The Flower Challenge #106 - Use Our Sketch

Hello friends.  It's time for a new challenge here at The Flower Challenge and this month we'd like you to follow our SKETCH along with the usual flowers of course!!

It's a pretty simple sketch to follow...just put your florals in the bottom, lower left corner.  Here's what I came up with using this sketch...

I started with a die cut circle (The Greetery's Crimped Circle Die) and then ran it through with SU!'s Sunflower 3D Embossing Folder.  This is a large ef and fits an 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" half sheet of cs.  I love 3D embossing folders and the depth you get when you emboss with them, and this sunflower comes out so realistic looking!  I used my smaller blending brushes with yellows, oranges and brown and lightly ink blended over the raised areas of the flower petals and centers.

I trimmed off the excess at the bottom and left hand side of the crimped circle and added to a white panel and then a Soft Suede panel and white card base.  My sentiment was die cut using gold mirror cs and a MB Hello Friend Posh Script die.  I finished with a few gold sequins and added some WOS to the flower centers.  This was one of those cards that should have only taken a half hour or less to make, but I kept trying different backgrounds because I thought all the white looked too stark!  They all made the card look too busy so in the end I just left the background plain...CAS!!

The DT has some beautiful examples using this sketch, so check them out right HERE and then play along with us!  This challenge is open till Thursday, Sept. 25th @ 5:00PM.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

The Flower Challenge #105 Reminder - ADD EMBELLISHMENTS

Hello friends.  Just a friendly reminder that there's still time to play along with us at The Flower Challenge where we're looking for you to add EMBELLISHMENTS to your FLORAL cards.

I used a very similar layout and color scheme for this reminder card as my first card that you can find HERE.  Let's take a look...

 

I started with a cream colored card base again, and then added a pink layer die cut with The Greetery's Deco Frames die, and then added the Sweetest Frame stamped on cream cs and die cut with the coordinating dies.

I used The Greetery's BotaniCuts: Hollyhocks dies to create my florals with scraps of pink and green cs. The flowers are multi layered and I did do a bit of ink blending to the pieces to get the layered look to show up better.  I also added glitter along the edges of the petals and PFS's Gems: Clear with Gold Dust to the flower centers. 

Here's another closer up where I was hoping you could see the embellishments a bit better, but the light was not being my friend the day I photographed this card.  Trust me that IRL that this card sparkles and shines with the added glitter and gems. 

The DT has some lovely examples of adding embellishments that you can find right HERE, so check it out and play along with us.  This challenge is open till Monday, Aug. 25th @ 9:00AM.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

The Flower Challenge #105 - Add Embellishments

Hello friends.  A new month and time for a new challenge here at The Flower Challenge, where this month we're looking for you to add EMBELLISHMENTS to your FLORAL cards.

Since I add embellishments to just about every card I make, this was an easy challenge for me!  Using products from The Greetery, here's what I came up with...

The Greetery just celebrated their 6th birthday and sent a freebie with each order, and this little cup/vase was the starting point for my birthday card.  I cut it from Honey Nut cs (PTI) and ink blended it a bit for some shading and dimension, and then filled it with flowers from the Best Bouquet Details dies using cream colored cs and ink blending with pinks for the blooms and greens for the leaves.  I framed out the cup/vase with The Greetery's A2 Stitched Scallops Die and the Sweetest Frame stamp & die.

I added everything to a cream colored card base and then finished with a birthday greeting on the cup/vase and a few PINK GEMS (PFS) for my embellishments.  

The DT has awesome cards to inspire you to use your embellishments on your cards, and we can't wait to see you all in the gallery!  You can check it out right HERE to play along.  This challenge is open till Monday, Aug. 25th @ 9:00AM. 
  

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

The Flower Challenge #104 - Be Inspired by our Colors

Hello friends.  Just a friendly reminder that there's still time to play along with us at The Flower Challenge where we're looking for you to be inspired by the colors in this photo...

And here's what I came up with using these colors...

My sweet friend Michele challenged me to use WF's Flower Focal Die for this reminder post, since she had used it the last time she was here using the colors in this challenge.  Make sure you check out what she did with these same flower dies!!  For my card I die cut the flowers and their centers 3 times and then ink blended the coral & turquoise colors onto them.  I die cut a circle into my top layer and then used SSS's Feather Spiral EF and lightly inked up the raised parts with residual ink from my turquoise blending brush.

I arranged my trio of blooms and leaves around the left side of the circle and then finished with a few iridescent gems (SU!) and a sentiment from SB's A Little Message Sentiments Pressplate.  I also added WOS to the flower centers.  A pretty busy card for me, but I still like the way it turned out!

