🕊️ Watercolor Bird Bath Birthday Card – Hero Arts Stay Crafty Challenge

Hey friends!

This month’s Stay Crafty Challenge with A Blog Named Hero is all about water—and I couldn’t resist going all-in. The challenge invites us to incorporate a water technique or a water image… so I did both! 💦

For my card, I created a soft, layered background with water and paired it with a sweet watercolored pigeon perched in a bird bath.

The Background – A Stencil Print + Floral Layer

I started by covering a stencil with Iced Spruce Distress Oxide ink, giving it a light spritz of water, and pressing it onto my cardstock. I didn’t quite add enough water (go figure! lol), so the pattern was a bit spotty. When something doesn’t turn out quite how I intended, I typically try to challenge myself to use the piece anyway—either by pivoting from my original idea or embracing imperfection. In this case, it was a simple fix. I wanted a slightly more defined and filled-in background, so I stamped over it in gray ink using the Pinkfresh Studio Mixed Blooms cling stamp. The combination resulted in a beautiful layered look that I really ended up loving—and the flowers added to the story of the card, almost like the bird bath is inside a garden. Gotta love a happy accident!

The Focal Image – Watercolored Pigeon & Bird Bath

All of the images are from the Hero Arts June 2024 Clear Set & Die of the Month. I watercolored them using Iced Spruce Distress Oxide, varying the amount of water to create lighter and darker shades for dimension.

For the water in the bird bath, I dropped in just a touch of Broken China Distress Oxide, letting it blend with the Iced Spruce color.

Finishing Touches

I layered the bird bath and pigeon on an oval die cut, then added a crisp “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” sentiment across the base. A few Altenew iridescent sequins bring in that perfect little sparkle—like sunlight glinting off the water.

This card was such a joy to make—combining a playful scene with relaxing watercoloring and one of my favorite background techniques. It’s headed to someone extra special who loves both birds and flowers, so I know it will be treasured.

Do you have a favorite water technique? I’d love to hear it in the comments!

💌 Supplies Used

• Hero Arts June 2024 Clear Set & Die of the Month
• Pinkfresh Studio Mixed Blooms Cling Stamp
• Distress Oxide Inks: Iced Spruce, Broken China
• Altenew Stellar Sequins – Clear Iridescent
• Anna Griffin Oval Die

Until next time,
❤️ Denise