Shabby Chic Vintage Flower And Butterflies Birthday Card

How often does a finished card appear significantly different than the original plan?  It seems to be happening more often with me these days, and its an enlightening set of experiences.  A journey of discovery...one in which the true nature of who I am has been revealed in what, given my background, exists as an unlikely medium:  paper crafting.

I am naturally a "detail person," and my paper crafting is not only reflecting this core characteristic, but I am realizing that it is perfectly okay.  Finally, I have found a community of people that either share this trait or they delight in what this type of artwork contains and conveys. 

Another revelation I have had with this card is how much I like shabby chic and vintage themes...not all aspects of vintage, but most.  I like how rich, bold colors can be distressed, muted, sponged in coordinating and/or contrasting colors and embossed to convey a completely different feeling.  I love how they can have adornments that were mere scraps the moment before adding to the card and convert it to something so rich.  Its like a Cinderella story with every card or art piece that is made.

I have my own Cinderella story, but that is to be saved for another time; however, not long after I met my prince charming, the embossing technique became part of my crafting life.  At first it was solely using a corrugator, then it was embossing folders followed by emboss resist.  The use of enamels would not come with much confidence and fluency until several years later.  Embossing of all types has become my favorite family of techniques. 

My "Shabby Chic Vintage Flower...Card" has butterflies that were cut and embossed with an embosslit created by Sizzix for Stampin' Up!:  "Beautiful Wings."  I used a corrugator for the banners in the upper left corner.  The large flower was die cut and embossed using Sizzix "Flower Folds."  Then, I enamel embossed the flower petals and edges of the first layer to create a satin-finished brushed-paint look.  

If you have a chance to visit "The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge," you'll find that May is the month of flowers.  The submissions of two team members seemed to compiment my style and reflect characteristics of this card:  flowers, subsued colors, and a variety of components that keep the viewer engaged.  I am a new follower of the blog and look forward to seeing many mixed media pieces to inspire me in the future.

Please read the "Process" section further down in my post for detailed information on how I created this card.  Challenges entered and card ingredients also follow:

Challenges/Links
Petal Lu Challenges Anything Goes
The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #12 May Flowers
Beyond Grey Challenges #68 Make Your Own Embellishment (I made the Shabby Chic Flower.)
Mojo Monday #397 (Sketch)
Inkspirational Challenge #82:  Three of Four--Distressing, Flowers, Embossing, Pearls
Fan-tastic Tuesday Chalenge #85 Anything Goes with some Flowers
Mixed Media World Challenge #3 Vintage
Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps Challenge #154 Lots of Layers
Craft for the Craic Friday Mid-Month Inspiration Wings
2 Crafty Girls Challenge Blog #3 Vintage
Cuttlebug Mania Ribbon
Creatalicious Challenges #75 Butterflies
Creative Card Crew #87 Embossing Wet or Dry
Deep Ocean Challenge Blog # 103 Flowers
City Crafter Challenge Blog Wee #261 Focus on Flower(s)
Crafting By Designs Flowers
Verge Stamps Inspiration Challenge Let it Bloom
Papertake Weekly In The Garden
The Crafter's Cafe Challenge Blog #116 Feminine
Pile It On Challenge #69 Not Cute
On a Stampage Mynn's Birthday Bash Giveaway Celebration! (BLOG CANDY!)

Card Ingredients
Papers: Fawn/Lt. Brown Textured CS (Bazzil Basics Christmas (Designed for My Mind's Eye Signature Christmas)), French Vanilla/White Textured CS (Bazzil Basics Christmas (Designed for My Mind's Eye Signature Christmas)), Pink Pirouette CS (Stampin' Up!), Soft Suede CS (Stampin' Up!).

Inks: Tinted Emboss (Top Boss), White Opaque Emboss Powder (Stamp-N Stuff), Creamy Caramel (Stampin' Up!), Soft Suede (Stampin' Up!), Watermark (VersaMark), Chocolate Brown Opaque Emboss Powder (Stamp-N Stuff).

Stamp(s): Victorian Lace Background (Stampin' Up!), Elementary Elegance (Stampin' Up!).

Punches: 1" Circle (Marvy Uchida), Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border (Stampin' Up!), 3/4" Square (Stampin' Up!), Corrugator (Stampin' Up!), 1/16" Hole (Stampin' Up!), Paper Piercer (Stampin' Up!), 1/8" Hole (Stampin' Up!), 2-Step Bird (Stampin' Up!).

Cuttlebug/Big Shot: Flower Folds Bigz XL Die (Sizzix/Stampin' Up!), Beautiful Wings Embosslit (Sizzix/Stampin' Up!), Circles #2 Die (Sizzix).

Embellishments: 1/8" Vanilla Cream Satin Ribbon (Offray), Flower Neutrals Brads (Stampin' Up!), Basic Adhesive Pearls (Stampin' Up), Antique Brads (Stampin' Up!), Gold Cord (Recollections/Michael's).

Process
Layout: Mojo Monday #397.

Base: Folded to 4-1/4" x 5-1/2".

Layer 1: 4" x 5-1/4", fawn brown CS. Stamped background, sponged, enamel embossed edges for brushed, satin-finished paint look.

Layer 2: 2-1/4" x 5-1/4", pink CS. Stamped background, sponged, distressed edges. Adhered to Layer 1.

Layer 3: Cut two solid and differing-colored pieces of CS to size; use square punch to create end of banners/flags. Sponge, adhere to layer, used corrugator. Glue unit to Layer 1 (after Layer 2 has been adhered to it) and punch two holes for brads. Apply adhesive pearls to center of flower brads; push brads through holes to back.

Layer 4: Punched CS to create dotted scallop ribbon, sponged, glued 1/8" ribbon down center. Adhere entire piece to already attached layers 1 and 2.

Layer 5: Using "Flower Folds," manual die cut 3 layers of pink CS. Sponge in Soft Suede. Adhere at center, displaying all petals. Punch circle of Soft Suede CS and glue to center; once set, punch/pierce hole in center. Enamel emboss outer parts of petals for brushed paint effect. Insert antique brad in center of flower; place a ring of adhesive pearls along brad's outer rim.

Layer 6: Vanilla white CS punched and enamel embossed sentiment in brown. Sponge rim with Soft Suede brown ink. Manually die-cut larger circle form Soft Suede CS; sponge rim with matching ink and glue sentiment piece onto center of it. Adhere to card using dimensionals.

Layer 7: Butterflies manually die-cut in two colors of CS and sponged. Gold cord double-wrapped around vertical center of largest butterfly and tied to create antennae. Attach adhesive pearls to smaller butterflies.  Add all to Layers 2 and 1. Smallest butterfly glued to inner circle of Layer 6, below sentiment.

Layer 8: Punch branches from CS, using two-step bird punch. Cut to appropriate length and glue to areas coming from beneath the large flower.