Clarity Challenge January 2015

Say It with Flowers

La Dame au Quatre Saisons

                                Happy New Year to one and all!!!
Well here we are, January 1st 2016 and a full twelve months since being invited onto the Clarity Challenge team. The run up to my Challenge debut was fraught with issues through setting up my blog, I scarcely wish to remember it, particularly Hogmanay as the blog was still not active.(Turned out the computer didn't like the programme and once switching to another - programme that is - all was fine.) To come up with ideas hasn't always been easy, particularly when I found myself far from home with a small selection of Clarity products I'd taken with me in my suitcase; when the deadline was drawing near and with still no absolute idea in mind, a calm and measured approach was called for, 'Don't Panic' had the galvanising effect! . . . . And several ideas were conceived this way!
Suffice to say, thank you for visiting my blog and with all that's new on offer from Clarity - not least the Diamond Club, KEEP WATCHING!
However, I cannot finish my preamble without mentioning these devastating floods and adverse weather that has been hitting us up and down the country. Experiencing a little bathroom flood a couple of months ago and only having to dispose of soggy carpets and underlay, I would not know where to start the clean-up of all the sludge and mucky water. Suffice to say, I do hope the powers that be in the whole of Britain take a proper look at all the flood defences up and down the country and DO SOMETHING PRONTO!

                                   La Dame au Quatre Saisons 

This month's offering did not turn out as I had planned as the original idea was a Victorian screen card! 

(Close-ups' to follow)

Materials:-

·         Cardstock:- Clarity Theuva and Stencil Card, black card from stash, scrap paper

·         Stamp:- Clarity Unmounted La Dame au Camellias

·         Stencil:- Clarity ‘Flowers’ 7x7 inch

·         Inkpads:- Ranger - Archival in Jet Black, Distress Inks in Fossilised Amber, Twisted Citron, Wilted Violet, Abandoned Carol, Carved Pumpkin, Mermaid Lagoon, Blueprint Sketch

·         Spectrum Noir Pencils

·         Clarity Double-sided Sticky sheets

·         Fine Glitter eg Glamour Dust

·         Cropodile, eyelets, jump rings

(Plaques are equal in size, honestly!!! - just poor photography.)

Instructions:-

1.       Portion off selected part of the ‘Flowers’ stencil with masking tape. Cut four pieces of Stencil card to 3.5 x 6 inches (approx. 9 x 15 cm) and attach one piece behind the chosen portion. For ‘Spring’ sweep over a mixture of Fossilised Amber and Twisted Citron using a make-up sponge or a Clarity stencil brush. Remove the stencilled card, set aside and leaving the masking tape in place, gently clean the stencil with a baby wipe.

2.       Repeat this three more times with Abandoned Coral and Wilted Violet for ‘Summer;’ Carved Pumpkin and Abandoned Coral for ‘Autumn’ and Mermaid Lagoon and Blueprint Sketch for ‘Winter.’

3.       Trim down a sheet of double-sided sticky (reserve the remainder as it comes into use soon,) remove one side of backing and place over the stencilled image.

4.       Remove second backing sheet and pour fine glitter over. Work this well into the sticky surface with finger tips and tip remainder back into pot.

5.       Trim to suit and mat onto black card. (Clarity Black Coated card is ideal but mine is lost in amongst the Christmas clutter!)

6.       Using Jet Black Archival, stamp La Dame au Camellias four times onto ‘Theuva’ card. Colour each using Spectrum Noir Pencils to complement the four backgrounds.

Flowers:- 

Using a Clarity stencil brush on good quality paper, stencil one flower from each ink combination . . .  

. . . . as in (2.)

Cut each flower out as shown below. 

Tear each flower in a spiral from outer edge to inner (as in 1st flower, Spring, yellow below,) then fold each part of the spiral in half long-ways over a needle tool as in second flower (Summer - pink).

Roll around the needle to create a flower (Autumn-orange.)

Place a blob of glue at the base of the spiral and press down to create a finished bloom.

Add flowers to corresponding images.

Trim and mount onto the sparkly background using the off-cuts from (3.)

8.       Line up each rectangle and using the Cropodile, punch a hole in each corner.

9.       Again using the Cropodile, add eyelets to each corner.

10.   Join each rectangle using three jump rings at each corner and add a chain to top and bottom to complete. (Chains were Charity shop jewelry finds.)

Et voila - La Dame au Quatre Saisons!

Hopefully the explanation has been of use and even more so - encouraged you to enter this month's Clarity Challenge, it's fun and it's free and even better there is an opportunity for you to win a Clarity voucher simply by posting your project or if you don't have a blog, by sending it to Sazzle who will post it for you - details are as follows:-claritystampchallenge@hotmail.com

The Clarity website can be found at www.claritystamp.co.uk and Clarity also has a Facebook page - https//:www.facebook.com/claritystamp.co.uk

Meantime - KEEP CALM AND KEEP CRAFTING  XX  ;~}