Bellarific Friday - Use a Die Challenge!

Happy Saturday! Today I'm sharing my card for this week's Bellarific Friday Challenge. We were asked to use a die cut in our design. I love dies so this was an easy and fun challenge for me. I chose one of the new January release stamps called Fairy Tale Squidgies. They are just the sweetest couple!

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For this card, I decided to pull out my Daniel Smith 238 watercolor dot card. If you've never tried these watercolors, I highly recommend them. Typically they come in individual tubes of watercolor paint and they can be pretty pricey so the sampler sheets are a great deal. Easy to store too! I slid mine into page protectors to keep them safe from potential water spills on my desk. You may think a drop of paint wouldn't last very long, but you'd be surprised. I've had mine for over 6 months and I still have lots and lots left. They are such a high quality that it doesn't take much water to reactive the colors so they last much longer that you'd think. 

Below is a picture of what the dot cards look like. I colored a little bit next to each dot so I'd know how the color would turn out when I painted. I'm a big believer of trying different mediums including watercolor palettes. I think I have like 5 or 6 different ones. Each one of them is special in their own right. One day I'll have to do a review of all of the different palettes I have. 

Anyhoo, back to the card, lol! I stamped the image onto a piece of Smooth White Bristol card stock in black Versafine ink and heat embossed it with detail clear embossing powder. This give you a little "bumper" when water coloring so that the colors don't bleed as easily. After coloring the image, I used the corresponding Cut It Out die to cut out the image of the little couple. (You can also get a stamp and die bundle which saves you 15%.) 

For the background, I used a cloud mask that I made using a cloud die cut. I applied the color with my Copic airbrush system. This method creates the softest looking clouds.

For the castle, I used a fun new die from My Favorite Things. I cut out the castle from a piece of Neenah Desert Storm. For the bricks, I placed a stencil over the pieces and used an ink blending tool to apply brown ink. I then adhered it all together and added a little red flag on top. 

For the grassy hill, I used a Lawn Fawn stitched hill die and then drew on little patches of grass using my Copic markers. I adhered all of the scene pieces and added my little couple in the front. The sentiment was stamped in black Versafine ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I grabbed a few sparkling clear sequins from Pretty Pink Posh to add a little sparkle. Because I can't stop at just "a little bit" of sparkle, I also applied Spectrum Noir clear glitter pen to the princess and some blue stickles on the knight's plume.

Here's a close up of the details:

I'll admit, I'm definitely more proficient with shading with my Copics but I like to try getting that contrast with my watercolors. Practice makes perfect, lol! Be sure to check out the Stamping Bella blog to see what the rest of the BellaBabes have done. Also, if you would like to participate in Bellariffic Fridays for a chance to be entered into a monthly drawing to win some Bella Bucks click on the link below for more details.

Next week's Bellariffic Friday challenge is a photo inspiration challenge using the image below. I hope you join along and create something with us! Have a wonderful weekend and I'll be back soon!