Wednesday 6 April 2016

Inspired by an English Garden - the 2016 edit

Much of my crating inspiration last year came from our weekend visits to gardens - and now we have all week to enjoy  them, there could well be even more! This year's inspiration has already started, thanks to the beautiful gardens at Nymans.

There were some magnificent magnolia trees - Mark took this beautiful photo:


And I couldn't resist digging out a very old stamp of a magnolia (not to be confused with a Magnolia Stamp!) - an old UM, so I can't remember the manufacturer.

First of all I stamped it on a pink background, thinking it would go well with the colour of the flowers, and used white and dark pink pencils to add a little variation to the petals


Then I looked again at the photo - that beautiful blue sky made a wonderful background for the flowers, didn't it? But I wasn't sure I would be able to colour flowers that had been stamped on blue, without them looking too blue or mauve themselves, so as well as stamping it on blue, I stamped on a piece of white card so if necessary I would be able to colour and paper piece the flowers if necessary. However I hoped it wouldn't be, as paper piecing isn't really a major skill of mine, to put it mildly....

I tested various combinations of pens, pencils and inks on a scrap of blue paper, and found that a base layer of a deep pink Cricut fine-tipped pen  partially covered with white gel pen, thinly in some areas and thickly in others, gave a lovely shaded pink to the flowers. Also for my second card I completely covered the pink base card with blue before adding the top panel.


There - I'm much happier with that one! Here they are side by side to compare:


I am sharing the blue card with:

Less is More - White space but not white
CAS on Sunday - Flowers  

21 comments:

Esther said...

Jane, this is absolutely gorgeous - they both are! I love that stamp and your colouring looks great. The blue background slightly has the edge for me, as I love the contrast between the pink and blue, but they're both fab cards!

Sid said...

Two beautiful cards !!

Susan said...

Your cards are pretty. You had some beautiful natural inspiration! Thanks for sharing at Less is More!

baileyrosy.com said...

So pretty both of them but the blue has the edge for me, your colouring is beautiful and restrained.

Marie

Janice said...

A beautiful CAS card, so pretty, Jx

Barb said...

Two really lovely cards Jane. Barbxx

cotnob said...

A beautiful photograph and gorgeous cards, such a wonderful CAS design.
Pauline
x

Lou said...

I just live magnolias, they are so fabulous at this time of year and you have really done them justice with your creations. Lou x

Cara said...

I think they're both beautiful. Love how you experimented to get the right look you wanted. I'm sure you know this trick already but if you go round the edge of your image with a very pale blue it makes it pop off the base. Apologies for teaching you how to suck eggs! Cara x

Sazzle Dazzle said...

oooh! I love magnolias ... mine haven't quite popped to perfection in the garden yet but yours have plus your elegant cards. Love the 2 versions and super duper CAS, elegant and great use of a different BG colour. Thanks for playing along and sharing at Less is More this week. Sarah x

Linda said...

Very pretty! xx

Sue - said...

Two very pretty cards Jane!

Hettie said...

These are absolutely beautiful. Love the soft colours.
Hugs
xx

Greta said...

Amazing how different they look! Both are beautiful & in spite of pink being my favorite color, I do like the blue one the best!

ÅsaJ said...

So beautiful!

Sarah G said...

These are both gorgeous CAS designs, Jane! Love magnolias and your stamp looks so elegant against both the white and pink backgrounds. Thank you for sharing with us at Less is More :)

Shaz in Oz.CalligraphyCards said...

Gorgeous work Jane, love how you show what was your inspiration for the card...and agree the blue highlights the colours beautifully. Great stamp and layout too.
Thanks so much for the inspiration,
Shaz in Oz.x

{Calligraphy Cards - Shaz in Oz}

Liz said...

Two super cards, but if I had to chose I think the pink one would win......but only just! ;-) xx

Chrissie said...

Sorry for my late visit this week, but time ran just away from me!
These are beautiful Jane... simplicity itself and just lovely!
Thanks so much
Chrissie
"Less is More"

Sharon Traynor Designs said...

Wow Jane, these are stunning! A really gorgeous design.
So sorry I'm late - still playing catch-up from my holiday! Thank you for joining us at Less is More.
Sharon xx

Zw@@n said...

Elegant CAS cards, Jane. Love them. Thank you for joining us at CAS on Sunday. Luv, Wilma