Happy Little Stampers - Watercolour Challenge - October

Its October....what????!!!! I still can't get over how fast this year is disappearing and how I need to start preparing for Christmas, especially cards!!! The wonderful thing that I like about a new month is apart from some of the companies like MFT and Neat and Tangled having a New Release, is its the start of quite a few monthly challenges, including this one:

This month for the Happy Little Stampers - Watercolour Challenge we have the 'optional twist' of gold, and who doesn't love gold!!!!!! The Gallery is going to look sparkly and metallic this month!

For my card I definitely had to use the twist and I used some stamps that had arrived in the post that day:

Its a gold extravaganza!!!!! And I just love gold and pink together for a pretty, feminine card.

I cut a panel of Strathmore Bristol Smooth CS. Using Distress Inks 'Picked Raspberry' and 'Worn Lipstick' and I large, round brush I watercoloured an ombre background from top to bottom. Once I was happy with the colours and I had dried it well, I was ready to heat emboss.

I used my powder first all over the panel to make sure there were no wet patches of paint. I then stamped the images on the panel (using my MISTI) and heat embossed with gold powder. The panel was then cut to size and adhered to the card front.

The 'thanks' die was cut from the same Strathmore Bristol Smooth CS and twice more from white CS. Using a smaller brush I watercoloured the die-cut using the same Distress Ink colours and dried with my heat tool. Putting a piece of washi tape across the word I then pressed the Versamark ink pad along the bottom half and heat embossed in gold. The two white CS words were glued together and then the painted on top, slightly higher to show the white. To stop it blending into the background I die-cut a heart from some vellum and adhered it to the back of the 'thanks' and then to the card front.

To finish off I glued on the rest of the sentiment and some gold and pink sequins for a bit more shine.

The 'thanks' die is from Altenew, as well as the stamp images from the 'Floral Shadow' stamp set. The sentiment is from Neat and Tangled 'Scandinavian Prints', as well as the sequins. I don't know where the heart die is from as it was second-hand.

I've got three challenges I would like to enter:

Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge (Anything Goes)

Simon Says Stamp - Monday Challenge (Heavy Metal) 

NBUS Challenge # 12 - new Altenew stamp set

You have the whole month of October to link your projects to the Happy Little Stampers - Watercolour Challenge  and you have the chance to win a gift certificate to the HLS shop!! And for any ideas pop over to the blog to see what the rest of the Design Team have created to inspire you. I'm looking forward to seeing your metallic projects in the Gallery!

Take care
Shona