A Note to Brighten Your Day

May 25, 2026

Happy Memorial Day, and welcome back!

I hope everyone in the United States is enjoying a wonderful long holiday weekend as we celebrate Memorial Day today.

I’m excited to share a brand-new card project for Dare 2B Artzy!

Have you ever had one of those creative moments where everything suddenly clicks? That’s exactly what happened while making this card.

Recently, I purchased a large set of acrylic markers to paint 3D-printed items, but I wanted to see if I could incorporate them into my cardmaking as well. If you’ve ever used acrylic markers, you know they work beautifully on surfaces like plastic, ceramics, and even rocks. Since I’ve been using alcohol markers for over 12 years, I naturally tried coloring stamped images with the acrylic markers the same way I would with alcohol markers.

Well… that did not go very well!

Acrylic markers simply don’t blend like alcohol markers, and the results left me frustrated. But then I had a breakthrough — instead of treating them like alcohol markers, I began using them more like watercolors by adding water and “painting” with them.

That changed everything.

I instantly fell in love with the process, and it opened up a whole new creative possibility for me.

To begin, I stamped all of my images onto Neenah 110 lb Solar White cardstock using the waterproof Totally Black Ink from Dare 2B Artzy.

I selected a few colors from my Infinart Acrylic Markers and started working on the flowers from the Let Hope Bloom stamp set. Beginning with a light orange shade, I scribbled a bit of color directly onto my glass work surface. Then I sprayed a small puddle of water nearby with my spray bottle, though a cup of clean water would work just as well.

Using a fine detail paintbrush, I dipped into the water, picked up some of the acrylic color, and carefully painted the petals of the cone flowers. Once those were complete, I repeated the process with an olive green shade for the leaves.

After laying down the base colors, I moved on to adding depth and dimension with darker shades. I used a deeper orange-red tone to build shadows and details, layering the colors gradually. I quickly discovered how beautifully these markers could layer when used this way. The only real limitation was the cardstock itself since I wasn’t working on watercolor paper.

Once all of the images from the Let Hope Bloom, Woodland Friends, and Floral Fawn stamp sets were colored, I used the coordinating dies to cut everything out.

For the card base, I used a half sheet of Neenah Solar White cardstock cut to 5½” x 8½”. I positioned the Horizontal Center Step Die onto the cardstock and ran it through my die-cutting machine. After carefully folding along the score lines, I reinforced the folds with a bone folder for crisp edges.

Next, I used the coordinating dies to cut patterned paper from the Little Wonders paper pack and adhered the pieces to each section of the center-step card.

For the focal background, I cut the layering square from Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper. I created a soft blue sky by applying a light watercolor wash using the same acrylic marker technique on my glass mat.

Once the background was dry, I arranged the flowers from the Floral Fawn stamp set and added the adorable squirrel (or maybe chipmunk!) sitting on the tree stump with dimensional foam adhesive to create depth.

The cone flowers from the Let Hope Bloom set were added to each side of the center panel using liquid glue.

To finish the sentiment, I cut a strip of darker blue cardstock and heat embossed the phrase, “A little note to brighten your day.” I used the coordinating die to cut it out and attached it to the card front.

I had one tiny acorn image left, so I added it beside the sentiment for an extra whimsical touch.

For the final bit of sparkle, I placed small iridescent gems in the centers of the blue flowers.

This project was such a joy to create, especially because it led to a creative breakthrough with a new medium. I’m already looking forward to using this watercolor-style acrylic marker technique again.

I hope today’s card inspires you to experiment with something new too! If you’ve never tried acrylic markers this way, you may discover a technique you absolutely love.

As always, I’ll have all of the products used in today’s project linked below for your convenience at no additional cost to you should you choose to shop through my links.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Hugs,
Tonya