Color Throwdown #527

This week's Color Throwdown #527 uses my very favorite color- GREEN! So I was really excited to create a card using this week's colors.

Years ago I went through a Hero Arts Wood Block background stamp purchasing frenzy. Of the many I purchased, S5154 Three Ferns and S4878 Old Letter Writing are still two of my favorites. You might be able to find them through eBay or other crafty sites, but I'm not sure. It has been quite a while since I have used a wood mounted stamp and I am quite spoiled using my Misti stamp press, so today's card gave me a little bit of anxiety. I was determined to stamp it well once and not have to remake my card base. 

I actually ended up stamping the ferns twice, but I was able to simply flip over my Tim Holtz watercolor cardstock and start over. The first stamping on the smooth side was too light and I didn't like it. I did use a stamp positioner to help me stamp the second time on the rough side. I'm glad I used it because I ended up needing to stamp a second time to get better coverage. 

I stamped the fern using a mixture of Distress Inks in Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, and Crushed Olive. I then stamped the Old Letter Background over the top of the whole piece in Simon Says Stamp Slate Ink. I could have masked the fern image so that the Old Letter Background wouldn't be on top of the fern, but I didn't want to take the time to hand-cut the mask and I also wanted the Old Letter Background to be seamless across the whole background. 

To minimize the grey lettering on top of the green of the ferns and to give the ferns a more solid appearance I used Distress Markers in the same Distress ink colors to add additional color. I used a watercolor brush and water to give the ferns a completed look. I then splattered the background with Sunflower Sparkle Perfect Pearls. The Thank You message is from an older clear Hero Arts stamp set- All Occasion Messages CL272, which may still be available through eBay or other crafting sites. I stamped it on navy blue cardstock and embossed it with white embossing powder. I matted the card on the same navy blue cardstock and then added an additional mat of bright green handmade paper, that I have had forever. I finished the card with gold and clear, iridescent sequins from my stash. 

To complete the envelope, I stamped the fern background in the bottom left corner and then again on the back flap.