I've had so many folks asking me about the Retiform Technique so I thought I'd share this 'oldie but goodie' that  Heather Scott  featured on her blog long ago!

For this card I used the Sunflower from the Flowers and Holly set Stamped it just off the center slighty tilted in Black ink on tan or Kraft Card Stock.

Then I used Moss ink to create the grid around the sunflower - I always create the square around this image first - so that I can see what I am doing best. I lay my scrap paper off to the left of the image aligning it how I like and then pull ink from my Moss ink pad with a sponge. Sponge ink onto the card drawing ink from on top of the scrap paper off onto the card. Be sure to hold this paper in place and not to let it move. Do a line down the whole card.

Now I turned the card upside down and did the same for the other side of the flower. Laying the scrap on the left side (which is the right side if the card was not upside down) of the flower again and pulling ink across the scrap paper onto your card.











Once I have these two lines Now I need to do the outside of the grid - And for this I used Golden Wheat. I covered up my flower and pulled ink first down away and then up and away from the flower using the same scrap paper as my mask. Always make the lines go fully across the card. Next I need to make the outside of the focal point grid a nice color. I used Navy for this flower by simply covering the flower with my scrap and lining it up with the first Moss line I did. Pull Navy ink with a sponge out and away to the right and then to the left of the grid.










Once you are satisfied with your grid you can then start stamping the grid blocks. You want each block to be different. Using the scrap paper and post-it notes mask off one grid block at a time and stamp in each one. Then mask that off and stamp in the next. I use matching ink in some and contrasting ink in others. The Botanical stamps are great for this technique because you have the Mini , fullsize and oopsie size of each flower. You will notice that in the bottom right grid I stamped my greeting in full strenght Navy ink - and then the rest of the block is stamped with the left over ink on the stamp - it really made the greeting pop out!

Last I colored in my image in the middle and added a little more moss green to that part of the grid.






I hope you will try this technique! It really is fun and easy!  ~Heather



Happy Paper Crafting!

Mischelle