"Warming Spring"

Impression Obsession's challenge is "Favourite Technique" again. I still have no idea what my favourite might be. I love trying new things, but my old standby is die cutting. Another old favourite is stamping on vellum and I see that that has become quite popular again.

I used a beautiful IO stamp called 'Warming Spring' ( E8605) as my focal point. It's stamped and heat embossed on vellum. The paper underneath is a very vibrant piece of K&Co Sweet Nectar paper. I die cut a bunch of flowers and leaves from the IO set ( DIE047-J ), and made rolled flowers with the super cute IO die set (DIE042-I). I love using these little dies to cut up scraps of paper. I usually have a stack of them pre-made and ready to go. I filled the rolled flowers with Distress Stickles, and put Liquid Pearls on the others. I also used a MS punch to cut some even smaller flowers to fill in. The frame is made with  Spellbinders Diamond Effects die. I like to use it to make a quick and easy card.

Here's where you can find the IO challenge and a blog hop with the talented IO designers:
http://mitrafriant.typepad.com/impression_obsession_news/2014/02/new-io-challenge-favorite-technique.html


I am having a really hard time trying to make cards while watching and worrying about the situation in the Ukraine. It is scary to know that the UN and NATO are powerless to do anything (not that that's new) to protect a member nation. I caught a minute or two of some US politician babbling about how if he was in power, Russia would be scared and he'd make Putin back down,blah,blah. So deeply relieved that that guy isn't in charge! World War III, here we come! My heart goes out to the Ukrainian people, they are on the edge of a precipice, with no safety net. The Crimea is lost, no one will risk another World War and Putin knows it. The question is, what's next?