Pixels and Paper Challenge Blog - Well Hello September!

Boone Hall Butterfly Enclosure

It is with much excitement and pride that I put this post together today!  Whilst my blog has been quiet of late, I certainly haven't been - I've been making many cards for charities for the past couple of months (as well as doing some part time volunteer work) which has taken me away from the blogisphere.  However, when I saw the wonderful inspiration photo over at the Pixels and Paper Challenge Blog, I felt that I simply had to join in!

Aren't those colours glorious?!!  I had the seed of an idea forming as soon as I saw this photo, and I knew my layout page was going to be more about the creative side of making my background, rather than the photos (not normally how I create a page, but hopefully for this one you will understand why when you see the background...)

I have replicated the field of tulips on my background using the faux silk technique.  I used my 'Lotus Blossom' stamp set from Stampin' Up! which is a layered stamp.  I also used a combination of ink colours from Stampin' Up and Hero Arts Shadow Inks.  Starting with a plain white 12x12 sheet of cardstock, I put a piece of white tissue paper over it and taped it into place.  I then set about randomly stamping the lotus blossom image with the different colours to show variegation of the flowers.  I stamped onto the dull side of the tissue paper, allowing the ink to bleed through to the white base.  I then used two different green inks to stamp the two layered stem images from the stamp set randomly to fill in the blank areas.

I then removed the tissue paper and set it aside to dry out.  I sponged some the green ink into the blank areas around the flowers on the white cardstock that had bled through the tissue paper in the stamping process.  This was to add some depth to the green behind the tissue paper.

Once the tissue paper had dried out, I gently scrunched it into a ball, rolling it around to create creases.  I then carefully opened up the sheet again, being careful not to smooth out the creases I'd just created!  I used a gluestick on the cardstock across the entire area of the tulip field, and then carefully aligned the scrunched tissue paper over the glue and patted it into place, making sure I still had plenty of creases for the faux silk texture.

Then there's more sponging of green ink around the flower images and across the top of the page.  I randomly stamped images from the 'Lovely as a Tree' stamp set by Stampin' Up! across the top, beyond my flower field.  I then sealed the entire page with Crystal Effects.  As my Crystal Effects were drying, I had accidentally left a wet wipe near the top of my page.  Well, actually more likely it was on the page (d'oh!)  Anyway, the resultant "water effect" was not what I had in mind (!) and so I tore away that part of the page and used one of my butterfly photos to fill the gap - clever, huh?!!

 

Then I just really set about creating the title, matting and placing the photos on the page and tried to make them stand out from the background a bit (with white doodling and the use of string and white-embossed chipboard butterflies (from Dusty Attic)).  Truthfully though, I'm really just into the background of this layout!  I know that the photos are more than a bit lost on the page, but I'm okay with that!!!


I hope you like my page - I had a blast making it!!!




Deb.xx