Sunflower!

 Those of you who know me on Facebook or Instagram may have seen that last week I won a huge box of Cadence mixed media supplies, many of which are products I've never tried before. One of these is called Petal Porselen, which I presume translates as Petal Porcelain and is a powerful fabric stiffener. 

I've been looking for a product like this since the early 1980s. Back then I lived in Hong Kong. Emma had started school and once she'd set off on the school bus in the morning, once a week or so I would grab toddler Fiona and head off on the hour long journey into Kowloon or Central Hong Kong for a shopping trip. There was a wonderful craft shop there  that stocked all kinds of American products and magazines. I used to buy a magazine called McCalls, which was full of fabulous projects, and they often had home decor items such as photo frames and tissue box covers decorated with ribbons and fabric flowers that were stiffened with a similar product, but the shop could never get the product for me. 

Now, this shop was on the 17th floor of one of Kowloon's skyscrapers. The lift up to it was TINY - so small that I couldn't get me, Fiona and the pushchair into it all together. The door in the lobby next to the lift was the entrance to the Hot Lips Bar and Massage Parlour and the first time I went to the shop, I rather cautiously peeked inside to ask if I could park the pushchair there. It was mid morning and the bar girls had no "clients" and when they saw Fiona, with her blonde curly hair, they all cooed over her and wanted to cuddle her. Back then, in Hong Kong, there was no "stranger danger" and it was perfectly safe to leave children with strangers, so when they offered to look after her while I went to the shop, I cautiously accepted. Fiona had a lovely time with them and from then onwards, insisted on going to visit her new friends there every time we were in the neighbourhood. It meant I got a lot of craft shopping done, but I always glanced over my shoulder before going in because I was sure that if one of Mark's senior officers had seen me leaving my daughter in a brothel there would have been questions asked! 

Anyway, after that rambling (you seem to be getting a lot of reminiscences from me these days!) on to the Petal Porselen, which I used on this massive fabric sunflower. This is the last one from a pack I bought  many, many years ago. I've tried using them several times but found the petals too floppy to be used on a card - as soon as the card stands upright, the petals flop over and spoil the look. However once stiffened with this product they hold their shape beautifully! 

Such a big bold flower doesn't need much else, so I've used it as the focal point of a gatefold card covered inside and out with papers printed from Debbi Moore's beautiful Sunflower Dreams CD. 

I am sharing this with 

CD Sunday Plus - anything goes 

Craft Rocket - Summer