Whimsy Stamps ~ Rustic Framed Coneflower Card

Hey crafty friends, we have a wonderful Instagram and Video Hop going on at Whimsy right now in collaboration with the generous folks at Cardstock Warehouse. We have been given a real treat to work with their gorgeous Island Breeze Multipack and some lovely Stardream card bases and envelopes in combination with our fabulous Whimsy Stamps and Dies. I was determined to create with as many of their divine paper colours as possible in my makes and I have to be honest, I still had ideas I didn't have time to complete, but this card follows on from the five I shared in my first post for the hop. You may recall the blue mica stain coneflower shaker card I shared the other day too? This is the card I was referencing in that post, which used the offcuts from that coneflower die, to create the blue mica background for this card.

I diecut the coneflower from white watercolour cardstock and used Zig Clean Colour Brush Markers to add a little bit of colour to the coneflower seed heads and stems. I had a Wink of Stella pen that had run out recently and I really like the brush part of it, so I had a bit of 'brain wave' and decided to use it as the actual waterbrush for this design. I pulled off the top, opened the chamber and squeezed it slightly under running water and then released the chamber and let it fill. I gave it a good shake and then I had a softly sparkly watercolour brush! How's that for a crafty hack for ya?! I'll be using it again, it was fab and left the loveliest hint of shimmer all over the design. That shimmer shows best in the IG reel I did for this card. 

I used the gorgeous dark chocolate cardstock from the Cardstock Warehouse Paper Pack to create the frame for this card. I diecut the Slimline Fence Die and then ran some Pumice Stone Distress Oxide ink over the frame to make it look a little worn and distressed and to emphasise the grain.

I chose to distress the hardware heads too, as I wanted a rusty finish to them, so not having done this before, I had a play with some alcohol inks to see if I could get a somewhat rusty feel to these screw heads. I used Espresso, Terra Cotta and Caramel. I stuck them onto a bit of mint tape, sticky side up, to keep them in place while I played around with the alcohol inks. I didn't achieve the finish I was after, but also didn't mind the way they came out, so was happy enough. I think it might have worked better, if I'd used some grit paste, so I'll try that another time. 

This card was a real mix of different techniques and mediums for me. I don't often watercolour, but wanted to for this card and love how that came out, especially with my fun empty Wink of Stella pen turned watercolour brush! A fun recycling hack to have discovered for my shimmer pens! I was so pleased with the way the frame came together too. This fabulous die set does have some really cool dies to create screw heads but I'd just bought these Tim Holtz Idea-ology ones and thought it'd be fun to use them for this card. So glad I did too, I think they're fab.

So that's all my cards for the collab, but I must tell you too, that our sponsor was so generous, that I've still a few gorgeous panels of their beautiful paper left over. So I'll be sharing a few more makes too with this gorgeous cardstock. I have honestly been so impressed with this beautiful cardstock. It's a lovely 100lb weight, which is about 270gsm for us down-under and the UK and EU crew. So a lovely weight to work with. Fab for die-cutting and now I just have to work our how to get some more to New Zealand! If you'd like to hop along with us for a chance to win this lovely prize pack, click through on the banner above and it will take you to the Whimsy IG account where the hop begins.

Hop along with us for a chance to win the fabulous prize pack shown above from Cardstock Warehouse, which includes this gorgeous Island Breeze Multipack and some lovely Stardream card bases and envelopes, which our team have been working with for this hop. Two lucky winners will also be randomly drawn at the end of the hop to win a $50 Gift Certificate from Whimsy Stamps, that's three chances to win! Two will be drawn from Instagram comments and one from Video comments, so be sure to visit both. Hop entries will close May 4th. Winners will be announced on the Whimsy IG Account soon after. 

Cardstock Warehouse is a family owned business with 40 years of experience in the manufacture, sales and distribution of direct-from-mill paper, cardstock, and envelopes perfect for craft and hobby enthusiasts. Visit their website at www.cardstock-warehouse.com to check out their beautiful range of papers, cardstocks and envelopes. We know you’re going to love them. Enjoy the hop! Hugs, Wends xoxo

(If you like any of the elements I've created with, I've added thumbnails to make your shopping easier. I do use affiliate links where possible, which gives me a tiny commission but costs you no extra whatsoever, though more importantly it helps the companies I design for to improve their marketing practice and track my contributions. I am deeply grateful if you use them for these reasons. I only design for companies whose products I absolutely love and buy for myself. My opinions are always my own.)

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