Here’s the other card using the Stampin’ Up! Wetlands set that I made when trying to make a clean and simple card with birds on it for a challenge earlier in the week. In the end, I entered a different, cleaner card. I had a lot of fun making this one; it’s always great to get the sponges out. Especially since I was so bad at art!

I started with a piece of whisper white card stock and punched out a 1 inch circle. Using a scrap of card, I masked off the horizon and the sun. I sponged the sky with so saffron ink and then moved the sun and lightly sponged that in more of the so saffron. I then took the calypso coral and ran little streaks of it across the sky, including across the sun to suggest clouds in front of the sun. I then used so saffron sponge to soften the sky. I stayed with the subtles family and used marina mist for the water, giving extra attention to the path from the sun. I also sponged a little so saffron on that path as well. The birds are stamped in memento black ink – when deciding where to put them, don’t put the stamp too close to the paper as I did. You end up with a very smudged image. I had to start again! I glued the card stock to a base of marina mist. The envelope is lined on the outside flap with the backgrounds DSP also in marina mist. Just glue the DSP to the flap and use the envelope flap as a guide for cutting with your paper snips.

I definitely recommend getting out some sponges and playing with the backgrounds. It’s a rewarding and you feel like an artist. It’s probably best to do this just before you wash your hair – I find that it’s the best way to get the ink completely off your hands!