Hello

One of the challenges in Splitcoast Stampers' "Hope You Can Cling To" card drive is "Cancer Free." The prompt is to create a card with a free form collage on it. I must admit, when I first saw the words "free form collage," I kind of freaked out. Then I saw an example in the gallery, and it reminded me of a design challenge by May Flaum during this year's Camp Scrap. She called it "one spot," and the basic premise was to take one element and build out from there. She also does a lot of collage-type work, so I tried to channel my inner May Flaum to do this card! :)

I started by die cutting a doily, using an old die by Lifestyle Crafts (I believe long since retired now). I also used some of the stamps in the "Bold Blooms" set, designed by Julie Ebersole for Ellen Hutson. I stamped one of the flowers on white cardstock in Hero Arts Lemon Yellow & Fresh Peach inks. I also stamped two of the leaves on green cardstock using Hero Arts Green Hills. I blended Squeezed Lemonade Distress ink over the peach flower, since I felt the white background was a bit too stark. Then I cut them with the coordinating dies.

It was time to start building my collage. I knew I wanted them to be concentrated in the lower left corner, so I started with the doily and laid the flowers & leaves on top, without adhering anything, until I liked the arrangement. Then came the hard part--remembering where to put everything when I took it apart to apply adhesive! I could have taken a photo with my iPod, but I was lazy and didn't feel like doing that. I ended up getting everything placed pretty much in the original spots anyway! :)

For the greeting, I stamped the "hello" from "Mondo Magnolia," also from Ellen Hutson, in Versafine Onyx Black ink on a piece of cream cardstock. I cut it into a banner shape, and tucked it into my floral arrangement. I left the right end free, and curled it up a bit, just to add a bit of dimension. Once everything was adhered, I used my sewing machine to stitch around the perimeter with black thread. I did not stitch over my collage, though. Finally, I mounted the completed card front to a white A2 card base. I will be sending this to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX, as part of the "Hope You Can Cling To" campaign.