Hello Little Birdie Card

I decided to create another black and white card today into the Unity challenge. I was inspired by a grayscale card already entered and my coffee cup this morning. I used 5 kits this morning: Hello Little Birdie, She (by Donna Downey), Include Yourself in Beauty (flowers), Enjoy the Ride (postal stamps), Her Own Hero (sentiment), Eternal (gate background).

I pulled out watercolor paper and began by stamping and masking the flowers in the top corner using Hickory Smoke Distress inks. I painted a little black into the flowers to darken edges and shadows. I then took the bird and stamped the bird part in Black Soot Oxide and then added Hickory Smoke into the branch. I also painted the bird a little to add in gray. Then I stamped the gate lightly all over. Next I took the postage stamp and stamped one of the stamps in a few places. I then stamped the sentiment, dark black again. Following this, I added the Donna Downey sentiment trying to overlap wth the postage stamp, but again using the hickory smoke. I added a little gray paint here and there.

I decided I liked the whole paper I created, so I needed to go up a level in card size. I made a black card, added white strips at the top and bottom, using both the gate and postage stamps. And centered the paper.

I LOVE this design and am dying to try it out with other stamps, but in color! I think this one turned out interesting and pretty. But I think I will move to archival inks next time, so I can add color more easily to the background! I also will try to coordinate image styles a little better (thin lines vs thicker lines, level of detail, etc) and focus more on image placement. Well, hope you enjoyed blog entry, till next time, happy crafting!