A Creative Journey: All About Backgrounds - Die Cut & Colouring Team Designer Challenge

We're kicking off a new Die Cut and Colouring Team Designer Challenge on the Elizabeth Craft Designs Blog today. For December it's all about backgrounds. With this month's challenge in mind, I set out to create a home decor piece that you could add to any place in your home. You'll want to make sure to read below as I have a tutorial for you so that you can re-create my Soar Home Decor piece at home. Read all the way down to the bottom of the post as I have some information on how to get in on a fabulous giveaway from Elizabeth Craft Designs.

To start, die cut the Abstract Background out of watercolour cardstock. Cut the background down to 3 5/8" x 5 1/4". To get the colour on the background, pull out Ocean, Aquamarine and Coral Nuance Powder from Magenta. Take off the lids of each jar. Using a dry paint brush, dip the brush into the first colour and tap over top of the background. Apply as much of the first colour as you like. Continue the previous step until you have the other two colours on the background. To get the result I did, don't put a ton of the powder on the cardstock. A little goes a long way. Once all three powders are on, spray your background with water. Set the background aside to dry. After the background has dried, ink the edges of the background using Black Soot Distress Ink and a blending tool with foam.

Cut a piece of black cardstock that measures 4 1/4" x 6".

Cut a piece of White Soft Finish Cardstock that measures 4" x 5 1/2". Ink the edges of the paper using Black Soot Distress Ink and a blending tool with foam.

Pick out two patterned paper pieces from the ModaScrap - Relax in the Garden Paper Pack. With your papers picked out, die cut the 1" Stitched Fishtail Banner from one of the patterned papers and die cut the 1 1/2" Stitched Fishtail Banner from the other patterned paper. Trim the 1" banner down to 3 3/4". Trim the 1 1/2" banner down to 4 1/8". Ink the edges of each banner using Black Soot Distress Ink and a blending tool with foam.

From the Valentines Edges, die cut the scallop dot border twice out of White Soft Finish Cardstock. Cut each border down to 4".

Die cut the Soar word from White Soft Finish Cardstock.

From the Dragonfly die, die cut the small dragonfly from White Soft Finish Cardstock.

Die cut the Leafy Branch three times out of White Soft Finish Cardstock. Blend Peeled Paint Distress Ink using a blending tool with foam over the entire surface of each leaf.

From the Bunch of Flowers 3, die cut the rounded petal flowers twice out of White Soft Finish Cardstock. Leave one of the small and medium flowers white. Blend Abandoned Coral Distress Ink using a blending tool with foam over the entire surface of the other flowers.

Adhere the abstract background to the piece of cut White Soft Finish Cardstock.

Adhere the 1" banner to the 1 1/2" banner. Adhere one of the scallop dot borders to the top of the banners. Adhere the other scallop dot border to the bottom of the banners.

Adhere the banners 5/8" from the bottom of the White Soft Finish Cardstock. Make sure the right hand side of the banner sits right up against the abstract background.

Adhere the Soar word in the middle of the banners. Trim one of the leafy branches as desired to sit in the top left hand corner of the banners. Adhere the leafy branch in the top left hand corner of the banner. Adhere the small white flower to the medium coral flower. Add a transp.glitter/gold dot to the center of the flower. Adhere the flower slightly overtop of the leafy branch.

Trim the other two leafy branches as desired to sit on the right hand side of the banners. Adhere the leafy branch in the top right hand side of the banner as well as in the bottom right hand side of the banner. Adhere the small coral flower to the medium white flower. Adhere the medium white flower to the large coral flower. Add a transp.glitter/gold dot to the center of the flower. Adhere the flower slightly overtop of each of the leafy branches.

Adhere the White Soft Finish Cardstock to the black cardstock. Adhere the black cardstock piece to the middle of the frame.

Your Soar Home Decor piece is now finished.

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For today's challenge Elizabeth Craft Designs are giving away a $20 Gift Card to use on our website to 3 winners.

To enter simply leave a comment on the Elizabeth Craft Designs Challenge post and tell us What Elizabeth Craft Designs dies or stamp sets would you use to create a background on something you were creating?

We will select 3 lucky winners in a random drawing

The winners will be announced on Friday, December 22nd on the Elizabeth Craft Designs blog.