Introducing... Azalea!


Sweeping and free, this set simply named Azalea is begging to be colored with reckless abandon. It could inspire an outrageous upsurge in your use of pink markers, colored pencils, and paint! Use the lush blooms of these images to let a friend know how much she is missed, or to say thanks to another who is just plain amazing! This 4" by 6" set was illustrated by hand with a whole lotta love by Marcella Hawley

A few weeks back I was cruising the aisles of my local dollar store and I happened to spy some cool round kraft paper covered boxes.  So I grabbed one... okay, I grabbed two and hid them away for safe keeping. Let me tell ya... the minute I saw this stunning Azalea stamp set, I knew I had to use it on something extra special.  **Swoon**

The minute I had my hot little hands on these stamps I knew what I wanted - I had actually been dreaming about this project all week!! - I wanted a rustic, antique-y looking box with a "carved" looking detail on the top.  Well, carved you can't really do with stamps but 3D paper piecing you CAN do!  It was my "aha" moment!

First I found a digital newsprint paper I liked and sized it down to suit my delicate and ornate Azaleas and printed out a few pieces using my laser printer just on plain ol' copy paper.  Then I cut a circle of the newsprint and stamped my large Azalea in the center of it.  I took the remaining pieces of paper and stamped the same image multiple times, ensuring the direction of my script was lined up.

Then I got to the fun part... the fussy cutting!  I think in all, I had to cut out 13 separate pieces to get the dimension I wanted.  I had to cut them all out, curl them using my ball-ended tool (can never remember the name of that silly thing!), colour every single white edge of the paper with my Copic W4 marker for all 13 pieces and then carefully place them onto the box lid with OLBA adhesive (a 3D glue).
I added a few coats of a clear spray finish to preserve the paper.  It's so delicate!

Yup.... it was a labour of love and I just ADORE how it turned out.   I sent a quick photo of it to my Mom (she's an artist/crafter too!) and she said she loved it, so I may send this one to her for her nightstand and make myself another one... I mean I didn't buy 2 boxes for nothin'!  LOL!



I hope my little box inspires you to think outside of the box (or maybe about the outside of it?!?) today!

Doesn't that flower just make you swoon? Don't wait to exhale, breathe in the beauty and hop on over to see the rest of the Bloom Brigade!

Allison Cope -- you are here!
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Danielle Kennedy
Dawn Burnworth
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

Tomorrow's set is sure to deliver a little dose of serenity. Need some? Check on back to see the Bloom Brigade and all its Zen-like creativity!

~ Ally ~

Sponsored byPower Poppy

Supplies:
stamps: Power Poppy (Azalea)
paper:  kraft cardstock from Flourishes, Digital paper by Mel McCathy

die cut shapes: Silhouette
ink:  Ranger Distress (Vintage Photo, Scattered Straw)
lace tape:  Decollections
masks:  Prima (Finnabair)
tools:  Silhouette 
adhesive:  OLBA
box:  dollar store.

20 comments:

Cheryl said...

I love how you think "outside the box." LOL This is gorgeous, Ally!

Julie Koerber said...

Ally, I have a wooden box just like this sitting on my nightstand! Beautiful idea and even more beautiful is how it turned out!

Katie Sims said...

Whoa....well, if you decide you wanna make a third, it would fit quite nicely on my shelf here in Georgia! ;) Ally, this is gorgeous and I can't imagine how long it must have taken you to fussy cut all of your layers, but the final product certainly was worth all of your time! :)

Lee-Anne said...

Beautiful!

Marcella Hawley said...

Not sure where to start first, Ally... the clever re-imagining of your dollar store booty; your labor-of-love treatment of the Azalea stamp with its subtle layers and lovely three-dimensional look, your restraint at limiting the color scheme to that pretty natural palette, your photography and prop styling that look to be ripped from the pages of a magazine, or the witty storytelling with the teensy tiny type interspersed!!! You are something else, Miss Ally!!

Sewflake said...

Your creations are a thing of beauty!! Love the colors used for that antique look, just awe inspiring!!

Leslie Miller said...

Ally, you floor me with your outside the box thinking! What a fabulous vintage masterpiece this is! 13 layers -- that's dedication to your craft! I'm in awe! I altered a box yesterday, but it's kindergarten compared to this. This is ART and I LOVE it!

Stacy Morgan said...

Oh I love 3D items, this is lovely Ally. Very soothing and warm colors, wonderful little gift box as well. Great fine and beautiful job.

CherylQuilts said...

Oh, Ally, this is amazing! I love this beautiful gift box that is going to be cherished by someone special (unless you just can't give it away...LOL!). It's gorgeous, and you've really used this image in a fabulous way! I love it! Hugs!

Liz Williams said...

What a very special labor of love this pretty box is! I just love these azaleas. OUtstanding!

Heather Rogers said...

What a pretty work of art! Love the vintage feel.

Becky said...

what a beautiful box.

Barbara said...

OMG! Thud! This is amazing. Yeah, that's me hitting the floor! Can't wait to order.

Grace said...

Oh it's just beautiful!!! Love the digi vintage paper you used! Such a warm vintage feeling!

AussieParcher said...

Gorgeous vintage creation and it's going to be loved very much. I think it's wonderful. I like making little boxes myself, but nothing as beautiful as this one.

Cindy Lawrence said...

Ally, this is so stunning and original, gf! LOVE all of the dimension, natural color palette, and beautiful photography! What a wonderful way to showcase these gorgeous blooms!

Kathy Jones said...

OH MY GOSH!!! Ally this is amazing and so inspiring!!! What a fantastic, original use for this set and the finished result is GORGEOUS!!!

dpkennedy said...

You are killing me with these stunning projects! This is amazing! I want one for MY nightstand! You did an outstanding job on this Ally!

Tosha Leyendekker said...

Seriously?!?!?!? A STUNNING vintage box!!! Now how did you come up with that idea looking at azaleas!?!? Girl...I just LOVE seeing where that creative brain of yours takes you, cause we get to go along for the ride!! What a gorgeous work of art!

ChristineCreations said...

This box is spectacular. The patience for cutting is amazing, but the beauty of all the layering shows. Its so lovely Ally!

 
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