Joan's Gardens Weekly Challenge

 

It is time for a new challenge at Joan's Gardens.  Have you ever noticed how much a small additional item can really change the appearance of a card? This week's challenge is called "Lets Dress it Up".  Here is what you need to do:

Use lots of layers (more than two)

Use blue and white

Take a picture of this card then:

Add some type of embellishment to dress it up

Post a picture of both cards on your blog
Link your card in the challenge at Joan's Gardens

Please go over to Joan's Gardens to read all the details about this challenge and to post your entry.

 To create my layered card, I used all the dies in the Spellbinders "Marvelous Squares" die set. As you can see, there are a lot of dies in this pretty set.   I die cut all the dies twice - once using white card stock and a second time using blue card stock so I could alternate the colors.  

To create my layers, I started out by centering the largest die in the center of the card front, taping it down so it wouldn't move while die cutting.  This card is 5.5" square.  It was then run through again with the embossing mat.  This left an embossed square cut out in the front of the card.  A 5.5" piece of white card stock was attached to the inside behind this cutout, then I started layering all the different pieces from this set, attaching each layer with dimensional tape.  The white corners, from this set, were arranged around the small white die cut in the very center of the card to make it appear larger.  The other set of blue corners were attached to the outer corners of the card. On each side of the center section I stamped the flourish from the JustRite "Grand Sentiments" stamp set.  A bow and Kaiser Craft Pearls were added to complete the card.

To dress my card up, I added  a flower and leaves.  The Rose was created with the My Favorite  Things "Royal Rolled Rose".  The tall leaves were die cut using the Memory Box "Fresh Foliage" die and the small leaf on the side of the rose is the smallest leaf from the Joy! Crafts die.   Adding just a single flower really changed the appearance, I think.

You can purchase all the products I use from Joan's Gardens:

Spellbinders "Marvelous Squares" (S4-383)

MFT "Royal Rolled Rose" 

Memory Box "Fresh Foliage"  98502

Joy! Crafts Leaves (6003/0001)

JustRite "Grand Sentiments" (CR-03885)

Kaiser Craft Pearls

Dimensional Tape

Pink Poppy - Tutorial

I really love playing with the new Sizzix, Susan's Garden Flower dies.  Today I tried something different with the Poppy dies.  As I have told you before, there are instructions in each package of flower dies plus Videos at Joan's Gardens.    I have some of those crepe paper rolls and decided to see what would happen if I die cut the flower petals with it.  I doubled up the streamer 6 times and die cut all three flower petals.  That gave me 6 petals, for each size, to work with for this flower.  I die cut two of the base pieces (out of regular card stock) and glued all 6 of the largest petals to one base, then 6 of the medium size petals to another base piece. I did shape the petals with the largest stylus in the Flower Tool Kit.   You need to use just a small dot of the Crafter's Pick glue on the tip of each petal when gluing, because the crepe paper is very thin.  Press each petal down into the base, with a small stylus, as you glue them down.  When the layers were dry, I added the 6 smallest petals in the center of the base with the middle size petals so I could have a "frilly" poppy.   Glue the two layers together to form your flower.

To create the stamen, I used something I have in my "stash".  It is a metal border mold by Lisa Pavelka and I pressed in some No Bake Polymer Clay.  The clay I had was yellow and I wanted a pink center for this flower so used the Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber in Shell Pink to apply paint to it.  I wanted dark purple lines in this center piece so used a purple marker to draw them in the creases in the molded piece.   In the Poppy Die package, there are dies for the stamens, but I needed longer stamen pieces so used the ones in the Cheery Lynn BAF #1 die set because they have very thin and longer "legs" that would fit around the polymer clay piece.  I die cut them using a very dark purple card stock. I die cut the leaves from the Poppy Die set and used the tools from the  Sizzix Flower Tool Kit to shape them.  I wanted to have some "rough" texture on the leaves so I put them in the "Sizzix Snow Flurries #2" embossing folder.  You could use any embossing folder you like.  

