Warm Wishes Window Card

I saw Michelle's beautiful card she made for the brand new Die-ing for a Challenge blog  'Anything Goes' challenge.  You can check the new Die-ing For A Challenge blog here.  There will be a themed challenge each month but they're breaking us in gently with an Anything Goes theme for the first challenge.  I have a good collection of dies but it just so happened that I had received a brand new die so I thought I'd use that to take part in the challenge.  It's the wonderful Poppystamps Grand Madison Window die - I LOVE it!

I thought my brick embossing folder would be a perfect partner for the window so I first embossed some Core'dinations CS, scuffed it to reveal the mortar detail and covered the front of a cream A6 card blank. As my window was to be on the outside with the viewer looking in, I rootled in my patterned paper stash to find something that would resemble wallpaper.  I glued that to a piece of CS and glued that panel to the card front.  I die cut the window from Crumb Cake CS, stamped my woodgrain  stamp over the top in Soft Suede ink and also sponged the edges with the same ink.  For my window blind I die cut a vanilla Dainty Lace Border, glued that to the bottom of a strip of wide striped grosgrain ribbon and glued that behind the frame.  I'll be honest here - I actually tried the ribbon as curtains first but that wasn't working at all for me so then I hit upon the idea of a blind which I found much easier!  I then popped up the frame on the card front using 3d foam tape.

I wanted to have a potted plant on the outside of my window frame so I punched a pot from Cajun Craze CS and sponged the edges with Cajun Craze ink.  I die cut Little Leaves from Old Olive CS, snipped them, sponged the edges with olive ink and glued them to the pot.  I punched 3 small Razzleberry flowers, placed them on a foam moulding mat and added some shaping by pressing a large ended embossing stylus in the centres.  I glued the flowers on and added gem centres.  I stamped the Warm Wishes sentiment on Vanilla CS, punched it out with the Modern Label punch, sponged the edges, popped it up and added more gems. 

For the inside of the card and the envelope I inked up the gorgeous SU! Forever Flowers wheel in Rich Razzleberry ink and added some colour with inks and a blender pen.

I found this quite a time consuming card to make, not one you can churn out in five minutes and my desk looked like a bomb site after I'd done!  But, oh my goodness, it was such fun, I think this is a very versatile die and I'm looking forward to playing with it more!
  
Supplies:
Stamps: 'Warm Wishes' from SU! Cheer & Wishes set, Hero Arts Designer Woodgrain background stamp, SU! Forever Flowers wheel
CS: PaperMania cream A6 card blank, SU! Crumb Cake, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Cajun Craze & Very Vanilla, Core'dinations Coconut Cream
Patterned paper: SU! Paisley Petals DSP
Ink: SU! Soft Suede, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive & Cajun Craze, SU blender pen
Tools: Creative Expressions Brick embossing folder, Poppystamps Grand Madison Window die, MFT Die-namics Dainty Lace Border die, SU! Little Leaves die, Woodware small flowerpot punch, SU! Modern Label punch, flower punch from SU! Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, ultrafine sandpaper, sponge daubers, embossing stylus & moulding mat
Embellishments & accessories: SU! wide striped grosgrain ribbon, SU! rhinestones, 3d foam tape