Bahama Woodstar

The Mod Squad Challenge Blog has a new challenge starting today. I am your Host for this challenge and I hope you'll come and play along with us. The challenge is called Spring Forward. I know the whole country is buried in snow and freezing temperatures, so let's look forward to Spring and show us what you think Spring is all about. This challenge is open to interpretation...I'd like to see butterflies, hummingbirds, lots and lots of flowers and wonderful, bright colors. Whatever you want to make.

Our sponsor this week is Sparkle N Sprinkle. The prize is any digital image or set up to $15. Be sure to check out their Made In USA rubber stamps and glitter too!

 

If you use a Sparkle N Sprinkle image, you get 2 entries. Just add MSC in front of your link name.

 

I am using Sparkle N Sprinkle's Bahama Woodstar digital stamp for my card.  I love this hummingbird. I printed the image on white card stock and colored it using Copic markers (bird - E23, V15, V17, BG11, BG45 - I used the kiss technique to blend the blues and purples together; leaves - YG11, YG13; flowers - Y15, Y19, YR04, YR09, RV23, RV25). The image when then mounted onto melon mamba card stock and then another piece of white card stock. I then used foam tape to adhere this piece to my background, which I made. This is called the bokeh technique. Most people are familiar with it being used in photography, but it's become hugely popular in the stamping world. 

To create the background, I used melon mamba, tangerine tango and daffodil delight inks from Stampin' Up! and a finger sponge dauber. I didn't pay too much attention to where the colors were going, but just wanted to get all three colors down onto the white card stock. I will tell you, I did not like this background until AFTER I did the bokeh technique. I created my own stencil using my Silhouette Cameo. I had 3 different sizes of circles, some going off the page and then cut this out using clear transparency paper. It worked out great. Then, using another finger sponge dauber, I took white pigment ink from Stampin' Up! and dabbed into the circles. Do not swirl your dauber because it will pink up the dye ink and turn your sponse and your ink pink and other colors. Once I had the circles filled to the way I wanted them, I used my heat gun to dry that layer. For the final layer, I was going to use the dauber filled with white pigment ink and place them randomly, but I was not getting nice, crisp circles. So, I took my stencil and used the smallest circles and dabbed really concentrated amounts of ink on top. I was so happy with the way it came out looking, even though I didn't like the background originally. I placed this background onto white card stock and then onto a melon mamba card stock base. Finally, I added a couple of pink crystals onto the focal image and a very small black crystal for the hummingbird's eye.

I hope you will join us at The Mod Squad Challenge Blog and show us your interpretation of Spring!!

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Word Art Wednesday Challenge #172 - anything goes

Simon Says Monday Challenge - anything goes

Simply Create Too Challenge #79 - anything goes

7 Kids College Fund Challenge #120 - anything goes

AAA Cards Game 33 - orange you glad you're CAS

Through the Craft Room Door 2/24 - 3/2 - anything goes

Digi Chooseday Challenge Wk8 - anything goes

Inky Chicks Challenge #47 - flowers

Party Time Tuesday Challenge #195 - anything goes

Tuesday Throwdown Challenge #233 - anything goes