Roses

I have been wondering what to put on my grandaughter's next birthday card.  She is seventeen next month.

I saw a tutorial on making paper roses on a blog recently and thought I'd give it a go. I didn't have any of the tools that were suggested - such as various punches and shaping tools -  so I improvised.

I made a paper pattern for large and small petals and a cup shape for the sepals which I then scanned in to my computer and traced in SCAL so that I could cut the petals, sepals  and leaves withmy Cricut.  I shaped the components using an ordinary embossing tool with a large ball, on a sponge stamping mat and used my normal tweezers to help shape the petals.

The tutorial used card to make the roses but I used ordinary white copy paper to make it all and coloured the leaves and sepals (they are there even if you can't see them)  with my Promarkers (Holly Green)  and the Letraset Airbrush. It worked quite well as the airbrush gave the leaves a sort of natural mottled appearance - luck not judgement. lol

I then coloured the petals with a sponge and several different ink pads to get a sort of pink and yellow shading. This is the result. I had to photograph it as of course it wouldn't fit into my scanner so it's not as clear as I would have liked but it gives an idea.

I mounted the rose and leaves on a plain white card which I had embossed and added a sentiment which I printed out on my computer.  I coloured the sentiment, first  using the airbrush and the same green Promarker (keeping it a long way away) and finishing  it by sponging lightly with the same inkpads as I used for the rose.

I like the simplicity of this card and hope Lauren will like it too. I think I'll have to make a box for it to go in though as it won't fit into an envelope.

The tutorial on making the roses is a very good one and there are some lovely cards there using different sorts of flowers  - there is a link to a video on the blog which I also watched. It was quite labour intensive to make the rose  but really enjoyable.

I found a piece of vellum that had been lying around for ages and tried making another rose using that. This is the result.

This hasn't made its way on to a card yet but  I think the vellum worked very well - saved a lot of colouring too although I don't think it's quite as realistic.  It's not quite as garish as this in real life though - it's the poor photography.  Now I'm on the search for suitable pieces of paper to make more......................... watch this space.

Hope you like my efforts.

Cards at Last.

Hi everyone - a long time since I've posted anything on here as I have found it very difficult to get into my craft room after it has been used as a storage space while we have been decorating - and has also been full of Christmas stash. I have at last taken the plunge and tidied a path to my desk.

I have decided, before I tackle anything else,  to look in my project basket and finish a few items that have been lingering in there for far too long  - waiting for me to complete them. I have managed to put two cards together.

The first one is an image by Sheena Douglass that I have used before - using the Paint Fusion technique. This particular image didn't get onto a card but I have at last mounted it, although because of the black edging this isn't really apparent in the photograph.

 I haven't added a sentiment as I think it would be suitable for a lot of different occasions.
                                                                         POPPIES

                                                                         
This second card is my attempt at using distress inks.  I must admit this is not my usual style but I thought I'd give it a go - I think that's why it has stayed in my project basket for so long - I'm not really sure it's my style - or that I am very pleased with it -  but I think it's good to try something different from time to time.  I do like the stamp though but I can't remember where it came from I'm afraid.

                                                                       BIRDS and CAGE

I haven't put a sentiment on this card either as  I think this can also be used for several different occasions.
I'd better go and have another look in my project box I guess and see what else I can find.