Re-Thinking Silhouettes

I love our brand new stamps in the new "Silhouette" Style Watch on page 10-11. The images are so simple and elegant. I have always been drawn to nature. As soon as I saw the "Inspired by Nature" stamp set I knew that I had to have it. I could just imagine all of the cards and scrapbook pages I could make with it. But I have to admit, this is one of those sets that can get you stuck into a rut. All you can do is silhouettes of flowers or grass, not always exciting, I have to admit. Just making silhouettes in different colors can get very boring.

So thanks to the inspiration of CeeCee Cote I now look at this stamp in a brand new way.

Yes, I did "paint" the black-eyed susans on this card. It looks like something you would find in an art gallery hanging on the wall. It is so simple to take the basic image of "Inspired By Nature" and create a masterpiece.

1. Stamp your image in a light color (yellows such as So Saffron and Barely Banana worked better for me; I used So Saffron for this project).
2. Starting with the lighter colors, using your blender pens, gently color over the image. Be careful not to go over the same area too often or you will notice the paper will start to tear slightly.
3. Add the darker shades to create your shadows and "voila!" you have created a beautiful piece of art.
4. I gently sponged sky and grass around the image to make the flowers pop and to ground them on the page (the flowers looked like they were floating until I did that).

5. Attach it to a card or put it into a frame to display!

I hope you will look at the "Silhouette" collection a little differently now.

RECIPE: CS--Very Vanilla, So Saffron & Chocolate Chip; Stamps--Inspired By Nature; Ink--So Saffron, Kiwi Kiss, More Mustard, Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke & Bashful Blue; and Ribbon--Chocolate Chip Taffeta.