Cute Card Thursday #8 In the Garden

I first saw the Cute Card Thursday blog a couple of weeks ago, but this week is the first time I have managed to make a card for it. This card went together quite quickly for one of my cards! I took advice that I have seen recently and chose the papers etc first and then coloured the image. Good advice! I started out with a sketch I was going to follow, and then part way through, something completely different came to me and ended up doing that instead. Some cards just make themselves!
The stamp is by Penny Black - Lazy Days. Coloured with water colour pencils and aqua brush. Used my Nestabilities to cut the scalloped square and the green Bazzill behind it. The sentiment is a Papermania rub-on. I think that the flowery paper is Doodlebug. Finished off with flower brads, and two Nestability Flowers. The pearl brad in the centre of the flowers is coloured with a green permanent marker to match in with the card colours.

Nestability Flowers

Here's a little 'how to' on making the flowers that are on this card They are very quick to make. Takes less time to make one than to read the tutorial!

First a list of tools:

• Scalloped circle Nestability die - one of the smaller ones. Or a scalloped circle punch with an even number of scallops
• Soft, textured, handmade type paper
• Scissors
• Small ball embossing tool
• Embossing mat or back of a spongy mouse mat or similar
• Glue - my preference is white pva glue, but adhesive dots would work also
• Flat backed pearl embellishment, or gem, or brad - whatever you like
• Marker (forgot to include in the photo)

Cut out the scalloped circle and then fold in half two ways. With the most textured side of the paper uppermost make a dot with the marker in the centre where the two folds cross.






















Cut between pairs of scallops towards the dot, stopping about 1/4" away.























Turn the shape over and place on embossing mat. Using a small ball embossing tool make small circular movements whilst exerting gentle pressure next to each scallop to make little indentations as shown. If you don't have an embossing tool, then anything with a small, smooth rounded end will do.























Then emboss in a line between the little indented circles and the base of the petal.























Turn the flower over to the right side again. And with the slightly larger ball end, make circular movements with gentle pressure at the base of the petals. Finish off by pressing down right in the centre.






















Apply a very small blob of pva glue on the dot, and add the pearl. Press down firmly on the pearl whilst still on the mat to indent the pearl into the flower. This will be fine if you have not used too much glue!




















Finished Flower.

Hedgehog in the Meadow

Why is it that I've known all year that I needed this card for tomorrow, but I only made it today? Typical of me - wish I could get out of that habit!

I don't have any Prima type flowers - I know shocking! - so having decided that I wanted some on this card, I made my own. I used the smallest size of my classic scallop circle Nestability dies and cut the shapes out of a very textured, soft, handmade style paper. I marked the centre, and then cut in between every other scallop towards the centre, stopping about 1/4 of an inch away. Then I used a smallish ball embossing tool to shape the petals, and finally added a flat backed pearl to finish.


The stamp is by Penny Black - Buzz in the Air! I coloured it with a mixture of Twinkling H2Os and watercolour pencils and markers. I have to combine at the moment, as I don't have many colours of any one type. I gave the hedgehog some grass to sit on using some Art Impressions grass and tiny flowers stamps inked up with watercolour markers. Then washed around them with a waterbrush to blend and fill in the gaps. The happy birthday is a rub-on by Pebbles.