I’ve been itching to use this flower from the Best Thoughts stamp set. It was new to me, because it was a recent gift, and today was the day! I’m also going to use a technique that I haven’t attempted.

I began by selecting the colors for the flower, Powder Pink, Blushing Bride, Sweet Sugarplum, and the leaves/stem would be Pear Pizazz. Then, I got out my supplies for the untried technique (don’t laugh, I realize this is an old stand-by for many).

I first stamped the flower in Versamark on Watercolor Paper that was cut to 3 3/4″ X 5″. Next, I heat embossed it with Clear Embossing Powder. This left a cool outline of shimmer, although difficult to see unless angled to catch the light just right.

With my Aqua Painter in hand, I dipped the brush in ink from the Pear Pizazz ink pad and painted the stem and leaves. Then, I started at the top of the flower with Powder Pink, and blended the three colors. I was careful not to go outside the lines at first, but learned that this method is very forgiving. The embossed lines create such a border, it is difficult to make a mistake!

I decided to layer my art piece On Pear Pizazz with a card base of Tip Top Taupe. “Love,” a  Sunshine Wishes Die was cut from Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper to go with the sparkle from the clear embossing powder. You can see the shine in this photo.

It just so happens to fit the theme of this week’s Global Design Project, Wedding/Anniversary. Depending on the inside sentiment, I like it for either occasion.

And, it’s perfect for a challenge in Australia I just discovered, Happy Little Stampers. CAS stands for clean and simple. Because it’s a flower with one focal point, and lots of white space, I think it qualifies.

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I love challenges, and learning something new every day. I’m looking forward to using this technique again.