Stencils - Layering & Spotlight Color

I love my stencil collection, but I don't think I use them anywhere nearly enough. I'm also a huge fan of the stencil layering technique. Layering stencils expands the supplies you already have in your stash, creating countless possibilities. For this card, I used a basic circle stencil and the Organic Matter stencil from The Crafter's Companion.

Let's talk about how striking this large sunflower is!  When I purchased this set I had the full intention of coloring it with Copics, which I will eventually, but I really wanted to let the line art take center stage on this card.  

What better way to make an image pop off the page than with a big pop of color?  I started by applying a circle frame stencil over top of a panel of Neenah Bright White cardstock. (Quick tip:  I use a repositionable spray adhesive on the back of all my stencils).  Over the top of the circle, I layered the Organic Matter stencil. Using a blending brush I applied Squeezed Lemonade Distress Ink. Once I was happy with the intensity of the color, I removed the top stencil. Using the residual ink on my blender brush, I added a second coat of ink before removing the circle stencil.

With my ink blending complete, I placed the sunflower so that the head would be fully in my yellow circle and stamped it in VersaFine ink. The sentiment is actually two parts and had to be stamped individually in order to get the spacing correct. Using VersaFine ink, I first stamped "Prayers your way" then removed that verse and lined up "sending" above.

The completed panel was then die cut with Wonky Rectangles from Simon Says Stamp and adhered to a black card base. To add the finishing touches I added a few black enamel dots.