"Friends" card by Linda Hess

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This card was inspired by a trip to the pumpkin patch with my daughter and 2 of her friends.  It was a lovely fall day and I got to share the day with 3 teenagers who were literally skipping through the pumpkin patch! 
I took along my Arnold Grummer's Garden Press (http://arnoldgrummer.com/garden-press.html ) and filled it with treasures during the day: leaves, flowers, a lucky 4-leaf clover!  Once home, I waited patiently (with the occasional peek) for the pieces to dry.  Instructions with the press say 3-7 days....I left them for the max time before taking them out.  I discovered that a pumpkin flower is not a very good choice for the press. 
The flower itself flattened beautifully.  Sadly, it was way too fragile to peel off the blotter...it sadly was lost :-(
 
The big "reveal" was eye opening as far as what happens to the colors.  Pieces that I thought would stay bright and bold (some Coleus leaves), darkened so much that the veining no longer showed.  Other pieces like the pumpkin flower retained its beautiful yellow.  I can see that I need to experiment with multiple other flowers and plants to see which work best.
 
NOW for the card!  I started with a 12"x12" blue sky cardstock.  I cut a 5" strip off and folded it in half.  The corners were softened using a corner punch.  I added a soft green to the front.
In my stash of scrapbook paper I found a "friends" sheet with multiple sayings.  I picked a couple and cut the components out to use.  I decided to only use the word "Friends" on the front.  The rest of the saying will be added to the inside.
I found a piece of handmade paper left over from the Halloween Box (http://arnoldgrummerpapermaking.blogspot.com/2014/09/halloween-treat-box-by-linda-hess.html )  I tore the edges to fit the front of the card and glued it in place.  Then I began positioning the flowers and leaves until I was happy with the arrangement.  Then carefully each piece was glued in place using (believe it or not) Elmer's School Glue!
Once the front was complete and dry, I added the wording to the inside.
The rest of the card is left blank for a personal message.
I hope you have enjoyed this project.  I highly recommend the press!  I may have to grab some leaves before they all fall off the trees! 
 

Comments

  1. SandeeNCOctober 27, 2014 at 2:10 PM

    Beautiful card, and it is amazing what dries well and what doesn't.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kim @ Arnold Grummer'sNovember 12, 2014 at 12:23 PM

    Linda - what gorgeous layering on the card! I love pressed botanical art. I can't remember where we learned about Elmer's Glue for leaves and flowers, but it's often recommended. Did you use a brush to apply it? Wonderful! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete

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