We would love to share a craft project with you. It is this lovely Stamped Sentimental DIY Greeting Card designed by Jenn Shurkus. With some stamps and a little creativity, it’s amazing what you can put together!
When it comes to spring and summer themes, nothing is better than butterflies and flowers. AllFreePaperCrafts loves all sorts of handmade cards but butterflies are definitely at the top of the reader-favorite list. When you add an inspirational quote like, “We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly…” (from Sam Keen) is a wonderful way to send your best wishes to a loved one. This DIY greeting card will make your heart flutter and do the same for your recipient.
Stamped Sentimental DIY Greeting Card
I wanted to use a few new Tim Holtz sets that I purchased during the April Loft Art Retreat. I used Random Quotes & 2015 Watercolor Cling Stamp Sets. Combining these stamps with Distress Inks and Watercoloring, I just LOVE how this card came out. Instead of going to my usual colors I tried REALLY hard to use a different color combo. I love the warm feel this card gives. Be sure to keep scrolling as I share with you step-by step how you can recreate this look!


Step-by-Step Instructions:
Note: all the stamps used for this card (except for the sentiment) are part of the Watercolor 2015 Cling Stamp Set! How awesome is that?!
- Start by stamping the larger solid flower with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink on Distress Watercolor Cardstock
- Then using your waterbrush while the ink is still wet, water over the image to move the color around. Go out of the lines
- Repeat this step until you have your background filled the way you like. Remember to stamp off the edge and to turn the stamp different orientations to create movement throughout your piece.
- Using Festive Berries Distress Ink stamp the larger detailed flower stamp over one of the flowers already there.
- Immediately waterbrush over this image.
- Repeat on top of all the flowers. The trick is to stamp and paint, stamp and paint. This way the ink is wet when you go to water over it helping the color move.
- I then heat set the paper so that the red inks wouldn’t blend anymore for my next steps
- Using the leafy stamp ink up the top part (I avoided the stem) in Shabby Shutters Distress Ink, then dab a little Peeled Paint Distress Ink on some of the edges
- Stamp the leaves so they are touching one of the flowers
- Waterbrush over the leaves. Remember to go out of the lines, so move the color off of the stamped image a bit to give a more watercolor look
- Repeat the leaves until you have as many as you would like. I changed the orientation of the leaves, rotating the stamp and having it touch the flower in different areas. Again stamp off the edge of the cardstock and “Stamp & Paint, Stamp & Paint” so the ink doesn’t dry.
- Using Spun Sugar Distress Ink stamp the smaller solid flower all over the background. I chose to overlap the edges onto the red flowers. This is just a subtle detail and I didn’t waterbrush over these.
- Using Squeezed Lemonade Distress Ink stamp the smaller cluster of detailed flowers. I stamped these all over and used them to fill in the areas that needed some color. Overlapping onto images already stamped and stamping off the edge. I didn’t waterbrush these. Set your background aside.
- Using one of the butterflies from the Watercolor 2015 Cling Stamp Set, ink the whole butterfly in Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink and then dab some Rusty Hinge Distress Ink on the edges. Stamp onto a new sheet of Distress Watercolor Cardstock
- Waterbrush over the butterfly, going off the stamped image a bit.
- Ink the butterfly again in Rusty Hinge Distress Ink and stamp it onto your background, where you want it on the final card. Waterbrush over the butterfly. This is so we don’t have to fussy cut the antennae out AND to add dimension to the card when we layer the other butterfly on top.
- Fussy cut out your other butterfly. Leaving a little bit of white around the edges. Remember you don’t have to fussy cut out the antennas.
- Squish a little bit of Pumice Stone Distress Ink onto an acrylic block and use that to watercolor the white edges of the butterfly. It’s ok to overlap on some of the orange.
- Crease both of the wings on the butterfly. Using a dab of Multi Matte Medium adhere the fussy cut butterfly over the stamped butterfly on the background.
- Dab some Rock Candy Distress Stickles randomly on the dark petals of the flowers.
Voila! You have a watercolor masterpiece! For more great tutorials, check out Jenn’s blog, Creative Chick!
Who do you want to make this DIY greeting card for?
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