#TGIFC366 — Flowering Tulips

Hello and Happy TGIF! For this week’s TGIF Challenge, our theme is Mother’s Day!!! I love making Mother’s Day cards for several reasons. First and foremost, I adore my mom and my mother-in-law. Also, they both truly appreciate my cards and it’s a great excuse to make ultra-feminine cards, which are my favorites.

I purchased the Flowering Tulips Bundle specifically for Mother’s Day. Tulips are my favorites, and I absolutely adore the 3D folding flowers in this set. I used them on a birthday card for my sister recently, with great success, but for this occasion, I had something entirely different in mind. Instead of soft subtle colors, I was going bold!

I’m no botanist, so I usually reference photos when selecting colors for flowers on my cards. I noticed that not only do tulips come in lots of bold colors, but they have very vibrant green leaves and stems.

I chose Evening Evergreen, Garden Green, and Pear Pizzazz for my leaves and stems. Then, for the first card, I used Mango Melody, Pumpkin Pie, and Poppy Parade ink for my flowers, and for the second card, I used Polished Pink and the new 2022 In Color Sweet Sorbet.

First, I cut all the flowers, stems and leaves out of Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper. Then, I used a couple different watercoloring techniques to paint them. I always start by wetting the paper back and front with clear water. Then, for the flowers, I painted with the lightest color first and then added stripes of color. Finally, when the paper was still wet, I added the darkest color at the top and let the ink bleed downwards.

For the leaves, I painted the entire die-cut with a Pear Pizzazz wash and then went back and added swipes of darker color. As the paper dried, I spread the bristles of the Water Painter apart to apply more ink. For each piece, I really tried to get a big variation in color.

Assembling the tulips might look complicated, but it’s really not at all. There are three “folding” dies that I painted front and back. They have score lines, so it’s easy to figure out how to fold them. Then, there is a variety of individual petals. I simply cut a bunch and just started placing them both inside and behind the folded die-cuts. Once I was satisfied, I adhered them together with a combination of SEAL and Mini Glue Dots.

Behind the flowers, I have a Scalloped Contour die-cut from Flowering Fields DSP and a layer of Vellum Layering Designs over a Pool Party card base.

I also cut a Vellum circle using the new Stylish Shapes Dies to draw attention to those pretty flowers.

The sentiment is embossed in gold on Basic White Cardstock and then cut out with a die from the Waves Dies. Final touches were some Artistry Blooms Sequins (I’m going to miss those!) and a pretty Simply Elegant Trim bow.

Be sure to click over to the TGIF Challenges Blog to be inspired by the other designers! Then, show us your Mother’s Day cards by entering our challenge at the bottom of that post. We would love to see your projects!!!

Have a great Friday and weekend to come! Happy Crafting!

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