The DT has lots of wonderful inspiration for you that you can find right HERE, so check it all out and then play along with us...we can't wait to see what YOU come up with using these colors!  This challenge is open till Friday, July 25th @ 5:00PM.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

The Flower Challenge #104 - Be Inspired by the Colors

Hello friends and welcome to a new challenge here at The Flower Challenge.  We have a fun challenge this month using an inspiration photo that we'd like you to use the colors from on your flower cards.

I see lots of oranges, corals & peaches, and then all kinds of shades of turquoise in this photo and here's what I came up with using these colors...

 I used a new stencil and die from PFS called Petal Perfection and ink blended with mostly Gina K inks in the corals and turquoise family.  I love the die for these stenciled florals as it doesn't leave a white border around the flowers and leaves like most dies do...it cuts them right to the edge on your inking.  

I die cut an oval (Gina K's ML #9) from my top layer and then lightly stenciled the background using Gina K's Brick Wall stencil with residual ink left on my orange/coral blending brush.  I attached this layer to a top folding white card base and then arranged my stenciled blooms in the oval cut out.  My sentiment strip was embossed in white on black using Gina K's All At Once Greetings stamps and dies.  Pretty simple, but I love the way it turned out!

The DT has some gorgeous cards to share with you and inspire you to use these challenge colors, and you can find them all right HERE.  This challenge is open till Friday, July 25th @ 5:00PM.  We can't wait to see YOU in the gallery!!

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

The Flower Challenge #103 Reminder

Hello friends.  Just a friendly reminder that there's still time to play with us at The Flower Challenge where we are looking for EMBOSSING (heat or dry) on your floral cards.

I actually have 2 very simple cards to share with you today because I bought a set of embossing folders from Michael's that came as a 2 pack and I wanted to use both of them, so 2 cards!

I used a Jill Foster layout for both of my cards, and this 1st one uses about 2/3rds of the A2 panel that I dry embossed with the 2D embossing folder by Recollections.  I added a thin strip of black to split the two spaces and added my sentiment using an older PTI Think Big #22 set.  The flower comes from a set I had laying out for another card and decided to use it again.  It's a collaboration set from Altenew & PFS called Celebrate Us from 2020, and I had never used it until I made another card for a different challenge.  Nothing like waiting 5 years to use a stamp set, huh?!  

You can see the embossing better on this close up and I love that these 2 embossing folders were such a bargain...2 for $5.99!  

And here's the 2nd card...

Same flower in a different color, the 2nd embossing folder, a different orientation layout, and another sentiment from the same Think Big #22 set.

   

And here they are both together...

Do you have a favorite?  I like them both and was thrilled to get more use from the stamp set that had been neglected for years, and to also get 2 new embossing folders for only $6 bucks!  The DT has lots of beautiful inspiration to share with you right HERE, so check it all out and then play along with us!  Remember you can use DRY EMBOSSING or HEAT EMBOSSING along with your favorite florals to play along!  This challenge is open till Wednesday, June 25th @ 5:00PM.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

The Flower Challenge #103 - Add Embossing (Heat or Dry)

Hello friends.  Time for a new challenge here at The Flower Challenge and we'd like to see EMBOSSING (heat or dry) on your floral cards.

I used a beloved Gina K embossing folder called Tapestry for a part of my background and came up with this...

I started by stamping my floral image from The Greetery's Sketchbook Roses stamp set using Berry Burst, Rich Razzleberry, Pear Pizazz, & Mossy Meadow inks (SU!) and then used the coordinating die to cut it out.  I used a top folding white card base and added a strip of Berry Burst cs that I had used the embossing folder on to the base before adhering my floral image.

I added a simple sentiment strip that I embossed in white on black using All At Once Greetings by Gina K, and also added a few silver gems that don't really show up in my photos.  A pretty simple card, but I love the color and the stamp set along with that embossed strip in the background.

The DT has lots of beautiful inspiration using both dry and heat embossing to get you started, so check it all out right HERE and then play along with us!  This challenge is open till Wednesday, June 25th @ 5:00PM.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

The Flower Challenge #102 - Add SPOTS or STRIPES

Hello friends.  Just a friendly reminder that there's still time to play at The Flower Challenge where we're looking for SPOTS or STRIPES.

Since I used spots on my first card, I went for stripes this time along with a new stencil set from Taylored Expressions called Boho Botanicals.  Take a look...

