Lovely Dahlias

June's blog candy is here.

For complete directions to recreate this card, please click here.

Good Morning, blogging friends - and to all my sweet new followers, and Janie, Tammy and Tracy.

I am so excited to share a beautiful new Dahlia stamp set, 

because 

it was a special request from Yours Truly 

to the fabulous Sparkle N Sprinkle Staff

and  AND and  and -- the set is  GORGEOUS!

I just had to create a dimensional card - even each flower has layers on top. Can you see them?

Are you a flower lover? I am especially fond of Dahlias. Their amazing, large blooms are mesmerizing with fabulously intense color hues, and beautifully heady blooms. Unfortunately, they will not grow here in central Florida. That is why I asked the Staff at Sparkle N Sprinkle if they would please create a life-like Dahlia set. This gorgeous set is the result.

Isn't it a beautiful set?

And talk about EASY and FUN to use! Coloring dahlias is fun because you can't go wrong in choosing a color - they are available in just about every color of the rainbow!

Surprise! No chalks, watercolors or copics! My shaped easel card is in "bumble bee" colors. The flowers are colored with regular old Prisma Color Pencils - no gamsol. To provide shading for the flowers, leaves and butterflies total of 10 colors were used, including the aqua "halo".

NOTE: I put together a mini tutorial of how to shade with Prismacolor pencils. Just click here.

Of course, I could not let resist adding some glitzy-glittery embossing powders -

and yes--

Even the leaves are shaded by applying the EPs with the darker colors in the shadows!

Have you tried that yet? It is an enjoyable technique because there is no worrying about staying in any lines.

I hope you can see the difference in each of the die cut leaves - there are 3 colors of EP coating them. Just click on the photo for a larger picture if that will help.

How is EP coloring, or EP shading accomplished?

There are a couple ways of achieving shading with EPs.

(For all the products used on this card, please see the grocery list at the bottom of this post.)

1. Smoosh VersaMark on piece, dredge with a single color of EP, heat set, and then use a Pen Boss or VersaMarker and "color" certain places on the leaf, applying a different color EP, and heat set again, and so forth.
2. Smoosh Versamark on piece, and with a tiny spoon or other applicator, carefully apply EP to part of the leaf. Tap off excess. Then dredge the remaining exposed VersaMark with your other color(s) of EP and heat set all at once (this is my favorite method).
3. Finally, follow the directions in #2 and then use the VersaMarker or Pen Boss to apply your third color of EP, and heat set.

Note: If you don't have a VersaMarker or Penboss, apply tiny, thin amounts of generic white glue (must be thinly applied), and then apply your EP.

Card closed:

Opened Card laying flat before placing in easel card "stance":

It was my first attempt at using the "out of the bounds nesties" technique. Honestly, I recommend using fewer images with this technique if you are a first time tryer-outer.   (all the flowers and cleaves shown on the white top panel were "cut out" using the technique. The flowers on the bottom white panel were fussy cut and added.

Another technique utilized was masking - lots and lots of masking!

A close up of the sentiment in its pretty font, fitting in the smallest of punches or die cuts:

Thanks for sharing my enjoyment of this new stamp set!

And thanks to Miss Stampin' Maggie and the Staff at SNS for creating it!

This card is submitted to the following fabulous challenges:

1. ABC All Beautiful Cards - #33 "Summer"
2. Bunny Zoe's Crafts - June Challenge Wings (M) - (5 stamped and colored butterflies)
3. Created With Love - #46 "Favorite Things" (flowers and butterflies - love 'em!)
4. Lady Annes Challenges - #3 The Great Outdoors (M) - (a fantasy garden)
5. Tammy's Scraping' Corner - #67 Anything with Wings - (5 stamped and colored butterflies)
6. Nana Vic's Challenge - "Anything Goes" (M) - (fond farewell wahhhhhhh!)
7. Pin-Spirational Challenges - #62 (pinspiring picture) - yellow, floral
8. Animal Friends Challenge - #3 - Butterflies or Beetles (P1/15) (5 stamped and colored butterflies)
9. Heck of a Challenge - June Bingo (P1) center row - yellow, die cuts, green

Sparkle N Sprinkle Products:
"Dahlia" Rubber Stamp Set #500
Nature's Butterfly Stamp #3661-467A
    or set 467 "Nature"
Tuxedo Black Memento Ink (#712353259003)
VersaMark Ink (#712353310018)
Embossing Powders:

• Radiant Moss Green EP271
• Irish Spring EP260
• Moss Star EP430
• Pine Star EP428

Other Products:

• Prismacolor Pencils (not watercolor)
• Cardstock: White, Black, Daffodil Delight, Green
• Spellbinders: Labels One Grands, Grand Decorative Labels One, Foliage S4-328, Labels Nineteen
• Adhesives: Aileen's Quick Dry, Dimensionals
• Ink: Aqua Dye Base

Always Warm Flowery Hugs,