Last year a very good friend of mine sent me several photos that she had taken over the 4th of July weekend. Eleanor calls me her "very best American friend" ...and in turn I tease her and tell her she is my "very best Chinese friend". Of course I don't have any other Chinese friends and she thinks that is so funny! Anyway, last summer her mother came to visit from China and brought several traditional costumes with her. Her mother has performed in the Chinese theater and in New York theater for most of her life and she is quite skilled with costumes and make up. She said it took almost 8 hours to be "made up" and she did it two days in a row. Of course her husband took several incredible photos. This is one of the pictures. Isn't she beautiful?
I am going somewhere with this story...I promise!
The other day I purchased the June issue (issue 61) of "PaperCraft Inspirations" magazine. It is published in the UK. In the past I have been a little disappointed in the magazine, but the last few issues have actually been pretty good. (It comes packaged in a clear plastic envelope, so you can't peek before you purchase...I don't care for that very much.) There is an article on pages 22-25 that tell you how to make the cutest little Kokeshi dolls using punches. I knew right away that I would have to make one. I know the dolls are Japanese (not Chinese) but they are still adorable and I am always looking for a fun oriental card to send to my "best Chinese friend".
I made this card as my entry into Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge. SU doesn't have any paper right now that is oriental and I could have used some retired DSP, but I decided to use Tea Party DSP on this project instead. I cut a 3"x3" square of DSP and then stamped the cherry blossom branches from "Eastern Blooms" in gold ink and used gold detailed embossing powder to give the look of a window. I then cut the sheet into 1" squares being extra careful to keep the stamped images intact and in the correct order. I didn't have any SU gold paper handy, so I used some metallic paper from DCWV to give it a touch of eastern elegance.
I must admit that I had way too much fun making this card. Don't be surprised if I make a few more with some slight variations of course.
Supplies
Stamps: Eastern Blooms
DSP: Tea Party
CS: Basic Black, Blush Blossom, Gold Metallic (DCWV)
Accessories: Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker, Pastels, Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug), Gold Twine (SU retired), 1" Circle Punch, Large Oval Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Pastels, Mini Glue Dots, Dimensionals
