Guest Designer Challenge PPC #11

Today I'm excited to share the card I made as a guest designer over at the Playing in Paradise Challenge.  They have great challenges and great prizes!  This challenge is no different.  Here it is: Use a black & white, sepia photo or stamp image with a splash of color.    

I'll admit when I first saw this challenge I had no idea what I was going to create.  Then I remembered I had a Tim Holtz stamp that would be perfect for this and my card idea sprang from there.  Here is what I came up with.

 
I loved this image and phrase and thought they would make a great card.  I wanted to have a little fun with the splash of color so I turned to my favorite Tim Holtz Distress Inks.  I wanted the 'rain' to look like colors and the man to be standing in a 'puddle'.  I think it worked!  I smeared a small line of each color of Distress Ink on my craft mat and then gave it a little spritz of water.  I did this a few times on different watercolor papers because if you add too much water the colors will be very pale and I wanted them to be vibrant.  After spritzing the ink with water I placed the bottom half of my watercolor paper in the ink and let it dry.  I really wanted a rainbow effect so I tried not to let the colors blend too much.  Once this was dry I stamped my image and phrase right over the color.  Using the Compact Stamp Press makes it really simple to see exactly where you want to place your image.  I really love how the man is 'standing' in this colorful puddle.  

I then stamped the same images on masking paper and cut around them to cover up my image and puddle.  I tried to create what I thought would be the path the rain would take after falling off an umbrella.  Nothing here has to be perfect.  Just a general shape to keep my stamped area clean.   

Next I found a border stamp that had some movement and reminded me of falling rain.  This stamp is actually from a Christmas set!  I just love when I can use a stamp in a new and unexpected way.  I stamped this in the open area with VersaMark ink varying the placement so that it would look more random.  Once I was done stamping I covered the stamped area with clear embossing powder and heat set it.  I love the shine and movement this adds to the card.  It almost feels like rain is falling! 

I then removed the masks and added some gems in rainbow colors to various areas to mimic colorful raindrops.  This adds a little more color and some dimension.   I also inked around the edges of this watercolor piece with some Black Soot Ink for a little definition. 

Here's another look at that colorful puddle.   Did you know I love rainbows and Distress Inks?  This is just perfect in my book!

So there you have it, a black and white image with a splash of color!  I hope you enjoy this card as much as I do.  I invite you to play along.  I'd love to see what you come up with!  Thanks for stopping!

Supplies:

• inks- Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Barn Door, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn, Tumbled Glass, Dusty Concord, Black Soot), VersaMark (Watermark)
• stamps-Tim Holtz (Purely Random), Close to My Heart (Jingle Borders D1225)
• embossing powder- Ranger (Super Fine Clear)
• tools- Fiskars (Compact Stamp Press), Imaginisce (i-Rock)
• misc- Imaginisce (gems), watercolor paper, masking paper