Something Very Old & Something Very New…

Oh, I am SO excited that you dropped by today. I really want to share this project with you.

As you may or may not know, I was extremely involved in the wonderful and challenging hobby field of cast-ceramics. That was my passion for creating and teaching from 1970 till I finally retired in late 1999. One of the very first projects I created was to stain a coat-of-arms plaque then accented and highlighted it with a product manufactured by Jaygot. The product was called Luster Paste. It was always a stable in our home studio.

When I closed my studio in 1982 to pursue other ceramic related avenues, I set my Jaygot Lusters in a safe place. Needless to say, over the years, they became forgotten items- till last week.

This type of product has always been around under several different descriptive names and I often considered purchasing “the newest” product trends for papercrafts but was hesitant. (Actually, I recently did purchase something called a glaze wax). At any rate, upon the rediscovery and rejuvenation of my dear, old faithful Lusters, I completed this, my latest card adventure.

Special Note: This card was actually inspired by Susan Tierney-Cockburn’s A Patriotic Bouquet video: (https://stierneyc.wordpress.com/author/stierneyc/).

The background papers are from Elizabeth Craft Designs: Whisper Blue and Soft White.

The die used for the blue is part of an unbranded set.

The Bucket’s paper is from Neenah’s Starbeams collection Copper.

The papers for the leaves and ferns are from USArtQuest’s Indian Batik collection, Forest Green and Light Sage.

For the flowers, I used White Foamiran and added USArtQuest’s Prills, Lemon Chiffon, for the stamen.

All the dies are from Susan’s Garden Notes (Elizabeth Craft): Galvanized Bucket #1525, Ivy Vine #1297, Ostrich Fern #1424 and for the flower, Amaryllis #1208.

All the accents and highlights were accomplished by using the Luster Paste and applied with daubers:

·         Light Blue for flower centers and tips

·         Charcoal for the outer edges of the Bucket and handle.

·         Lemon Gold for the Bucket high lights.

·         Green Gold and Charcoal for adding dimension to the leaves and ferns.

Wish there was a way to pass on the excitement that I experienced creating this Thank You Card. Bringing the flowers to life, arranging the leaves in the Bucket, even just creating the background die cut. It was so rewarding seeing this one come to life.

Well, I have again just rambled on and on. I do hope you will search out some of your long stored-away craft-type products and see what you can create.

Till next time,

God Bless You and Yours