Ornate Garden - Stampers Showcase Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to another Stampers Showcase Blog Hop.  This month our theme is 'Summertime, Summertime'.

If you are starting here with me or have just hopped over from Marita Dreissen in Germany, welcome - thanks for hopping along with us!

Summertime for me means lots of pretty flowers and long, hot and hazy days (hopefully).  I decided to use the large image from the Ornate Style stamp that has lots of pretty flowers that are just perfect for lots of different colouring techniques.

Because the image is so large I used my Stamparatus which was easier to find in my craft room at the moment than a large block.

Here are the colours I used for my project - I took them from the DSP that is also part of the Ornate Garden Suite.  (I used Daffodil Delight because I don't have Bumble Bee yet).

Daffodil Delight

Early Espresso

Mint Macaron

Old Olive

Terracotta Tile

Here is my project.

You will need:
21 cm x 14.5 cm Mint Macaron - scored at 10.5 cm
10 cm x 14.5 cm ww thick
10 cm x 14 cm ww (insert)
Small pieces of Old Olive and thick ww for die cutting

To create the decorative panel:
I used the thick ww panel and one of the Ornate Border dies to create decorative edges on both sides of the panel.

Top Tip
I find it much easier to use grid paper when trying to line long dies up - it helps to make sure they are not wonky!  I also use a small pieces of low tack tape to hold the die in place as there is nothing worse than a die that slips is there?

Die cut a border on both long edges.  The nice thing about this particular die is that you can save the leftover pieces for another project as they have pretty scallopped edges!

The heat embossing:
I used an Embossing Buddy on the ww panel and then stamped the flowers with Versamark ink, added some white embossing powder and heat set.  I love heat embossing - it's like alchemy!

The watercolouring:
I used an Aqua Painter with ink from the lids of the colours shown above.  I didn't have time for any fancy watercolour techniques - I just dabbed the ink around.  The embossed lines around the image help a lot too as they resist the ink so you can still see the details.

The sentiment:
I used a small piece of Old Olive card to die cut this lovely background.  I ran the die through my Big Shot a couple of times to make sure I did not miss any of the detail.

I was delighted to discover that one of my favourite dies from the Stitched Rectangles was the perfect size for the ornate frame.  I stamped the sentiment with Terracotta Tile and Early Espresso ink.

To assemble:
The painted panel has been adhered to the Mint Macaron base with lots of dimensionals.  I also used dimensionals for both the sentiment pieces.

I also added a ww insert to the card so that I can write a message - I have someone in mind to send this card to.

I used Mint Macaron ink to stamp a partial image on the insert and the envelope.

Finishing Touches
I added a little bow to the corner of the sentiment adhered with a mini glue dot.  I also added a trio of Gilded Gems - I'm using these a lot at the moment.

Here is the completed card and envelope.  

I am a little cross with myself that I did not think to make sure I lined the border die up to ensure there was no half holes at the top/bottom of the panel.  I did manage to do this on the bottom of the panel but confess, it was a total fluke!  I will make sure to check for that next time I use these dies!

Next up is Stephanie Nash from Canada who has another Summertime themed project to inspire you.

Thanks for hopping along with us!

Stay safe and well.

Susan xx

If you have any questions, or need help with anything I’m always happy to help.  You can email me susan_merrey@yahoo.co.uk or telephone 07905 403 823 during normal working hours.

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