Bright Blooms...

I love bright colors and I adore this brand new set from Lizzie Anne Designs called Le Jardin and one of the older sets called Joles Fleurs. I just love every single image in both of these sets!

Here's how I created these beautiful blooms:
1) I stamped the image in black pigment ink onto shimmery paper. 2) Then I heat embossed the images & colored them in with various shades of pinks, oranges and golds using my Prismacolor pencils. 3) I then used Mona Lisa's Oderless paint thinner (available at Michael's or Hobby Lobby) & stumps to blend the colors. 4) Once that was done, I added some Stickles and beads to add a little extra punch.

ETA: Krissy asked about the colored pencils, paint thinner vs. water and blending stumps. The Prismacolor pencils are an artist quality pencil. They have a smooth texture with extra thick leads and permanent pigments. They are available at Michael's, Hobby Lobby or art stores but they are expensive so make sure you buy them with a coupon! They sell them in sets & some stores also sell a variety of individual pencils. Make sure you get a few of each shade so that you can blend them. These pencils are very different than watercolor pencils. The color is very bright and doesn't fade. Watercolor pencils tend to be more muted and are perfect for a softer look. Since the Prismacolor pencils are not watercolor pencils, they cannot be blended with water. Instead, you can either blend them with a Prisma blender (which basically looks like a colored pencil but has an off-white tip) OR you can use a material called Gamsol or Oderless Paint Thinner (either will work). I found the Mona Lisa Oderless Paint Thinner at Michael's and then bought a special container to store a small amount in to use. The Blending Stumps are also available at Michael's. I really like the gray paper stumps.

Stamp your image on a good quality paper, fill in your colors (I usually use several so I can get a nice shaded look), dip your stump into the Oderless Paint Thinner and then using a circular motion, blend the colors together. Your image will turn out nice and bright. Don't be afraid to try it ~ it's really rather easy. I hope that helped Krissy.

Otter ~ the ribbon is 1" sheer dots & I got it from Michael's.