The background on this card was embossed with the Sizzix "Brenda Walton Damask" embossing folder.  My card is 5.5" x 6" so I had to run the front piece through on the embossing folder twice to get full coverage.  On top of that embossing, I placed the embossed Oval, that was fussy cut, from the Sizzix "Loving Thoughts" embossing folder set.  The little butterfly is from the Cheery Lynn "Mini Butterfly" die set.   Two pearls were put on the frame using the Viva "Ice White" Pearl Pen.   

I hope you will experiment with your flower dies and come up with some new pretty varieties of flowers.  It is so much fun.

Well we have a big thunder storm outside so I better get off the computer.  Hope you like my new creation.

Here are the products you can purchase from Joan's Gardens:

Sizzix, Susan's Gardens "Poppy" die set (658416)

Sizzix, Brenda Walton Damask embossing folder (658352)

Sizzix, Loving Thoughts" embossing folder set

Sizzix, Snow Flurries #2 embossing folder (658197)

Sizzix Flower Tool Kit 658437

Crafter's Pick white glue

Cheery Lynn "Mini Butterflies" (DL112)

Cheery Lynn "Build A Flower #1" dies (B181)

Viva Ice White Pearl Pen 101

947478

Black-Eyed Susans

Today I have a card created with the Sizzix Susan's Gardens "Black-Eyed Susan" die.

In this picture, on the left,  you can see the Black-Eyed Susan created following the instruction that came with the die, and the one on the right shows my style of Black-Eyed Susan.  In this picture I did not color the petals like I did the ones on the card.

I used just one of the largest black-eyed Susan flower die cuts from this set, for my flower.   With the die cuts on this die you do not have to glue each petal to form the flower.   It was die cut using white card stock and colored with Copic markers.  I wanted a "cone" type center so I die cut about 8 layers of the Cheery Lynn "sun shaped" die cut from the Embellishments #2 die set, and glued them together to form a cone shape.  I alternated a dark yellow and dark brown to get the variegated look.

Here is a closeup

The design paper behind the doily is from the Echo Park Paper Co "Country Drive".  The doily is the Cheery Lynn "Canadian Kaleidoscope".   In the center of this doily, I added one of the Spellbinders die cuts from the "Floral Doily Motifs" die set.  The sentiment is from the JustRite "Grand Sentiments" stamp set.  The little border on the bottom of the card is the Cheery Lynn "Anastasia" border.  To complete this card I added a silk bow created with the "Bow Easy".  

When you work with these dies, keep in mind that you can make a variety of flowers with most of them.  I love figuring out lots of ways to get more and more variety of flowers for my paper flower garden!  I would love to see some of your creative ways of using the flower dies from "Susan's Garden" dies.  

All the products I use can be purchased from Joan's Gardens:

Sizzix "Susan's Garden Black-Eyed Susan" die (658422)

Sizzix "Flower Tool Kit" (658437)

Crafter's Pick white glue

Cheery Lynn "Anastasia Border" (DL 129)

Cheery Lynn "Canadian Kaleidoscope" doily (DL104)

Cheery Lynn "Embellishment #2 (B188)

Spellbinders "Floral Doily Motifs" die set (S5-041)

JustRite "Grand Sentiments" stamp set (CR-03885)

Copic Markers

Bow Easy

Echo Park Paper Co "Country Drive" design paper pad

946830

Lovely Dogwoods

Today I am posting a card created with the Susan's Gardens "Dogwood" dies.  These flowers are very quick and easy to create with the instructions in the package or by watching the video by Susan Tierney Cockburn at Joan's Gardens.  Susan created a white dogwood and I decided to create pink ones to match the design in the Graphic 45 "Secret Garden" paper.  The polka dot design paper is from the Echo Park Paper Co "Bundle of Joy - Dots & Stripes" paper pad.  

The corners I used were die cut with  Joy Craft (0135) dies.  Under the flower arrangement I added the Memory Box "Tessatina Border and the "Loom Circle".   

These flowers come with two petals attached per die so you just crisscross two pieces to create the flower. The flowers were shaped with the new Sizzix Flower Tool Kit.   You can see these dogwood dies and well as all the other new flower dies, and the new Tool Kit in the Susan's Gardens collection, at Joan's Gardens.

