The Challenges ~ Alphabet Challenge Blog and The Kraft Journal Challenge

Happy Monday, and Happy August!!!  Of course, on Mondays one of the first things I do is look to see what new challenges are up, and two of my very favorites, The Kraft Journal's 'Make It Monday' challenge and the Alphabet Challenge Blog's challenge for this week were both there waiting for me and with this project I was able to do both in one card!

The Challenges:

• The Kraft Journal ~ Walk In My Garden theme
• Alphabet Challenge Blog ~ M is for Metal

And here is my card for both challenges . . .  

Supply List:

• Kraft card stock - The Paper Studio (Hobby Lobby)
• Green and gold card stock - DCWV
• Patterned paper - Websters Pages
• Sentiment - SRM Stickers
• Oversized brad - Heidi Swapp
• Vintage lace - my stash, purchased at an estate sale
• Glassine bag - purchased from Pick Your Plum when it was the deal of the day a few weeks ago.  You can find similar ones HERE
• Brown and metallic gold inks - Stampabilities (Hobby Lobby)
• Gold/Green ink - Anna Griffin
• Embossing Powder - Queen's Gold (Ranger Inks)
• Image - found on Flickr

Tools Used:

• Cricut Expression with Walk In My Garden, Elegant Edges, and Plantin Schoolbook cartridges
• Cuttlebug with Spellbinders Nestabilities dies 'Scalloped Circles Small'
• Scissors, craft knife, ruler, rotary cutter
• Heat Embossing Gun

Cricut Cuts:

• Card base - Walk In My Garden cartridge, 'card2' set at 5"
• Label - Elegant Edges cartridge, patterned paper - 'Heart2-s' set at 4 1/4"; green mat - 'Heart2-s' set at 4 1/2"
• Green oval (sentiment) - Plantin Schoolbook cartridge, 'oval' set at 2"

To show dimension of flower

Flower Instructions:

• For brad:  Ink brad heavily with brown ink at least twice, setting with heat tool in between coats.  Ink heavily with gold metallic ink, dip into Queen's Gold embossing powder, and melt/set with heat tool.  Ink lightly with either brown, or green/gold ink, heat set again.
• Cut circles from patterned paper using smallest and 2nd from smallest dies.
• Cut glassine circles using three smallest dies, making two of each size.
• Scrunch up all the paper, then cut a small hole or slit in center of each.
• Put brad through all pieces, starting from smallest pieces:  small glassine circle, sm. patterned circle, sm. glassine circle, two medium sized glassine circles, large glassine circle, large patterned circle, and last large glassine circle.
• Close brad, and glue onto card.

And there you have it!  I love how the glassine circles softened the colors of the patterned paper, and gave the flower a lighter feel.  The image came from Flickr, and I got several in the same series.  They were pages from a book, and I cropped the image to cut away the edges.  I believe the picture really does look like you are walking in a garden!

Thanks so much for visiting, and please come back again soon!  Blessings, Becky