Mother’s Day 2023
Good day, fellow crafters. I am excited to present to you my Polkadoodles Week 17 challenge submission. This week the theme is Mother’s Day and as it is a special occasion to show your love and appreciation for the most important woman in your life I decided to enter. While there are many ways to celebrate this day, crafting a handmade card is a meaningful and personal way to express your gratitude. Creating a Mother's Day card allows you to showcase your creativity while also making something that is unique and tailored specifically for your mom. I hope you enjoy my submission.
Blending Pen
To create this card I began with a piece of White watercolor paper, the Simon Says Stamp Orchid Rose Bouquet (SSS-202419), VersaFine Nocturne clear ink, and Brutus Monroe’s Raven embossing powder that I heat set. Next came the fun part – coloring in the image using watercolor markers from Staedtler and a watercolor blending pen. I took my time with this step, adding color to specific areas and then blending it using the watercolor blending pen. This allowed me to create highlights and shading exactly where I wanted them, and helped me achieve a beautifully natural effect.
Watercolor Markers
To replicate this technique on your own cards you would begin by starting with the ink closest to the center of the image, in this case, the flower centers, and then slowly pull the ink along the image to create your darks to fading highlights naturally as the ink fades. For my image I repeated this technique repeatedly for the flower center, the petals, and the stems, taking care to bring out the full beauty of each flower and leaves. Finally, I set the piece aside to dry.
To begin creating my Mother's Day card, I reached for a pre-cut white card base from my craft supplies. White is a popular choice for greeting cards because it provides a neutral background that enhances the visual impact of other colors and elements. Additionally, white symbolizes purity, innocence, and new beginnings, creating a sense of calm and peace that is perfect for this occasion.
To add some contrast and depth to the design, I decided to create a mat in a rich and beautiful shade of purple. Once the foreground was dry, I adhered it to the card base and the purple mat. The combination of white and purple made the flowers pop beautifully.
For the sentiment, I used the Simon Says Stamp Bold Mom die set to cut out the word "Mom" in the same purple as the mat. To add some extra sparkle and shine to the card, I embellished it with flat-backed rhinestones in a royal purple hue from Kat Scrappiness.
