place & used daubers with the same ink colors.  That worked well, but the colors didn’t flow from one to the other.  A light coating of Gesso totally changed the look & saved my panel from the trash can!  I dry embossed it & sponged on a couple shades of brown adding to the artistic look & bringing out the embossed design.

Each butterfly was stamped & embossed twice–once on kraft cardstock & once on watercolor paper. After watercoloring with the same inks, I added a very light covering of Gesso & sponged with brown ink. Clear Wink of Stella & Hero Arts gems give them shimmer & shine while hemp cord is wrapped around the bodies with the ends used for antennae.  The sentiment was heat embossed on the kraft card front & then the background panel was trimmed to fit.  I attached the colored butterflies to the kraft ones only in the middle & bent the wings slightly up before attaching them.

Hope I’ve inspired you to join the current challenge to use a stencil on your project. Feel free to use my code, GRETA15, to get 15% off a minimum $25 purchase.

Supplies:
Kraft Note Card
Watercolor paper
Hero Arts Numbers Background Stencil
Diamond Embossing Folder
Sizzix Big Shot
Hero Arts Inks: Field Greens, Soft Pool, Cup O’ Joe, Pale Tomato
VersaMagic Jumbo Java
Clear embossing powder
Distress Ink frayed burlap
Sponge Daubers
Gesso
Hero Arts Antique Engravings
Hero Arts Messages with Flourish
Wink of Stella, clear
Hero Arts Latte Gemstones
Brown hemp cord