Life Is About Learning To Dance - Challenge card

I would say that winter has decided to return to upstate New York, but I think it would be more accurate to say that winter has finally actually arrived!  Albeit late.  The weather people say we will have more snow between last night and today than we have had in all of December and March combined!  My poor, poor daffodils have bloomed and are now buried under 8-10 inches of snow!  So far.  My lilies are not appreciating their blanket of snow on their fresh, vulnerable sprouts.  I hear no birds today..they have gone back into hiding, me thinks.

So, good day to create.  And today's card has flowers for us to enjoy.  Flowers that the snow cannot squash!

While I had the stencil (The Crafter's Workshop) out from yesterday's card, I decided to ink another piece of watercolor paper with TH distress inks in shades of green.  I was going for a pale gradiated look here, as I knew I would be stamping over it.

I stamped Penny Black's brush tulips 2835K on the panel, using TH blues and greens.  After it dried, I touched up areas of the tulips and added more shading and details with my colored pencils (I use Faber Castell polychromos).

The saying is from an unmounted stamp a friend had given me (thanks, Karen).  I love when my friends buy two of the same thing!  She couldn't remember who the manufacturer was, and I don't know either.  If you happen to know, please leave a comment below to let me know.  Thanks!  I stamped it with my favorite permanent black ink pad, India Ink Black.  Because the watercolor paper is textured, some of the letters were not as dark as they should be, so I used my micron pen to go over them.  The Happy birthday is Penny Black, stamped on green vellum.

It took every ounce of my being to not embellish this card, as I love to use ribbons, bows, pearls, rhinestones, and/or sequins.  I just wanted the flowers to be the star of the show here.  I did, however, enhance the flowers with my new favorite glitter pen.  It is the Spectrum Noir clear glitter pen.  It adds just the right amount of shimmer.  It sparkles and twinkles, but does not overpower!  I love it.  I have a feeling you will be seeing a lot more of it on my projects.

Challenges for this card:

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Addicted To Stamps - Make A Mark

Color ThrowDown - Challenge # 386 - use lime green and teal

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - April showers (dance in the rain)  Even though it is snow here, not rain!

Penny Black at Allsorts - Birthdays!

So, off to my next project....or shall I work on my prayer shawl...or Zentangle, or tackle my knitted socks?  Decisions...well, off I go to do one of those things.  Or take a nap.  Hmmmmmm.  I do love retirement.....no money, but no job stress either!

Be blessed,

lynda