Change Can Be Beautiful | A Soft Watercolor Floral Card with Hero Arts

After a day of playing with some fall colors and products, I realized I really loved the color combination of Nectar from Concord & 9th, Eucalyptus from Altenew, and Spiced Cider from Concord & 9th. I thought the three colors would make a beautiful, soft watercolor background.

I started with Tim Holtz watercolor paper and a wide watercolor brush and painted horizontal stripes across the background. I simply spritzed a little water into each of my inks before painting with them. I added a bit more water to Spiced Cider since it was the darkest of the three colors and needed the most toning down.

I love how this background turned out! It feels soft and organic, and I especially love the imperfection of the stripes and that they aren’t perfectly straight.

To turn the background into a card, I pulled out one of my favorite floral sets, the Springtime Blooms die set from the February 2026 My Monthly Hero Kit. I decided to use similar colors in the foreground, pulling out Nectar, Spiced Cider, Eucalyptus, and Juniper cardstock from Concord & 9th. I also added a couple of deeper coral and orange shades with Grapefruit and Clementine.

To give the large flower a little more dimension, I lightly ink blended Grapefruit ink onto the Nectar cardstock. I also added a couple of butterflies using the Small Butterfly Duo dies from Waffle Flower.

For the sentiment, I stamped “Change Can Be Beautiful” in Spiced Cider ink from an older Hero Arts stamp set. I cut the finished panel with a rounded rectangle die from the Hero Arts Infinity Dies and offset it with a piece of Alabaster cardstock from Spellbinders. I loved the extra warmth that the cream cardstock added—it helped tie together the warmer colors in the design and gave the finished card just a little more of a fall feel.

I really love how this card came together, especially the soft watercolor stripes paired with the more dimensional die-cut florals.

Supplies

Cardstock

• Concord & 9th Cardstock — Nectar, Spiced Cider, Eucalyptus, Juniper, Grapefruit & Clementine
• Spellbinders Alabaster Cardstock
• Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb. Solar White Cardstock
• Tim Holtz Watercolor Cardstock

Stamps & Dies

• Hero Arts Springtime Blooms Die Set (February 2026 My Monthly Hero Kit)
• Hero Arts Rounded Rectangle Infinity Dies
• Waffle Flower Small Butterfly Duo Dies

Ink & Medium

• Concord & 9th Ink — Nectar, Spiced Cider & Grapefruit
• Altenew Eucalyptus Fresh Dye Ink

Tools

• Wide Watercolor Brush
• Water Mister/Sprayer

Thank you for stopping by! Have a great day!

❤️ Denise