Friday 1 May 2015

Spring Flowers

Hi everyone,

    It is a new challenge over at Our Creative Corner and this month our wonderful Shari is leading the way....

April Showers bring May flowers

Spring comes late in my neck of the world, in the mountains of Northern Idaho. In the month of May (with Summer just weeks away), our Spring flowers are still, usually, under a thin blanket of snow, until those Spring rains wash it all away.

This month, the challenge is to create something, a mixed-media project, a journal page, a scrapbook page, a card or tag...Anything, that reflects the Spring rains and/or Spring flowers in your part of the world.

Now, I'm not going to nit-pic your choices of Spring flowers, as the growing season here where I live is short and our Spring flowers don't last very long before the blooms of Summer start budding. So, if you throw in flowers of Summer into your creation, that's OK, too.


I really wanted to focus on both rain and flowers for my creation and this is what I made...


 I chose buttercups and daisies because they are some of my favourite flowers - I suppose to many they are weeds, but I always thought they were lovely. I think the love of them began with making daisy chains at primary school - in the school field there were white and yellow blankets of these pretty little flowers and we would sit for ages making necklaces....

Just a quick note here about making flowers - if you want any info about how to make some flowers check out a tutorial here I did...

 
I began with a thick card tag base. I chose to work with a patterned paper - basically because I have so much and it is about time I used some of them! I chose a sheet from the Docrafts Papermania Persimmon collection. I stuck it to the tag and dabbed around the edges with Walnut Stain DI.

  I stuck a layer of burlap onto the tag and then added a layer of corrugated card that had been painted with gesso and Frayed Burlap DP.


A strip of crochet lace was  painted with Frayed Burlap DP. I then added a piece of hemp string that had been tied into a bow.


The quote was stamped onto ivory card with Potting Soil Archival ink and then all the words cut out separately. They were glued onto the tag after being dabbed with Frayed Burlap DI.


 I made the flowers using parts of the Tattered Florals Die cut.


The daisies were cut out of white card - I used two for each flower, edged with Frayed Burlap DI to give a vintage look. The center of the flowers were silver brads painted with gesso and then painted with yellow acrylic paint.


The leaves were die cut leaves dabbed with Peeled Paint DI 
I made the buttercups with the blossom shapes from the die cut set. I dabbed them with Scattered Straw and Wild Honey Distress Inks. I then cut a strip of paper and applied Wild Honey ink over it and then cut the strip into a fringe. I rolled up the fringe and then used that as the center to the flower.


 I applied Decoart liquid glass as raindrops all over the flowers and leaves.


At the top of the tag I attached a metal corner embellishment and added a metal button that had been brushed with White Fire Treasure Gold

And there is my finished April Showers/May Flowers tag....




It would be lovely to see you play along with us this month...

 .....as well as having our wonderful sponsor Designs by Ryn joining us this month to give a lucky winner a wonderful prize, there is also the chance you could be picked as the winner and find yourself here in the Spotlight as our Top Talent.....you could also be one of our Top 3's and be featured in the OCC Pinterest Gallery!
Hope to see you soon!
Happy Crafting!
Laura
xxx



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10 comments:

  1. Ahhhh, it's DecoArt liquid glass--I LOVE those raindrops, Laura!! I guess I'm a fan of 'weeds' too, because I love the little wild buttercups that I find on our property and the wild daisies that grow 'like weeds' all over--they look just like these :) You've created such a lovely layered tag, Laura and your metal corner embellie and button at the top--soooo pretty and clever!! This is such a wonderful creation for the challenge theme, and I'm so appreciative of the inspiration this is sure to instill!! Thank You!! XOXO-Shari

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  2. Oh yes - memories of making daisy chains at primary school with childhood friends on summer's days! Beautiful piece. And that patterned paper is gorgeous.

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  3. I love these shining little flowers on a softer background... and the rain so perfectly dropped! A beautiful tag!

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  4. Just discovered DecoArt Liquid Glass when i used it on a project last week, the finish is so clear and flexible so it doesn't crack, love that. Your Tag is STUNNING Laura, love all the layers and the sentiment is one of my favourites as i prefer rain to sun! Definite inspiration here, thank you :-) xxx

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  5. It wonderful to see how you created this fabulous tag! I too wondered how you got the rain drops to look so real. I need to get some DecoArt liquid glass now! I like the use of the corrugated cardboard and the way it is painted. It reminds me of old tin. My favorite flowers are wild daisies that grow as weeds here but are seen as one of naturals loveliest carpets in my opinion. XOXO Laurie

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  6. Hi Laura, I love the texture on your tag. My favourite flowers are daisies and buttercups BUT where are the dandelions? A beautiful tag, hugs Jan x

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  7. Wow! The liquid glass drops on those adorable flowers add real spring magic to your wonderful make, Laura!

    That tag is so beautiful! You really are my queen of shabby chic textural goodness! Love it!

    Hugs,
    Claudia x

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  8. Gorgeous tag, and how could such pretty little flowers ever be called weeds!??xx

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  9. This is such a sweet little tag Laura. Those buttercups are too die for and I like how you balanced everything with neutrals in the background. You also taught me something new today - I looked at those dew drops and thought how did she get such glassy, perfect drops - my attempts at that with Glossy accents always turn into a flattened splodge. So I amso glad that you mentioned that you used "DecoArt Liquid Glass" - never heard of it before but I am about to go search for them right now online. - Candice -

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  10. I have never danced in the rain Laura - well, unless I did as a child and don't remember!!! But I love your sentiment here and I love to watch my grandchildren in the rain! Your tag is really sweet and your flowers are wonderful. The background is fabulous. Just LOVELY in every way.j.

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