Bloom Into Spring

Hello everyone!

Well, another week has flown by but I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and I hope you also had some time for a spot of creative fun! As always on a Monday, it's time for a brand new challenge over on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and this week our theme is ~ APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY FLOWERS and whatever you create, we can't wait to have you join us!

For my project, I created a canvas panel with the focus on May flowers and I created a sprig of paper cherry blossom blooms using the Tim Holtz Tattered Garland die and the Tattered Floral punch.

...and hope you enjoy the creative process behind this project!

To begin with, I took one of the new Dina Wakely Mixed Media boards, 7" x 5" and because the board is pre-gessoed this means it's ready to go straight out of the pack.

So, for the background I started by layering my paints and began with a layer of Tumbled Glass Distress Paint, before blending some Picket Fence over the top. As the final layer, I dry brushed Peacock Feathers over the top and dried the paint before using an old credit card to add some gesso. I love the effect that this gives and it creates a more worn look than if you use a brush. Once everything was dry, I applied torn pieces of Tissue Wrap onto my background using Glue N' Seal to attach them.

To create a seamless finish on the tissue wrap, I used Distress Crayons and blended them over the surface with my fingertip. As a final layer of interest, I spritzed through the Latticework Layering Stencil using Pumice Stone Distress Marker Pen in the Distress Marker Spritzer Tool and added a few gesso paint scratches with the edge of my credit card.

For a little more depth to the background, I applied Texture Paste through the Speckles Layering Stencil and left it to dry.

To complete the background of my canvas, I used the Hickory Smoke Distress Crayon and run it around the edges before blending it into the background, using my fingers.

For the next stage, I added some vintage ephemera pieces, attaching them into place with glue n' seal and then using the Hickory Smoke Distress Crayon around the edges to create a shadow. 

I fussy cut the little girl from a Found Relative photo and placed her onto my canvas using foam pads for some height and dimension. In her hand you can see she's holding a small heart charm which I thought was the perfect addition.

To create a base for the beautiful little girl to stand on, I added some twine which I wrapped around the canvas, some cheesecloth and used a Small Talk Sticker.

Last but not least, I added a butterfly from the Thrift Shop Ephemera pack and some stars from the Botanical Remnant Rubs set.

Now, for the cherry blossom...

...and for this I used the Tattered Garland die and the Tattered Floral punch to die cut Mixed Media card. I then spritzed the individual petals with Spun Sugar Distress Spray Stain and added a small spritz of Scattered Straw in the centres of each and the foliage with Peeled Paint. Leave all the leaves, and the petals to dry thoroughly before layering them to create the blooms, shaping each petal as they are layered to create a more realistic look to the flower. I added stamens in the centres of each and then sprinkled a small amount of Shabby Shutters Distress Glitter into the centres. Once all my flowers were made, I inked the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink and then spritzed them with Biscotti Perfect Pearls Spray Mist.

To complete the spray, I attached the flowers to a branch from my garden using a hot glue gun and then attached it to my canvas and popped two small crystals onto the twine.

Finally, I wanted to attach the completed canvas to a backing but couldn't find the perfect colour match until I stumbled across a waste piece of card from the Burlap Panel packaging ~ this was perfect and looked fabulous to frame the whole canvas, together with some charms dangling from a Hinge Clip.

I am so happy with this project and it just came together perfectly and I hope you love it just as much as I do...it was so much fun to create!

As always, if you need any further inspiration for this challenge, then you need look no further than our blog to see all the wonderful creations from all the very talented Design Team members and every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in and good luck....

Thank you so much for all your visits today and hope you all have a great week ahead

See you again soon...love Emma xx

Products used:

Tim Holtz/Sizzix Dies and Punches: Tattered Garland Die, Spring Greenery Strip Die, Tattered Floral Punch

Distress Paint: Tumbled Glass, Picket Fence, Peacock Feathers

Pumice Stone Distress Marker Pen

Distress Crayons: Hickory Smoke, Peacock Feathers

Distress Spray Stains: Spun Sugar, Scattered Straw, Peeled Paint

Distress Ink: Walnut Stain

Distress Glitter: Shabby Shutters

Layering Stencils: Latticework, Speckles

Ranger Ink products: Biscotti Perfect Pearls, Glue N' Seal, Gesso, Texture Paste

Idea-ology: Heart Charms, Typed Tokens, Hinge Clips, Swivel Clasps, Tissue Wrap, Remnant Rubs, Philosophy Tags, Small Talk Stickers, Thrift Shop Ephemera, Found Relatives

Surfaces: Mixed Media Card, Mixed Media Boards

Distress Marker Spritzer Tool

Ranger Craft Sheet

Blending Tool

Heat Gun

Palette Knife

Big Shot

Hemptique Twine

Prima Say It With Crystals ~ Tales Of You and Me