Saturday Showcase - Prima Charms and Flowers

Happy Saturday to everyone! It's Lyla, here for another Showcase on some pretty cool things that are just about 'staples' when it comes to crafting...charms and flowers! But these aren't just any old charms and flowers, they happen to be Prima Marketing's Peach Tea Charms and Watercolor Flowers from the Painted Floral line. The splash they each brought to this project is just...WOW! I've never been much of a "flower" person when it comes to paper crafts; just looking through my blogposts can testify to that. I prefer real flowers growing outside, but from my first time working with Prima Marketing flowers during my first Saturday Showcase I was quickly hooked on these! And then there are the charms from the Prima Marketing Peach Tea line... I'll just have to show you! Let's get started.

While everyone else has been going full throttle with Tim Holtz's Gladys, Colorize and Simple Plaid Thinlits Dies, I just got started with them. So I decided to use them both as my "vehicle" for the flowers and charms.

The first thing I did was to get out some shades that were close - but not spot on - matches to the Prima Marketing Watercolor Flowers. I chose a square panel for my base.

After choosing the shades of Distress Inks and Oxides, I got started on the background. "Sky" came first, by pouncing lightly with a round Mini Blending Tool to make subtle circles.

Then I opened up the Distress Ink Faded Jeans and used another Mini Blending Foam, holding the Mini Blending Tool at an angle so as to make arc-like strokes that I wanted to resemble water/ocean.

I used the same techniques - holding the Blending Tools at angles or flat on - to create sand/beachline, and tall grass.

I went over it all again until I was satisfied with the colors and shapes. I also deepened the sides a bit for depth. At this point, I had no idea I was going to want a frame.

Next came making Gladys and George (the names I've chosen for my girl and guy). I took out my stash of Tim Holtz Kraft Stocks for this job.

I wanted three birds - always an extra, just in case. The Colorize Thinlits are easy to follow since they are marked on the backs.

After I had all the bird pieces, I wanted to make shirts for the birds - matching "tacky tourist" shirts.

I first made a "pattern" by cutting around the body and the wing. Then I used the white pattern to make the matching shirts from.

Here's where the Simple Plaid Thinlits Die came in. I cut two lengths of the Plaid in a darker shade (for contrast), then used the shirt pattern to cut another layer of shirts. Then I glued the two layers together before putting the shirts together.

I was happy with the results because it looks cute yet "tacky" instead of going for Hawaiian shirts.

Next came making the leis for Gladys. I didn't want George to look tacky; Gladys is one of a kind and needs to stand out.

I chose only the 3-petaled flowers and set the 4-petaled flowers back into the package. You'll see those again in another project, I am sure! I have fallen in LOVE with these Prima Marketing Flowers! I used a rounded sailing needle (I always keep them on hand because of my sailboat), and strung each flower petal nearest the middle stamen pearl. It was very easy to do.

As I strung each petal, I spaced them evenly, using a bit of Glossy Accents on both sides of the petal, right on the string. (I used a thin crochet string that can be used for needlepoint. I keep an entire roll around in case of little needs like this.)

Yeah, it's tacky, but it WORKED! I needed a circle that was the same size as the panel, which was also the same size as the Tim Holtz Classic Kraft 8x8inches. I went to go get a plate or saucer, but saw this funnel and knew it would work. Fit PERFECTLY!

This is the wrong side (Kraft side) of the Classic 8x8 Kraft Stock. I simply used my pencil, then went in with my Tim Holtz Mini Snips.

Then, I backed that frame up with pieces of Mat Board for stiffness AND to pop that frame out. I added more pop out volume with Sizzix Double-Sided Adhesive Foam.

Now it was all starting to come together even BETTER than I had in my plan. The frame became the perfect "vehicle" for the Peach Tea Charms, which give it that BEAUTIFUL Hawaiian punch of color!!! Some plain gold stash brads helped hold them in the places I wanted, while layering them together and hiding the brads all at the same time! A leaf from the Tim Holtz Thinlits Set Tropical stood out as a compliment to the charms.

Here is where the palm and bushes came in....

I stretched out the palm tree by cutting more than one trunk and layering them for height. Cutting more palm tree tops in different shades, and turning them around, helped fill out the single palm top shown on the cover of the die set. I did the same with some other leaves to form a bush. I do this all the time: it's one of my fave sets.

The resulting make is a fun look:

Yes, Gladys is ME. And her googly eyes describe how I usually can be when I am on a roll. Life is about being who I was meant to be: a bit wild, a bit crazy, somewhat eclectically dressed, and usually with a camera in my hands. I seek out the warmth, sun, and waves, but have a penchant for creating with Tim Holtz stuff. ;)

Look at how BEAUTIFUL and simple those flowers are when put into a LEIS! She's even got a flower in her hair!

George is staying in the background.

The Peach Tea Charms are just FABULOUS looking and they are very thick and full of shine! These Charms would make an excellent bracelet...which I do have planned!!

