A Southwest Sunflower Stencil Card for H2H

Have you ever had one of those weeks where everything went badly?  Last week began with me spilling my coffee on my favorite shirt and the whole week just went downhill from there, including every crafting project I attempted.  Before I tell you more of my “when card-making goes badly” story, let’s take a look at another October challenge for you to join at the Heart2Heart blog. 

This week, we have a Stencil It challenge for you.  Our design team has come up with a few fun creations you can view on the blog where we show you a variety of ways to use stencils.  If you would like to show off your stenciling skills, make sure to link your project to the blog before October 31st. 

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To be honest, my week really started with some disheartening messages and emails that I took to heart and they put me in a funky mood all week.  Have you ever had that happen? Someone you admire treats you badly, and it just throws you for a loop? Well, that is exactly what happened, and in the midst of me hashing through everything, I spilled coffee on my favorite new shirt, and, instead of just walking it off or having a nice chat with Jesus, I decided to try to ignore the mess in my head and attempt to create.  I was able to make something that I honestly love, but the road to get there was a little rocky.

I know that you have been where I was, which is why I am telling you this story.  We all have moments in life that test our strength and ability to move forward – like we have our shoes glued on a trap and we just can’t see a way out.  We can choose to give up or take our shoes off and find a way out of the goo. 

This last week, I was trying new techniques, learning how to use new products, and tried and failed at a few experiments, but it wasn’t until I made the choice to get myself out of the mental goo, did I succeed. This Southern Sunflower card was the result of a fun experimental combination of Distress Oxide inks, Tinsel heat embossing powder, and watercolors. 

As you can see, the outcome is a stunning array of fall color – so much better than I anticipated.  The background on the card was created using VersaMark Ink and Copper Embossing Powder with one of our new stencils.  Once the embossing power was heat set, I applied Distress Oxide ink onto the card, wiped off the excess ink from the embossing powder, and began adding the stamped images.

The whole process went a bit awry as I was making the video, but I thought I would share it with you anyway.  I know that you are also learning new things every day, and this might help you learn from my mistakes and give you a few giggles along the way. 

How many of those moments can you relate to?♥  Even I have really bad cardmaking days, but, through God’s grace, I was able to create something that I love.  My husband said that it reminded him of the southwestern jewelry in our mountain shops, and I told him that I see flowers against a fall sunset. Whatever you see in this card, I hope it brings you joy. 

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If you were inspired by today’s stenciled creation, make sure to head over to the Heart2Heart blog, check out a few more inspiring ideas, and add a project of your own.  All of the products I used today are listed below. Make sure to check out our new VIP program while you are shopping.  As a VIP, you get 15% in rewards every time you shop PLUS you can get $25 in rewards just for signing up. 

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