Reflection Technique

One of the techniques we did in my card class last month was the reflection technique. There is an excellent tutorial from the splitcoaststamping forums HERE that was written by Beate Johns. You really should check out her blog as she is the queen of tutorials and an awesome stamper!! Anyway, whatever technique we do that night, we are challenged to make another card using that technique and bring it back the following month to be entered in for a draw. So, I set to work considering a different idea to use the reflection technique with.....I've already done trees, boats, and snowmen. I thought that a butterfly looking into a pool of water might work... and cattails... an image formed in my mind and this is what I ended up with. I'm not really sure I like it afterall... but it took a ton of time and energy to make, that's for sure. I started out stamping the main butterfly in basic black. Then, I cut a mask for him so I could stamp the cattails (a stamp I bought from Cornish Heritage Farms) around where the pond would be. Then, using the acetate, I stamped the reflection image of the butterfly, and some reversed cattails at the opposite side of the pond. Next, I used my Close to Cocoa marker and drew in some extra details around the water's edge. I colored in the butterflies with my prismacolor pencil crayons and used oderless thinner to blend the colors together (called gamsol magic technique on splitcoaststampers). Then, using a watercolor brush and my ink pads (Soft Sky and Mellow Moss) I added just a touch of color to the water, sky, and ground. I added a sentiment from the Happy Harmony set. I cut this image out with my coluzzle, and then added some black cardstock behind the oval. Using a small scallop scisssor, I cut around the image to make a scallop mat. I then placed this onto a Mellow Moss card that was stamped with the retired French Script background using Versamark so that it was a subtle effect. I really thought the image was so busy that nothing more should be added. I'm not sure the reflection image is in the right place... it should have probably gone more directly under the top butterfly but I was thinking of him looking down upon himself... well, anyway... there you go!!