Add Shimmering Highlights to Stenciled Images with Metallic Watercolors!

Hi friends! Emily Midgett is here with you today. I have some shimmering inspiration to share using the Daisies 3D Embossing Folder and Daisies Simple Coloring Stencil, new Fresh Dye Ink, and the Metallic Watercolor Pan Set! I have been enjoying playing with adding sparkly, metallic highlights to colored images, both stenciled and colored with alcohol markers, and I thought I'd up the ante a bit by adding some 3D embossing as well! I also was looking for an excellent excuse to play with the beautiful new Dusty Pink Fresh Dye Ink color, the loveliest mauve shade.

Let's get started with the details!

Shining, Shimmering, and Beautiful

First, I ran a piece of plain white cardstock through my die-cutting machine with the Daisies 3D Embossing Folder. This design is lovely on its own, but I wanted to add color with that beautiful new Dusty Pink Fresh Dye Ink. I pulled out the coordinating Simple Coloring Stencils and blended Dusty Pink, Toasted Mauve, Eucalyptus, and Forest Fern Fresh Dye Inks using Mini Blending Brushes. The Mini Blending Brushes allow you to dig deep into the nooks and crannies to add subtle shading and dimension to these stenciled images.

Once I had finished blending, I pulled out my Metallic Watercolor 14 Pan Set. I used a small paintbrush to lightly swipe some of the metallic mauve paint on the petals of each daisy. I added shimmering highlights to the golden flower centers and the green foliage. I splattered some mauve shimmering watercolors on the background, resulting in a lovely shimmer throughout the card front! It's challenging to capture the beautiful shine in a photograph, but it's so gorgeous in real life!

Tip: I find that I get better results with these (and all metallic pan watercolors) if I drop some clean water onto the desired color and allow it to sit for a few minutes before trying to pick up the color with my brush. This allows the metallic pigments to activate before you use them, resulting in a more concentrated shimmering color!

Next, I turned my attention to the sentiment. I used the Brown Diamond Glitter Cardstock from the Glitter Gradient-Brilliant Red cardstock pack to die cut the “thank you” sentiment with the Inline Alpha dies. To ensure that the die-cut letters adhered to my paper in a nice straight line, I trimmed down some strips of heavyweight vellum just wide enough to accommodate the height of the tallest letters, then used the bottom edge as a guide to adhere the letters.

Behind the sentiment, I chose to add some thin frames cut using the Fine Frames Cover Die and some white cardstock. This helps to draw the eye toward the sentiment. I popped the greeting with Instant Dimension Foam Tape, then added a few shimmering gems for more sparkle!

Well, that's all for my project today! How did you find it? I hope you'll try adding some metallic watercolor accents to your cards; they increase the elegance and glamour of your project.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

~ Supply List ~