Sending Flowers and Thoughts

Inspiration: Hand Stamped Sentiments #323 and Color Throwdown #560

This card almost never made it to completion. Boy, did I ever struggle to find my footing with it! Worst part is, I had such a clear vision based on the sketch: use the Stitched Nested Labels for the sentiment, add three stitched roses to the side, use the Bed of Roses die for the background. Boom, done! Or so I thought... Sometimes, the best-laid plans just refuse to work out. First of all, while I love the look of the Stitched Roses stamp set from Waffle Flower, let's be honest: even with a stamping platform, this stamp side is tricky to get lined up perfectly. And it's a grid pattern so if it's crooked, it shows! My first two roses ended up in the recycling bin as they were not lining up. You know how I managed to get perfect roses? I got rid of the stamp platform and pulled out my Stamp-a-ma-jig! I kid you not - the jig got better results than the platform. Then I struggled with the placement of the leaves. I had to Google a video to try and figure out where those went - only to realize I had stamped my flowers to close to the edge to have room for the leaves. roll eyes Yup, I was having one of those days. So I stamped the leaves on another cardstock and cut them out separately.

For the background, I die-cut red cardstock with the Bed of Roses die. Initially, I used my regular cutting plate and I was having to poke out the pieces one by one and struggling to get them out. So I realized that I should have used my precision plate and that if I was going to do that, I should also put adhesive sheet on the back right away to save myself a tricky gluing job. A while back, I've invested in the Chrome precision plate and this is the best tool that could have happened for die-cutting. The difference between the first and second cut was remarkable Even though I had added adhesive sheet, the pieces of the second die-cut fell out the second I lifted the cardstock up. I didn't have to struggle with it, I just bent it a few times and I was done. So I added it to my grey cardstock base and I wasn't sure about the result. I then figured I could use a background stamp on the card base before layering the die-cut. I went looking through my stamps and picked up Fine Lace, a background stamp from Stampin' Up! that probably retired a decade ago. It worked out great, and added just the right touch of texture without bringing the focus to the background.

For the sentiment, I also had a clear idea and was hoping the Genuine Gems stamp set would work. It was the perfect size, so I stamped it in grey - and thought it looked very blah. I love the sentiments in this set, but here's my beef: I wish the sentiment that reads "I sent out positive thoughts in the universe for you" was written in a prettier font. The grungy font seems a weird match for me. I kept thinking the empty letter would look better in color and I kept thinking about paper piecing the letters but they are so small and delicate, I knew it wouldn't work out well. Then I realized I could stamp the word on a white strip and color it with markers. I initially used a Stampin' Write marker on the first letter but remembered I had Stampin' Blends alcohol markers in the right green shade so I pulled them out and did an ombre look on the letters. That immediately made the sentiment look better, so I started working on placement for the roses and couldn't find anything that worked well and this is where I gave up on the card. Sometimes, you need to step back and reassess later so I picked a clear envelope, threw all the pieces in there and decided to work on something else.

A few days went by before I picked up the envelope again, spread all the pieces and gave it another good ol' try. The difference this time is that I hid one of the big roses behind the panel. It instantly changed the balance and that's the moment I decided there was hope yet for this design. Having the colored letters also added a touch of brightness to the card, so I got going on gluing everything together, using one layer of dimensionals for the red rose and two for the small yellow rose. The card was all done and I was working on the envelope when I spotted the new red trim sold in the current Holidays catalogue. I didn't purchase that line of product, but I had to have the trim. I love the texture and the fact that it's not too bulky (we've had gorgeous woven trim in the past, but it was so thick, it made it tricky to incorporate on cards. This one is slimmer and very nice-looking.) The bow and the added enamel heart gave a bit of shine and texture to the card and at that moment, I decided this card was not a dud after all. Thank goodness creating is not always that hard, otherwise I would have given on paper crafts a long time ago!

(If you wonder what the color combination is on the flowers, I've used those three combos:

1. Poppy Parade + Reasl Red + Cherry Cobbler
2. So Saffron + Daffodil Delight + Sahara Sand
3. So Saffron + Daffodil Delight+ Crushed Curry)

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Fine Lace, Quand les mots manquent (Genuine Gems - Stampin' Up!); Stitched Roses (Waffle Flowers)
Cardstock: Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green, Basic Grey, Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Basic Grey, Granny Apple Green, So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Crushed Curry, Sahara Sand,
Real Red, Poppy Parade, Cherry Cobbler (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Bed of Roses (Essentials by Ellen); Stitched Nested Labels (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Real Red 1/8" Curly Ribbon, Subtles Enamel Shapes, Stampin' Dimensionals, Flower Punch Bundle,
Granny Apple Green Stampin' Blends Marker Combo (Stampin' Up!); A2 Anthracite Metallic Envelope (envelopes.com)

 

Comments

[Genevieve Valdes]

I too have had days where I kept making mistakes and forgetting to use the precision plate when die cutting intricate patterns. However, in the end it all turns out okay. You're card is lovely! I love how you combined the needlepoint roses with the rose cut out background. You have so many beautiful textures. Thank you for joining us at Hand Stamped Sentiments.

[Debbie Mageed]

Oh, Cindy, your cards are always wonderful! The background die really makes this card. Love it so it's worth all the pokes you had to do!! Thank you for playing with us at Hand Stamped Sentiments and hope you can join us again real soon.

[Robbie]

Lots of interest in this card. Love the die cut background. Thanks for playing with us at HSS.

[Jenny Engelke]

Well, this is a WOW card!!!! I absolutely love those stitched roses and I'd have never thought about pairing them up with the rose diecut background, although it looks fabulous! Such gorgeous colors too! Thanks for playing with us at HSS!