Friday 6 April 2012

Playing around…

You know the saying it’s not where you start its where you finish…well actually this week it’s more about where I started than where I finished. It’s been another mad week and I have had an idea buzzing in my head this week that I wanted to play with and it has been a case of flying in my craftroom whenever possible to have a little messy play.

It all started at the weekend when we assaulted a large Camellia in our garden. We tried to transplant it in Katie's cottage garden…..it didn’t go willingly and I fear for it’s survival but it was completely hidden in our jungle, the blooms are so beautiful so it was a shame to have it out of sight.

When I saw Less is More’s fabulous Picture inspiration this week I knew I had to have a go at capturing the beauty of the blooms in paper….ha ha.. easier said than done, especially without my crafting tools….reeeealllllllllly wanted to use my cricut but “hey ho” it was out with the scissors for a play.

S1052552I’m a big fan of Petaloo and Prima flowers and I have quite a lot of them but often never the right size or colours, so it was time to experiment making my own…the first one was a quick trial and actually ended up adorning the pot of sugar scrub which I had made as part of a friends present…

S1052568

I then had further play with some scraps of paper, exploring folds, multiple layers and different cuts…..not sure any of them actually look like Camellias but I have had a lot of fun creating them.  I found they moulded better  dampened and once dry they actually became quite robust.

TOP TIP no. 1…. if speeding up the drying process….don't put them under the grill S1052562and forget about them…the smell of scorched paper can last a long time in a house and having to leap about frantically trying to shut the smoke detector up is very frustrating…. but hey I think I have invented a new style of vintage flowers.

 

S1052558…the other conundrum was how to create the centres (this is how I got distracted from the grill!)…while I was in the kitchen I decided to dig out my food colouring and create some “pseudo” glitter with salt. I put a few drops of food colouring on table and rock salt….also tried some rice…this time I left it to safely dry on a radiator!!! …boring… had to wait till the next day in fact I had to tip it onto paper which did bleed some of the colour out but I was quite pleased with the end result. Trouble is when I put the salt on the wet glue, the rest of the colour bled out…so it was back to the drawing board…and quite honestly it was easier to just add the food colouring and salt directly to the glue.

TOP TIP n0. 2 Salt and Book Binding glue doesn't work…although NASA might be interested in the new “flubber” that I have invented!!!

I have spent so much time playing that actually there is very little time to make a proper flower and card, so this has to be the prototype card for the challengeS1052567

The great thing about renovating the cottage is I keep finding things I want to use in my papercrafting….The flower is mounted on a piece of Plasterboard “Scrim”, which quite handily is self adhesive…it reminded me of “Magic Mesh”…do you remember that trend, it was a long time ago…(bought some but never really used it!!! and I have to say I like the scim better).

I want to say a big thank you to Chrissie and Mandi for showcasing my card this week, but more importantly, for running such a wonderful challenge and the dedication you both have to everyone who joins in.  I truly appreciate your advice and comments.  Equally I appreciate the fabulous camaraderie that has developed from the challenge. I can’t express enough how much I appreciate people taking the time to visit me and tolerating my “homemade” approach to cardmaking.  I LOVE the inspiration I get from visiting other blogs, I only wish I could visit more, I try and get to see as many as I can.

Finally…particularly FAO: Jenny…remember “WOYCRF” (what’s on your craft room S1052569floor) …well this week its………………………..

 

 

TOP TIP no. 3 …when tipping dyed salt into a bag…remember to have the bag open!



9 comments:

Suze Bain said...

Thank you Diane for such an entertaining read! Honestly, you put the flowers under the grill! Have to say though the finished card is really lovely. Congrats on being showcased, can't wait to read what you get up to next! xx

Chrissie said...

Terrific post Diane... you are SO enterprising in your making.
Thanks so much for your kind words about our challenge, I must say that Mandi and I are thrilled with the way in which it has developed and delighted by the camaraderie that exists amongst participants... in fact it's just how we hoped it would be!
Your flower is fabulous and that tape is great isn't it!
Thanks so much
Chrissie
"Less is More"

Julie said...

Wow- love the flower you created. Thanks for the tips. OOpps..... to the salt!

Mandi said...

Aww thanks Diane, much appreciated
Your flower is a bobby dazzler
Brilliantly crafted
Sorry I'm late
Thank you very much
mandi
"Less is More"

Wishcraft said...

Lovely card, what a fabulous flower! I actually quite like your grilled vintage versions too ;o) Lisa x

Linda said...

Congrats on the Showcase Diane. Love your post, sounds like you've had fun this week.
Pop over to my blog, there's a surprise on there for you. Linda x
http://lindylou-lifeinthecraftlane.blogspot.com/

Linda said...

Congrats on the Showcase Diane. Love your post, sounds like you've had fun this week.
Pop over to my blog, there's a surprise on there for you. Linda x
http://lindylou-lifeinthecraftlane.blogspot.com/

kingstonmama said...

I love your post! Your flower experimentation turned out great. You have such clever ideas and your tips made me smile. Have a great day! :) Ann Y.

Aileen said...

Hi Diane your post made me smile this morning. The end result has been worth it though! x

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