Thank you all for the wonderful comments. Simply put, I used Stampin' Pastels and Q-Tips. I guess the secret is to use very little color and keep adding til you get the effect that you want. For the itty bitty parts (ie the hats and birds) I used blender pen dipped into the pastels. I sealed with Krylon Matte finish. Always remember to tell your lucky recipients just to wipe clean with a damp cloth, but I think most people know this. Thanks again.