Monday, February 29, 2016

Watercolored Mehndi

"Intrigued" is probably my reaction to the beauty of intricate Mehndi designs. Henna is applied to the skin, staining it temporarily. It is worn for weddings and other festivals, usually by women from India and Pakistan. It is quite beautiful to see up close. The stamp set I used for my card is a take on Mehndi design but in a less intricate way.

My card was inspired by the Pals Paper Arts Color Challenge #289.







Using an Aqua Painter, the navy ink was painted on watercolor paper, cut to size and set aside to dry. The pink and green inks were then painted on watercolor paper. Once dry, the images were stamped with navy ink, fussy cut, and the edges sponged to darken the navy. On the panel with navy ink, the flowers were backed with foam and adhered. The leaf bases were adhered flat with a tiny piece of foam at the points so they would curl. Additional decorative stamping in green was added and the sentiment was stamped in navy. The finished panel was adhered to a panel of navy and a card base of green. The inside was lined with white cardstock and decorated with a fussy cut flower.

For creative card ideas, visit the PPA289 color challenge!

Techniques: Watercoloring, stamping, sponging, fussy cutting
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

Stampin' Up! Materials:
Inks: Pear Pizzazz, Blushing Bride, Night of Navy
Paper: Watercolor, Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Night of Navy
Misc.: Dimensionals foam, Aqua Painter

Other Materials:
Stamps: Altenew "Modern Mehndi"

6 comments:

  1. Beautiful creation, Melanie! Love that you watercolored, then stamped, then fussy cut...I'm going to try that, it's so pretty! Thanks for joining us this week for our Pals Paper Arts Color Challenge!

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  2. The watercoloring is so striking. Very pretty. Thanks for sharing your creativity with the Pals this week.

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  3. Gorgeous! These flowers really seem to pop off the page - what great artistry. I love the watercolored background. Such a great effect. Thank you so much for playing along with this week’s Pals Paper Arts Color Challenge!

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  4. Wow Melanie! Your card is stunning! I love the flower images, you've painted them perfectly. Just beautiful! :)

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  5. Such a gorgeous work of art. I happen to be very fond of Watercolor, you have done it so beautifully. Thank you so much for playing along with us at PPA this week.

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  6. Wow, love your color combination and the design of the card is fantastic...the background watercoloring looks so dimensional, almost like the navy blue is behind a green panel. Beautiful.

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