Everyday Expressions

Hi Everyone! It’s a quiet Monday and I’ve spent much of the day working on this pretty card the Fusion Card Challenge, Woodgrain Neutral. I loved the inspiration picture and decided to fuse the picture with the sketch for my card.

Once again, I’ve tapped into my mixed media side for this card, and I like the way it turned out. It’s fun and crazy, but a little soft at the same time. I began with a wood-look paper from Simon Says Stamp’s June Card Kit. I distressed the edges and blended distress ink around the outside. Next I stenciled using weathered wood and antique linen DI and Wendy Vecchi’s Polka Dotty stencil.

Then I stamped with third or fourth generations of Prima Finnabair Don’t Forget to Fly stamps with VersaFine black ink. . Next I rubbed soft gelato tones of white, gray, brown, gold, and peach over the stamped and stenciled paper. I am so in love with gelatos right now! I like how they can completely change the look of a background.

I created the flower by stamping Altenew’s Beautiful Day peony three times on Tim Holtz watercolor paper in black VersaFine ink, and then used the layering stamps in tattered rose and Victorian velvet DI. I misted the flowers with water to soften the layering effect, dried with the heat gun, and then fussy cut each of them. For a three dimensional effect, I cut the individual petals of each flower and then folded/molded each petal to resemble the curve of real peony petals. (Peonies are one of my favorite spring flowers. I knew that I had to have this stamp set from Altenew as soon as I saw it!) Next I used a Fantastix to add hickory smoke DI to the outer edge of the petals, but decided they looked dull. So I added antique linen Distress Paint to the outer petal edges, and then covered with Wink Of Stella.

I wanted lots of texture on this card because I thought the soft colors of the flower and background need excitement. I would have liked to use black burlap but didn’t have any. So I had to settle on torn corrugated cardstock. I covered it with modeling paste, and sped up the drying process with the heat tool. Then I painted with black Dina Wakely acrylic paint, and used foam dots to adhere to the woodgrain panel.

I splattered everything with antique linen, black soot, and tarnished brass Distress Paints and Stain. (I’m beginning to think I’m not happy with any project unless I can stencil and splatter on it!)

I found this cool Picasso quote online, and decided it was a good fit for my unconventional peony card. I wrote everything except for “real” in white gel pen on black cardstock, cut it out, adhered with foam dots, and outlined with antique white DP. I shaded with Faber Castell PITT Big Brush pen in black and a Fantastix. The “real” letters are American Crafts Thickers, and I outlined them with black Copic marker before lightly painting with antique linen DP. I added Glossy Accents to “real”, adhered the flower, and added black Viva Perlen-Pen to the middle of the flower. Finally the whole piece was taped onto a black Simon Says Stamp card base that I had brushed the corners with VersaMark and brushed with gold Ranger Perfect Pearls.

So…what do you think? I really like this card. I used a new stamp set in kind of an unconventional way, and it came out exactly like I had pictured it in my mind. Thanks for stopping by today! Love and artsy hugs!

Erin