The Card Concept - Garden Pleasures

Welcome to a brand new challenge on The Card Concept blog!

 The theme this week is: Garden Pleasures

Everyone is welcome to play along using the colors, the theme, 

textures, items, or just anything from the picture as your starting point.

I was inspired by several elements in the photo (the window, the weathered wood birdhouses, the beehive, and the Black-eyed Susans) when I created this summery mixed media card. 

I love up-cycling cereal or cracker boxes into weathered wood backgrounds and windows. 

Here's how I make the backgrounds:

1. Trim a thin piece of cardboard to size (use the reverse side if you're up-cycling a cereal box)
2. Score some lines (you choose how wide - mine were 1 inch on this card)
3. Paint your cardboard with white school glue
4. While still tacky, paint a thin layer of your main color over top the glue
   
5. Heat set or allow to air dry (if you did it right,cracks will appear)
   
6. Add an accent color or two and heat set again
7. Re-score your lines
8. Sand portions of your finished piece to give it a weathered look

For the windows:

1. Die cut the window from cardboard
2. Using a dry brush, swipe some white paint and heat set
3. Using the same dry brush, swipe some brown paint and heat set
4. Repeat till your satisfied with the look
5. Sand in spots to create a more weathered look
   

Supplies and Tools:

• Cardboard
• Martha Stewart Scoring Board
• Conservatory Window (Sizzix)
• Wildflower Stems #1 (Sizzix - Tim Holtz)
• Bee Sweet (Sweet n Sassy Stamps)
• Faith & Hope Word Dies (Sweet n Sassy Stamps)
  
• Cheesecloth
  
• Burlap String
  
• Arteza Real Brush Pens
  
• Watercolor Paints
• White, Gray, Brown Acrylic Paint 
• Sandpaper
• Cardboard
  

 

This post linked to:

• Simon Says Monday Challenge - Things with wings
• The Paper Funday - Anything Goes + optional flowers/floral 
• Dies R Us Challenge - Anything Goes (Sizzix Dies) 
• Allsorts Challenge - Create a landscape or scene (window scene)