Big Shot Playtime!

So, with the Easter theme for my demonstration for Llandrindod Wells Card Club this month, it allowed my to play around with The Big Shot Die Cutting system - at least that's the excuse I used ;-)

Loving all things floral, here you see the Bigz L Die Fun Flowers (Mini catalogue p7). Part of my reason for treating myself to the Big Shot was that it could cut material as well as card stock and Designer Series Paper so have put lots of different flower types together for this arrangement that I took along to card club for inspiration. The nest of eggs here came in a bunch of flowers last year and not from a spring nest!

I was looking at Julie Kettlewell's blog (see my blog list right) and she had made some fabulous flowers and got me thinking. . .

As always all flowers start with Daffodils in Wales ;-) This is simply done in Daffodil Delight (what else!) card stock and then the trumpet is a 1 3/4" circle punched them repeatedly put through a Crimper (IB&C p107) to make the card stock more pliable and then shape it round the end of a wooden spoon, to give it that crinkled look, with some flower inners that I had lying around from artificial flowers. I have made an Old Olive leaf by folding a thin piece of card stock in half and then running it through the crimper at a diagonal for a little texture. There's lovely!

With the remaining two Daffodil delight flowers I ran them through the Square Lattice embossing folder (Mini p10) and added a little daffodil delight ink with a sponge dauber to the petal tips and created the flower centre with a contrasting blue button.

So here you can see the three large flowers of this die cut in a Brights Designer Series Paper, fixed centrally with a Circle Fire Rhinestone Brad (IB&C p99). I think it gives quite a clear illustration of the differing flower shapes, and how they can fit together or stand alone. Of course, it wasn't possible to have this floral arrangement without a foray into felt, and I have to say the possibilities are opening up with the thoughts of brooches, hat embellishments, applique and beyond!

I have to say that my first attempt has made me more excited than ever as I can bring my love of sewing and fabrics into the cards that I make - whoo hoo! This is just some felt I had lying around, but for spring I think it's really appropriate, with just a splash of 3/8" Taffeta ribbon in Marina Mist (IB&C p96). Keep on crafting - I am ;-)