Welcome to part six of the chain card swap series that I am sharing. Did you miss part five? Head on over here and check it out. I will be sharing eleven posts in this series and today is part six. 
What is a chain card swap? A group of people participate and it is similar to Chinese whispers where each of the participants designed a card which was then sent off to another of the participants which then CASE’d the card and sent it on so that when it gets sent back to the original creator it may look completely different to the original – how fun is that?
Today I am sharing a stunning card using the Stampin’ Up! Flowering Zinnia Suite. I had fun using the Simply Zinnia stamp set to create some gorgeous Zinnias to colour with an array of different Stampin’ Blends techniques to create these multi toned & rich coloured Zinnias.

For this sixth blog hop, we are all sharing our cards that we CASE’d for Maheswari Rajaguru’s card. See below for a list of all the blogs and the beautiful projects where you can hop along and see where the card started and how it progressed as it moved along the chain. It is very cool to see the progression of a card along one of these chain card swap series.

carolina evan’s CARD THAT I CASE’D

a look at my finished zinnia card

This card was so much fun! I was actually inspired by two things with this card. When Carolina’s card arrived, I was immediately inspired by the layout of the card design and knew when I sent this on it would be going “home”. The recipient of this card is none other than the lovely Maheswari and when I think of Maheswari I think of all things bright and rich in colour, this is what inspired this card.

I knew in creating the rich and colourful look that I wanted I was going to use Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers and try out a few Stampin’ Blends techniques. These are a great option for colouring when you are looking at getting a bold and bright finish. I wanted rich and colourful tones which determined the whole colour palette for my card below.

the colour palette

Lemon Lime Twist

Berry Burst

Melon Mambo

Bubble Bath

Pumpkin Pie

Daffodil Delight

a close up look at the details and those stampin’ blends techniques

This close up shows a peek at the finished detail. I chose to embellish with the beautiful Shiny Sequins
which added plenty of sparkle to this card combined with the Berry Burst Glimmer Paper from the Online Exclusives Range. I also snuck in some Gold Glimmer Paper also an Online Exclusive.

You can see on my background there is also some beautiful embossing using the Zinnias 3D Embossing Folder. I made this stand out by adding some blending over the top using a Berry Burst Ink and a Blending Brush. It adds so much more depth and tone!

The star of the show on this card is really those gorgeous Zinnias coloured using Stampin’ Blends Techniques. I love how bold & beautiful they turned out.

some stampin’ blends techniques & TIPS for colouring flowers

• Choose the right paper! Stampin’ Blends work best on a thicker cardstock. I recommend colouring on our Basic White Thick Cardstock or a good quality stock.
• Layer colours and experiment with mixing colours. Start with your lightest shade and work your way up. Stampin’ Blends come in a light and dark and dark shade of each colour but why not add some other colours in and mix it up? As you can see here with my multi toned flowers I have mixed pinks and orange and purples and pink.
• Practice leaving white space. You don’t have to colour the entire image or space. Leaving white space can add additional highlights.
• Practice using the Colour Lifter. This can be similar to white space but can act as adding highlights to your leaves or flowers and lift some of the colour to add a ‘curved’ or dimensional effect as one of the fun Stampin’ Blends techniques to try.
• Try practicing with different strokes for different looks like flicking the brush instead of ‘colouring in’. This can help give a realistic nature like look.
• Add some fun texture by trying other fun Stampin’ Blends Techniques like ‘cross hatching’, ‘stippling’ or ‘dotting’ with the Stampin’ Blends to add extra patterns and texture.
• Embrace imperfection – nature is not perfect. These are just a few tips & ideas. There are loads more to try but most of all have fun!

a peek at the inside of the card

Here is a look at the inside of the card which I kept simple with some light Melon Mambo and Berry Burst blending on the right hand side and some spritzing with a Blackberry Bliss Stampin’ Write Marker.

I added some layers of Flowering Zinnia Designer Series Paper and Berry Burst Glimmer with another sentiment heat embossed white on black.

I just love how this card turned out and I hope that Maheswari did too! Be sure to hop along the blog below to see how the card started and changed during the chain card swap! It is best to start at the first blog and move your way along.

BLOG HOP LIST

Until next time, stay tuned for part seven of the chain card swap series. Happy crafting. xx

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BRAND NEW MEMBERSHIP SITE

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new catalogue, scrapbooking & fun events

There is so much happening this month and it’s hard to contain my excitement!
Get a load of a brand new catalogue, the release of scrapbooking products, an upcoming free virtual event to celebrate World Card Making Day and a fun Mini Catalogue Launch Party connected to The Stamping Lounge.

supply list

Simply Zinnia Bundle (English) [163480] $91.75	Zinnia 3 D Embossing Folder [163337] $19.25	Flowering Zinnias 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [163469] $21.75	Berry Burst, Old Olive & White 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Glimmer Specialty Paper [163769] $10.50	Silver & Gold 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Adhesive Backed Glimmer Paper [162288] $12.25
Gold & Silver 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Trim Combo Pack [161633] $15.75	Adhesive Backed Shiny Sequins [163484] $13.25	Neutrals Stampin' Write Markers [161697] $62.50	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush [141897] $14.00	Versamark Pad [102283] $16.75
Basics Embossing Powders [155554] $32.00	Lemon Lime Twist Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack [161682] $17.50	Bubble Bath Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack [161675] $17.50	Berry Burst Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack [161681] $17.50	Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154897] $17.50
Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154883] $17.50	Flirty Flamingo Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154884] $17.50	Blending Brushes [153611] $23.00	Berry Burst Classic Stampin' Pad [147143] $15.75	Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad [147051] $15.75
Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708] $11.50	Berry Burst A4 Cardstock [144249] $17.50	Basic Black A4 Card Stock [121688] $17.50	Basic White A4 Thick Cardstock [159230] $15.75	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $7.50