Paper cast card for a swap

Joined a swap on AFTCM which involved creating a card that featured a paper cast made out of toilet paper.  I have made paper casts from bond paper in the past but have never tried this method so I did a bit of online research and found this tutorial.  I used an unmounted Magenta rubber stamp which I placed design side up on a plate.  I placed one sheet of toilet paper over it and used a wet sponge to mould it to the surface of the stamp.  I repeated this process six more times.  To get fine details in the final piece it is necessary to really get the paper into the recesses of the stamp so I used a little brush to tamp down the paper and left it overnight to dry.
Once dry, I applied a little bit of watercolour to highlight the flowers, leaves and ribbon. I was careful not to add too much water as it would dissolve the details in the paper cast.  I dried it with my heat gun and sprayed it with hair spray to protect it.  I trimmed the outside edge into a large oval shape.
I used a dark pink card front, added a black label and mounted a blue embossed frame over it which had been cut with the same label die (SX).  I added a dark pink ribbon across the middle and glued my paper cast over it framing it nicely in the opening.  Paper casts created with this method would be prone to delaminating so I added a few stitches through the paper cast to attach it more securely to the card front.  To finish it off I added a layered greeting using a word window punchie (SU) over a modern label punchie (SU).  I did find some tutorials which recommended adding glue to the water you used which would help prevent the delamination and would add some strength to the paper cast which may be a good idea for next time.  On hindsight, I expect that chalk would have been a very effective way of adding colour as well.
It is always fun to try new things!!  

Therese