Sizzix, Susan's Gardens "Dogwood" dies (658405)

Sizzix, Flower Tool Kit (658437)

Echo Park Paper Co "Bundle of Joy Dots & Strips" paper pad

Graphic 45 "Secret Garden" 8x8 paper pad

Memory Box "Tessatina Border" (98302)

memory Box "Loom Circle" (98520)

Joy! Crafts "Corners" (6002/0135)

945571

Susan Tierney Rose - My Tutorial

Today I want to continue with my tutorials for creating flowers with the new dies from Sizzix.  This is  a rose created with the  "Susan's Gardens" Rose dies.  There are instructions in the package of dies, plus you can view Susan's video over at Joan's Gardens.    There is never a wrong way to create a flower because they are all beautiful.  I love all the different techniques and little things you can do with dies to create slightly different looks.   Susan's roses are gorgeous, but I will share my techniques, which are a little different,  with you below.  

TUTORIAL FOR CREATING ROSE

The dies used for this flower were die cut using the Sizzix, Susan's Garden "Rose" dies (#658411).  I start by die cutting a lot of petals.  This picture shows the number I started with for this rose.  I used 80# vanilla card stock for the rose petals.  I wanted a cream colored rose, with some light pink at the base of each petal.  I sponged on "Spun Sugar" Distress Ink to do this.  Then since most roses have yellow at the very base, I added "Squeezed Lemonade" Distress Ink at the very base.   I know this is a little time consuming, but I think it is worth the time to create a very realistic colored rose.

The next important thing is to shape the petals.  I use the Sizzix Tool Kit (658437) which includes all the tools and mats you will need for creating your flowers.  I used the largest ball stylus to soften the fibers in the card stock and "cup" it to resemble a petal.

Once all the petals are shaped, use the self-closing tweezers to pinch at the stem end to give the petal even more shape.  Close the tweezers and pinch the sides of the petal up to the tweezers.  It makes the top portion of the petal bend back.  I learned these techniques from the "Paper Bouquet" book by Susan Tierney Cockburn.

Once all the petals are shaped, start creating the layers for the rose.  I usually create three or four layers to create a "full" bloom rose.  Here you can see three layers, the center of the rose, plus some extra petals to tuck in case I decide I want more fullness.  

Each layer for my roses, usually has a different number of petals. For the lower layer of petals,  condition them on the back so they cup "under".  This picture shows the top (third) layer  and is conditioned on the top of the petals so so it "cups" up to form around the center of the rose.  For this center piece, I added four petals to the base,  then went back and glued in four more petals in between the first petals (alternating petals).

Here you can see what it looks like when you alternate the petals.  By the way, I should mention that I use "Crafter's Pick" white glue because it is a fast drying glue and works really well for creating your flowers.

I create the center for my rose differently than Susan.  I use five of the "center" die cut petals which are shaped very different. I add glue to the inside of one petal and twist it around the tweezers, holding a couple of seconds until it "catches".  Keep adding these same style petals, alternating them around so you create a realistic looking center.   

Here is a picture of all five center petals glued together to form the center of the rose.  You can create your rose buds this same way.

Now all my flower layers are dry and I can start shaping them more.  Put them on the shaping mat and press down in the center with the largest stylus so that it starts "cupping".  Do this to all layers.  You need to do this after the glue has at least almost dried so it will hold its shape.  

Do this with the section that is the top "cupped up" layer too.  It will help pull those petals together to form around the very center of the rose.

Starting with the bottom layer, glue the layers together alternating the petals.  On that top (third) layer, I add a lot of glue around the base so it adheres to the layer below it to help "cup" the petals.  Place it in the center of the bottom layers, then use the largest stylus to press down firmly in the very center to help it adhere well.  Next you will want to add the very center "bud" that you created.  Add plenty of glue to the bottom of the "bud" portion and place it right in the center.  You might need to hold it for a few seconds to get it to attach.  Watch it as it dries and make sure it is sitting real straight in the center so your rose won't look crooked.

  

Your rose will probably look something like this.  I think it needs some more shaping, don't you!   You can glue the tips of some of those left over petals and stick them in around the bottom of the "cupped" area if you want.  That is what I did for a little more fullness.  Sometimes it is helpful to clip off the very bottom of these petals so they nestle down below that center section.  

