think pink (and christmassy!) ♥

♥PINK CHRISTMAS♥ is always one of my favorite fortnights at JINGLE BELLES and the 2015 edition is off to a fabulous start! there's still plenty of time to play along and remember stephanie and are each donating $2 per linked up card to the breast cancer research foundation, so the more you play, the bigger our contribution will be! ♥

here's this week's card:

watercolor paints: artists loft; watercolor paper: strathmore; pink patterned paper: k and co; glitter embossing pastes: viva decor=champagne and copper, bo bunny=blue, tho i've toned them all down slightly with ranger's hickory smoke distress stain for a more vintage patina; stencils: tim holtz=flourishes; the crafter's companion=flowery star; heidi swapp=ogee pattern; white glitter chipboard letters: mambi; white xl pearls: zva creative; white glossy cardstock: paper accents; chalk ink: colorbox; outlining pen: faber-castell pitt in xs; adhesives: elmers brand gluetape, 3m foam tape

i was in the mood to play around with some watercolor paints and glitter embossing paste, so that's what i did, lol! (my process is VERY scientific, as you know!) i have a little collection of cardstock ornament templates that i've either drawn or made from clipart images, i've used three of those here. i traced the shapes in pencil on my watercolor paper (i often work on the back if i know i want to outline later, because it's less textural) then filled in with washes of color. after the panel dried, i added a few shades of glitter embossing paste to give each ornament a bit of sparkle... though i actually toned the colors down slightly and applied them a bit roughly through my stencils, so they'd look like a tiny bit tarnished and worn like the ornaments my own vintage bauble collection.

i found this fantastic sketch at atlantic hearts sketch challenge, and it really inspired me. i flipped it horizontally so the sentiment wouldn't cover too much of my painting:

i hope you'll jump over to JINGLE BELLES to see the already impressive ♥PINK CHRISTMAS♥ gallery and link up your own fabulous masterpiece(s)!!! ♥