Watercolor Wetlands

I was so pleased with the way my clean and simple Wetlands note cards turned out that I decided to be brave and try making a more colorful card with the Wetlands stamp set. Here is the result:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Wetlands, Hardwood
Paper: Soft Suede cardstock, watercolor paper
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Soft Suede, Soft Sky, Pool Party, Island Indigo, Always Artichoke
Accessories: Aqua Painter, linen thread, Season of Style washi tape, Glue Dots

I started by stamping the goose with StazOn ink on the watercolor paper. I also stamped the goose on a scratch piece of cardstock and cut out that image to use as a mask. I placed the mask over the first image and stamped the reeds several times on the watercolor paper.

To make the colored background, I dipped an Aqua Painter in various ink colors and "washed" them over the paper. I started with the lightest blue, Soft Sky, at the top of the panel and then blended in Pool Party and Island Indigo as I moved down. I used Always Artichoke for the ground along the bottom.

I wanted a casual feel to the card, so for the card base, I stamped the Hardwood background stamp in Soft Suede ink on Soft Suede cardstock. I wrapped a piece of linen thread around the card front three times, tied it in a knot and used washi tape to adhere the focal panel over the linen thread at an angle.

I think my watercolor skills need a bit more work, but all in all I'm happy with this card. Which do you like better: clean and simple or a little more color? Thanks for stopping by!