INTERACTIVE FLORAL POCKET

Hi friends!

Playing along with this WORD ART WEDNESDAY challenge

Anything Goes including verse prompt Weeks #768-769

(ends 9/15)

and this challenge BEAUTIFUL BLOSSOMS Anything Floral Goes with Optional Mood Board #44 (ends 9/12)

SOME DETAILS

This older wood mounted stamp has narrow flaps on all sides, except the top, that can be folded under to make an actual pocket.

The bandana was made by cutting two pieces of patterned paper randomly peaked as shown. The edges were brushed with some Distress Aged Paper ink. 

SUPPLIES

pocket stamp with foldable flaps - Limited Edition wood mounted #LE6087

large sentiment stamp - Paper Trey Ink Phrases & Praises clear set

small sentiment stamp - Gina K. Tall Stems clear set

flower dies - Spellbinders Little Blooms die set #S2-380

stitched frame die - MFT Die-namics Wonky Stitch Rectangles die set #MFT-0839

random flat back rhinestones 

Thanks for stopping in today!

BEE WREATH

Hi friends!

I have another new Alphabet Challenge DT card, following our current theme, I is for Insects. You still have lots and lots of time to play along, and you can enter up to three times any handcrafted items featuring the theme. 

 

I introduced some die cut vintage sheet music to my card for a little unobtrusive visual texture

Playing along with this WORD ART WEDNESDAY challenge #766-767 (ends 8/31?)

and this INKSPIRATIONAL challenge (ends 8/28)

and this THE PICK 3 challenge, choosing Wreath, Stamping and Insects (ends 8/18)

SOME DETAILS

 Wreath was die cut from an old discarded hymnal page. 

The center area of the card base was blended with some Distress yellow ink before gluing the wreath in place. 

Bees were foam mounted. 

Flower stamens were highlighted with white gel pen.

SUPPLIES

flowers and bees stamps and dies - Hero Arts Kit January 2021 #MH0121C

sentiment stamp - Creative Worship #SNS-14-006 The Future

wreath die - Spellbinders Shapeabilities #S4-572 Wreath

sheet music

alcohol ink markers

white gel pen

Thanks for stopping in today, and I can’t wait to see what you create!

TRI-PANELED WITH BRANCH

Hi friends!

Playing along with this TRY A SKETCH ON TUESDAY challenge

(ends 8/30)

Hope it’s okay that I swapped the panels of color out for panels of different embossed patterns! 

 

SOME DETAILS

Three different folders were used to emboss the three panels to fit the design as shown. The notebook paper was enhanced with a bit of spiral punching along one edge. 

The branch with flowers was blended with distress inks, and highlighted with white gel pen and a few flat back rhinestones. 

Sentiment was die cut from textured pink card stock and mounted on the shadow cut from vellum.

*TIPS*

In order to raise up lettering with vellum, I like to cut two or three of the skinny letters from scrap white card stock, stack them, and apply on the underside of the vellum to give the whole sentiment height without anything showing through.

To color in skinny die cuts like this, I like to use a small blender brush to color it while it is still in the surrounding card stock on the die cutting pad after going through the die cutting machine. 

SUPPLIES

branch die - Memorybox #98470 Blooming Vine

sentiment dies - Spellbinders #S4-1312 Serenade Sentiments

embossing folders - notebook page -Sizzix, flowers - Cuttlebug, leaves - unknown

notebook spiral punch - EK Success

vellum 

flat back rhinestones

Thanks for stopping in today!

BIRTHDAY FLORALS

 

Hi friends!

Playing along with this FRESHLY MADE SKETCHES challenge by Jen B

(ends 8/17)

Digging into the dark card stock today to pack a punch with my yellow flowers! It’s a deep purplish blue in real life. 

This stamp set with dies is new to me and I love it! It has it all! I usually pull from various companies for card making sessions, but it was so nice to not need to for a little change. And I’m always so impressed by how clean the Stampin’ Up! dies release the cuttings - such great quality. 

 

SOME DETAILS

The included background petals die was used twice, end-to-end, to get the perfect sized diagonal for this sketch. 

I brushed a bit of yellow ink on white card stock for the main flower bodies. 

The last flower on the branch is foam mounted. 

The sentiment is stamped in dark purple ink, tho it probably appears black here. 

SUPPLIES

 all stamps and dies - Stampin’ Up! Delightful Wishes polymer set and coordinating dies

Thanks for stopping in today!