This Tim Holtz Quote Chip (Theories) says just what I needed on this panel.

You can see how thick the frame ended up and made this panel into a type of pop-out picture.

Thanks so much for joining me on another Saturday Showcase at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge Blog!

Products Used:

Prima Marketing Peach Tea Flower Charms 997595

Prima Marketing Painted Floral Flowers - Watercolors 658618

Sizzix Chapter 1 Tim Holtz Thinlits Die Set - Gladys, Colorize 665851

Sizzix Chapter 1 Tim Holtz Thinlits Die Set - Simple Plaid 665856

Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads - Faded Jeans, Salty Ocean

Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pads - Antiqued Linen, Pine Needles, Saltwater Taffy, Salvaged Patina, Vintage Photo

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Crayons - Set #12 TDBK77190

Ranger Inkssentials Mini Ink Blending Tool - With 4 Blending Foams IBT40965

Ranger Inkssentials Ink Blending Tool + 2 Blending Foams IBT23616

Tim Holtz Tonic Studios Kushgrip Snip w/Non-Stick Blade & Cap 7"-Small T817

Tim Holtz Tonic Studios 9.5" Black Kushgrip Titanium Shears TTS00819

Ranger Inkssentials Glossy Accents GAC17042

Sizzix Making Essential - Foam Adhesive Sheets, 4"x6", Assorted 663042

Sizzix Tim Holtz Thinlit Die Set - Tropical 661207

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Theories Quote Chips TH94045

Tim Holtz Idea-ology 6x9 Kraft Stock, Neutral TH94111

Tim Holtz Idea-ology 6x9 Kraft Stock, Cool TH94110

Tim Holtz Idea-ology 6x9 Kraft Stock, Warm TH94112

Saturday Showcase - Peach Tea and Saltwater Taffy

Happy Spring to everyone! I'm the newest on the Design Team, but many of you know me as just Lyla from A Chief's Wife's Heart's A' Fire blog. I'm excited to bring today's Saturday Showcase to you; the first of this kind of thing for me, ever! I've had my eye on the Prima Marketing papers for some time now, and while I am a total Tim Holtz buff, I'm in love with the colors of their "Peach Tea" collection. Wouldn't you know it; Tim debuts his newest Distress color, Saltwater Taffy, and it matches the Peach Tea Papers, Flowers, and SIIC (Say It In Crystals)! So I decided to combine all four and mix it all up with one of Tim's newer Thinlits from the Sizzix Chapter 1 release. Read on and find out what I did with these...

This is what I began with. I'd ordered the three Prima Marketing Peach Tea items, along with Tim Holtz's Bunny Games Die Set and that YUMMY Saltwater Taffy, knowing it was going to go on this simple canvas board (you can get them at Dollar Tree). I picked up that baggie of trimmings from our recent building, and when I saw Tim's 3-D Textured Impressions Folder peeking at me from my Craft bag... I hit on exactly what I wanted to do!

Don't let the lighting fool ya: these Peach Tea Papers from Prima Marketing are soooooo delish looking: rich, yet pastels. I was pleasantly surprised to find that many of my Distress Inks/Oxides matched perfectly! There is a spot-on match with Distress Oxides: the brand new Saltwater Taffy, Salvaged Patina, Kitcsh Flamingo, Antique Linen, and Vintage Photo. I thought regular Salty Ocean looked good for some blue pop, but ended up changing it out for the more pastel Speckled Egg Distress Oxide. I also thought Squeezed Lemonade looked good on this paper pad, as well. I ended up using only 3 out of all of these.

Prima Marketing's double-sided designer paper pads are very sturdy paper! That's what really pleased me the most, it's the value as well as the color and usability. Here, you can see the canvas panel being covered with my FAVE sheet choice of the pad. This worn look is going to be a spectacular backdrop for those little bunnies!

Here, you can see I decided to take the boards of the paper in another direction at the bottom. Go ahead - pinch the photo and see how those upper 2 sheets matched up spot on! THAT's paper I can deal with! I used only 2 of the 6x6 sheets to cover this 8x8 panel with enough scraps (a couple shown above) leftover to use at the end. So Prima matches up their ends here and that is more value for me. A little line of not matching was ME. I started to freehand cut and changed to the knife. Don't worry - it won't be seen anyway. I did edge the bottom two with Antique Linen Distress Oxide.

Grab some stash cardstock (I keep a ton of black, browns, and whites to use in between layers or for stiffening help, etc) in brownish-tanish... can I make a basket freehand cutting? Let's see...

This is where Tim's "Intertwine" 3-D Embossing Folder came in... I DRY embossed it. I was looking for it to be like a RATTY type of basket. I wanted the texture, and I wasn't going to get ratty if I spritzed water. Another thing I didn't want; no coloring. Just this plain color and sanding was planned.

Again, don't worry about the line. I'll have filling for this basket a 'plenty!

I ended up needing a backside for this. The dry embossing went great and I had little holes in there (you can see up on the basket middle), but to keep glue from coming through, I was going to need to tape this all up and use my Glossy Accents at the end.

