Sunflower Sympathy - TSSC277 Sketch Challenge

Welcome to another week of the TechnoStamper Sketch Challenge. Check out this week's sketch:

I thought this sketch would produce some ADORABLE cards and I think you will agree! I made this card for my longtime best friend of 25 years because sadly her grandmother passed away last week. She was such a character and full of spunk! She will be missed and memories of her are forever in my heart!

As you can see, I have flipped the sketch 1/4 turn (I love to use sketches not as intended!). Now, I have been wanting the sunflower background stamp since I first saw a sample in the demo-only 2011 Stampin' Success magazine. I saw the most beautiful scrapbook page and was inspired by it...however other stamps found a home with me before this one did. However, I was able to get this stamp for FREE by purchasing 6 of my favorite Best of 25 Years stamp sets! I could choose ANY stamp set I wanted (and you can too!) valued at $14.95 or less - and this one was $13.95 for the clear version. There was another stamp set I thought about getting instead that was EXACTLY $14.95 (why waste any free money?) but I knew how much I had been wanting this stamp and I could get it for FREE so I did and I'm so happy I made that decision!

I started with a card base of Chocolate Chip. Then I used the Pool Party Core'dinations card stock and embossed it with the Woodgrain embossing folder and lightly sanded it. (As an after thought I lightly sponged Chocolate Chip ink over the sanded woodgrain embossing and it helped tone down the brightness of the Pool Party - love it!)

The main focus of the card is of course the sunflower which I stamped with Versamark and embossed with clear embossing powder and set it with my heat tool. Then using the emboss resist technique I started sponging the entire piece of card stock with Daffodil Delight, followed by some touches of Pumpkin Pie, and lastly sponged a small area of Cajun Craze. I love the shading!!! 

I wanted more texture so I used my Stampin' Distress Tool and roughed up the edges of my paper then sponged around the edges with Chocolate Chip and matted it all on Chocolate Chip, providing just a very thin layer of color to set the main image panel from the Pool Party! Then using my Aqua Painter and some Chocolate Chip ink from the lid of my ink pad I splattered a bit of color onto the sponged colors - I love that effect! 

I wrapped some Pool Party Bakers Twine (retired) around the layered panel and tied it through a Naturals Designer Button and used glue dots to keep the button from wobbling. Then I stamped the greeting from Teeny Tiny Wishes with Versamark and embossed with White Embossing Powder and punched it out with the Artisan Label Punch and attached it to the back of the panel before adhering the entire image panel with Dimensionals.

What do you think? It was a lot of work but so fun and soooo beautiful (ok, I might be a little biased!) and I was able to just CREATE! I can't wait to make some home decor projects with the sunflower stamp! Oh! I almost forgot to share the inside of the card! I used a layer of Pool Party and Naturals White card stock. Then I used a stamp from Thoughts & Prayers and the new Tea Party stamp set.

We would love to see what you can create using this sketch! Head over to Mary Jo's blog listed below and enter your project using the sketch. Don't forget to check out all the other wonderful projects created by the design team this week!

Mary Jo Price-Williams - Technostamper

Sue Root - Stampin' with Sue

Nicole Tegrul - Be Creative with Nicole

Robbie Rubula - Inked X2

Eileen LeFevre - Eileen's "Stampin' Fever" Blog

Tanya Bell - Stamping T!

Jonia Smith - Stampin For Me

Mary Brown - Stamper Camper's Corner

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Supplies Used:

• Stamps: Sunflower, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Tea Party, Thoughts & Prayers
• Ink: Chocolate Chip, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze, Pool Party, and Versamark
• Paper: Chocolate Chip, Pool Party (regular and Core'dinations),and  Naturals White card stock,
• Accessories: Woodgrain Textured Impressions Embossin Folder, Sanding Block, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Stampin' Sponges, AquaPainter, Pool Party Bakers Twine, Naturals Designer Buttons, Stampin' Distress Tool, Glue Dots, Dimensionals, and Artisan Label Punch

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