Orchid Flourish with Feathers: ColourQ #341 / Retrosketch #215

Good morning!  It's been a beautiful weekend here,

ups and downs included but altogether really refreshing.

The only thing to make it better might have been if I were up to some serious

garden work and could have planted something...preferably something BIG,

like an heirloom fruit tree.

But as-is, I'll have an extra year to do my research and make plans for the orchard.
 

 

I was also DELIGHTED by my first-ever VERY positive blog hop

experience, meeting some incredibly talented artists and discovering

a classy and oh-so-tasteful digital stamp design company,

Graciellie.

She hasn't asked, but I thought I'd let you know that she's running a promotion

on her Etsy shop right now for any 3 stamp sets for $8.50.

Her designs remind me very much of the classy botanicals made by Flourishes

a number of years ago.  I see a lot in common with Gracie's style and Marcella Hawley's,

but Gracie brings a lot that's specially all her own.

I look forward to creating with some of her images soon.

It didn't hurt that I got lucky on that hop, but really I felt treated from the start.

 

Now on to this morning's card, inspired primarily by a couple of favorite challenges.

I masked off the diagonal area for the stamped splatters so as to keep them more controlled.
 

 

 ColourQ #341:

 

Retro Sketches #215:

 

  (OKAY, I offset the sentiment.  I'll behave next time...)

 

 

 

 

At least once a year DH brings me an orchid.  Often it's on Valentine's day

in order to keep from getting in trouble, but the point is they are always lovely.
Breathtaking.  The room I place an orchid in ALWAYS feels more sophisticated.

Yet try as I may to read all the tutorials and do all the repotting steps and fertilizing,

they just do not survive.

I can get other plants to live... usually. 
Yet orchids are like another world entirely,
a world I have not been privileged to enter.
Orchids have been historical troublemakers, even--
have shaped the fate of individuals and

regions and nations.  Divas of the botany world, I tell you.  Divas.

 

At least these paper ones, made using a Spellbinders die set from JoAnn's,

won't need any special TLC.

 

If you love botany and you love reading, may I very highly suggest

Vanilla: A Cultural History

 

A few other challenges:

 

Fashionable Stamping #111: Blots and Splashes

Simon Says: Flowers

The Corrosive Challenge #5: Spring is Coming

Simply Create Too #109: Thank You

Stamping Sensations May: ATG

 

 

 Materials Used on this Card:
Cardstock {Rustic white - Papertrey Ink}
Stamps {Snow spatter - Altenew; Feathers - Art C}
Dye inks {Harvest Gold and Berry Sorbet - Papertrey Ink}
Clear superfine embossing powder {Ranger}
Spellbinders flower-builder Orchid dies
Feather dies {Art C}
Copics (to color orchid details)
Kraft sentiment sticker and pearl flourishes {The Paper Studio}
Cotton twine
Corner rounder {Martha Stewart}

 

 

Thank you for visiting today and I hope you will

enter for my Spring Giveaway before you go!

Inlinkz is so quick and I've opened the giveaway to both US and

International crafters as well.

Picture and link are on my right-hand sidebar. :)

Take care,

Be well,

and enjoy the sunshine,

--Kathryn