Yesterday August started out way better than July had ended. First, I sat down and placed my pre-order from the Stampin’ Up! 2019 Holiday Catalogue. This is one of the perks of being a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator and I love being able to get things early. Then the mail arrived and with it my new modem. So I was able to swap out my old one and get my internet connection sorted out. Finally my lovely courier, Tim, arrived and brought a parcel of goodies. In it were some customer orders but also my birthday presents from my daughter. I already knew what my first project would be, and I had an inspiring photo of my garden for my starting point.

Isn’t that a great photo! We’re trying to develop a natural flower meadow behind our house. We dig up flowers (weeds) other people want to get rid of, replant them in our meadow and let them go to seed. I still can’t believe that lupins grow everywhere here and lots of people mow them down. So a few years ago I rescued some plants from behind the fire hall and this was my reward at the beginning of July. To help keep everything natural the main area hasn’t been cut in a couple of years. All we do is keep a path mowed around the edge of the area and across the middle. So with the photo as my inspiration here’s the project I created using my new Inspiring Iris Stamp Set.

INSPIRING COLOURS

I began with the iris outline image and stamped it onto a piece of Whisper White Card using Tuxedo Black ink. Then without reinking the stamp I stamped it onto the front of a Whisper White Medium envelope.

Next I inked up the stamp again but this time stamped off onto some scrap paper. Then I stamped the lighter image in the bottom right corner of a layer of Whisper White Card. I set this piece aside with the envelope until I’d decided whether to do anything more to them.

My inspiring lupin photo led me to the colours for my main piece. First I stamped the leaf image using Granny Apple Green ink. Then I added the tops of the iris flowers with Gorgeous Grape.

Now I needed to bring in the Seaside Spray and opted to sponge it around my stamped flowers. With that done I added the “thanks” sentiment using Tuxedo Black ink. The curve of the sentiment inspired me to stamp it at an angle around the head of the flower.

AN ORGANIC DEVELOPMENT

Then, and I have no idea why, I started to tear the edges of the stamped piece. By tearing the edge towards me I not only created a ragged edge, I also revealed a clean white area. It was even better than I’d hoped, giving the piece a very natural and organic feel

Using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) I mounted the torn piece onto some Seaside Spray Card. Then I decided to tear the edge of that too. Stampin’ Up card has a uniform colour all the way through (unlike some other card you might buy) so this created a different effect again.

Now I was ready to put everything together. Using Stampin’ Dimensionals I fixed the layered piece onto a Thick Whisper White Card base. That just left the inside.

I already had the layer stamped and decided to leave it as a simple outline. I did however tear the edges of the layer before adding it to the inside of the card base with liquid glue. In no time at all my project was complete.

I love the contrast between the bright flowers and the delicate background. The torn edge is not something I do very often but it just seemed right today. I did consider adding twine or ribbon or some embellishments but in the end kept it really simple. It’s amazing how a simple photo can be so inspiring don’t you think?

Where do you find the inspiration for your craft projects?

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