Framed!

In Rochester, NY we have a lilac festival every May. It's a wonderful event and the smell of the lilacs is heavenly. They have even bottled the fragrance and given it to the first lady. It's a big deal, sort of one of those things about our city that makes it special. So, when Stampin' Up! came out with a lilac stamp it quickly made my list of must haves. I just want you to know I can occasionally exhibit patience because I just got this set and it has been available for 3 months!! Anywho...did you ever have an idea for something and you just couldn't get it to work out like you envisioned? This card sorta fits that bill. Part of it is exactly like I envisioned and part is not. I stamped the lilacs on watercolor paper, misting the stamp with water before putting to paper. I added some grey and charcoal watercolor crayons along the edges to take away the sharp contrast. Then, I ran the aquapainter over the whole thing once more. It really looked watercolored (pat myself on the back for that success, LOL)so then I thought it should be framed. I measured and cut the frame out of sahara sand cardstock but I wanted an antique looking frame. I used a stamp from the now retired Sculpted style in always artichoke craft ink and embossed it with clear EP. Not sure if you can see it, but I mitered the corners. To do this I put down a piece of scrap paper from outside corner to inside corner and stamped. I embossed each side as I went so I didn't smear my work. Now I was getting somewhere. Finally I used a stiff brush to add always artichoke and close to cocoa ink for an aged look. So up to this point it is what I envisioned. The finished card is another story. The frame is pretty ornate so the card base doesn't need much but after several scrapped ideas I am leaving it alone! It is definitely a one of a kind, not to be mass produced kind of card.

Here is another sample with Blossoms Abound...