ATC with Watercolors

I had made this background for another project, although I would have to hunt around to remember which one.  Anyway, a week or so ago, I put it in a little envie for this swap, and set it aside.  Today it was the next on the list, and I pulled it out.  I don't know just what I had in mind when I decided to use it, but it was already painted, and so I went with it.

Finding the right combination of embellishments is always tricky for me. I have a LOT of stuff, and a good bit of it is pretty cool--well, okay, MOST of it is pretty cool, but it doesn't all work on every project.  So, I knew I wanted to use the last paper oak leaf (in the bottom corner) as it adds texture without distracting by adding an additional color.  Since I made two of this (one for me and one for the swap) I had to make sure all my supplies were available in duplicate.  Check.  The leaf had to be sacrificed and cut in half, but I made it work.

I cut some gold paper the shape of the flower, which is clear plastic, and I used alcohol inks on the flower. The clear plastic looked blah without the background, and I liked the way the gold looked behind it.  I would have used some silvery vellum, but I couldn't lay my hands on it since I cleaned things up. :(  Anyway, the design at the top is stamped with embossing ink, and I used a shimmery gold powder to heat emboss it. The other elements are all glued on with Glossy Accents.