Modern Realism Floral Trio

Hello there, Michelle Short here and I am delighted to be back on the Spellbinders blog using the Through the Meadow collection by Susan Tierney-Cockburn. This beautiful collection features lots of flowers that would be found in a meadow, as well as beautiful coordinating sentiments. These flowers are meant to be created so that they look realistic, and I always enjoy shaping the petals to add that dimension to them.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

My first card uses Lavender Mountain Daisy Etched Dies. In real life, I think these flowers are a little lighter in the shade, but I wanted them to pack a punch on my very clean and simple card, so went a little darker with the shading. To make this card:

• Die cut Lavender Mountain Daisy flower 6 times from white cardstock to create 3 flowers. Add ink blending using purple inks and blending brushes, focusing the darker color towards the base of the petals.
• Die-cut leaves 4 times from white cardstock to create 10 leaves. Add ink blending using green inks, focusing the darker color towards the base.
• Die-cut flower centers 3 times from white cardstock. Add ink blending using yellow inks (to save time, you can simply cut these from yellow cardstock).

• Shape flowers, leaves, and centers using Susan’s Garden Ultimate Tool Kit, following Susan’s video tutorial.
• Assemble and adhere flower layers together, followed by flower centers.
• Hot foil sentiment from Through the Meadow Sentiments onto white cardstock using Opaque Black Foil and the Glimmer Hot Foil System - place black foil on white cardstock shiny side up, place plate on top design side down, hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape, place plate side down on heated up platform, press timer button, wait for light to go solid green, run through Platinum Six, carefully remove foil and plate from cardstock.

• Die cut sentiment out using a coordinating die.
• Adhere flowers and leaves to an A2-sized white card base with Bearly Art Glue.
• Adhere sentiment to card using thin foam tape.
• To finish, embellish with Silver Mix Color Essentials Gems.

TOP TIP: When hot foiling press plates (like the sentiment), I like to heat up the platform twice. I seem to get a better impression that way. Find out what works best for your machine!

I’M HERE FOR YOU

My next card uses Spiderwort Etched Dies. These flowers are so very pretty! I think they are more of a lavender shade in real life, but the great thing about cardmaking is that you can change colors to suit your needs! To make this card:

• Die-cut Spiderwort flower petals and centers three times from white cardstock. Add ink blending to the petals using blue-purple inks, focusing the darker color towards the base of the petals. Add ink blending to the centers with the same blue-purple ink but add yellow ink to the tips.
• Die cut leaves from white cardstock and add ink blending using green inks.
• Die cut stem twice from white cardstock. Add ink blending to both using green inks.

• Shape flowers, leaves, and buds on the stem using Susan’s Garden Ultimate Tool Kit, following Susan’s video tutorial.
• Adhere flower centers to flowers using Bearly Art Glue.
• Adhere flower stem pieces together for extra stability.
• Adhere leaves to an A2-sized white card base using Bearly Art Glue, followed by the stem. Cut the excess off the bottom using scissors.
• Adhere flowers on top.

• Hot foil sentiment from Through the Meadow Sentiments onto white cardstock using Opaque Black Foil. Die cut out using coordinating die.
• Adhere to card using thin foam tape.
• Die-cut ladybug from Painted Daisy and Ladybugs Etched Dies using white cardstock.
• Color ladybug using red Copic Marker. Add black details with black fine liner pen.
• Shape wings of ladybug with stylus and adhere to card using thin foam tape.
• Cover ladybug with Glossy Accents.
• To finish, Embellish with Silver Mix Color Essentials Gems.

THANK YOU

For my last project, I’m using Painted Daisy and Ladybugs Etched Dies. Painted Daisies come in the most wonderful array of colors, some are two-tone, and some are solid colors. I decided to make a solid color one today. To make the card:

• Die-cut flower petals from white cardstock twice for each size. Add ink blending to them using pink inks and blending brushes. Focus the darker color towards the base of the petals.
• Die cut leaves from white cardstock 3 times from white cardstock and add ink blending to them using green inks. Focus the darker color towards the base of the leaves.
• Die-cut flower centers 3 times from white cardstock. Add ink blending using yellow inks (to save time, you can simply cut these from yellow cardstock).

• Shape flowers, leaves, and centers using Susan’s Garden Ultimate Tool Kit, following Susan’s video tutorial.
• Adhere flower petal layers together, followed by flower centers, using Bearly Art Glue.
• Adhere leaves to an A2-sized white card base first, followed by the flower in the center.

• Hot foil sentiment from Mini Everyday Sentiments Glimmer Hot Foil Plate & Die Set onto white cardstock using Opaque Black Foil.
• Cut into strips and adhere to flower center using foam squares (two layers).
• To finish, embellish with Silver Mix Color Essentials Gems.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing my projects today and I have inspired you to try shaping flowers to look realistic but have a modern touch to the projects. Thank you so much for visiting and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Other Supplies

Thin foam tape, Altenew Shades of Purple Fresh Dye Inks, Altenew Golden Sunset Fresh Dye Inks, Altenew Blue Mountains Fresh Dye Inks, Altenew Bubblegum Dreams Fresh Dye Inks, Altenew Green valley Fresh Dye Inks, R37 Copic Marker, Black fine liner pen, Glossy Accents.