Tuesday 28 January 2014

Spring is just around the Corner?

Welcome to Magpieheaven where today the sun is shining and it actually is not raining! I so want to think that spring is on the way; but I fear that we have more harsh weather to endure before that happens! Never mind, 'Hope springs eternal...' as they say, so, as I had a card to make for my Uncle Derek's eighty-ninth birthday, spring colours and images leapt into my mind and off I went! For this card, I used the terrific Artistic Outpost, 'Birds of a Feather' plate and I should like to enter this birthday card for the January Referral, where the theme is 'Anything Goes'. Click here if you would like to find out more - there are still a few days left!
I have used these images before, but it never ceases to amaze me how different the same images can appear on different projects! I started with these elements! I am giving this card by hand, so I allowed myself lots of layers, including my favourite corrugated card, found on my daughter's floor: I was tidying her room while  she's on a college trip to Amsterdam! I had lots of fun sponging my favourite blues and greens of Fresco paint onto these surfaces, blending them and then stamping with Archival ink. I used Antarctic Fresco Finish, Lake Wanaka, South Pacific and Guacamole. I then stenciled and did a little random script stamping using Wendy Vecchi's lovely Fern Green Archival. Stamping on corrugated card is never going to have that 'perfect' look, so I went with it! I used the stamp without a block to give a worn look to the text and images almost like a palimpsest where new layers are added to old.
I recently treated myself to some Wendy Vecchi Embossing paste and I used this for the first time through a Stencil girl stencil of leaves. it does dry a beautiful, gold.
I stamped the nest onto card, coloured with Antarctic, Guacamole and edged with Potting Soil Archival. I then added these little leaves to give a sense of peeping into the nest between the leaves of a tree. I sponged the eggs in the nest with a little Wendy Vecchi Cornflower Blue Archival. You can probably see that I edged my corrugated card with a touch of Aquamarine and Green Amber Treasure Gold and some dry-brushed Little Black Dress.
I stamped on some blue patterned paper, which I coloured a little with Frescos and Aged Mahogany DIs to make it co-ordinate more with my project. I curled the corners and added a little White Fire TG.

I painted this piece of torn card with Stone at the centre and Antarctic and Lake Wanaka then Chocolate Pudding and Little Black Dress. My leaves are stenciled in Tinned Peas Fresco.
And here are the elements all together with a few additions, which I felt were needed to pull the whole thing together! I also added some gold UTEE to the edges of my little robin tag. You may be able to see why I don't make cards so much these days - at least not the kind you have to mail! I get so carried away with textures and embellishments they end up impossible to fit through anything other than an outsize cat-flap!
The eggs are from the book page stamp, stamped in black Archival onto card sponged with a blend of Space Cadet and Guacamole Freso and then fussy cut and attached to the card with dimensional foam pads. I placed a tiny blob of Glossy Accents over the robin's eye to make it gleam and added some seam-binding coloured with Evergreen Bough and Peeled Paint Distress Inks.
I placed my sentiment inside the Tim Holtz book-plate from his tag die set. The Crackle Glaze is Guacamole over Little Black Dress with just a touch of Green Amber Treasure Gold and I threaded some thin wire through with a handmade bead on it to suggest a little spring - sorry for the awful pun. I make beads from triangles of magazine pages wound around a cocktail stick, stuck together and then glazed by rolling them in Versamark and dipping them in clear Embossing Powder and melting the EP with a heat-gun. I added a little Limelight Fresco to the edges of the corrugated card in places too!


Now my card is complete and ready for my son to take to his Great-Great Uncle. Outside my window a robin has started to sing! But - guess what - now it's raining! Thank you so much for stopping by Magpieheaven today. I hope your week is a rewarding and a creative one - whatever the weather!



19 comments:

  1. A truly beautiful card! The images are so lovely and I love all the little touches of gold that go so well with your spring colours! I spent some time with my GD making beads that way last year - very therapeutic! Chrisx

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  2. Hello Sweety, well still winter here -33 with the wind chill, so needed this to let us know it will come :O).. What is wonderful is how you show us all the ways the images can be used, and my favorite colors blue green and GOLD :), love how you stamped the script,still trying to get that effect, that gold paste is freaking fabulous, all the elements are just perfect, loooooooove all the bird things, the crackle is is fantastic, this isn't just a card but a work of ART, thanks so much for sharing this it's got to be one of my favorite pieces, hope you h ave a wonderful week, standing cherring for this one, so is the Parliament of Magpies... ((( BIG HUGS )))..

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  3. Your Great Uncle's Keepsake is stunning, am sure he won't put it away.

    Thanks for another tutorial on layering & colouring, stunning outcome:-) xxx

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  4. Oh love how it's all come together at the end, it looks wonderful xxx

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  5. Another lovely project. Must get some of that paste. Fabulous looking colour. And your handmade bead idea is a great, must have a go. I thought with the way you attached spring to it, would also look great on a fishing project, as looks like a float on a fishing line. But I'm terrified of fish so don't think will be doing that ha ha.
    Julie xx

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  6. Gosh Julie Anne - this is really beautiful! So much industry and thought has gone into it and made it all the lovelier. It's a wonderful take on Spring (no pun again!) - good luck with the challenge. Nicola x

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  7. Gorgeous spring colours, perfect for those stamps (between you and Tracy Evans, I think they have to go to the top of my AO wishlist now!). Love the gilded leaves which give the whole thing such a lift of golden sunlight - wonderful. Thanks so much for playing along with us at Artistic Outpost.
    Alison x

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  8. Lovely layers and touches of gold full of the promise of spring...
    L♥ve what you have created dear Julie Ann
    oxo

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  9. What a beautiful card, julie Ann,

    Lucy

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  10. What a lucky Uncle he is to have a niece who creates beautiful art for his birthday. He will be so thrilled with the beauty of this card and thoughts of Spring. I love the touches of gold in the form of the leaves.
    Wishes
    Lynne

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  11. Wow, that is beautiful.

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  12. WOW, WOW, WOW... So Beautiful... Hugs May x x

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  13. It is soooo easy to get carried away when making cards once you've done a bit more than dip a toe in mixed media work isn't it! I got very out of practice last year and bought many of the cards I had to send (baaaad crafter!) but this year I am determined to do better, lol!

    Your beautiful card was obviously made with such a lot of love and thought for your Uncle and I bet he pours over it to take in all the detail. I usually find that older people are so appreciative of the time and care we put into our handmade gifts.

    Hugs
    Lesley Xx

    PS I learned something from your post today as I'd never heard the word 'palimpsest' so looked it up :-) Xx

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  14. What a beautiful card Julie Ann, I love the crackling, and the homemade bead is brilliant xx

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  15. Can't believe I missed this before! Gorgeous stamps, and fabulous composition. Totally beautiful card.

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  16. Stunning card Julie Ann, beautiful layers and WV Embossing paste is good effected. I love curly papers and bead.

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  17. This is amazing! I adore those golden leaves - they are such a vivid contrast to the delicate colours! This will no doubt be very treasured. Lots of love from Laura xxx

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  18. Wow wow wow you always amaze me with your art, this is truly amazing. I love the pops of gold against the green leaves. The stamped images are beautifully presented and I have decided I really need this or something like this stamp set. I don't normally do birds and nests by Mrs Magpie you have now turned me lol. Lots of hugs Kerry Ann xxxxxxxx

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