Saturday, December 31, 2022

A GOLD RUSH

It is almost impossible to believe, but this this is my last regular blog post for 2022.  I'm wrapping up the week with an elegant card using the Delicate Desert Suite.  If you have enjoyed this week's sneak peeks for this beautiful Suite, next week Thursday, January 5, you will be able to order it!  

This card is all about beautiful gold accents and, sadly, the photos just do not do the card justice.  In 2022 I never was really able to figure out how to best photograph shiny and sparkly items--and believe me I've done a lot of research and a lot of practicing, but it is still a skill I need to keep working on.

The frame on today's card is made from the Gold & Rose Gold Metallic Specialty Paper.  This is some of the most beautiful metallic paper I have ever seen, but photographing it well is difficult.  Even Stampin' Up!'s photo in the Annual Catalog doesn't do this paper justice.  It needs to be seen in person to see how pretty it really is.


The center background paper is from the Dry Brushed Metallic Specialty Paper from the Delicate Desert Suite.  I feel the above photo does a fairly decent job of showing how pretty this paper is, but when it becomes available on January 5, you are going to want to see it for yourself.


The desert flower is stamped with Soft Succulent ink with just a tiny hint of gold hiding in the shadows. This took some experimenting to get it to look like what I had pictured in my head.  I first tried using the colored embossing technique but with gold rather than clear embossing powder.  However, that was just too much gold, and I lost much of the Soft Succulent color. I also tried embossing the flower with gold and adding Soft Succulent with Stampin' Blends, but that was too much gold, and I lost the beautiful shadowing of the flower.

What finally gave me the result I was after was to stamp the flower with Soft Succulent and then use a VersaMarker Watermark Pen (non Stampin' Up!) to add a small amount of VersaMark ink in the shadowed areas of the flower.  I then added a very tiny amount of gold embossing powder, by pinching some powder between my fingers (like you would add a pinch of salt to a recipe) and sprinkling it on the flower.  Between applying very little VersaMark ink and very little gold embossing powder, I got the little bit of gold accent I was after while maintaining the Soft Succulent color.  It isn't difficult to do once you figure out the "recipe" and the effect on the flower is very pretty.


To make the Gold Border for the inside Very Vanilla cardstock, I used the "scrap" from the front frame.  I die cut the front frame from a piece of 5-3/8" x 4-1/8" Gold Metallic Cardstock.  I used both the larger Frame Die with the smaller Frame Die nestled inside it to cut the front frame.  This left a narrow piece of "scrap" around the outside of the large frame, and a beautifully die cut center piece to use on another project someday.  I adhered my Very Vanilla cardstock to the large piece of "scrap" leaving approximately a 1/8" sparkly gold border around my Very Vanilla.  A strip of Dry Brushed Metallic Specialty Paper was added on the left side of the Very Vanilla to finish the inside.

I've listed the sneak peek products I used from the Delicate Desert Suite below:
  • Delicate Desert Suite - Item #160537
    • Desert Details Bundle - Item #160532
      • Includes the Stamp Set and Coordinating Dies
    • Dry Brushed Metallic Specialty DSP - Item160837
To see which current products were used on this card, see the Product List below.

If you would like a tutorial with all the details on how to make this card, please download a copy using this link.

As we approach the end of 2022, I reflect on the blessings this little Fairless Stampin' Flair business has given me. It has led me to meet new people and form new and stronger friendships. I hope that those of you that follow me have been inspired by the cards I share.

I wish you all a Very Happy New Year, and I look forward to getting to know you better in 2023!

 

Product List

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