Dazzling Dragonfly

Today is my Aunt's birthday, so I thought I would share the birthday card I made for her. She works at a Hallmark Store so I tried to create something extra special and perhaps a little different than the cards she sees every day. I think what makes this card different is that it was lovingly handcrafted instead of mass produced, right? I chose colors I know she likes and paired that with an image she will like, so I'm sure she will love it.

For this card I finally got a chance to try the Stampin' Up! watercolor paper I ordered recently. Wow! I cannot believe I haven't tried this stuff sooner! I love to watercolor and this paper is so nice and heavy - it is much easier to work with. I used my watercolor pencils and they blended so easily and the colors remained much more vibrant. There is a bit of texture to this paper so the finished product looks very rich. In addition to the watercolor pencils, which I used on the dragonfly, I also used ink refill to color the background. I just wet the background area with a large brush and came in with a little ink on my aqua painter near the dragonfly and let the color bleed and fade into the background. I did the same thing for the sentiment below the image.

After that dried, it was time for some bling! I brushed some Crystal Effects over the dragonfly wings and sprinkled on some Dazzling Diamonds. I let it set for a bit and then brushed on another coat of Crystal Effects, this time also on the body of the dragonfly. I like to add a top coat like this because it keeps the glitter from falling off and it adds extra shine.

For the background I grabbed French Script, which I think is a natural for this image because of the script written around the edge of the design. I thought the white organdy ribbon worked well because it complimented the shimmer of the wings, but I felt it still needed something. The Turquoise grosgrain that I had was a little too strong of a color than I wanted to use, yet it did match. That is when I thought I would try a new ribbon technique I learned from my upline at my group meeting on Monday. (Thanks Karman!) For the frayed ribbon technique I was able to use the turquoise grosgrain without it appearing so dark because once the fibers were separated it looks softer. More on the frayed ribbon technique. I used the grosgrain fibers to tie on a piece of pewter Hodge Podge Hardware and I was done. Wish I would have had time to make two of these...I almost hated to send this one off!

Stamps: Measure of a Life (Level 2 Hostess set) French Script background & Beautiful Beach (sentiment)
Ink: Tempting Turquoise, So Saffron & Black Stazon
Card stock: Cool Caribbean, Barely Banana & SU! Watercolor paper

Have a beautiful day!