Today’s More Color Monday color challenge features hues of blue and silver – Misty Moonlight, Secret Sea, and Smoky Slate.

The Dreamy Snowflakes Bundle is packed full of possibilities with a great stamp set, hybrid embossing folder and lovely snowflake dies!

This is a great watercolored Gate Fold card with added corners to tuck this pretty pocket card in to hold the gate fold closed – love this application! Follow along today for all the details and measurements!

Measurements:
BASE: Secret Sea CS: 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
scored at 2 1/8″ and 6 3/8″, 2 1/2″ square
Fluid 100 Watercolor paper: 1-2 sheets
DSP: 2 1/4″ square
Basic White CS: 4″ x 5 1/4″
Smoky Slate CS: 3 1/2″ x 4 1/2″

Place drops of ink from the ink refill bottles on three different acrylic blocks, one for each color: Misty Moonlight, Secret Sea and Smoky Slate.

Take an entire sheet of Fluid 100 Watercolor paper and water the entire surface with the wide Water Painter brush.

Pick up color from the ink resevoir on the acrylic blocks and dap onto the wetted Watercolor paper surface, allow the paint to run and drift with the water – add more water if the ink color is not running freely.

Pick up another color and do the same dabbing color into the white wet space on the watercolor paper allowing the ink to drift and blend into the surrounding areas.

Continue to dab color and fill in the white space adding more water as needed and more color to balance out the space.

When you like the result you can allow to dry which will take a very long time or you can drop a paper towel onto the surface to soak up the excess ink and water (keep in mind these two processes will give two completely different results allowing to dry naturally will provide more vivid color but takes patience and a lot of drying time or faster results with the paper towel and drying with the heat tool after is far faster but the paper towel will take away a lot of the ink color and give you a more muted effect.
I was ok with the more muted effect because I picked strong dark colors, so I blotted the excess and dried with the heat tool!

I stamped the border stamp in the three ink colors on the 4″ x 5 1/4″ Basic White layer and added the two smaller snowflake images in Misty Moonlight ink and Secret Sea ink.

I added the inside sentiment in Misty Moonlight ink at the top center of the paper.

Adhere this layer to the inside center panel of the card base.

Cut the Secret Sea and Winter Dreams Specialty DSP in half diagonally.

Adhere the DSP to the Secret Sea matte diagonal.

Cut the watercolor paper to 1 7/8″ x 5 1/4″ twice.
Adhere the strips of watercolored paper to the outside gate fold panels.

Keep in mind that he diagonal cuts are longer than the Gate fold side panels to which we are going to attach them to so be mindful not to add glue to the bottom inside tip of the triangle as it will hang over the edge of the card panel.

Place a thin strip of Multipurpose glue to the outside and bottom edge of the triangle – DO NOT place glue on the bottom inside tip leave about 1/2″ glueless.

Adhere the triangles to the bottom corners of the two gate fold panels with the diagonal edges on the inside of the gate fold panels.

Cut a 4 1/2″ segment of the Gold and Secret Sea Satin Ribbon and fold in half and lay at the top of the Smoky Slate layer.

Cut a 1 1/4″ x 4″ strip of watercolor paper from the inked watercolor paper and stamp the snowflakes in the three colors over the surface.

Adhere over the ribbon at the top of the Smoky Slate layer.

Stamp the Merry Christmas sentiment in the center in Secret Sea ink.

Cut a large snowflake from the Dreamy Snowflakes die set and adhere to the center over the ribbon and watercolor paper.

I initially added Basic Rhinestone Jewels to finish off the card. I did not think they added enough contrast and thought the pocket card needed a little more stamping – let me know if you like the more plain version or the stepped up one!

This is the simpler version photographed.

I decided to step up the pocket card by adding a few stamped snowflakes on the sides and the center bottom.

I decided to make one more change…

I added the new Adhesive-Backed Snowflakes in Secret Sea for the embellishment as I thought the embellishments needed some contrast color.

What do you think?

Sometimes you think you are done with a card and you look at it and realize that it needs just a little more or a tweek here or there – that is what this card was telling me! Ever have that little voice tell you something needs just a little more!!

Now it’s your turn to create some artwork of your very own – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie