Sepia Sweetie

Hello

A warm and humid day here in Oxfordshire so that means thunderstorms later!  Oh well apparently we have 10 years of this to look forward to so that will be nice!!?!!

So to today’s card.  I made this because it was an itch I had to scratch; meaning that it was an idea in my head that refused to go away.  I wanted to create something that might resemble an old photo, sepia rather than black and white.  I knew the image I wanted to use: Sylvia Zet’s gorgeous Sweet Blossom and that I wanted it to be surrounded by an ornate frame.  So I had to get on with it before it drove me mad!

I call this card ‘Sweet’ in Sepia.

I do love to colour in.  It must be the most relaxing thing imaginable, and watching a simple outlined image come to life is something very special indeed.  It gives you the sense that you are the artist.  I am a migraine sufferer and had one at the time of creating this card but the whole process so took me over that I can barely remember suffering any pain at all.  Does that mean that crafting should be prescribed by the NHS, “Crafting to be taken 3 times a day after meals”?  Would Boots have to stock stamps and pens?  Worth a thought I think.

I coloured Sweet Blossom with Promarkers and Flexmarkers.  I have to admit that I did struggle somewhat with her hair but I think it turned out all right in the end.  I stamped and cut the Heartfelt Creations Posy Patch flowers using some of the paper already used in the mats and layers and glittered them using Debbi Moore’s fab Kaleidoscope glitter.  So many colours in this stuff it’s beautiful.

I used the Spellbinders Elegant Labels 4 die to cut my frame and inked it with Vintage Photo DI then backed it with brown card to emphasis the design.  I love this die.  It’s a wonderful size and just the ornate look I had in my head.

I made the rose sitting on the bow using the Sizzix 3D Flower Bigz die (I always make my own flowers where I can), and felt I needed to glitter that too.  All in all I think I fulfilled my original vision for this card.  I love these colours and it is my first foray into single colour-family card making.  I will be doing it again.

Yummy glitter.

 Sorry, lots of photos.  Can you tell I like this one?

Basic recipe:

            8 x 8” Card Blank

            Image: ‘Sweet Blossom’ by Sylvia Zet printed onto Neenah Solar White card

            Promarkers & Flexmarkers

            Brown, Cream & Matt Gold Cardstock

            Papermania papers

            Crochet Ribbon                     

            Brown Silky Crush Ribbon

Dies: Spellbinders - Elegant Labels 4 & Labels 4 & Heartfelt Creations Posy Patch – Cheery Lynn Fanciful Flourish – Sizzix 3D Flower Bigz Die - Tattered Lace corners

Stamps: Heartfelt Creations Daisy Patch – sentiment from Kanban

Debbi Moore Kaleidoscope Glitter (Burnt Orange I think)

Gilding Wax (for the tips of the flowers)

Tonic small flower punch

So there it is.  I hope you like it.  I am very proud of it.

Smiling always (but just seen the black clouds)!

Jane x