Whoo Hoo Wednesday - Sponging with Dies

Hello everyone!  It's my turn at Inspired By Stamping for Whoo Hoo Wednesday, a weekly feature where our design team shares a technique or tip with you for inspiration.

Today, I decided to show how easy it is to sponge a frame and background using dies.

Cut a scrap piece of thin paper (like printer paper) to the size of your card front.  My card is 4.25" x 5.5". To save on paper, I used an old envelope to create my mask.  Position the die - featured here is Fancy Labels 2 - where you'd like your sponged shape to appear on your card.  Run through your die cutting machine according to the directions from the manufacturer.

Position your mask over the card front, and attach with temporary adhesive.  You want it to be secure so it does not move as you sponge ink. (The blue cardstock is just there so you can see how the mask covers the card front completely.)

  

I used dye inks in three shades of yellow and one deep brown for this project.  The lightest one was swirled on first, in the center of the opening.  Use a light hand when swirling.  You can always add more color if needed.

Before putting ink on the cardstock, dab off  first onto a scrap piece of paper.  Here are my "first dabs".  There were a lot. ;-) 

Continue swirling inks in order from lightest to darkest, moving from the center and then outward to edges of frame with the darkest inks.

When you peel back your mask, this is what you see.  Set card base aside.

For the embellishment, stamp a flower -- this is a zinnia from Summer Flowers -- on a scrap of white cardstock.  I used shades of yellow, orange and red alcohol-based markers to color it.

After coloring random petals with yellow, I filled in the white areas with a light shade of orange. 

Go back with the yellow marker and blend.

I'm a big fan of the "flick" method with markers.  I used both a deep orange and a light red to flick color on various petals.  The final touch:  brown marker in the center of the flower.  Trim out and it's ready to be added to your project.  I also used a leaf stamp from Summer Flowers to create two leaves to accompany my flower.

The sentiment is from Beautiful Iris, and delivers such a delightful message.  Oh the many occasions this can be used for:  a sick loved one, a friend who is job-hunting, a student awaiting acceptance from college, and so on.  This card is sure to brighten someone's day!

  

I did add some glossy glue to the center of the flower, and you can see it best here.

  

Thanks for your visit today!