Gelatos and Stamping

This card was a LONG time in the making.  It was originally inspired by this gorgeous card created by the super talented Melissa Phillips back in 2015.  I immediately fell in love with her technique using gelatos, and in particular with this stamp set.  It's an old (very old retired) Papertrey Ink stamp set called Petite Pots.  And trust me, you can't find it anywhere.  Because I failed to buy it at PTI before it sold out, I've just always wanted it and always wanted to create the lovely cards and tags Melissa created using it.  Well, the only time I ever found this set for sale since its release; I lost an eBay auction for this set (My max bid was $40 and someone paid $41).  I about cried!  And then.....I was lucky enough to find someone on Facebook who was selling this set.  Finally!  I got the Papertrey Ink Petite Pots Stamp Set and Die-Cuts (all for $20).  I was ready to recreate Melissa's gorgeous projects, and today I'm sharing the card that originally inspired me.

I stamped the stems and flowers onto a white watercolor paper in lighter and darker tones, and also used the accent stamps to give each flower more personality.  That's one of the many things I love about this stamp set.  There are lots of little stamps that layer over the flower base, and these stamps give the middles some texture and detail, like real flowers would have.  I added a sweet bow to my card (like Melissa did on hers) by running some vintage lace across it and tying a bow with that, some torn fabric, and another lace topped with a button.

I also love that there are lots of different stems and grasses, and I tried my best to use lots of different shades of greens to create the background.  When I stamp a project like this, I quickly learn that I need (or want) more/different colors of inks as well as wanting additional colors of gelatos.  You've gotta work with what you've got.  Right?

Now let me say, the gelatos are a lot of fun.  There's a bit of a learning curve with them, and I really want to purchase some more muted colors of gelatos as opposed to all the bright colors I have.  Anyway, I rubbed the gelatos in the appropriate colors around the flowers to give that soft, muted look to this sweet floral garden.  The best way I've found to apply the gelatos is by using your fingertip and a bundled paper towel, and just rubbing in quick small circles to "smudge" the gelato ink around the image.

The sentiment (just a note) is also from this sweet stamp set.  I recreated one of Melissa's tags as well (this is just one of the many sweet tags she created using this stamp set and technique).  It's also cut from white watercolor paper which worked really well.  I used a stencil and bright pink acrylic paint at the top of the tag, and I used a Papertrey Ink script (words) stamp at the bottom of the tag.  The flower stems and flowers, etc. are all from the Petite Pots Stamp Set.  I am SO happy I finally found this lovely stamp set, and I'm hoping you can understand now why I waited and watched for so long to get my hands on it.  It's really the reason why I originally even bought gelatos, and why/how I learned how to use them.  I have been inspired by Melissa for many years, and I don't have a clue what's happened to her personally; but I sure do miss her talent and how it always inspired me.  What a talented gal.

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

I'm linking up in this fun challenge:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says "Add A Sentiment" - my sentiment is stamped.  This is my second entry into this fun challenge.

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge Blog - Challenge #2007 - Anything Goes Sponsored by Newton's Nook - Entry #1 of 3 at Pam's fun challenge.