Showing posts with label Technique. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Technique. Show all posts

Monday, 30 July 2012

Squished flower background technique

All of these cards were made using the squished flower technique!


Several people have asked me for a tutorial on how I do this, so here it is.
  • Take some fresh  flowers and leaves and arrange them on a sheet of absorbent card, placing a second sheet on top.
  • The sandwich I used in my Cuttlebug for pressing the flowers is 
Baseplate
B plate
2 pieces of card with the flowers between them
Tan Mat
B plate


  • Run the sandwich through the machine. It needs a reasonable amount of pressure, enough to make some of the juice run from the plants. Remember to clean the rollers carefully afterwards.
  • Open the sandwich and lift off the debris of the plants.
  • Clean any residue left on the card with a brush.
  • The finished result may look a little dreary, but when sections are used either with dies or other shaped panels the effects can be most satisfying.

In the above photograph, the card at the left of the picture was pressed without the addition of the tan mat and the effect is much gentler and less vibrant as less liquid was extruded from the plants.

I hope that this helps!


Sunday, 31 October 2010

Burnt Edge Fabric Flower

Just Us Girls is the most amazing Challenge blog... I have been challenged to try so many things, some of which I've never previously heard of. I think I vaguely recollect seeing something about this technique before, but have never actually tried it.
As we have recently cleared the loft in order to have it re-insulated, I came across boxes of fabric which had been in the loft probably since we moved here over 20 years ago. I thought that somewhere amongst it I might have something suitable for this technique, which requires a synthetic, silky fabric. The edges are melted above a candle flame. I set fire to the first piece, so you do have to take care.
I cut out 7 fabric circles using concentric Nesties as a guide for size, and snipped a little way into each one, making 5 petals in each, then I held them a few inches above the candle flame until they started to melt and curl.
The background stamping is from a Rollagraph , and the leaves are a mix of dies and punches.
The sentiment is from Stampin' Up.
I don't think it's too bad for a first attempt.