Here is a tool I discovered some time ago that really helps to shape the edges of the petals.  They are round nosed pliers and do not leave a crease like the tweezers when you roll the edges of the petals.  You can order this tool from Joan's Gardens.  I like to wait until my rose is completely dry before I start shaping it so that the layers don't start twisting.    There is a big difference in the rose above and this one, isn't there. 

In Susan's  Rose dies, there are also leaves and the pieces to create a beautiful rose bud.  I have created a rose bud and shaped the green base that will go around it. 

  

This is a picture of the completed bud.  You can also create larger buds as shown in Susan's video.

The rose I created today would be beautiful on a box or on a frame.  You can also use these dies to create smaller roses by not using that lower (largest) set of petals.  

I would love to hear from you to see if you find these tutorials helpful.  It does take a lot of time to create them, and I will continue to do more tutorials if I know they are helpful to you. If you do like the tutorials, which flower would you like to have a tutorial on next?  Here is the link to my "Lily" tutorial.   Anxious to hear your comments.

You can purchase these products from Joan's Gardens:

Sizzix "Susan's Garden" Rose   658411

Sizzix "Tool Kit"   658437

Paper Bouquet book by Susan Tierney Cockburn 

Crafter's Pick Glue

Distress Inks

Round Nose Pliers

944505

Spring Flowers

Today I wanted to work with the new, beautiful JustRite background stamp called "Grand Damask".   I white embossed the design on white card stock then used Gelatos to color it.  I scribbled on the color in a diagonal direction, spritzed it with water, then brushed the color around to blend. Gelatos are acid-free pigment sticks that glide on creamy vibrant color and blend beautifully with or without water.   I then used a baby wipe to wipe the color off the white embossing.  I love the way it turned it.  Along the edge I added the Spellbinders "Parisian Accents" border and some Kaiser Craft pearls.

To decorate the card, I added some flowers created with the Susan's Garden flower dies;  I created the Lily, Mini Daisy, and Forsythia flowers.  The greenery behind the flowers is the Impression Obsession Leafy Branch.  

You can purchase all these products from Joan's Gardens:

JustRite "Grand Damask Background Stamp" CL-04500

Gelatos

Spellbinders "Parisian Accents" dies (S5-034)

Kaiser Pearls

Susan's Gardens "Lily" dies (658275)

Susan's Gardens "Mini Daisy" dies (658407)

Susan's Gardens "Forsythia" dies (658406)

Ipression Obsession Leafy Branch (DIE055-N) 

943736

Joan's Gardens Weekly Challenge

It is time for a new challenge at Joan's Gardens.  This week the theme is "BUTTERFLIES".  Here is what you need to incorporate in your project this week:

• Have at least two butterflies
• Use Yellow and White as your color theme
• Include some type of swirl(s)
• Use Polka Dots
• Use at least one product from Joan's Gardens

For my background I used both Swirls and Polka Dots.  The top portion of it was embossed with a portion of the eBosser "Magic Celebration" embossing folder - this is a tri-fold card embossing folder and I used the front right panel.  I love these tiny little embossed polka dots! The lower portion of the background was embossed with the Crafters Companion "Regency Swirls" embossing folder.  

The Frame used is from the Spellbinders "Enchanted Labels 28" die set.  It was backed with yellow card stock.  On the inside around the sentiment, I used the Tim Holtz Punch to punch holes around the embossed line in the label, then sponged on Squeezed Lemonade Distress Ink around the inside of those punched holes.  The sentiments are from the JustRite "Grand Sentiments" stamp set.  If you haven't seen this stamp set, you should check it out here.

For the flowers, I used the Cheery Lynn "Cuties 4" die and cut the petals off the strip and built my own flower.  The pretty Memory Box butterflies were die cut using yellow polka dot design paper from my stash. For the "half" butterfly, I die cut the butterfly twice; folded one in half and cut the other die cut butterfly in half and glued it to the back of the wing which was now in the back.  The edges of the butterfly were sponged with "Wild Honey" Distress Ink.  A yellow silk bow was created with the "Bow Easy".  You always get a perfect bow every time you use the Bow Easy.   

