This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon!
Hi friends! I am back with another project using the new Simon Says Stamp Sunny Vibes release, which is full of gorgeous flora and fauna dies. My mind immediately paired the new Exquisite Hummingbird die with the Lily Duo die to create a lovely and vibrant tropical scene. I used some marvelous new markers from OLO marker, as well, to create these vivid layered die cuts, adding a hint of sparkle and shimmer with handmade glitter watercolors. Let’s get started with the details on my project!
To begin, I die cut the components for the Lily Duo die, the Exquisite Hummingbird die, and the Etched Delicate Frond die from Hammermill cardstock. I then selected super bright colors from OLO marker to add tons of dimension and vibrancy, creating a tropical feel for these gorgeous images. I used the printed guide on the envelopes of the hummingbird and lily dies for guidance on how best to add the colors and shading for the layered die cuts, keeping the colors vivid and cool and adding some pink and aqua “glazing” to the images to keep the color palette cohesive throughout all of the die cuts. (“Glazing” is a watercolor term for adding subtle wash of diluted color over your finished area. I apply it to alcohol markers when I add very subtle color over the top of my finished colored image to help change the tones or add colorful highlights.)
For the background, I wanted to make sure that those incredibly bright colored images popped, so I trimmed down an A2 panel of Pitch Black cardstock and splattered it with some iridescent glitter watercolors from my stash. Adding splatters to a solid background is a great way to add a bit of interest and texture to the background without complicating things so much that the eye is drawn away from the focal point. I arranged the hummingbird, lilies, and foliage on the card front, adhering the foliage fronds with liquid adhesive, a single layer of foam adhesive for the flowers, and a double layer for the hummingbird to make sure that it had a bit extra height!
I find the iridescent sheen on hummingbirds absolutely exquisite, so I tried to capture that shimmer with some sparkling glitter watercolors! I decided to “gild” the edges of my lilies and the wings on my hummingbird with handmade iridescent watercolors from my stash. Difficult to capture in a photo, but so sparkly and luxurious in real life!
After I had arranged the flowers, it was time to work on the sentiment. I stamped a greeting from Splendid Sentiments on strips of black cardstock using Unicorn White pigment ink, then stamped directly over the top with embossing ink and added Iridescent Lavender embossing powder. The resulting combination is a pretty iridescent lavender greeting that shows up beautifully on the black cardstock! I die cut the detail layer of the Splendid die from some Altenew Milky Way Glitter Gradient cardstock pack and the shadow layer from vellum, adhering the two together with liquid adhesive. I flipped the greeting over and added some foam adhesive behind the solid die cuts to hide them effectively, then tucked all of the greeting components amongst the flowers. Finally, I added some sparkly iridescent gems!
Well, that’s all for my project today! I am in shock that we are halfway through the year. Time flies when you’re having fun and are crazy busy, I guess! I have some fun things planned for Christmas In July, and have been working on some videos for my YouTube channel, so stay tuned. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!
