Day 1: Majestic Peony and Happy Fall

Good morning and welcome to our September inspiration hop! As usual, Gina is giving away a $50 gift certificate to one lucky commenter! Thank you in advance for your comments as you hop along, and best of luck in winning the GC! You should be coming from Rema's blog.

First up, we have Majestic Peony. So many ways to color and use these huge flowers! On this first one, I used GKD Skeleton Leaves Amalgam ink to stamp the image on watercolor paper and colored them with Watercolor pans and water brush. Cardstock is Pure Luxury Black Onyx and Kraft and greeting is Jet Black Amalgam stamped 3 times with the MISTI so it's nice and crisp.

 This next card was inspired by my friend who had an unexpected pregnancy at 40, and is in love with her new little man, but still struggling with the big change of having a newborn. She told me she heard an analogy this week, about when "transplanted" to a new pot, the plant and roots go into shock for a short time, until the roots spread and go deeper, and then the plant can really grow.  This sentiment was perfect to encourage her to stay the course, blooming into something richer and more beautiful as her life and family has been enlarged. I did a spotlight technique and colored just the new part with bold alcohol markers. I tore the edge where the image overlaps to represented the uprootedness from the former life.  Cardstock is Warm Glow and White. Ink is GKD Amalgam Jet Black.


  For the last sample with this set, I did just a bit of coloring with two alcohol markers to really pop with the red greeting.  The gray shadows really emphasize the form and just one flower draws you in.  Sometimes simple is best! The absence of blending really creates a beautiful contrast. Cardstock is GKD White and Tomato Soup.

Next we are showcasing Happy Fall.  I did some stenciling (from the new Autumn Splendor kit) with GKD Tangerine Twist and a Life Changing Blending Brush for some pops to swirling leaves before stamping the old leaf in the same ink plus GKD Dark Truffle Amalgam.  I did an ombre effect with the two inks on the greeting and then traced I with a white gel pen.  I added some white dashed paths for the leaves for movement and popped one up for more dimension. Cardstock is GKD White and Kraft.

Next, I wanted to use the bold banner in the set a different way.  Trim off the hanging V and turn it into a pocket!  GKD Blue Denim ink tapped lightly onto the image allows for some texture from the surface to the pad, just like jeans! I used Wild Dandelion, Lucky Clover, and Tangerine Twist for the leaves. Cardstock is White, Blue Denim and Tomato Soup.

For the last card, I stamped Emily's beautiful greeting onto my boards from Perfect Pallets and cut them apart to split up the sentiment for something more unexpected. Stamp the greeting again over Red Velvet cardstock an cut out a little heart, then line it up over the first sentiment. Cardstock is Black Onyx, Kraft, and White. 

Happy Fall

Majestic Peony

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Next on the hop is Sheri's blog.

Just arriving? Start at Gina's.

Thank you for visiting today! Which card is your favorite? 

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Come back tomorrow for ideas for the new Autumn Splendor kit!