I hope you will join us in our challenge this week.  Please go over to Joan's Gardens for complete information about this challenge and to see what this week's prize will be.  Remember the more times you enter our weekly challenges, the more chance you have a being a randomly selected weekly winner and those winners will be eligible for the $100 Gift Certificate to Joan's Gardens at the end of the year.

Here are the products used you can purchase from Joan's Gardens:

eBosser "Magic Celebration" embossing folder.

Crafters Companion Regency Swirls 8x8 embossing folder (EF8-RG Swirl)

Spellbinders "Enchanted Labels 28" S6-003

JustRite "Grand Sentiments" stamp set CR-03885

Cheery Lynn "Cuties 4" B156

Memory Box "Darla Butterfly" 98264

Wild Honey and Squeezed Lemonade Distress Inks

Bow Easy

Silk Ribbon

942100

Susan Tierney Lily - My Tutorial

I have wanted to create very realistic lilies and now we can do that with the new Sizzix "Susan's Garden" flower dies.  There are instructions in each package of flower dies by Susan, plus Joan's Gardens has videos to help you, but I thought I would show you my way of creating these gorgeous lilies.  Before I do that, I will tell you about the products I used on this card:

The background was embossed with the eBosser "Dotted Elegance" embossing folder.  The oval on top was embossed with the Nellie Snellen  "Oval Frame 1" and cut out with scissors.  The sentiments are from the new JustRite "Grand Sentiments" stamp set.  The tiny leaves behind the lilies were die cut using the Impression Obsession leafy branch die.   

When you purchase one of the Susan's Garden flower die sets, you receive all the pieces needed to complete the entire flower.  I used "Dried Marigold" Distress Ink, the Copic "Dark Red" marker, and Russet Red Flower Soft to create the lilies.  The important item in shaping the flowers is the new Sizzix Flower Tool Kit.  I used 60# card stock to create the flowers.

My tutorial for creating the Susan's Garden Lily.

Here is a picture of most the items I used to create two lilies.  

Start by  adding color to the base of each petal, add dots with the Copic marker, then use one of the larger stylus in the Flower tool kit to shape the petals.  Rub the stylus around in circles to loosen the fibers in the card stock and this helps to "cup" the petal for a realistic look.

Next use the self-closing tweezers, that come in the Flower Tool Kit, to pinch the base of each petal.  Place the tweezers right in the center, as shown, then use your fingers to push the edges up to the tweezers.

In this picture, you can see the difference in the petal (on the bottom left) that has not been shaped with the tweezers, and the rest of the petals.  These new tweezers have a very long, fine point and work really great for this step.

To create the stamens, I sponged the Dried Marigold Distress Ink on the bottom of the stamen, then used the Dark Red Copic marker to color the ends of each stamen, on both sides.  Susan doesn't do this in her instructions, but I used the scissors in the Flower Tool Kit and cut down the center of each die cut stamen to create a "thinner" stamen.  I think the stamen looks more realistic and you get double the stamens.  Add a little glue to one end of the stamen, then roll it using the self-closing tweezers.  Hold your fingers on the edge a few seconds to let the glue attach, then pull out the tweezers. Wipe off any glue stuck to the tweezers with a baby wipe.  Susan is coming out with some special Woodland Powders that can be used on stamens, but it will not be out for a while, so I used some Russet Red Flower Soft to create the "fuzzy" ends of each stamen.  Just add a tiny dot of glue to front and back of the tip of each stamen and dip it in the Flower Soft.  The Flower Soft pieces are kind of large, so after the glue was dry, I used the little scissors to snip off some of the extra "fuzz".  Set the stamen aside to dry.

To assemble the flower, use the Teflon Craft Mat that comes in the kit to work on.  Place a small amount of the "Crafter's Pick" glue on one corner, then dip the base of the petal in the glue and attach it to the green (6-point) base.  Glue every other point first, then go back and add the other three petals.  This gives you a nice layered look.  As you glue each petal down, press the end down into the base with the end of the smallest stylus for a couple of second to get it to hold to the base.  This helps prevent those petals from slipping around while working on it.  

