Thinking Inking

Ranunculus for You: Soldered Charm

Here's the charm that accompanies the little gift card posted below. Actual size of the glass is 1-1/2" square, so it's smaller than shown here. I used the same Copic markers that are pictured in the post directly beneath this one. To get the scalloped edge on the solder, I used a scalloped-edge copper tape--a simple way to add a decorative touch.

I am working on another soldering tutorial, but for now, let me direct you to this one of Ellen's.  Mish has also done one recently. My purpose tonight isn't to explain all of the basics about soldering, but simple to show you how to get  a three-dimensional look if you are already experimenting with soldering. (I've previously done a tutorial on the three-glass layers here.)

See how five of the blossoms are raised? to get that effect, I used three layers of 1-1/2" square glass rather than two layers. The sandwich is as follows:

1. glass
2. upside down patterned paper (liner)
3. main focal image (right-side up)
4. glass
5. a few cut-out, raised accents
6. glass

I used just a tiny dab of adhesive to make sure the added blooms stayed lined up on top of their counterparts underneath, then I taped, fluxed, and soldered as usual. Using that extra layer of glass is a simple twist that makes a really neat look! If you are looking for soldering supplies, you'll find pretty much anything you can think of here. Thanks for visiting!

Big Blossom Play

I've been playing with Big Blooms tonight. First, let me confess that the first time I saw Big Blooms, I thought, "There's one set that I probably don't need!"  Why?  Because I have owned huge decorative flower sets in the past--Anyone remember Posy and Bee from the 2000-01 catalog? Invariably I use big flower sets for just a handful of cards and then wonder what made me "need" them so. I was determined not to cave. But between Michelle Giraud/aka flaxychick and Jenn Balcer, resistance was futile: I was assimilated by the Big-Blooms-Borg. So far, I do not regret it!  You see, Big Blooms has a whimsical charm, especially that middle-sized flower with the squarish/rounded edges. And how about that utterly cute little stem and leaves?  I discovered that I could turn it upside down and stamp grass! (Okay, probably everyone else knew that, but it was a revelation to me.) 

This was my first simple Big Blooms card. I used a Cuttlebug Swirls background and stamped the small flower trio in Marigold Morning, Cool Caribbean, and Cameo Coral. Stems and grass are stamped in Old Olive.  The greeting is from Nichole's Green Thumb set.  Then I remembered that I had a 6 x 6 pad of Basic Grey Romani paper and thought that its funky-retro style might work well with this set.

The second card obviously evolved from card one's layout, but it is spiced up a bit with the Basic Grey Romani. I used Clearsnap Fluid Chalk inks (Warm Violet, Wisteria, Tangerine, and Lime Pastel) to stamp the flowers. As much as I am not fond of lime green, I'm about to admit that we might need it for one of next year's In Colors. . .  Green Galore doesn't have quite enough yellow to work, but I figured that if I kept my borders to 1/16", I could get by with it.  The lime dotted organdy is May Arts (Cindy ribbon) and the greeting is from Green Thumb.

Using the same papers, I next experimented with the BIG in the Big Blooms. (You have to work your courage up!) The verdict: I love the big blooms!  I'm still not too sure of the largest one, but I have used all of the others, and I will get around to using that largest one yet.  I layered the blooms by size, adhering them to each other with a dimensional  after curling the blooms up slightly.  I matted this card with Regal Rose and Almost Amethyst, pulling in a strip of Green Galore and the lime dotted organdy once more. Greeting is again from the Green Thumb set. I probably wouldn't have chosen these colors if I hadn't pulled them straight out of Basic Grey, but they work, in a funky way. The Almost Amethyst Scalloped circle is a Marvy Giga Scalloped circle punch; and the white inner mat  is cut with a Coluzzle circle template and stamped in my other standby, a Cornish Heritage Farms polka dots backgrounder. I dotted some Stickles in the flower centers in each of these cards.  Well, there you have it--my first experiments with Big Blooms.  Thanks for visiting!