Rise Like A Phoenix

 Happy FriYay, everyone! How did your week go? Thought I'd give you a break from all the birthday cards I've made lately with this New Year's card using an uplifting sentiment.

My navy blue card base and green mats are SU and I have one vertical strip of designer paper. It came in an origami kit, some mail freebie from American Express, years ago. It included several 6x6 papers, all very colorful and I remembered them, thinking they would complement the Gecko Galz image. The folder embossing was done on a piece of Kraft card and colored with inks (details below).

  

For this card, I used the current Outlawz Wednesday sketch, resizing to 5x7 (A7) and then turning 90 degrees to the right.

I was able to look thru my little flower drawers and find some to use that went with the colors in the image and paper. I also used my tiniest brads as flower centers. I turned the card outside in to mail, so hopefully the brads don't mess with the postal machines. 

  

The inside of my card features a sentiment mashup using Verve, Stamplorations and Artistic Outpost stamps. The card back has the rest of the sheet of designer paper on a green mat and I've used an Impression Obsession siggie stamp over some paper strips leftover from the front.

Some close-ups:

The Gecko Galz image is an well-known illustration painting depicting the legend of the phoenix or firebird, a mythical bird that symbolizes rising from the ashes and is part of many cultures' histories but definitely for Eurasia and Asia. I thought it was perfect to pair this image with the sentiment I spelled out using Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type stickers on card stock scraps cut with Lawn Fawn banner dies.

I also wanted to highlight the inked and embossed panel using Cuttlebug's Asian Plum Blossoms folder. I did that smooshing of the folder inside top with some Lucky Clover Distress ink, but then I lightly misted my Kraft card stock with water instead of the inked folder as Kraft's a bit thick and stiff. I was very pleased with the impression but I felt the raised blossoms needed to be white so I took my Brilliance white dew drop pad and smooshed the entire surface letting some of it sink into the recesses. And I really like the effect! Brilliance has a bit of a shimmer to it so that's a bonus, too. Turned out to be a good thing using the Kraft card, between the green ink smooshing and the coat of white Brilliance a bit of the Kraft peeks out here and there...

And a final view. I'm really pleased at how the embossed Kraft panel ended up looking - the plum blossoms and the designer paper blossoms kind of mimic the white orange tree blossoms in the image. Ha! Plus, not every day I use orange with red and blue with green. I love the sentiment, so appropriate a wish for 2021. Stay safe! Until next time, XOX

MY CHALLENGE PLAYLIST:

1.   Outlawz Wednesday Sketch 01/06-01/19

2.   Modsquad Challenge: Fly Away (Anything with Wings as Focal)   #1/3

3.   Gecko Galz Jan. Customer Blog Challenge  - I used an image from Czarina collage sheet, which illustrates a little Russian Far-East beauty (Source:The Legendary Firebird in Russian Folklore,)

4.   The Sisterhood of Crafters: Die Cuts and/or Embossing Folders -- #2/3  Embossing folder: plum blossoms

5.   Try it on Tuesday: Uplifting or Positive Quote

6.   Use Your Stuff #413: All About the New -- First time to use the Cuttlebug Asian plum blossoms embossing folder that I've had a long time.

7.   MAWTT #126: NEW -- NEW Year card

8.   Gecko Galz January Facebook Challenge: Visit the East -- I used an image from Czarina collage sheet, which illustrates a little Russian Far-East beauty (Source:The Legendary Firebird in Russian Folklore,)

9.   Creatalicious Challenge #203: AG + Opt. Use of Kraft -- #1/3 My embossed plum blossoms panel is Kraft. Details in above post.  

10. Aud Sentiments #266: Sentiment + AG

11. Cut It Up #217: Go Back in Time -- #1/1  Well, not exactly sure which decade, but I've gone WAY BACK in time in Slavic/Russian mythology, probably 500 years. I've used Lawn Fawn Everyday Banner dies.