The Best is Yet to Come

Hello Friends,

I’m excited to share a new idea-ology project blooming with springtime florals. My inspiration for this panel actually came from a beautiful fabric bag created by my friend Richele Christensen. She used a Palette Orange fabric called Botanical—a long-time favorite of mine—and I couldn't get the print out of my head. I decided to translate Richele’s textile vision into a paper version, bringing a bit of her "fabric side" over to the paper side of the Palette.

I started with a large Etcetera Panel as my base. I used Collage Medium to cover the panel with a sheet of the Palette Orange Botanical print (12 x 12"). I added Collage Medium over the top to seal the paper.

Once dry, I added crayon to the edges of the panel.

I chose two pieces of coordinating ephemera from the Palette Ephemera pack. I stitched the edges on the machine. Since I used cream thread, I decided to ink the thread with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink.

On the ends that were not stitched, I tore through the paper and also inked the torn edges. I always spritz the inked edges with water to make the ink wick into the paper. Dry with a heat tool before gluing to the panel.

I used Scor-tape to add the ephemera to the panel.

Next up, is the house shape from an Etcetera Facade pack. I left the pop out center in place and covered the entire front of the shape with a sheet of Backdrop paper that I thought really worked with the Botanical paper (Backdrops 4 - Neutral pack). 

I added multiple strips of Design Tape Trims to the house shape for decoration.

I did add Collage Medium over the tape to permanently secure it to the surface. Then set it aside to dry.

I chose a favorite Paper Doll from the groups pack and colored it with Distress Crayons in Saltwater Taffy, Aged Mahogany, Faded Jeans, and Rustic Wilderness. I used a Detailer Water Brush to add a plaid pattern to the mans pants.

I also combined an Optical Lens and a Date Dial with a bit of Collage Medium. Once dry, I tied string around the stem to cover the number that was upside down (with the stem on the left).

Now combine the house shape, the Optical Lens and the Paper Doll. I used three double-stacks of foam squares on the back of the Paper Dolls so they above the Optical Lens.

I also used 3D foam squares to add the house shape Facade to the panel covering the gap between the ephemera. 

Now I need a sentiment - I combined a Quote Chip Label and a Label Frame. Then I decided to use my cutting knife to shove shredded cheesecloth into the crack between label and the frame for added texture. I also needed to add a bingo chip to the back on the right side so it will sit level with the house shape.

Once I added the label to the panel, I added vintage buttons to the right end. No I didn't stitch them on. I collect vintage buttons with the thread still in them - they are like gold to me! So all I had to do was glue them in place and let them dry.

I also created a small collage of Palette ephemera in the top right corner. Just stuff I liked and thought would bring out the green in the paper. I did add thin foam squares under the butterfly so it sits slightly above the collage.

I guess I forgot to mention the vintage lace that run along the brown ephemera. It was just a piece that I had in my stash and thought it looked good with the theme.

Love this little cluster!

You can see that vintage lace much better here,

I hope you liked this one. The colors and vintage vibe are right in my wheelhouse so this makes me very happy. And we all could use a little reminder of good things to come, right?

Now carry on,

paula

Palette Yellow Panel

Hello Friends,

Hello friends! 

I’m absolutely thrilled to be sharing a new Display Panel I created for the Simon Says Stamp blog. The catalyst for todays project was the beautiful Palette Yellow paper; the golden tones are the perfect foundation for this vintage-inspired mixed media panel. The warmth of the paper creates such a glow beneath the layers of Collage Paper, crayon work and paint splatters. 

Head over to the Simon Says Stamp blog to see the full reveal!

Now Carry On,

Paula

Palette Card File

Hello friends,

I created a new Card File using both Green and Yellow Palette papers. The 8 x 8" Palette paper is the perfect scale for the 3 x 4" cards. The mix and match nature of the paper packs make it easy to have all the prints you need right at your fingertips. There is also something so refreshing about the Green and Yellow combination—it feels like the first breath of Spring. 

By sticking to a limited palette of three Oxide Inks, the entire Card File remains cohesive even with a variety of textures and prints. It’s a garden-inspired project that fits right in the palm of your hand, perfect for storing little notes, quotes, or tiny mementos.

Now lets get started!

There are lots of cards in the Card File, but working through them three at a time makes it manageable! 

I started with the collage paper on the tabbed cards. 

The Palette paper series comes with sheets of paper that are printed in strips. I cut along the pattern to get lots of strips to work with.

I used the strips to cover the folded cards, then stitched with my machine along the seam lines. I also added Clipping Stickers, Cello Tape and string.

I covered the flat cards with paper from both the Palette Green and Palette Yellow. They go together perfectly. The stamped pieces were made with the Mini Motivation stamp - they fit perfectly across the 3" card.

I bought a new embossing folder from Simon Says Stamp. It's called Dancing Flowers and it makes the most beautiful impression.

I decided to color the cards with Oxide Ink in Speckled Egg, Tattered Rose, and Bundled Sage. As you can see, I pressed the Oxide Ink onto the glass mat and picked up the ink with a paintbrush to paint the flowers. 

With the cards painted, I was able to cover the envelopes and add blue stamp cards inside. These would be great for a gift card holder too!

For the pockets, I used Green Palette paper on the outside and covered the tags with Palette Yellow. 

The addition of the Mini Paper Dolls and Clipping stickers made each tag just a bit different.

I knew I was going to need some ribbon for this project so I colored 1/4" rayon ribbon with Distress Spray Stain in Rustic Wilderness, Tattered Rose, Antique Linen.

The three library pockets were covered with a Palette Yellow floral. For the insert cards, I stamped numbers from the Deconstructed stamp in Scorched Timber. Stamps from the Postmarked sticker book and Cello Tape added a bit more color, as well as eyelets and the ribbon.

The last of the cards are the three fold-out of zig zag cards. I kept these very light an airy with ver simple stamping using the Floral Outline stamp repeated over and over. I used the same three Oxides as before to create the soft look, using one color at a time. 

Once the image was stamped over one of the zig-zags, I went back with a soft brush and added watery ink of the same color to fill in parts of the image. This is such a soothing technique I could do it for hours!

Here are the cards folded up. I used ribbon and Tiny Clips to keep them together.

And open, you can see I used Photobooth, Noteworthy stamps and Field Notes Snippets for the zig-zag cards.

Bundled Sage

Speckled Egg

Tattered Rose

The three zig-zags together.

The three stamped cards were made with Spellbinders Cardstock and the Motivation 3 stamp set. I tucked one card into each section of the Card File.

I should mention that I removed the handle that comes on the end of the Card File and added a Label Frame with a Quote Chip Label. The words were perfect for the theme of this Card File and the Label Frame was the perfect size for the front of the File.

Here are some other Card Files that I have made in the past:

Palette Orange Card File (using fabric)

Halloween Card File (this is a series of posts starting with this one) 

Christmas Card File

Christmas Card File

Festive Art Christmas Card File (I love this one because it is so different!)

Now carry on,
paula