Airin Birds and Swirling Stitches by Jean Okimoto

Watercolor the Airin Bird, perch it on Swirling Stitches - and you've set the scene for any occasion. Spritzing, embossing and daubing add shimmery layers of dimension and color to a design that's uniquely artsy.

Hello - Jean Okimoto here - with a bit of inspiration for our May Challenge. The coordinating Airin Bird and Airin Bird Background pair up perfectly for graduation, birthday and thinking-of-you cards.

Paint watercolor paper with some purple, blue and green Peerless Watercolors. Air-dry it, then lightly spritz it with Gold Sheer Shimmer Spritz from Imagine Crafts. Dry the inks with a heat-tool. Diecut it with the Airin Bird Background.

Dry-emboss it with the intricate Airin Bird using the embossing mat and plates recommended by your machine's manufacturer. Daub it with Brilliance Pearlescent Jade to add shimmery highlights to the embossing.

Score, cut and fold an A-6 (4-⅝" x 6-¼") card of textured natural cardstock. Emboss the folded card with Swirling Stitches to create a double layer of the delicate design - inside and outside the card. Stamp the greetings - using a stamp positioner - with Electric Purple Radiant Neons. Heat-set the ink.

Attach the Airin Bird and some sequins.

Swirling Stitches can be anything you want it to be - garden tendrils, flourishes, butterfly flight patterns, branches - even gentle waves on a summer beach. I love how Memory Box dies take on a whole new look when you mix, match and experiment with them. It's all up to you!

Big thanks to everyone from last Saturday's class at Impress. We laughed and talked almost as much as we worked - but we did (somehow) create 6 cards for summer greetings. See you at the Butterflies and Blossoms class at Impress on May 14th - more watercoloring, great techniques and a packet of "extras" from my stash so you can make more class cards later.

Thanks for stopping by today - have a great afternoon...