The Card That Took 2 Days to Make...

     ... and not because it's a technically difficult card but because I am so darn indecisive.  The finished product is nothing like my original idea.  In fact, the only element that is the same is the stamp set. 
     I began this card several days ago when I tried to use the Scallop Square Bigz die for something other than a rag quilt purse.  I had it all planned out: a 4 1/2"x 4 1/2" card using pinks and grays and blues.  I stamped the flower image and colored it in with a blender pen and added a sentiment when I decided it needed something a bit more.  Buttons, ribbon, pearls and crystals just didn't look right... hmmmm.  Why not try cracked glass?  So off to Michael's I go in search of Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (besides the UTEE I ended up coming home with 2 pairs of flip-flops, sponges, black embossing powder, and stickers).  But once I thought about it, I really didn't like the idea of the sentiment being under the UTEE and thought it would look better as a separate layer.  So back to the drawing board I went...  and this is what I came up with:  a traditional 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" card in shades of purples and greens using the cracked glass technique.

     This was the first time I had attempted to use UTEE and I really liked it.  It's used the same way as traditional embossing powder (VersaMark, powder, heat tool) but you do 3-4 four layers instead of just one.  I found an awesome video tutorial on it by Beate over at Split Coast Stampers and it helped me a lot.  I wasn't quick enough to add the additional layer of UTEE after the heating so I ended up adding VersaMark between the layers.
     Making the glass "crack" made me a bit anxious.  After all, I had just spent a good hour or so deciding what I was going to make (for the second time) and painstakingly colored all the flowers and leaves with a blender pen.  It bent easily but didn't really crack like it was supposed to.  It's been quite humid in NH for the past week or so and I found that sticking the cardstock in the freezer for a few minutes made it easier to crack. 
     But I think the most exciting thing about this card was how I learned to use the "micro" button on my camera for close-ups!  It's been a year and I'm still figuring out how to use it.  Maybe I should actually read the owners manual... nah, it's more fun to find out as you go along.

Stamps: Elements of Style
Paper: Mellow Moss (retired), Perfect Plum, Very Vanilla
Ink: Mellow Moss, Perfect Plum, VersaMark
Tools & Accessories: Blender pen, ultra thick embossing enamel (not SU!), dimensionals, vanilla taffeta ribbon