The Holly and the Ivy

I don't know if any of you have this experience, but there are times when I open up a Flourishes set that I just GASP outloud with delight!  This set today is one of those gaspy in a good way sets!  Marcella just draws such beautiful detail that if you love to stamp....if you love to color you can't help but appreciate all the potential in a set. 

If you haven't guessed already there's a bit of a theme in some of the sets this month....the music of Christmas.   Have you heard the Christmas Carol "The Holly and the Ivy"?  And the 12 Days of Christmas...? 

I have two cards here and a bit of a tutorial on sponging too, so read on :)  This on is my Two Turtle Doves...

This gorgeous pair of doves is watercolored on Flourishes watercolor paper with a combination of Stampin Write Markers (an SU waterbased marker), and reinkers.  I actually got my color palette from this pretty 7Gypsies Nottinghill paper.  After coloring I decided to give it some depth by sponging.   I've received a few questions recently on how I sponge, so here's a quick tutorial.   Below is the image just watercolored.  Pretty, but missing something. 

Beside, you can see that I ran the colored image through my Labels 5 Nestabilities, then stamped and cut out a mask with Eclipse tape and taped it over the image.   I sponge with my SU round sponges cut into quarters.  I dab my sponge onto my ink pad then test how much ink I have on it onto a scrap piece of paper.  If I have the right level of ink (not too much- you can always add more layers), then I dab onto the paper.  I LOVE how watercolor paper takes sponging.  Because the paper has tooth, it grabs the ink so beautifully.  Then once I have a dabbed look I like I use more squishing or sweeping motions to get deeper color.    The mask holds tight and you have the perfect color around the image.  Because I also used my Nestability template around the edges, it gives me a border that doesn't get sponged either. 

Here is the image close up with the sponging.  I love the glow it gives the doves. 

For the second card think of the Christmas Carol, "The Holly and the Ivy". 

I used the small holly and ivy stamp from the set and stamped it down a horizontal row and then watercolored.  I cut it with my Borderabilities, and then added the Blossom Two Nestie to accent the shapes, with gorgeous velvet ribbon too.   It just looked like it needed something else so I added the pretty piercing and then when the card was all done, added Crystal effects to the berries.  The sentiment is just a part of the entire sentiment inked for this card. 

There are so many stunning samples of this set over at the other Design Team members' blogs, you'll have to check them out. 

Cindy Lawrence, Julie Koerber, Latisha Yoast, Laura Fredrickson, Leslie Miller, Stacy Morgan,  Sharon Doolittle

And to win this amazing set today:  The Flourishes Newsletter. 


 
Recipes:  Two Turtle Doves:  Stamps:  Flourishes - The Holly and the Ivy;  Ink:  Black Stazon, Night of Navy;  Paper:  Night of Navy, Baja Breeze, Flourishes Watercolor Paper, 7Gypsies Nottingham Designer Paper; Accessories:  Big Shot, Labels 5 Nestabilities, Fancy Tags Nestabilities, Silk Ribbon, Kaiser Rhinestones, Sponge, Eclipse Tape, Dimensionals, Reinkers, Stampin Write Markers
 
The Holly and the Ivy:  Stamps:  Flourishes - The Holly and the Ivy;  Ink:  Black Stazon, Always Artichoke;  Paper:  Bravo Burgundy, Memory Box Spiceberry DSP, Always Artichoke;  Accessories:  Big Shot, Borderabilities, Blossom Two Nestabilities, Velvent Ribbon, Kaiser Pearls, Piercer, Dimensionals, Reinkers, Crystal Effects.