Thinking of You card

It's Tuesday which is my day to share a project created for Topflight Stamps! This week my teammates and I are showcasing stamps and products by Crafty Individuals. One of my friends is going through a rough patch so I had to take a break from Halloween cards to create a card for him.

I used the Dawn Hideaway Unmounted Rubber Stamp 552 by Crafty Individuals with a sentiment from the More Classic Sentiments Clear Stamp Set by Heffy Doodle. The patterned papers are from the Sir Vagabond Aviator 8x8 Paper Pad and Sir Vagabond Aviator Background Selection Paper Pad by Stamperia.

Here's the card!

Topflight Stamps Products Used:

Dawn Hideaway Unmounted Rubber Stamp 552 by Crafty Individuals

More Classic Sentiments Clear Stamp Set by Heffy Doodle

Sir Vagabond Aviator 8x8 Paper Pad by Stamperia

Sir Vagabond Aviator Background Selection Paper Pad by Stamperia

Morning Mist and Fallen Leaves VersaFine Clair™ Ink by Tsukineko®

Wild Mushroom Prism Ink by Hunkydory Crafts

Other Products Used:

140 lb. Mixed Media Paper by Strathmore®

Brown Cardstock by Bazzill Basics Paper®

Obsidian Amalgam Ink by Gina K® Designs

Light Brown, Sand, Mustard, AAquamarine, Cobalt Blue, Persian Blue, Persian Green, Dark Agate, Cool Grey 1, Warm Grey 3, Warm Grey 4, Warm Grey 6, Pale Grey, Bright Yellow Zig® Clean Color Watercolor Pens by Kuretake

Yellow, Leaf Green, Olive Green, Pine Green, Dark Brown, Brown, Mocha, and Grey Le Plume II Watercolor Markers by Marvy® Uchida

White Gelly Roll® Gel Pen by Sakura® of America

Spellbinders Die

Y0000, Y000, E93, E95 Copic® Markers

Indigo and Spectrum Blue Pastel Pencils by Derwent

Stamping Platform

Notes: I wanted the surrounding flowers and greenery to be in color so I used an "old school" technique for this card. 

• Watercolor markers were used to apply color directly to the rubber, which was then stamped onto the image panel. A stamping platform made this technique easier since reapplying markers to the rubber, then re-stamping let me build up depth of color.
• The above technique did not work with the kingfisher and his stump. 

Instructions:

1. Cut a piece of brown paper to 8.5" x 5.5". Score at 4.25" and fold to form an A2 card. Set aside.
2. Cut a piece of watercolor or mixed media paper to become the image panel.
3. Use magnets to secure the paper to the base of the stamping platform.
4. Place the Dawn Hideaway Unmounted Rubber Stamp 552 facedown in the center of the image panel. 
5. Press the platform's lid onto the back of the stamp and lift.
6. Apply yellow watercolor marker directly to the flowers portion of the rubber stamp and stamp onto the image panel.
7. Repeat Step #6 until you're happy with the coverage.
8. Apply the lightest  green watercolor marker directly onto the greenery on the rubber stamp and stamp.
9. Repeat Step #8 if necessary.
10. Repeat Step #8 and #9 with the other green markers until you're happy with the plants and shrubbery.
11. Cover the scenery bits of the rubber stamp with Post-Its, ink the stamp with Morning Mist VersaFine Clair Ink, remove the Post-Its, and stamp onto the image panel.
12. Repeat Step #11 if necessary to maintain the detail on the image.
13. Heat set the image panel.
14. Use watercolor markers to color the bird, the stump, touch up the images, and add the flower centers. 
15. Scribble the two blue chalk pencils onto scrap paper, then use a cotton bud to to apply the chalk to the image panel.
16. Tear the image panel, use a scissors blade to rough up the torn edges, and use a dark green marker to edge them.
17. Trim the background patterned paper, from the Sir Vagabond Aviator Background Selection Paper Pad to 4" x 5.25".
18. Use a yellow Copic marker to enhance the off-white parts of the paper to make the patterned paper match the colored image a bit better.
19. Cut the grommeted border from one of the patterned papers from the Sir Vagabond Aviator 8x8 Paper Pad, edge it with an E95 Copic marker, cut it in half. and both borders as shown.
20. Edge the layered patterned paper panel with Wild Mushroom Prism Ink.
21. Cut the tag patterned paper from the Sir Vagabond Aviator 8x8 Paper Pad and use magnets to secure the piece to the base of the stamping platform.
22. Place the sentiment stamp, from the More Classic Sentiments Clear Stamp Set, facedown on the patterned paper tag. 
23. Press the platform's lid onto the back of the stamp, lift the lid, and ink the stamp with Fallen Leaves VersaFine Clair Ink Pad by Stamperia. 
24. Stamp the sentiment onto the tag. Repeat inking and stamping if necessary.
25. Heat set the tag.
26. Die-cut the sentiment, edge it with Wild Mushroom Prism Ink,  and adhere it to the top border strip.
27. Adhere the image panel onto the background panel
28. Adhere the card front to the reserved card.

Another Note: I used too dark a brown on the tree stump and obliterated the detail. I tried to fix it with a water pen and a white watercolor pencil. That made it worse and also added some shimmer as the waterbrush wasn't completely clean. The moral of the story is to make sure your brushes are completely clean or segregate the ones that spread shimmer from its friends.