Wednesday 3 January 2018

Rediscovering Iris Folding

As I do every January, I've decided that this year is going to be the year I get all my craft stash super organised. This year though there's a difference- I've actually made a start on it.

In the process of sorting some things out, I came across several part used iris folding strips and a pack of pre-cut sparkle and pearl strips for the technique, that I must have had for at least 15 years. I've not touched them for ages; I think I used one of them for a Christmas card a year or two back and they've not seen daylight since.

So, in the spirit of "Use it or lose it" I decided to have an iris folding session, using this sweet humming bird kit. I wasn't sure what colours to use so I tried doing a google search for "What colour is a humming bird?". I hadn't realised it was something akin to "What colour is a flower?" - I had no idea there were so many and varied colours of humming birds. Even so, I'm still nervous that Darnell may see this and, with her love of hummers, shriek "They're all completely the wrong colours!"


I used the card in the traditional style that was popular when the kits first appeared, leaving the card blank white and adding a simple peel off border and sentiment.

Then I tried using some of that white space - I sponged on some green ink and used a darker green to stamp tropical leaves here and there. The textured card means the images aren't very clearly stamped, making the bird stand out more, especially as I used colours that strongly contrasted with the background.



Now the card is intended to be used in portrait orientation, and indeed the humming bird looks most humming-bird-y used that way, but to my eye the apertures are a little too low down the card and it looks a little unbalanced, so I thought I'd try it in landscape instead.


And since it was the last card in my pack, I threw ink, flowers, leaves and pearls at it - why not?

I am sharing these with

2 Crafty Critter Crazies - anything goes with a creature

Watercooler Wednesday - Feminine anything goes


Crafty Gals Corner - Anything Goes

A bit more time to craft Extra - Anything Goes

Love to Craft - Anything Goes  

15 comments:

Crafting Queen said...

Wow, stunning card!!!

creationsnz said...

All great cards, but I like no. 2 best because as you say it makes the bird pop. Thanks for sharing your work with us at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies, CarolG

cotnob said...

Fabulous cards Jane, your humming birds are gorgeous.
Pauline - Crafting with Cotnob
x

AO Creations said...

Super cute!!! Thank you for joining us at Love to Craft, good luck!!! Amy DT

Sue - said...

Well done Jane on organising and using old stash to make those fab cards. Me and iris folding don’t get on!

Heidi Weaver said...

Oh my goodness, Jane! I'm in awe! Each of those cards is a treasure. I love the combinations of colours you've used on each hummingbird---yes, there are virtually hundreds of variations of jewel-like colours that those tiny birds wear. Who needs jewellery when one's very body is a jewel, right? You're doing what I'm determined to do this year: wearing away at your stash and becoming organized. That you had time to create these cards while doing so---kudos to you. Thanks so much for joining our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge this week and welcome back for a new year of challenges.

Jeanie Ellis - Scrapbookingmamaw said...

Such a beautiful card! Thank you so much for entering our challenge at Crafty Gals Corner Challenges this week. Be sure to join us next week too!
Blessings,
CGC DT
Scrapbookingmamaw {My Blog}
Crafty Gals Corner Challenges

Cara said...

They all look fabulous, but I think the last is my favourite. Definitely a case of more is more!

Margarets designer cards said...

They are lovely, something I have not tried, I love the way you have done the hummingbirds in different colours.

Liz said...

This are brilliant, Jane. The iris folding looking beautiful, it's so long since I did any. I've got a box of folded papers ready to use somewhere. They must have been folded at least 10 years ago! LOL! xx

MagsB said...

My goodness, Jane, these are fabulous! The hummingbirds look gorgeous!

love Mags B x

Helen said...

Wow! Such amazing cards Jane! So very clever using all that paper folding along with clever colour choices. Thanks so much for joining us at Watercooler Wednesday Challenge!

Created by Kath said...

Your Iris folds are beautiful! Thanks for joining us at Watercooler Wednesday!

Kleri said...

Wow!Amazing card!Love what you did with the different layers!Very interesting and creative!Thank you for sharing with us at the Crafty Gals Corner this week!Hope you join us again soon!
Hugs
Kleri DT
http://craftygalscornerchallenges.blogspot.co.uk/
http://kefartworx.co.uk/ (My blog)

Pippa said...

Beautiful cards, love the vibrant colours and the sheen on them. Thank you for sharing at LTCCB. Pippa DT