FAUX WATERCOLOR PETALS

Hi friends!

Playing along with this BEAUTIFUL BLOSSOMS challenge 

Anything Floral Goes with Optional INSPO photo #43 (ends 8/1)

and this TRIPLE B: BIRDS, BUTTERFLIES & BLOOMS challenge 

with Optional INSPO photo (ends 7/31)

I came across this beautiful technique on the YouTube channel Positively Papercraft. The video is titled 5 Ways with Vellum (from about two months ago).

It’s incredibly hard to get a true-to-life picture of this card, but I did my best. 

THE PROCESS

Starting off: To create the colored vellum paper (above) used for the flower, I colored in short stripes of various alcohol markers. When the sheet was full of color, I spayed it with isopropyl alcohol - a bit too much, I think, and a couple marker colors weren’t dark enough. My header does mention arty experiments, and I like to bring projects to you as I go along, even when they aren’t perfect. 

As the alcohol was drying, I stenciled a white panel with orange and purple inks to pick up the colors in the petals. 

After the ink was dry, I applied the double sided adhesive to the brighter side of the vellum (shown above), leaving the backing sheet on. I stamped the flower in Versamark ink on the duller side of the vellum and then heat embossed it with detail black powder.  (I think I may have been a bit too heavy-handed with the anti-static powder because some parts of the lines rubbed off and I had to fill them in with a black sharpie fine point marker.)

The flower was die cut, and applied to the card front as shown, over the stenciling. 

Finishing up: The sentiment was die cut from gold glitter card stock, and adhered as shown. As soon as it was in place, I had instantaneous gluer’s remorse - I wished I had scooted it over further into the purple to have the front of the H over the stem. But Bearly Art glue has a remarkably fast drying time on paper. A few gold flat back gems were glued on near the petals.The decorative panel was mounted to a pale purple panel, and then onto the white card front

SUPPLIES

flower stamp & die - Altenew Wonderland set

hello die - Altenew Simply Hello

distressed dots stencil - Stampers Anonymous TH Collection Bubble #THS002

alcohol markers

isopropyl alcohol

vellum

double-sided thin adhesive 

gold flat back gems

gold glitter card stock

Thanks for stopping in today!

CLOSE-UP ROSE

Hi friends!

Playing along with this COLOR HUES challenge (ends 7/29)

and this FRESHLY MADE SKETCHES challenge (ends 7/20)

I really love the look of a square card but almost never make them. Something about putting a square card in a rectangular envelope hurts my brain (see Monk ‘Secret Santa’ episode. You’ll thank me later 😂)

 

THE PROCESS

To start: I spritzed a piece of 6 x 6 white Neenah card stock with a water mister and ran it through the embossing machine with the rose folder. I pressed it lightly between two acrylic panels to dry as flat as possible while still retaining the deep flower embossing.

I die cut two different size nesting squares at the same time on shiny black card stock to get a narrow frame. 

I also die cut the smaller square from a large heavy weight cardstock (in a color I hate and will never use up otherwise!) to use as the template to color in the center. This was done by using a blender brush and a red ink pad. 

I mounted the frame on heavy weight card stock strips and glued it centered on the red as shown.

*TIP of the Day*

When attaching anything paper-related directly to embossed panels, I’ve found it works best to use strips of heavy weight card stock vs. foam as the dimensional - it will be less likely to conform to the ridges of embossing. It’s a pesky nuisance when the layered elements all follow the contours accidentally.

I used a black Versafine ink and clear detail embossing powder for the sentiment to refer back to the shine of the frame. Very pleasantly visually textured in person. 

To finish: I used the rub-on sheet to transfer a butterfly to white card stock, which I fussy cut and mounted as shown. Solid shiny white sequins highlight the sentiment in a demure fashion 😁

SUPPLIES

sentiment stamp - Anna Griffin

butterfly rub-on - Brea Reese Press %& Design Butterflies

square dies - Spellbinders Nestibilities Classic Squares

embossing folder - Altenew Rose Bellevue3D

red ink pad - Stampin’ Up! Ruby Red

black ink pad - Versafine Onyx Black

solid sequins - Gina K Clear Quartz

clear detail embossing powder

gold metallic, red & glossy black card stock

Thanks for stopping in today!

FAITH TULIPS

Hi friends!

