One Lily Bouquet, Two Looks - Stencil Blending vs Watercolor

Want to give the same floral design two completely different looks? Sometimes all you need to do is change your coloring technique!

Today, I’m sharing two creative ways to color the Altenew Spark Joy: Lily Bouquet using crisp stencil blending and loose, messy watercolor. Whether you are using a stamp, detailed dies, or hot foil plates, changing your pigment application dramatically shifts the energy of your handmade cards. And as you'll see, neither card went quite to plan!

Floral coloring techniques can completely change the vibe of your handmade cards, even when you're working with the exact same base design. By experimenting with different adhesives, cardstock textures, and ink types, you can stretch your craft supplies further while building your cardmaking skills.

For these two cards, I used the Altenew Spark Joy: Lily Bouquet Hot Foil Plate, coordinating stencils, and various scrapbooking techniques to explore two distinct styles:

• Elegant Detail: Creating crisp floral outlines with brass hot foiling for an elegant, metallic finish.

• Controlled Vibrancy: Using layered stencil ink blending on a crafting sticky mat to add bright, controlled color to petals and leaves.

• Color Tuning: Adjusting ink shades with additional blending layers when the original combination feels off.

• Fluid Artistry: Adding loose watercolor beyond the floral outlines for a relaxed, artistic effect.

• Dimensional Layering: Building texture and dimension with metallic splatters, foam adhesives, and raised cardstock panels.

• Display Ready: Creating unique cards suitable for gifting or storing in a card album or display album for handmade cards.

Stencil blending and watercoloring activate dyes in completely different ways! Dye inks used in stencil blending sit on top of paper fibers for crisp opacity, whereas watercolor pigments soak into the cotton fibers, allowing light to refract through multiple transparent layers. Using a small sticky mat while stenciling prevents micro-shifts, guaranteeing ultra-crisp edges every single time.

• Spark Joy: Lily Bouquet Hot Foil Plate & Coordinating Stencils

• One-Go: Solid Circular Sentiments (Stamp & Dies)

• Linear Crossroads Dies

• Nesting A2 Panels Dies

• Crafty Necessities: Misty Morning Cardstock

• Brass Hot Foil Roll

• Must-Have Gel Pen Set

• Mini Blending Brush Set

• Obsidian Pigment Ink

• Fresh Dye Inks (Cherry Blossom, Northern Shore, Jade Dreams, Sun-Kissed Delights, Golden Sunset, Red Cosmos, Green Fields)

• Small sticky mat or crafting sticky tile (for secure ink blending)

• Dimensional foam adhesives

For my first card, I combined brass hot foiling and stencil blending to create a crisp, bold floral design.

1. Hot Foil the Bouquet: Place white cardstock on your heat platform. Use brass foil with the Lily Bouquet Hot Foil Plate to transfer detailed floral outlines.

2. Secure & Blend: Secure the cardstock onto a sticky mat or crafting sticky tile. Align the coordinating stencils over the foiled outlines and blend bright dye inks onto the flowers and leaves using mini blending brushes. Layer deeper shades near the stem base for added dimension.

3. Prepare the Background: Die cut a Nesting A2 Panel using Misty Morning cardstock. Adhere it directly to the card base using strong liquid adhesives or double-sided tape.

4. Add Die-Cut Accents: Die cut two Linear Crossroads elements from white cardstock. Position and arrange these geometric accents beneath your fussy-cut floral bouquet.

5. Assemble the Card: Mount the bouquet using Instant Dimension Foam Tape. Finish with a bold black-and-white sentiment from the One-Go Solid Circular stamp and die set.

• Spark Joy: Lily Bouquet Hot Foil Plate

• One-Go: Solid Circular Sentiments (Stamp & Dies)

• Nesting A2 Panels Dies

• Premium Watercolor Paper Set

• Brass Hot Foil Roll

• Must-Have Gel Pen Set

• Obsidian Pigment Ink

• Watercolor Compact (Bold Ember)

• Artists' Watercolor 24 Pan Set

• Metallic Watercolor 14 Pan Set

• Foundation Brush Set & Palette

• Foam adhesives

For my second card, I used the exact same Lily Bouquet design but swapped the crisp stencil blending for a loose, expressive watercolor technique.

1. Hot Foil on Watercolor Paper: Transfer the Lily Bouquet design onto smooth watercolor paper using brass foil. The foil outline acts as a light barrier for fluid watercolor washes.

2. Apply Loose Watercolor: Load a round brush with pigment and wet the cardstock. Roughly paint the flowers and leaves, intentionally letting the color flow beyond the foil outlines for a soft, painterly feel.

3. Paint a Fluid Background: Wash soft blue watercolor around the outer perimeter of the bouquet, building pigment concentration near the flowers to make them pop.

4. Add Metallic Splatters: Tap your brush to splatter the panel with metallic brass and dark blue watercolor drops for textured background detail.

5. Assemble the Card: Trim the watercolored panel using nesting panels die. Double-pop the panel onto a clean white card base using foam adhesives for maximum shadow depth. Add your circular stamped sentiment to complete the layout.

PRO TIP: Trust the process! Loose watercoloring often looks chaotic in the middle stages. Don't throw away your panel—building up layered splatters and soft background washes will pull the entire design together in the end.

Altenew Fresh Dye Inks Used: Frosty Pink | Pinkalicious | Rubellite | Ruby Red | Chamomile | Peachy Glow | Golden Honeycomb | Amber Blaze | Melted Butterscotch | Polar Bear | Icy Water | Misty Sage | Mossy Meadow | Green Opal | Evergreen.

Want to see these step-by-step instructions in action? Watch the full video tutorial below to follow along with both coloring methods!

Save up to 55% off Stencils & Embossing Folders from October 20, 2026 at 12:01 AM EDT until October 22, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT. Shop here: https://altenew.com/collections/craft-room-staples (Exclusions Apply)

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