POLKADOODLES: WeLove2Create challenge #7 - terracotta tile texture card

For this challenge piece, my second one for the We Love 2 Create challenge blog, I decided to go for texture and more texture! I've used the Polkadoodles Garden Feast  collection, two stencils and some gesso.

My first step was to create the texture on the card, which is A5 size. I used the Distressed Trellis to stencil two strips, side by side, with a thick layer of gesso. I applied this with a palette knife.

Once dry, I used three shades of watercolour (wine, light brown and dark brown)

and let the paint run between the cracks. When dry, this looked very much like old terracotta tiles.

While this was drying, I got out my watercolour paper and stamped some flowers from the Lemonade Fizz sheet of stamps from the Garden Feast collection. I used the long jagged straight piece as a stem, and the two-petal stamp as my flower bases: stamped twice for one flower, and stamped three times for the other flower. AS you can see from the images top left, I'd made a mistake with the flowers at the bottom - so easily corrected this by cutting the piece out, leaving a base.

After painting the flowers, I used the tiny dots stencil to cover the base, again with gesso applied thickly with a palette knife.

When dry, I painted over with a mid brown acrylic, which covered up that bad stamping. When the acrylic was dry, I sponged over with gold wax. I also tore a piece of cardboard packaging, and glued a small piece of lace on top, plus some hairy string for more texture.

Finally, I layered the cardboard piece to some wide grosgrain ribbon, and positioned this onto my card. On top of this went the two flower piece with the base, then the three flower piece.

For the butterflies, I used the little heart from the Lavender Tea set of stamps from the Garden Feast collection. I stamped the heart once, then again on the opposite side with the points touching - then filled in on either side to form the other wings. Next, I cut the Hello die cut three times, layering each layer on top of the other to form a very sturdy piece, and painted with pink and bronze metallic acrylics.

Final touches were stamens at the centre of the top two flowers, and little pieces from a plastic pearl necklace for the bodies of the butterflies. And a little glitter of course!

I do hope you've enjoyed this little project, and have a go at creating your own little textured treasure.

I used:
Polkadoodles Garden Feast Collection
Polkadoodles Snowball/snowy/bubbles stencil
Polkadoodles Distressed Trellis stencil
Polkadoodles Hello sentiment die
Polkadoodles Nikky's Favourite watercolour paper

Other items:
Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolour palette
Creative Expressions Carnival Brights shimmering watercolour paints
Cadence Starlights metallic paint: Antique Pink; Topaz
Stickles glitter glue: Emerald, Ruby, Icicle
Grosgrain ribbon
String & torn cardboard
Hot glue gun