Secret Garden - Wednesday 8th May

Good Morning Friends,

Thank you for visiting my blog, I really mean that - it's so good to have you take a peek at my little corner of crafty blogland! Thanks for all your comments yesterday, I'm glad you liked the projects. I do enjoy design team work, there's always a challenge to come up with a card or other project that is quite specific, which can sometimes be difficult, but always fun. I am currently working on my next DT project for Fantastic Ribbons..and it's not a card, far from it and that's all I'm saying for now!

This is my little creation for Sunday Stampers this week, but I would also like to enter it in a few other challenges as well..details at the end. This time Hels set the time of diamonds and pearls..look carefully they are there!

I started creating this little plaque at the weekend and finished it last night. First of all I covered the whole plaque with Claudine Helmuth gesso and whilst that was drying off (not that it took long at all), I turned on my melt pot!

This time, instead of using dies,  I made the flowers using the stamp shown below, from Sam Poole's Button Florals stamp set and  followed Hels' tutorial to create  lovely paper blossoms like these. You can follow Hels tutorial here -  do take a look it's superb!

The paper I used is from the Fabrications pad by Teresa Collins, once I had stamped the flowers I inked the edges with Fired Brick distress ink and I also dusted over the edges again once I had made up the roses. The leaves are die cut using a Spellbinders die, it's the leaf from the Poinsettia set.

Having made up the roses, I dipped them in beeswax, which had been melting away in my pot. It leaves a sheen on the dipped item and the leaves are bendable - totally different to when you use UTEE, which gives a high gloss porcelain effect.

With the roses made I returned to the bare plaque - I used the Ali Reeves method of stamping with some string wrapped around wood all over the plaque, leaving streaks which look like weathered wood. I did this with Forest Moss distress paint.

I also added a tiny bit of  Kroma Crackle at the bottom of the plaque..it just gives a deep cracked effect. Once it had dried (it takes a few days but in the end I aided it a little with the heat tool!) I inked over it with a tiny amount of Wild Honey distress ink.

Next I stamped the sentiment on to tissue (one ply) and sealed it on to the plaque using 'slap it on'. I then added torn segments from Graphic 45's Secret Garden Range and sealed with some Modge Podge sealer, which I have had in craft room for years and it just keeps on going! I also dabbed all around the edge of the plaque with black acrylic paint, just to give a more aged effect.

I added the roses using my glue gun and also two stick pins, one with pearls and one with 'diamonds'(well I guess they are sapphire coloured really, let's call it 'artistic licence!'). To finish off I just placed a little key charm over a key on the paper.

Sorry it's such a long post today -I wanted to write down all that I had done to create this!

This is my project for the Sunday Stampers Challenge week 256 Diamonds and Pearls.  and I would also like to enter it into the following challenges:

Country View May Challenge -  #3 - How does you garden grow?

Our Creative Corner -  May - Anything Goes

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Love,
Carole X

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