Believe in Yourself – A Whimsical Herb Garden Scene | Featuring Lavinia Stamps

There’s something truly magical about blending colors, layering silhouettes, and transforming stamps to fit your creative vision! For today’s card, I dove into a fantasy-inspired herb garden scene featuring Lavinia Stamps’ newest Herbs and Delights Collection. Using distress ink blending, masking techniques, and shimmer details, I created a whimsical world where Herbalum Bob tends to his enchanting herb garden beneath a vibrant sunrise sky.

If you’ve ever wanted to modify your stamps to fit your storytelling, this project will show you how! Let’s dive into the step-by-step process and unleash some creativity.

Supplies Used

Inks & Coloring:

• Distress Oxide Inks (Bundled Sage, Shabby Shutters, Seedless Preserves, Dusty Concord, Villainous Potion)

• Versafine Clair Ink in Nocturne (for Silhouettes)

• PanPastel (Titanium White)

• Posca Paint Pens (Sunrise Yellow, White, Lavender)

• Sakura White Gel Pen

  
  

Stamps:

• Lavinia Stamps:

  • Tree of Courage

  • Herbalum Bob (Modified)

  • Herb Garden Sign (Modified)

  • Rosemary (Small & Large)

  • Thyme & Rosemary Words (Rosemary words only)

    
    

Other Supplies:

• Lavinia Stamps' Hot Pressed Watercolor Card A4 White (cut to 5.5" x 4.25")

• Lavinia Stamps' Blenders (Regular), 4 Pack (for PanPastel)

• Lavinia Stamps' Journaling Stickers, Sentiments 6 (Believe in Yourself)

• Grass Stencil

• Masking Tape

• Gelly Roll Pen (White, 08)

• Foam Tape Strip

• A2 Card Base (5.5" x 8.5", scored at 4.25" on the 8.5" side)

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Ink Blend the Fantasy Sunrise

I started by blending Distress Oxide Inks onto my background, using Bundled Sage and Shabby Shutters for a sunrise glow, transitioning into Seedless Preserves, Dusty Concord, and Villainous Potion at the top for a deep twilight effect. I lightened the sun area with PanPastel Titanium White—this gives the sky an ethereal softness.

2. Stencil the Grass Silhouette

Using Grass Stencil from Taylored Expressions, I added a layer of black ink at the bottom of the card. This creates a strong contrast against the colorful background and sets the scene for our enchanted herb garden.

3. Stamping & Masking for a Seamless Scene

Next, I stamped the Tree of Courage on the left side, grounding the scene with a strong focal point.

Using masking techniques, I carefully altered Herbalum Bob by covering his watering pail and replacing it with the Herb Garden Sign. This made it appear as though he was holding the sign instead! I also masked parts of the sign to fit naturally into his hand.

4. Adding the Garden Elements

Once the masked elements were in place, I stamped Rosemary plants around Herbalum Bob, filling the foreground with lush "greenery." This added depth and reinforced the magical garden theme. I also stamped the Rosemary Words faintly across the background for an extra storytelling effect.

5. Highlighting with Posca Pens & Gel Pen

To bring out the magic, I used Posca Markers to add glowing orbs around Herbalum Bob—these could be fairies, floating energy, or just pure enchantment! ✨ I also used a white gel pen to highlight:

• The Herb Garden Sign for a 3D effect.

• Herbalum Bob to enhance his silhouette.

• The Tree of Courage, adding shimmering details to its branches.

  
  

Oh! And I gave Herbalum Bob a nose—a tiny touch that adds even more character!

6. Final Touches & Sentiment

To finish, I added the "Believe in Yourself" sentiment from Lavinia's Sentiment Stickers, popping it up with foam tape for dimension. The message ties in perfectly with the magical theme—after all, what’s more empowering than growing your own enchanted garden?

I adhered the final panel onto an A2 card base, and voilà—a whimsical herb garden scene full of magic and inspiration!

Watch the Tutorial

Want to see this card come to life step by step? Check out my YouTube video tutorial where I walk you through the entire process! Click here to watch and get inspired to create your own whimsical herb garden scene card.

Closing Thoughts

This card was so much fun to create! Between the masking techniques, textural layers, and glowing sunrise sky, it truly tells a story. I love how the Herbs and Delights Collection inspires new ways to mix and modify stamps, giving endless possibilities for crafting.

What do you think—would you create your own enchanted herb garden? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy crafting :)

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