If I'm going to make a basket...it's going to LOOK like a real basket. So here's some top edging. Just roll that piece and then roll it again, with tape to hold it.

Here's the backside - it's all holding together and ready for the panel.

I made a larger pattern first (right side) and then cut it more exactly from another sheet of the stash. Embossing needed it to be in 2 pieces to get it through my Big Shot, so I have a space. ;)

Here's that plastic "wood" shaving. It was soooo soft and stayed together. I was grabbing it off the ground before the guys could ruin it by cutting more junk into it!

And now...heeeeeeere's the HARES! The Peach Tea papers and the Saltwater Taffy are just SOOO PERFECT TOGETHER, but add the Tim Holtz Bunny Games....I'm talking CUTE, here!

These bunnies are TINY, but that's exactly what makes them so stinkin' CUTE! And - biggest surprise for this Crafter (as some of you know, I've had severe RA for half my life) - was to find this set to be not so many pieces! The set itself is sorted together so that you don't even need the instructions to get the colors right. I did look for a video but didn't find one, so I simply cut all the bunny parts all on one sheet. I noticed right away that there were fewer pieces than in most of the Colorized sets, and the eggs in the set were SUPER SIMPLE! Just 2 dies each for a large egg and a small egg.

The only thing I can say that this Tim Holtz Bunny Games Die Set won't do well when reversed. I know some of the Colorize sets can be reversed, but when I tried to do so with this... You can see above here - the bunny just 'lost' his... roundness/puffiness. NOT cute. Yet, my plan was still going to work just fine.

Cracking eggs was never EASIER! Simply make the egg with the 2 cuts (glue together), and make another full cut, but don't glue it. Hold the 2 pieces together as you cut zig-zagged all the way through. Put the unglued (inside will be white, so the extra cut is white) zigszagged pieces slightly jutted out of the glued set zigszagged pieces. You now have an open egg. You can even just glue all around the outer edges, so you make a pocket in each half. (I have an idea going for using that.)

Now - those Prima Marketing Peach Tea SIIC (Say It In Crystals). This is my first time using these, and I am LOVING how ROUNDED they are! Fully rounded out but look faceted and sweetly matching all the same colors as the papers!

I even did a pink/blue/pink/blue painstakingly perfectionist I am. LOL

The color is closer here - a bit washed out to me. But for thinking "Spring"... I couldn't have chosen a better color scheme for this project! (THANK YOU, LINDA!!)

Here's everything I used - some of my stuff is VERY old now. I've linked the important stuff at the bottom. PLEASE CHECK OUT THIS PAPER THEME!! The Distress Inks I've used will show you the colors much better than I can on a blogpost.

ARE YOU READY?
Here's the resulting project:

Be Curious! I certainly am: our fourth Grandchild is due August 27th and I am so excited! Boy, or Girl won't matter to this Memaw...just a healthy HAPPY Baby is all I ask.

Tim's Bunnies have black for eyes and 1 eye is a tiny bit smaller than the other (on both bunnies). But not this Memaw's Grandbabies - so far, all 3 have huge BlueBlue eyes. Princess (the only girl so far) has purple flecks in hers. So these bunnies got 2 larger dotted eyes in blue (from stash trash).

That leftover paper became another "board" that got some Tim Holtz Idea-ology Mini Fasteners and a Quote Chip Theories (edged with Distress Crayon Picket Fence). See the baby bunny - no particular color on this one... just plain Peach Tea paper with shadowing in Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Antique Linen for a bit of depth. Bunny paws are trying to break the shell, but the ears are already popping out!

There couldn't have been a better (in all ways a paper can be better!) paper collection to use for this particular project. And the Spring feeling it gives makes me think of all the baby blue/pink that will be distracting me all through the summer. I don't think they want to know what it will be, but no matter: this Memaw LOVES her new Wittle GrandBunny!

I had fun doing this project, and it helped that all of it seemed to just match itself! I hope you'll be inspired to try a few of the Prima Marketing Papers - especially the Peach Tea collection! Have a super Saturday!

Supplies used:

Prima Marketing Peach Tea 6x6 Double Sided Paper Pad 997502

Prima Marketing Peach Tea Flowers - Perfect Day 658717

Prima Marketing Peach Tea SIIC (Say It In Crystals) 998417

Sizzix Chapter 1 Tim Holtz Thinlits Die Set - Bunny Games 665850

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Saltwater Taffy Ink Pad TDO79545

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad Antique Linen TDO55792

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad Speckled Egg TDO72546

Ranger Inkssentials Ink Blending Tool w 2 Foams IBT40965

Tim Holtz Tonic Studios Kushgrip 7inch Scissors T817

Tim Holtz 3-D Textured Impressions Embossing Folder - Intertwine 664759

Ranger Inkssentials Glossy Accents GAC17042

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Crayon Picket Fence (from Set #3)

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Mini Fasteners TH92790