Hydrangea macrophylla

Ha!  Karen Weber, aren't you proud of me???  I love the internet.

Stampin' Up! demonstrators can pre-order selected items from catalogs so we can have samples and ideas ready to show you when the catalogs "go live."  We were able to purchase new colors of card stock and markers and some ink pads.  Unfortunately, the new In Color and returning In Color stamp pads weren't available for pre-order, so to minimize our disappointment, we were given a Level 1 hostess set from the new catalog - free!  Is that cool, or what?  PLUS we got our catalogs early.  That would have been enough, but free rubbah, too?  They sure know how to feed our addiction take care of demonstrators!

The set is called "Because I Care," and it's the big "mophead" flower.  I think it's a hydrangea.  It looks like the pictures of hydrangeas.  They can be pink, purple, blue or white, and most of the stamped samples I've seen are in colors.  But I thought it would be fun to do a white one.  Major challenge!!  I stamped my first attempt in Old Olive and colored with watercolor pencils.  It was ok, but not as bold as I wanted.  (Seriously, how bold can white be?)  Sometime in my dreams, I thought about stamping it in Old Olive craft and embossing with clear powder- then coloring with chalk or pencils.  I actually used both - and a white watercolor crayon.  The pencil worked best, though.  The crayon covered well, but it tended to cover more of the embossing than I wanted.  The chalk would have worked better with a blender pen, but I just used a little cotton ball, and that didn't give the coverage I wanted.

So, d'ya want to see?

It's very calming after yesterday's "Wow, that's really bright" card.  After I colored the flower, I added Daffodil Delight centers and filled the leaves in with Certainly Celery.  Here's the complete list -

Stamp Set:  Because I Care
Ink:  Old Olive craft & classic; watercolor pencils; Daffodil Delight & Certainly Celery Stampin' Write markers
Paper:  Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Night of Navy
Other:  Punches - corner rounder, curly label; Whisper White organza ribbon, Big Shot, Elegant Bouquet textured impressions embossing folder,  stampin' dimensionals

I realized as I was moving things out of the way to stamp that my card collection is growing too big.  I need to give away/send/sell some cards!  That's a problem in this family - we collect.  Wesley had a knife collection when he was younger.  Both boys had a rock collection.  Then there were Jonny's other collections.   When he was much younger, he took a piece of gum out at night and, instead of throwing it away, saved it on a plastic lid.  I guess he thought about chewing it the next day.  (Which reminds me of my mom's favorite joke.  Later, I promise.  Or, maybe it's a threat.)  He didn't chew it or throw it away.  He left it there.  And the next night, he added one.  And the next, and the next...until it was this huge chewing gum sculpture.  He finally threw it away; but then he started a lint collection.  Every time we washed clothes, we'd have to save the lint for him.  I'm not sure what he was saving it for (well, yes, I do actually.  It was for some kind of incendiary device.  *sigh*), but, thankfully, we passed that stage also.  So I guess my card collection is really rather normal compared to my children!

Ok - Mom's joke.  (This would be a good time to browse someone else's blog!)  Did you hear about the little boy who lost his chewing gum in the chicken yard?  He thought three times he found it.  (Feel free to groan.  We always do.)

Comments

[Luralyn Calitri]

Oh, Buffy, I had to laugh! AND comment! I am a collector, too, and a recycler, of course. As a kid I always made gifts or bought inexpensive, practical gifts for family members. So, I was bound to teach my children some of the same. And one year I saved paper egg cartons and dryer lint for them so that we could make fire-starter "bricks" to give to their fireplace-owning uncles for Christmas! The looks we got from the recipients when they opened those gifts! What a hoot!! Thanks for reminding me of that time quite a number of years ago. I felt so virtuous using that lint, instead of throwing it away!

[Buffy Cooper]

Luralyn -
I love the fire-starter brick idea. We'll have to try that since Jon's past his "Pyrotechnic Engineer" phase and doesn't need the lint.

[Cate Jones]

Love this! Thanks for sharing your " how to get it white" journey and the joke.

[Sandy Moriarty]

That is definitely a bold white! And I saw it in person -- fantastic IRL. Since you gave us the "how to" I guess that means I will just have to case you. Loved your story about your "creative" boys. You really have your hands full with a house full of males!!! Hey, do your guys read all your family stories?

[ShariW]

I really like your card with the white flower. Thanks for blessing my day. :)

[Susan Byington]

Wonderful!

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