The Flower Challenge #13

Hello everyone! Today I worked on a card for The Flower Challenge #13.  It's their first birthday and we are celebrating by using our favorite flower stamp or digital image. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that it changes all the time.  It tends to be the one I want to use or one that I've been using recently that is still sitting on my desk. Honestly, I love all flowers.  Since Pink is one of my favorite colors, I wanted to make a Pink Christmas Card. I saw a beautiful card made by Laurie Schmidlin that I just loved so she was the inspiration for today's card.

Not too long ago, I started following Gina K of Gina K Designs on YouTube and Stamp TV.  I got a newly released Merry & Bright Kit from the Gina K Designs Store found here. This kit has an incredible value of more than $130.00 for just 59.99 and I thought it would be a good way to sample some of the Gina K products. I only had a few other things previously - some of the foil mates collection of products along with a couple of packs of patterned paper.

In the kit, there are two large stamp sets, a pile of dies and a very nice selection of cardstock.  Oh my goodness - I am in love with the layering weight white cardstock.  It is so silky to the touch and takes stamped images incredibly well. With all the color choices available from the kit, it was the white that I started with. Jennifer McGuire said one time that she loved the "magic" of turning white cardstock into anything she wants it to be and I agree with that a lot. So I started with a half sheet of the layering weight white and stamped several of the poinsettia flowers and leaves on it.

I wasn't sure about what colors to use so I had to experiment a bit to get colors I wanted.  I ended up using Altenew Rose Quartz and Puffy Heart for my blooms.  I had ordered just two of the Gina K Mini Ink Cubes to try out in Cherry Red and Fresh Asparagus.  I love both of them but I knew I would really love that green.  It's kind of an in between color that I don't have in any other inks at this time.  It's darker than the New Leaf I often use, but not as yellow as the Ripe Avocado that I also use for foliage.  In fact, I am so taken with the Gina K Cardstock in the kit that I ordered a few more packs in colors that I don't have with any other company. I haven't received that package yet, so I can't report on the colors, but I ordered more of the Layering Weight White, Cherry Red, Fresh Asparagus, Edible Eggplant and some Gold Metallic Cardstock. I'll be sure to post a follow up when I receive my order and have time to try them out.

I stamped 2 large and 4 small blooms along with the large and small leaves that are a part of the set. Coordinating dies were included in the kit so I die cut everything and then started putting my card together. I used each of the two different sizes of the Avery Elle Postage Stamp Dies, cutting one from Hibiscus Burst Cardstock and the other from Gold Foil Cardstock. I stamped the sentiment (part of the stamp set in the Merry and Bright Kit) onto the layering weight white and heat set it with Simon Says Stamp Antique Gold Embossing Powder.  I die cut that with the smaller postage frame die so that I could insert that white piece into the gold frame.

Using a new to me technique, I held those pieces in place with Scor-Tape that went along that seam on both sides. Since Scor-Tape is such a strong adhesive, I knew there was no room for error in placement of the frame onto the Hibiscus Burst Frame which I had held together in the same way as the gold. I wanted to line up the bottom and right sides in the corner to leave room for my floral arrangement in the top left. I started pulling the release paper from each corner about 1 inch long and fold it with a right angle so that I could grab a hold of it to remove it all the way once the frame was in place. Then I placed the Hibiscus Burst Frame onto my top folding white card base with each strip of the Scor-Tape started in the same way.  Once the frame was in place, I pulled out the release paper the rest of the way and pressed it in place with my bone folder.  Then I started arranging my flowers loosely so that none of the sentiment would be covered up. I used the shorter leaves in the outside corner and saved the longer leaves for the rest of the arrangement.  For some added texture and dimension, I used a combination of Thin 3-D Foam Squares, regular foam squares and sticky dot runner adhesive. I went over the blooms and leaves with Wink of Stella Clear Shimmer Pen. I normally use shimmer mist after the ink has dried on my stamping, but I forgot this time until everything was already adhered so I did a quick coat of Wink of Stella.

Once I got the card put together, I wanted to add a special touch so I used some of my Swarovski Crystals in Aurora Borealis for the center of the flowers.  For the largest bloom, I used three crystals in the center and a single large crystal in the center of the two smaller blooms.  I also added a few to the sentiment panel to form a visual triangle and tie it all together.

I decided to just use a larger envelope for this particular card or I will make one.  They are really easy to do and I often make them for special cards.  There are only a few hours left for me to get this card uploaded to the challenge, so I better get moving.  I had so much fun creating this card and I plan to do a red version of it very soon! Thanks so much for stopping by today and I hope you'll come back soon.