Yellow Roses

One of the challenges for the last day of "Hope You Can Cling To" is to "Stop and Smell the Roses." The only requirement is to use a rose image on your card. When I read the challenge description, I knew immediately which stamp and what colors I'd use!

The stamp I used is quite old, and I have no clue where I got it or who manufactured it. It includes the words "hybrid rose" and the Latin name in the lower right corner. When I decided to do triple-time stamping, the "Labels Eight" dies I chose wouldn't work with the text. So I ended up masking off that portion when I inked my stamp. I stamped the image on a piece of Strathmore Mixed Media paper with Ranger Archival Watering Can ink. I briefly considered doing no-line coloring, but decided that would be too difficult with this image.

After giving the ink a few minutes to dry, I colored the roses with my Inktense pencils. Because I live in Texas, and MD Anderson Cancer Center (where this card will go) is in Houston, I decided to color them yellow, like "The Yellow Rose of Texas" song. Once I'd finished the coloring and it had dried, I taped down 3 of the dies, one inside the other, centered on the panel. I then ran it through my die cutting machine.

I adhered the outermost frame directly to a white A2 card base with my ATG gun. I added a layer of foam tape to each of the three inner pieces. Then I realized that, for the technique to work, I'd have to add more layers of foam to the inner and middle pieces. And this was going to get pretty thick, pretty fast. I was afraid it might not fit in an envelope when I finished!

I die cut two more pieces of Mixed Media paper with the middle die, figuring I could layer them with the foam tape and get just a little lift to the middle panel that way. Unfortunately, when I had adhered all the layers for that piece, it was still not thick enough. So I ended up putting another layer of foam tape on the back, and adhering it in place. I also doubled up on the foam tape for the inner piece, and adhered it. I got an envelope for a test fit, and remarkably, the card fit! I breathed a real sigh of relief then! :)

To finish, I rounded all 4 corners of my card with my 1/2" Corner Chomper, and added faux stitching lines with a black pen. Finally, I added "dew drops" to the flowers & leaves with Glossy Accents.

I'm also entering this card in Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday "Anything Goes" challenge.