My Bodacious Blooms

Three tools and a new paper pack come together in this card - all from HOTP.  The patterned paper is from a lovely paper pack - Rosemary & Thyme 6x6 double sided papers.  The flower is made using solid colored cardstock and the Bodacious Blooms die set, while the sentiment is heat embossed onto a shape cut using the Design Tool Kit #2 - which was used to create two tags that serve as leaves for my flower.  The sentiment was stamped using a stamp from the Stamp & Punch set of stamps.

For the flower, I cut all four dies from the red, and all four from the black.  I was careful to leave the black intact (keeping the little "innies" with the rest - taping it from the back where necessary.  The black forms a base for the red, lining up with the red exactly except for the last layer where it is offset.  All petals are bent up at the base to add dimension, and the red ones have the inner parts bent up for additional dimension.  Each set of blooms is glued only in the center and each layer is offset from the previous.

Two "leaves" were created by using the small tag in the design tool kit. I first traced around it on the black cardstock and cut that out for the mat - repeating to make a 2nd one.  Then, I rough cut a piece of the patterned paper, held it under the template with my thumb and middle finger of my left hand in the center of the template, and trimmed it along the inside line by using small scissors underneath the template, following the inside lines. I repeated this a second time for a second leaf.  I heat embossed my sentiment (and around the outer edge) with fine black powder on one of these pieces.  The 2nd one I left plain. I layered the patterned paper on the black mats, attaching the plain one directly to the mat and adhering the one with the sentiment using foam tape. Then I attached these leaves to the card - trimming a bit off the left edge of the plain one so it would sit farther under the bloom.

Final touches - a ribbon bow on the side of the flower and a black Jewel Dazzles in it's center.  As you can see, I also matted the background paper with a black mat.