September 15th, 2011 ~ Giving Thanks ~

Thanks for coming to get some card inspiration! This week’s theme is Giving Thanks.  It is an appropriate theme, with Thanksgiving right around the corner for us Canadians, but also because there is so much to be thankful for.  One of my favorite things is to be able to make a special card to give thanks with. Enjoy the card I made!

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Theme: Giving Thanks
Sketch:

(Oops! if you notice I have the sketch upside down…. don’t worry, its not an error on my part )
Techniques, colors, etc:

• Natural elements…. ribbon… embossing… microwave flower drying.

Card size: 5in. x 7in.

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First, lets assemble some of the items I chose for my card:

1. Cuttlebug with embossing folders
• Floral Fantasy
• Swiss Dots
• Embossing Borders: Just My Type
2. Quilling Paper in soft natural tones
3. Paperbillities “Wine Country” I’m going to use the green’s and cream for the card & card base
4. Microwave Flower Press (I’m so thankful my sister gave it to me for my birthday a few years ago!)
5. Not pictured, but I used Friskars “corrugator”.

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Cut, emboss, and tape as you go…. here’s what I have so far:

All there is left to do is to dry some flowers from my garden to make the “bouquet” , and to insert the sentiment on top (I will hand write or stamp this, as I wasn’t thinking far enough ahead to use the computer to do it )
Now the fun part…. out to the garden!
Here are some of the flowers I picked… small violets and the top bit of a speedwell.

Make sure to trim the back of the flowers if necessary, to help them to lay flat between the layers of paper towel and felt in the microwave flower press.

Microwave in 30 second intervals, checking on how much more you need to dry them.  It really doesn’t take long!  These violets have “dried” in under 3 minutes in my microwave, and your microwave may be even quicker than mine!  Oh, another note, dry similar sized items at one time.  I’m going to try doing the speedwell separately… I have never dried speedwell before, so I hope it works! If you “over dry” you will lose color. It’s a balancing act. If you want to make sure the card will last forever, then opt to use silk or paper flowers instead.
When the flowers are dried, arrange and paste on the cream oval.  Stamp or write your sentiment on the top of the card.


Another thank you for dropping by! Make sure to visit the Card a Day Blog for more inspiration!