Using My Favorite Techiques

I have had a really hard time getting into my craft room due to baby sitting my grandson. My daughter just got a new job, so I not longer have to babysit. It is bitter sweet.

Hmmm...that is what I thought as I went to make my first project in a while. How exactly do I get back into it with the excitement I had before?

Deciding the best way was to do my favorite techniques, I pulled out my paper stitching and iris folding patterns. After a bit of trial and error, I finally found the perfect size iris fold pattern to go in a lovely stitching pattern I found in a magazine I have had for quite some time.
 

Isn't this iris fold pattern pretty! To really snazz it up I pulled out some metallic paper I have been hording. I wish I could remember where I purchased it. I am thinking that I will have to mark everything I buy with the store name so this will stop happening, lol

The metallic paper has such a lovely embossed design that really added some beautiful texture to the wings. 

Of course, I had to use some metallic floss for the stitching to match the paper. Even though the metallic floss is much more difficult to work with, the finished result is always worth it.

One problem I have always had when paper stitching is the pierced holes being quite large when I am finished. I find rubbing over them with a paper scorer works really great for remeding this.

  

I used a sentiment stamp from a Stampin' Up set called Wonderful Words. I love the font on this and am not sure I will ever tire of it.

To keep the continuity of the metallic look, I embosssed it gold.

Can you see the lovely shimmer of my favorite paper? Yum...The designer paper also has metallic outlines around the swirls. All of the designer paper I used for this card came from the lovely 6 1/2 sq." pad from Keiser Craft called Sweet Nothings.

There is a lot of texture and demension to this card. I added the pearls for a final touch. They are not as shiney as I would have liked, but the color goes quite well. I used some pale pink chalk to add a bit of shadowding around the butterfly here on the front. It did not show up in the photos, but in this one, you can tell the vanilla paper is not so vanillary. 

I used the butterfly that I cut out to make the iris fold for the inside top flap. WOW...was adding the piercing from the sewing pattern difficult. I just could not get the bottom flourished to match as well as I would have liked. After 3 tries, I just used the best one. Yeah...I agree, I am a bit anal about things like that, ha ha ha

To outline this butterfly as well as the one on the front and the anteneas, I used my Krylon gold leaf marker.

Here is the inside of the card. I used the stitching pattern as a frame, but only pierced it. I am not sure which I like better, just piercing or the sewing. It was the perfect way to dress up the rather large rectangle for a personal note.

Put all together, I am really pleased with how the card turned out. It is larger than most cards I make, being about 5 1/2 x 7". I did make sure I had an envelope to mail it in before making it. It would be a total bummer if I had a card and no envelope to go with it!!!

Now I am excited to get back to paper crafting and blogging again. Not only that...but the blog hopping I so much miss. I learn so much from other craftes. There are sooooo many wonderfully talented people out there!!!

{{{HUGS}}}