You know that moment when you do something so brilliant that you surprise yourself and kind of pat yourself on the shoulder? Well, this is that very moment and I have to admit that this card is going to the file of “Most Favorite Cards I Have Ever Made”.

I have to be frank with you, I truly struggle with this one. You see, I am not a big fan of stencils. I find them cheap, well maybe because they are, lol but I didn’t mean it in that way. Yes, stencils are very affordable, but it is not the stencils, it is just the style behind them. I rarely buy them and even when I do, I rarely use them so all the stencil that I have in my stash are mostly gifts or something that just came in a set of something. So, in order to pass this level, I knew I had to use some kind of stenciling on my project, but I just simply was not inspired by any of it! I was going back and forth between my, very limited, stash and the Altenew website. Honestly, nothing speak to me. But then I decided to make a stencil by using a die, but when I thought about it, I realized that would not work for I need a negative cuts to make a stencil that I need… So back to square one! And finally, I picked one (out of two) Altenew stencil that I had and that has never been used and I stared at it for a while and went to bed thinking about it… lol. True story!

And then I woke up yesterday and had this on my mind. And that is how this brilliant card was made!

This card is a collaboration of one of my favorites card making companies, Altenew and Hero Arts. Hero Arts is a small, local factory store here in the heart of Northern CA and they have been in business I believe for over 50 years. I love their stuff and I buy their products often. One of their most recognizable products is My Monthly Hero Kit (MMHK). This is a monthly subscription plan and they only make so many kits each month. They often sell out so by subscribing you are guaranteed one. The saddest part is that once the kit is sold out they do not make it again. So, practically is a one time thing. The kit always contains a big stamp sets (6×8) and matching dies, and sometimes there are inks, stencils, embellishment, etc. A truly wonderful set, no doubt about it.

Ok, that being said, thank you so much for reading my overture, you are simply awesome and here is how I created the fabulous card:

When it comes to stenciling it can be really messy! That might be another reason why I am not such a big fan of this technique; so when using this technique make sure to protect your work surface. I am using a silicone, Stamping Mat from Altenew, one of the tools I use almost every time I craft. It is heat resistant so it is perfect for your heat embossing , glue gun, and/or wax seal (this is something I recently realized it works) and absolutely great for any color medium. Ok, back to the card, I used masking tape to secure both my card and my stencil onto the surface and started with adding color with a blending brush. TIP 1: When blending colors always use the circular motion. This goes for any coloring really; it doesn’t matter if you’re using inks, color pencils or markers. After I was happy with the saturation of my ink I gently removed the masking tape and the stencil and it was time for watercoloring!

I then added a sentiment, also from the kit. Since I needed to stamp this sentiment over the colored image, I used the MISTI for double stamping. Once that was done, I attached my little bumble bee to the card and the card was done!

I just love the vibrancy and the shine of this card! Even though I thought I cannot play with stencils, now I get to take that back. This was truly an enjoyable and smooth project and I learned that stencils are not as bad as I though they were.

I hope you like this card, if you do (or don’t) leave a comment below and do not forget to connect to social media!

See you soon with a new creation.