Papertrey Ink M.I.M. #327: Ombre Watercolor Background

I was intrigued with Betsy's ombre watercolor background on the PTI blog this morning. I love the look of all those beautiful blended backgrounds, but I tend to stink at them. Betsy promised this one was simple, and she was right!

Three ink tones and watercolor paper, a blending tool and a flat watercolor brush. It made a great effect! I chose three green inks, and decided to keep the darker shades at the bottom. This made it feel more like a forest background.

I used the pine trees from the Year of Psalms (Psalm 23) stamp set, and they worked great! Just the right size.

I recently got the Mix and Mat Plaid dies, along with the birch background. Love love love them! They've been out of stock for a long time, but they managed to pop back in to the store, briefly, about a week ago...and I didn't hesitate this time. Good thing! They are now out of stock again.

This sentiment really seemed to pair well with the natural images. I was going to make it into a birthday card...do you think this is a weird verse for a birthday? Maybe it's better for another occasion.

I invested in some really nice watercolor brushes from Prima last month. They've been great to work with, and they've really helped to expand my watercolor possibilities.

So, for example, when Betsy said to use a wide flat brush today, I have that one! Yay!

Of course, I had to get the pretty case to go with it. Had to.

{Today's Brew: New Every Morning stamp sentiment (PTI), Year of Psalms (PTI), Birch stamp background (PTI), Mix and Mat Plaid die (PTI), PTI inks and card stock, watercolor paper}

Thanks for visiting the cafe today!