{TCPTUES159} Spring Flowers

This weeks challenge over at The Cat's Pajamas is brought to you by the legendary (at least I think so;) Susiestampalot....Susan Liles. A little background regarding my obsession with Susan. Way back last summer, around June/July...I stumbles upon the world of blogs. I know! I am a late-bloomer! And I only knew what a blog was from watching the movie Julie & Julia, where that woman decides to start a cooking blog...anywho- that was my intro to the world of blogging...remember, I live in hicktown, Alberta. We are people who farm/ranch/work the rigs..NOT blog! lol! So, I somehow found Susan and it was love at first sight! I really had no idea that people could make what she was making! Her absolute creative genius makes me dizzy and weak in the knees. Susie takes 'homemade' to a new level...I admit, she is a big stamping crush for me! Fastforward a few short months, and lil ol' me is on a REAL LIVE DESIGN TEAM with her???!!!! Ack! Still makes me shriek! Even though I am still a bench warmer and she is on the starting line-up, lol! If you are reading this Susan- please don't call the authorities. I do not want to wear your skin as a coat or dig through your trash, looking for hair..I am a just harmless admirer;) Trust me! Now that I've past the point of creepy cyber stalker, let us get on with the stampy business at hand.
Susan's challenge is MAY FLOWERS- use any TCP stamp with a flower on it! Doesn't sound too hard, but for some reason, I have to be in the 'mood' for floral and this really stumped me! Actually, this is my 2nd card..the first one came out hideous, so I ripped off the main circle image that i had stamped, chucked the old card in the garbage after salvaging embellies and such,  and built a whole new card:) It's still not my fav, but that'll do Donkey, that'll do. I went with a new size for me, inspired by fellow Cat packer Jen's note card size of 3.5x5...a really nice size for smaller images, such as Sprinkles the cat in her lovely spring bonnet.

If you know me at all, you'll know that I HATE heat embossing. I find it messy and annoying. It makes me cuss a blue streak everytime. I don't know why it grates on me like it does, but I have no love for it. But guess what? Once in awhile I try it again, and give it just one more chance, cuz that's the kind of forgiving gal I am. And it always dissappoints. Always. That explains why I didn't emboss the tag. Sprinkles gave me enough grief.

Once embossed, I coloured her flowers and bow with copics and added some clear spica for a bit of glitz (P.S. embossed ink bleeds with copics- you would think the 4000 degree heat would set it, but no- another reason to shun embossing). I daubed liquid pearls around the edge of the die, and matted with a scallop nestie. The multi-pattern rectangle panel was run through an embossing folder in my Bigshot (dry embossing is the way to go!;) The crinkly seam binding is SU and the bow is topped with a double Flower Button Cutup die, with a Divine Twine bow and itty bitty green button hot-glued on top.

I went for a similar layout on the inside, leaving a small circle for a personal message.

For your chance to win some weekly prize money and the title of Swanky Stamper of the Month, link up your card for this weeks challenge on Alma's blog here.

TCP Supplies: Spring Fling clear stamp set, Flower Buttons Cutup die, lemon Divine Twine

Other: DP- Jillibean Soup- Blossom Soup, CS- SU!, ribbon- SU!, Button- cratepaper, copics, spica pen, embossing powder-SU!, memento and versamark ink, heat gun, spellbinders, dimensional pearls-Ranger, embossing folder- SU!

Sketch- Verve