Peony

Welcome to Susan’s Garden…I’m Susan Tierney-Cockburn with Elizabeth Craft Designs and I want to share with you a card using the Peony from my new line, Garden Notes. The Peony is one of my most beloved flower because 46 years ago, my grandmother gifted me with a clump of peonies from her garden when I married that has been planted in the gardens of the seventeen homes we’ve lived in!

1. Cut an A6 card (6 1/4” x 4 1/2”) from Card Shoppe/Marshmallow. Cut a piece of Shimmer Sheetz/Ruby Gemstone 6” x 4 1/4”. Emboss the Shimmer Sheetz with Heartstrings Embossing Folder and sand lightly to reveal the silver hearts. Add a border of Peel-Off Lines in Silver around the edges.

2. Die cut one stem in 100# Card Shoppe/Marshmallow and one in 80# medium or dark green cardstock. Color the Marshmallow with Copic YG97 (or a green color you have.) Use a toothpick to spread a bead of glue to adhere the two stems together. Alternately, it’s easy to adhere a piece of ECD double sided adhesive sheet to each of the papers to attach the stems together, then, be able to adhere it to the top layer of the card. You can add some shading to the stem, using PanPastel Bright Yellow Green or Bright Yellow Green Shade.

3. Die cut the Peony base flower 1x, the bud 1 x, the petals 2-3x’s in your favorite color the flower comes in, the leaves 2 x’s in the same green you use for the stem and the stamen in yellow.

4. Place the base flower on the molding pad, right-side-down and shape the petals with the Loop Tool. Turn the flower over and stir the center of this piece in the center using the medium ball stylus.

5. Use a toothpick dipped in glue to apply a small amount to the the underside of the base flower and adhere to the top of the stem.

6. Place the petals on the molding pad, right-side-up, and shape each petal, using the small end of the Loop Tool. Use tweezers to pinch the stem end. Dip the stem end into the glue and start applying larger petals offsetting them around the ones on the base flower.

7. Use scissors to cut the stamen filaments in half. Use a toothpick to apply a small amount of glue to the bottom and use tweezers to roll up the stamen and seal.

8. Spread the filaments of the rolled stamen, use a toothpick to apply some glue to the top,
and then, dip into yellow Pollen. Use tweezers to hold the filament just below the Pollen edge and dip the bottom into the glue and set in place in the center of the flower.

9. Continue adding more smaller petals (as in Step #6) filling around the stamen.

10. Bud– shape the bud on the molding pad, right-side-down using the medium ball stylus.
Use a toothpick to apply a small amount of glue to the bud and adhere on the calyx of the stem. Add the two smallest petals, shaped and pinched, on top of the bud to give some dimension.

11. Optional: I made my flower in a hot pink, so I added some shading, using PanPastel’s Permanent Red Tint (pink) over the edges of the petals.

12. Leaves–you can shade the paper with Distress Ink/Crushed Olive and place them,
right-side-down, on the Leaf pad. I use the Leaf Tool to add a stem line down the center, then, turn the leaf over and add vein lines coming out from the stem. Bend the leaf in half (right-side-up) and apply PanPastel/Bright Yellow Green to this line to accentuate it. Use tweezers to pinch stem end and your thumb and index finger to press it around the end of the tweezer. Next, hold the pinch and turn the leaf over, right side facing down at a 45-degree angle over the molding pad and use the medium ball stylus to crimp the leaf edge. (Crimp–place the ball stylus down at the tip and push backward)

13. Set leaves in place on the flower.

Sentiment:

1. Die cut tag from Card Shoppe paper/Marshmallow using ECD Tags & More 4 – Flourish.
Die cut the corners and heart reinforcement in an 80# Hot Pink cardstock, or a color to coordinate with your flower.

2. Stamp a sentiment from Susan’s Garden Seeds of Thought stamps. Use a Krylon Silver Pen to edge the tag, then, add a wide pink (or the color of your choice) through the hole and finally, tie with a pink piece of twine into a bow around the ribbon.

I had such fun time creating this card to show you how easy it is with this new low-relief line–Garden Notes. I hope I’ve inspired you to try it; “the earth laughs in flowers.” Susan

Supply List:

Elizabeth Craft Designs –
Susan’s Garden – Garden Notes Peony (996)
Susan’s Garden 4pcs Tool Set (808)
Seeds of Thought-”Let Us Be Grateful” (RS005)
Tags & More 4 – Flourish (957)
Heart Strings Embossing Folder (E112)
Ruby Gemstone Shimmer Sheetz (SS 0219)
Transparent Double Sided Tape Sheet- 6” x 6”/5 pack (503)
Peel-Off Lines (1016/silver)

Other –
Molding Pad, Leaf Pad
Pollen/Yellow
PanPastels: Bright Yellow Green or Bright Yellow Green Shade and Permanent Red Tint
Krylon Pen-Silver
1” wide ribbon (5-inches)
Twine
Beacon’s “Kids Choice
Bazzil Basic Paper–Card Shoppe/Marshmallow, 80#Medium or Dark Green and a color for the flower, edges and reinforcement for the tag.