My Friend

The challenge this month at Our Daily Bread Designs is "Anything That Grows...with ODBD." I decided to make this card for Send a Smile 4 Kids, using ODBD's "Violet Single" image. I also used the "One Layer Paper Tole" technique that Dina Kowal demonstrated on Splitcoaststampers.com. Unfortunately, I couldn't get any good photos of the bit of dimension that produced.

I first die cut & embossed an oval from 140 lb. watercolor paper with the largest of Spellbinders "Classic Ovals LG" dies. Using my MISTI to help me with placement, I stamped the image on the oval with Versafine Onyx Black ink, and clear heat embossed it. When the embossing had cooled, I colored the flowers & leaves with my Inktense pencils, using a damp paintbrush to pull the color from the pencil lead & apply it to the paper.

After I finished coloring, I placed the die cut back in the die, & used a finger dauber to ink around the image with Tumbled Glass Distress ink. The die masked off the perimeter, leaving a small white border around the oval. I then used my craft knife to cut along the outside edges of some of the leaves. I flipped the oval face down onto a foam mat, and used a broad ball stylus to burnish the paper inside the cut lines, to cause the leaves that I'd cut around to curve up. After burnishing, I applied foam tape to the back of those portions, to help with the dimension when I adhered the panel to my card front.

I used a greeting from Stampendous' "Happy Messages" stamp set. I stamped it in Versafine Onyx Black onto a piece of lavender cardstock, clear heat embossed it, and cut it into a banner shape. I cut an A2-size card front from green cardstock, and laid my oval & banner on it. The design looked a bit lopsided, so I took more of that lavender cardstock and cut a doily using one of the "Decorative Doily Duo" dies from My Favorite Things. I placed that behind my oval on the left side. The composition looked a bit "forced" now, though, so I die cut another doily using the smaller of the MFT dies, and glued that behind the right side of the oval. I just felt I needed to add the lavender doilies, to carry the color from the banner throughout my design.

After adhering my doilies & oval, I adhered my greeting banner in place. I took some staples that I'd colored with liquid gold leafing, and loaded my Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher. I stapled the right end of the banner, just to add a little something-something. Finally, I mounted my card front to a white A2 card base.

I'm also entering this card in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday challenge: "Anything Goes"
Through the Craft Room Door: "Anything Goes"
Simon Says Stamp's Monday challenge: "Add Some Texture" (dry-embossed leaves for the paper tole)