Watercoloured Phone Box

My local stamp store shared the link to Art Impressions Stamps YouTube videos, and if you have not seen these, you are in for a treat. There are a dozen loaded so far. Start here. I have not done much painting, but with this technique I felt I might have some success.

This phone booth seemed fitting for the newest member of my staff, a transplanted Brit. It's his birthday this week and I wanted to make his card somewhat personal. The phone booth is from the Art Impressions Watercolor Series 6 stamp set (also features English cottages) and the shrubbery is from the Foliage Set. I stamped everything in Sepia Archival Ink on watercolour paper, and used Tombow, Marvy and Tim Holtz Distress Markers to "paint" them in. I cut the scene into an oval with a Spellbinder die, then affixed it to a sheet of white cardstock. I placed this into a Cuttlebug Lacey Labels embossing folder and ran that through the Cuttlebug to emboss. I like how the embossed flourishes travel around - in and out of - the oval.

I stamped the ticking stripes from the Waltzingmouse Heirloom Patterns set to form a background, and distressed the edges with the same Tumbled Glass distress ink. This was a different technique for me, one that requires much more practice, but for a very first effort, I am pleased to have a usable card to show for it!