Before I started stenciling, I cut off 1" from the right side of my card base and then opened my card flat and stenciled over the 3 1/4" front and 1" of the back side of the card base.  I used Gina K inks in reds, pinks, oranges and greens, and blended darker toward the centers of the flowers.  

I added a piece of black & white striped dsp from PTI on the inside and then also added a thin strip of black cardstock along the right hand side of the card.  I also used my WOS pen to add sparkle to the thin strip.  For my hugs sentiment I used Honey Bee's Bitty Buzzwords die set and die cut it 3 times from black cs and also added WOS so it would match the thin strip on the side.  I really like how the "s" and part of the "g" are hanging over the edge!

This photo shows the back of the card so you can see part of the stenciling that is on the back.  This really helps to make this basically a one layer card and very mail-able!

The DT has lots of beautiful inspiration for you right HERE, so check it out and then play along with us!  This challenge is open till Sunday, May 25th @ 5:00PM.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

The Flower Challenge #102 - Add Spots or Stripes

Hello friends.  It's time for a new challenge here at The Flower Challenge and this month we're looking for you to add SPOTS or STRIPES to your FLORAL cards.

I went with DOTS and here's what I came up with...

Have you ever heard of Perforated Paper?  I hadn't until Taylored Expressions showcased it with stenciling and I just had to try it!  It looks a lot like counted cross stitch material except that it's a heavier weight paper.  Amazon offers it in a few different colors, but it's twice the cost than it is at TE.  TE offers it for 2 sheets (8 1/2 x 11) for $6 (Amazon is $12.29 for 2 sheets).  Anyway, I cut my piece down to a quarter sheet (4 1/4 x 5 1/2) and put it on my grip mat and then stenciled just like I normally would with a Gina K stencil called Bold Bouquet.  You do have to use a bit more pressure to get the color to show up, but I tend to be more heavy handed when I stencil anyway, so it wasn't a problem for me.

Here's a closer up so you can see all the dots better.  I also framed out the outer edge and in the center using Kristina Werner's A2 Thin Frames Dies in black cs to add a bit of definition to my card.  The sentiment strip is from Waffle Flower and was adhered with foam tape.

We have lots of wonderful inspiration from the DT to get you started, and you can check it all out right HERE.  We look forward to seeing what you create using DOTS or STRIPES along with your florals!  This challenge is open till Sunday, May 25th @ 5:00PM. 

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

The Flower Challenge #101 Reminder - USE SPRING COLORS

Hello friends.  Just a friendly reminder that there's still time to play with us at The Flower Challenge where we are looking for you to use SPRING COLORS with your florals. (Think pinks, yellows, purples, greens, etc.)

I've had Spring Crocus's on the brain lately (like my fellow teammate Bobby!)  and came up with this card using The Greetery's BotaniCuts Crocus dies...

I die cut my crocus's from white cs and then inked them up using DOX inks.  I also die cut The Greetery's Garden Tub Die from Smokey Slate cs and then did a bit of ink blending around the edges with white pigment ink and black to make it look a bit more aged.  After placing my blooms in the tub, I felt like it needed more filler (greenery), so I die cut the Garden Tub Filler Die from a piece of green cs and added it behind the Crocus's.  Much better!!

  I added a sentiment from The Greetery's Little Labels stamp & die set and also a small butterfly from Waffleflower (silver sparkle cs and vellum) before attaching it all to a panel that I embossed using SB's Hand Drawn Lines.  Sure looks like Spring to me!!

Check out all the inspiration we have for you right HERE and then play along with us...we really would LOVE to see YOU in our gallery!!  This challenge is open till Friday, April 25th @ 5:00PM.
  

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

The Flower Challenge #101 - USE SPRING COLORS

Hello friends and happy April!  We have a fun and simple challenge for you this month at The Flower Challenge...USE SPRING COLORS!!

I used PTI's Wild Blooms Stencil and came up with this colorful card...

After stenciling the blooms I used the largest PB Classy Frames Die and cut over the stenciled layer.  I die cut the frame two more times for some dimension and then stacked them and added them over the stenciled image being careful to line everything up, including the middle inside layer of the frame.  After securing everything down I realized I wanted to add my sentiment that I had embossed in silver on vellum flat against the middle layer, so I carefully lifted everything up and luckily didn't tear anything...phew!!

To finish off the card I stenciled just the pink flower and fussy cut it out and then added it over the vellum with foam tape.  I also added a few silver gems and then called it good.

We're excited to see our gallery filled with colorful Springtime colors and flowers of course.  Check out all the lovely inspiration from the rest of the DT right HERE and then play along with us!  This challenge is open till Friday, April 25th @ 5:00PM. 

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!