celebrate with pearls...

Hello my wonderful friends!

In case you haven't heard... Unity's b-day sale is STILL ON!

If you are arriving here from Kary's blog you are right on track... if not, go ahead and start at the beginning by clicking HERE.. You don't want to miss any of the fabulous inspiration (or chances to win!)

And to get you in the mood...

{Elephant Celebration}

Isn't this fella SO cute?  For this card, I just stamped the image in black over a watercolor wash background I had made while experimenting with inks and water.

{Reach for the Stars}

Phyllis Harris stamps are simply sweet, and adorable. I LOVE this one! 

*quick tip... if you want a watercolored image that doesn't have the harsh outline, try stamping it in a light  colored ink... I used Antique Linen Distress Ink for this one. 

I also thought I share a super quick and easy tutorial for... 

Easy Pearl Watercoloring

You'll want a line image stamp for this. I'm using {Wishing You Joy}

 Step 1: Ink up your stamp using water based markers like Distress Markers. (if you want a solid color, you can use a water based ink pad.... the markers just give you the ability to easily use multiple colors on one image)

Step 2: When you are done coloring your stamp, huff some warm breath on it to remoisten any dried ink, and stamp onto a water color or mixed media paper.

Step 3: this technique can be done using plain water... however, I wanted to add a little extra punch, so... mix a little bit of Ranger's Perfect Pearls into a puddle of water. The more Perfect Pearls you add, the more intense the shimmer. 

*It is important to us Perfect Pearls for this because they are a shimmery mica powder that have a built in binder that sets with water. Not all mica powders have that binder, and without it, the shimmer will just wipe off.

*bonus tip: to make a homemade shimmer spray, just mix the Perfect Pearls and water in a spray bottle instead of a puddle on your table. 

Step 4: Dip a small, thin paintbrush into your pearl water, and gently brush along the stamped lines. Allow the water to move the ink. This gives your stamped image a hand painted look. Be careful not to use too much water on your brush, or you will lose too much detail. You may want to practice this on a scrap first to get a feel for how much water to use.

Allow to dry, than finish how ever you want.

I used the new Unity Challenge to inspire my finished card...

{Wishing You Joy, Chicken Wire, Botanical Bliss}

*You can't tell from the photo, but for the stamped border along the bottom, I inked up the {Chicken Wire} stamp, than lightly misted it with a homemade shimmer spray, then stamped.


Don't forget---
 Leave a comment on EACH blog in the hop (including the Unity blog) for your chance to win.  The winners will be announced Saturday night on the Unity blog.

Your next stop is Lisa!

Enjoy!