This picture shows the flower once all six petals have been attached to the base.

 Once you get all the petals glued to the base, place the flower in the "Plastic Flower Pots" also a Sizzix Accessory created by Susan.  This will help the flowers to stay well shaped (cupped up), until they dry.  Sometimes the flowers tend to flatten out when left to dry without any support.  There are 5 of these trays to a package and are very inexpensive.  Add a lot of glue to the end of the stamen and stick it down in the center of the flower.  You might have to check it a couple of times, while it is drying, to make sure that it stays sitting straight up.  You can pull the stamens further apart (shape them)  once they are dried in the center of the flower.

While the flowers are drying, you can work on the leaves, which are included with this set.  I forgot to take a picture of it, but if you look at the second picture above in the tutorial, you will see the tools from the tool kit.  To shape these leaves, I first used that "loop" tool to draw down the length of the leaf - do not hold the leaf with your fingers. This will shape or slightly cup the leaf. You will do this on the soft shaping mat.  Next place the little green hard mat on the soft mat, then use the tool with the point on it - shown in the above picture.

Working on the backside of the leaf, draw a line down the center of the length of the leaf with the point of this tool facing up, but you are drawing with the very tip.  It leaves a very nice line.  If you were working on leaves that needed veins down the side, you would turn the leaf over and draw those lines on the front coming out from this center line.  The lily leaf does not need the lines on the front.

Once the flower is dry, you can add the leaves to the backside.  In this picture, the Flower Soft has not been trimmed down yet.  

Here is another picture of the finished flowers on the card.

When you have all the needed flower pieces and tools, it is very, very easy to create beautiful flowers.  These flowers are very dimensional and look gorgeous on box tops, frames, and even cards.  You can purchase Plastic Flower Domes, also inspired by Susan Tierney-Cockburn that will cover and protect your shaped flowers.

I hope this tutorial gives you some additional information to help you create your beautiful paper flower garden.  I would love to read your comments to let me know if my tutorials help you.   

You can purchase ALL these products from Joan's Gardens:

Susan's Garden "Lily" (658275)

Sizzix Flower Tool Kit (658437)

60# card stock

Sizzix Plastic Flower Pots, 5 pack (658435)

Crafter's Pick Glue

eBosser "Dotted Elegance" embossing folder

Nellie Snellen "Oval Frame 1" HSF004

JustRite "Grand Sentiments" stamp set (CR-03885)

Dried Marigold Distress Ink

R89 Dark Red Copic Marker

Impression Obsession "Leafy Branch" (DIE-055-N)

949505

Heartfelt Creations Basket

This card was designed using the stamps and dies from the new Heartfelt Creations "Sun Kissed Fleur" Collection.  The background is a piece of the design paper from this collection.  The "Tag" and Basket" are stamps from the "Sun Kissed Tags & Basket PreCut" stamp set.  They were colored with Distress Inks, then sponged with Tea Dye Distress Ink.  The die cut lace background for the basket is the Heartfelt Creations "Decorative Lace Border".  I cut a portion of it off to make it less tall.   Additional flowers from the "Sun Kissed Fleur PreCut" stamp set were stamped and cut out with the matching die.  When I stamped, I used VersaFine black ink and clear embossed.  The sentiment is from the Heartfelt Creations "Classic Message PreCut Set".  On each side of the tag, I inserted the die cut leafy flourish from the "Gift Ensemble Die" set.

You can order all these Heartfelt Creations stamps and dies from Joan's Gardens:

Heartfelt Creations "Sun Kissed Fleur PreCut" stamp set HCPC3533

Heartfelt Creations "Sun Kissed Die" HCD 734

Heartfelt Creations "Decorative Lace Border" die (HCD713)

Heartfelt Creations "Sun Kissed Tags & Basket PreCut set" HCPC3535

Heartfelt Creations "Gift Ensemble" die set HCD 735

Heartfelt Creations" Sun Kissed Decorative Paper HCDP1 233

Heartfelt Creations "Classic Message PreCut" stamp set HCPC 3354