In Color: Soft Succulent Part III
In this final installment of Soft Succulent, I have another color pairing that will help you enjoy the moment you discover how nicely they coordinate. For this card, I am using So Saffron and Early Espresso along with Soft Succulent.
I have really enjoyed my moments with Soft Succulent. It is such a warm gray-green color; it sometimes lends itself toward blue. And mixing in Early Espresso is easy, this deep and rich neutral brown always shines. But, So Saffron has never been my favorite yellow. However, once I began to work this subtle color in, it started to grow on me.
Enjoy The Moment
With my color palette of green, brown and yellow, I wanted a nature themed card. My first thought was some lovely autumn leaves or trees. But as I thumbed through the Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog, another stamp set caught my eye: Enjoy The Moment.
The Enjoy The Moment Stamp Set has great sketch style images of various seed pods, nuts, seeds and the like. I began with the largest image, the trio of seed pods, and stamped it using VersaMark Ink on Water Color Paper. Next, I added Copper Metallic Embossing Powder and heat set it with my Heat Tool.
TIP: Keep a small generic paintbrush handy to swipe away loose particles of embossing powder from your paper before you heat emboss it. This will help minimize stray powder from being a permanent fixture.
Moments of Watercoloring
After my focal point image was heat embossed, I began to watercolor the image and surrounding paper. I started by placing a single drop of ink refill from Early Espresso, Soft Succulent and So Saffron onto a Clear Acrylic Block. By keeping the refill bottles near the corner of the clear block that coordinates with the ink drops, I know what color is where at a glance.
I started with the Early Espresso Ink Refill drop and my smallest Water Painter Brush. With a small squeeze of the barrel, I mixed some water with the ink. Then, I covered the middle of my embossed seed pod trio.
Next, I moved onto the medium Water Painter Brush and the Soft Succulent Ink Refill drop. Again, I added some water from my Water Painter barrel to the ink drop to lighten the color and make it easier to water wash with. I swept the color along the bottom and sides of the embossed stem.
Lastly, I used the largest Water Painter Brush and the So Saffron Ink Refill drop. I took care to not run the yellow into either the brown or green. This way, each color would stand out on its own.
TIP: Cleaning Your Water Painter Brushes
Squeeze some water from the barrel and let it wash over the brush end. At the same time, use either a baby wipe or a paper towel to wipe away the inky remains. It is okay if your brush ends are stained. As long as no ink transfers when you swipe the bristles, you are good to go!
Enjoying Background Stamping
There is not a lot of designer series paper in either Early Espresso or So Saffron that I could use on my card. So instead, I created my own.
On a layer of So Saffron Cardstock, I stamped the hanging thistle image from the Enjoy The Moment Stamp Set, using So Saffron Ink. By using tone on tone ink to paper, the result is noticeable but not glaring.
I repeated tone on tone stamping using Early Espresso Cardstock and Early Espresso Ink. This time, I chose the small trio of seeds from the Enjoy The Moment Stamp Set. The petite size was perfect, and instead of stamping all four sides, I stuck with just one edge.
Checks & Dots
When it came time to add texture to my card, I looked for just the right embossing folder. Of course, I didn’t want anything floral. Bricks and animal print were not even considered. I wanted something neutral, almost masculine.
So, I turned to the Checks & Dots Embossing Folders. They are sold as a pack of two, one is checks and the other is dots. These slim folders measure 3-3/8” wide, perfect for smaller embossing machines, like the Mini Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. They are also perfect for smaller pieces of cardstock, like my Soft Succulent. Did you know the black line along the bottom of the folder will help you to line up your paper straight when preparing it for embossing?
Great Grapevines
Usually, I am adding swirly leaves and flowers to my card designs. Since this card is more “natural” and masculine themed, I had to look for something a little different.
The Grapevine Dies are perfect for my need of ‘swirly’. The large die bends around in a lovely L shape, sending shoots of leaves and vines along the way. I die cut this in Watercolor Paper with my Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. Because this paper is thicker (to hold watercolor washing), it may require some removal of small cut pieces. To make quick clean-up of my die cut. I use the Take Your Pick Die Brush Tip on my Take Your Pick Tool.
TIP: It is easy to switch up all the tool heads on the Take Your Pick Tool, but I prefer to have 2 of the Take Your Pick Tools so that my tool is ready to go without swapping back and forth. And the foam pad that comes with the Take Your Pick Die Brush Tip fits nicely in a clear Standard Stamp Case for storage.
After cleaning up my grapevine, I gave it a watercolor wash using my Water Painter Brush and some more Soft Succulent Ink Refill.
Sprigs And Sentiment
My card layers are starting to develop nicely, so it’s time to look for the right sentiment for my card. I love generic sentiments when I am not sure who my card is going to, or what occasion it may eventually cover.
The “a little note…” stamp from the Enjoy The Moment Stamp Set is perfect in this instance. I chose to heat emboss it on a small slip of Early Espresso Cardstock. First, I applied VersaMark Ink, then covered my wet stamping in Copper Metallic Embossing Powder. Lastly, I heat set the powder using my Heat Tool. The copper shine of the sentiment mimics the embossed focal point.
Because there are no coordinating dies or a punch for the Enjoy The Moment Stamp Set, I am free to try different products where needed. I chose the Sprig Punch to add a decorative touch behind my sentiment. This time, I punched Soft Saffron Designer Series Paper from the Subtles Collection.
Enjoy The Moment Base Assembly
Once I have everything stamped, die cut, punched, colored, embossed and prepared, it is time to put the card together. I started with an Early Espresso Cardstock base, then added my background stamped So Saffron piece, followed by my Checks embossed Soft Succulent.
Next, I adhered the large leaves of the grapevine die down on my card front. I found it easiest to place the image where I wanted it to go, then lift the large leaves and added a drop of glue behind each. This was much easier than adding Mulitpurpose Liquid Glue to all of it and trying to place it precisely in one motion.
Enjoy The Moment Focal Assembly
Before I went too far with my focal point, I decided to do a rough tear along one edge. I also added a little Early Espresso Ink with a sponge along the opposite side. Although Stampin’ Up! retired their round sponges, I keep mine handy for small jobs like this.
My focal point layers consist of the watercolor paper, the edge stamped Early Espresso Cardstock and another piece of plain So Saffron Cardstock.
As I prepare to attach the focal point to the front of my card, I realize I have a lot of odd layer depths. My quick fix for this is to add a piece of like color cardstock to the back. This helps to raise up the “lower” side and make it lay flat when I adhere it to my card. By using the same color, it blends in beautifully if viewed from a side angle.
Before I could adhere the sentiment, I needed to place my sprig punched pieces. After a dry fit, I stuck them down with some Tear & Tape. I always place my tape in a manner that will be covered by another layer. In this instance, the tape also artfully secures some sweeping Linen Thread.
The very last thing that I attached to my card was the sentiment. Because there were some bumps and lumps from the Linen Thread to cover up, I chose to place Mini Stampin’ Dimensionals on the back of my sentiment piece. This bit of “lift” helps give the sentiment prominence too.
Soft Succulent Moments
I have truly enjoyed my color exploration of the 2021-2023 In Color, Soft Succulent. To see my last card and color combo with this great green, click here. And don’t despair because we are done exploring Soft Succulent, there is still one more new In Color to delight us in November.
Do you need any of the products I used here for your next creation? Make sure you stop by my online store at any time and enjoy the moment of shopping for your stamping supplies! Until next time, stay inspired!