Playing along with this CAS ON FRIDAY Challenge 

#338 / Use Dies & Word Stamps

(ends 7/22)

I’m not sure how I feel about this tulip die set. It was purchased pre-loved, but this is its first outing with me. There are a couple things one could do differently next time to improve perspective, etc, and I think cutting from a handmade watercolor wash would be beautiful.

 

PROCESS

To start: The white panel was die cut with the ornate distressed openwork corner pattern and glued to a white card. 

*TIP of the Day*

With openwork fancy dies, just a dab of glue at each main juncture, and then around the entire edge of the pattern, is enough to keep it flush to the base. I like to place a large acrylic block over the card while it’s drying to keep it weighted down and drying flatly. 

Tulip parts were die cut from colored card stock and shaded a bit with ink blending before gluing together. Some glitter glue was added to the lower half of the flowers. 

To finish: Green leaves/stem piece was glued flat, and flower heads were mounted with foam tape. I used a thicker rectangle piece vertically in the center of each, and thinner strips on each side to get a rounded effect. 

Sentiment was stamped directly onto the card front in a dark pink ink. 

SUPPLIES

sentiment stamp - Creative WorshipThe Future #SNS-14-006

tulip layering dies - unmarked

ornate distressed corner die - Sizzix Tim Holtz Thinlits #660220

Thanks for stopping in today!

SUNRISE WILDFLOWERS.

Hi friends!

Playing along with this MAKE MY MONDAY CHALLENGE

#291 Blend 2 or 3 Colors (ends 7/11).

I was inspired by the flower theme Billie and Caz had going, and the arch used by Dawn. I’ve always loved this image because of the variation in petals - delicate and airy to solid - and it seemed perfect in white. 

TECHNIQUES

I blended three Distress Oxide inks, then spritzed lightly with the distress spray (it really only shows up well in the yellow area). I coated the panel thoroughly with anti-static powder because I was too impatient to wait for appropriate drying time, then heat embossed the flowers in Versamark and white embossing powder. To help tie in the brown elements, and provide a sense of perspective, I stamped dots in SU Crumb Cake at the base, and dotted the area with a brown fine tip marker and a white gel pen. 

*TIPS*

Sometimes an embossed panel will look better, and lay flatter, when flipped to the reverse side. 

The only way to tie a perfect bow for a length of twine is all by itself, and then glue it on 😂

SUPPLIES

wildflower stamp - Stampendous Agapanthus Cluster #P107

 random dots stamp -unmarked, from a set of older wood mounted

arched die - SpellbindersArch Labels and Tags #S5-624

hello die - Spellbinders Simon Hurley Foliage Hello #S2-382

embossing folder - Spellbinders Sun Rays #SES-021

twine

white gel pen

Distress Oxide inks & spray

SU Crumb Cake ink pad & darker brown marker

white embossing powder

Thanks for stopping in today!

SPLIT FLORALS.

 Hi friends!

I was inspired by a new-to-me technique blog GROUP OF CARDMAKERS 

This month’s focus is on a Split Card technique. Technically both of these florals should be the same color scheme but I stamped the image onto the middle of two 8.5” x 5.5” white panels of cardstock and then trimmed them into four separate panels before coloring them 😂 Go to their blog and follow the directions better than I did to save yourself some time!

 

Set 1:

 

Playing along with this JUST ADD INK challenge:

(ends 5/20)

UPDATE!

Set 2:

Playing along with this BEAUTIFUL BLOSSOMS challenge:

(ends 6/12).

Playing along with this STENCIL FUN challenge

(ends 5/30).

I outlined one of the florals with neutral marker to help camouflage a minor marker outside the lines situation and liked it enough to do a few that way. My coloring wasn’t that fabulous overall so I used some stencils and matching inks to blend patterns around the florals for interest, leaving some space open for a soft halo effect. 

 

SUPPLIES

stamp - JRL Designs #V 126 Paris Floral

Strength sentiment stamp - MFT #CS-156 Deepest Sympathy set

Trust sentiment stamp - Stampendous! #SSC1428 Floral Prayer set

Joy sentiment stamp - unmarked clear set

Blessing sentiment stamp - Stampin’ Up! Blessings of Home set

circles stencil - StampersAnonymous Tim Holtz Collection

squares stencil - StampersAnonymous Tim Holtz Collection

enamel dots and sequins - random

Thanks for stopping in today!