Flowers

Flowers for a summer day.

This card uses two Impression Obsession stamps and Distress Oxide with an embossing resist technique.

Supplies

LinkDeli.com

Putting It Together

A week ago, after getting home from a local scrabooking store's garage sale (Country Lane), while looking through the additions to my stash I started just 'playing' with some of the new-to-me items. That became the genesis of this card. At that garage sale I had bought two Impression Obsession stamps, one of the a Cover-A-Card (score!), and an embossing powder that was so long ago retired I couldn't even find it anywhere online!

The embossing powder is labeled Plum Pearls Transparent. I suspected it would be kind of like an interference colour and so bought it. I tried it on watercolour card stock, because it was handy, using my newly acquired Script background stamp and on black with a different background stamp. On white, or nearly white, it has a barely perceptible purple sheen to the pearl, especially when you turn it to catch in the light. On black, it comes to full life and is a gorgeous purple pearl. It is exactly like an interference. I didn't get a photo the embossing alone on the white, but the black can be seen in another project, Party On!. The white became the beginning of this project.

Since I was still just experimenting and 'playing', I decided to try the resist technique with the new Oxide distress inks. I blended on splotches of inks.

I heat dried the first colours and blended on some more splotches, flicked on some water, and spritzed gold Perfect Pearls. I lightly wiped the ink off the embossing. The embossing resist technique works beautifully with the Oxides.

On a whim, I decided to use the other Impression Obsession stamp I bought at the garage sale, Double Daisies, and stamped it in black. 

I liked it but wasn't entirely sure I liked it a lot and set it on the back of my desk to return to later. Last night was that later. I had been looking at it all week and last night it begged to be finished.

Using some more Oxide ink and a waterbrush, I added a subtle bit of colour to the flowers to bring them up from the background a bit while still having the background visible through them. It was the perfect touch.

I debated stopping right here and framing the piece. I also debated adding a vertical sentiment on the left (since the flowers weren't perfectly centred). But decided instead to trim the panel a little from the top and the left, distress it, and put it on a card (which could easily be framed).

I first added some more Vintage Photo to the edges. 

Then I used the Paper Distresser tool to rough up the edges. I really like this little tool. It's rather fun to use. 

The all roughed up panel looked perfect and made my heart happy.

I added a bit of hemp twine to tie up the flowers and adhered the panel to a white top folding card base. 

Inside, I simply added part of one of the flowers, stamping it off a corner. The rest I left blank because I couldn't think of a single sentiment I wanted to lock this card to. Like this it could be used for anything. 

Challenges

Impression Obsession: Friendly Florals

The Paper Shelter: Flower Power

Art Impressions: Let's Distress

Crafting From the Heart: Anything Goes

Penny's Paper-Crafty: Anything Goes